Interviewed by:
Leanne Kender and Lexis Grandel

"... you know, you see something like that and you think this is so futile,
what is this war all about?

These are just young guys like I am. You know they must have families."

~ Jeffery A. Cannon (17:48)

Jeffery A Cannon's Story:
Jeffery A. Cannon was a Marine Captain during the Vietnam War. He was born in Rockville Centre, New York. He grew up moving around a lot and ended up attending Holy Cross College. During his junior year, he wondered what he was going to do after graduation. Mr. Cannon had some ideas and chose to go to officer candidate school. Though his family wasn't pleased, he went through with his choice. In his junior year, Mr. Cannon went to Quantico, Virginia. Mr. Cannon went through ten weeks of hard work in officer candidate school. He was going to be a platoon leader, but he began having nightmares about his position. Mr. Cannon could only think about losing his men that he was in command of. He could no longer bear the thought of that kind of responsibility. Instead of following all his friends in Navy R.O.T.C, he decided why not fly helicopters.

After more time spent in training, Mr. Cannon was sent to Vietnam to serve his country. The time spent in training taught him how to fly cobra helicopters. He showed a strong performance in his position and soon became captain. Mr. Cannon was soon placed as head pilot of the Cobra Helicopters. These helicopters were taken down often, but Mr. Cannon remained strong and hopeful.

Throughout his service in Vietnam, he was put into life threatening situations. A story he spoke about was when their helicopter battery blew out. They had to complete an emergency landing, but they were in enemy territory. The crew called out for help from the rest of their team. Mr. Cannon recalled that if help didn't come in time, they would have been "captured and killed."

Mr. Cannon told us another story about a moving situation he had to go through. One day a ceasefire was called just so each side could collect the dead bodies. Mr. Cannon watched the Vietnamese collect their comrades' bodies. He helped unload bodies so they could be transported. Mr. Cannon said that it was one of the most moving experiences during his time in Vietnam.

Mr. Cannon never developed a sense of hatred towards the enemy. He viewed them as a mirror of himself. They were fighting for the safety of their country and were brave for their service. He believes to this day, joining the military proves someone to be a person full of courage. We also asked if your grandchild had thoughts about joining the military what would you say. Mr. Cannon said that he would encourage their decision.

When asked about his happiest memory from the war, Mr. Cannon said it was his friends. He said that he is still in contact with some of his friends that he went to Vietnam with. A group of his friends had a reunion three years ago down in Pensacola, Florida. Mr. Cannon said his happiest memory from after the war was his wife and his three sons. Today, Mr. Cannon is thankful for his life and says that he has been very lucky.