Gary Sieroslawski

Questions for Gary Sierlowski

Question 1: Where are you from?

I am from Chicago originally, the northwest side of Chicago. I live in Mount Prospect now.

Question 2 Where did you go to school? and was your experience there?

I went to Weber High School in Chicago, it no longer exists. It’s a middle school for the Chicago public schools. I went to several universities, and I ended up graduating from Loyola in the early 70s. It took me a long time to graduate, I changed majors and went to school part-time, that’s how I got drafted. Liam asked: Does the deferment only apply to full time students? No, you have it full time and you only get 4 years, I went beyond the 4 years.

Question 3:Were you drafted or did you volunteer?

I was drafted in August of 1968.

Question 4: What was your response when you were drafted/why did you volunteer?

I was anticipating it because I knew after I lost my deferment I was going to get drafted. It was just a matter of time before I would get it. It was still a surprise though.

Question 5: What were you doing before you went to vietnam?

I was working several part-time jobs and going to school at night.

Question 6: What was your job in the army and how long were you deployed?

I was in heavy artillery, I was MOS alpha 10 and shot a 175 mm gun. I was in nam for a little over 14 months. Liam asked: Would you be at a fire base shooting the artillery? I belonged to a company and we had 3 different batteries. We had 3 permanent batteries at firebases we would rotate from. From there we would go out into the field from those particular bases. Liam asked: So were you at the fire base for the majority of the time? For the 6 months I was at the fire base, there I took advantage of the early out program. If you leave Vietnam with 5 months or less left you get discharged immediately when you get out but I had to stay another 2 months. Then as I say the proverbial hit the fan after that. We would stay at the firebase for a month, spending 2 days here and then going back to the firebase and then 3 days out and back and forth.

Question 7: Did you get along with your fellow soldiers and did you stay in touch later?

I got along with them, one or two I stayed in touch with after. They all come from different parts of the country so it was hard to start in touch after. It's not like they have now where you go over as a unit. But then you go over individually so everyone was constantly coming and going. So it was hard to get that close to somebody. Liam asked: How did you meet Mr Krause? We are both members of the Vietnam Veterans of Americans, and I am in charge of doing the school presentations. We have been going to various high schools and middle schools in the Chicago area. When he found out about us we wanted to join. That’s why he wanted me to talk to you guys. He knows my whole story and has heard it a million times.

Question 8: Were you excited when you heard you were going home?

Oh yes, everybody was. I remember getting on the plane and everyone was quiet sitting on the plane, but once we were up in the air and no longer were in Vietnam everybody gave out a big yell.

Question 9: What was it like when you came home and did you feel supported?

No, no support whatsoever. Other than immediate family there was no support.

Question 10: Was it hard to adjust back to normal life? And what did you do in the years after the war?

It was, the first year back was probably one of the worst years of my life. When I came back my to wife, we had the most fights that year. I had a very quick temper and her father would get mad at me. Then I would drive away from the house and all kinds of things. It was probably PTSD and I just didn’t know it. After I got back from war I went to Loyola University and got married. I got out April 1970 and got married in January 71’ I worked as a accountant for the last 40 years and then I have 8 grandchildren and have been retired for the the last 13 or 14 years.

Question 11: What’s one way your life was changed by the war that you wouldn’t have thought of.

I had never been with people from all different walks of life. Growing up in the suburbs it's basically all white and you never meet people from the deep south or who can't read or write. It was crazy to have people ask me to read letters written by their mother and it looks like a letter had been written by a 6 year old. Before I went in I was very shy and quiet. It brought that out of me because you have to be loud in the army or else you get stepped on.

Question 12: Have you ever gone back?

No not really I know guys who have. I have no particular interest, 14 months was enough for me. I knew one guy who went back because he was on boat so he wanted to see what it was like from the mainland