The application my grandson Kevin was required to complete for the Navy ROTC program asked for the names of family members that had served in the armed forces. Kevin called me to consult. I immediately thought of my father John who had been an Air Raid Warden during World War II. But no, a polite, Swedish immigrant equipped with a white helmet and gas mask - walking around a Utica neighborhood looking for streaks of light escaping from darkened homes that might attract Nazi bombers was probably not what the Navy sought. But the Navy would appreciate the name of my brother Michael's son, Brian. We are all exceedingly proud of the family's first commissioned Marine Corp officer. Kevin also has a cousin "Haarld" who served in the Swedish Army and is now a Stockholm Metro Police investigator. The Navy probably cares not, but I presented the name. Kevin's Uncle Roger was a rugged Marine Corp infantryman in peace time in the Mediterranean. Space constraints prohibit me from elaborating on his exploits. Last and absolutely least his grandfather - I was in the Naval Reserve for eight years.
Then there is Michael - he volunteered to join the Army in 1962. After training to be a helicopter pilot the Army sent him to Germany. There he was assigned to General Custer's old outfit, the Seventh Cavalry. In the Autumn of 1965 he received his orders for Vietnam. The night before Chief Warrant Officer Lindell shipped out to Southeast Asia we went out on the town. My sister Mary, Mike and I partied among the bars lining 1st Ave in New York's lower east side. Every aspect of Michael that night was shiny, starched, creased and brazen. A stranger approaching us on the sidewalk might be greeted with "straighten up dude!"
In Vietnam Mike was assigned to the 68th Aviation Company and went to war. A fellow pilot would later describe him as "the coolest of the cool". In February 1966, he was engaged in a military operation for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation for that action reads:
For heroism while participating in aerial flight: Chief Warrant Officer Lindell distinguished himself while serving as pilot on a cargo helicopter on 11 February 1966 in the vicinity of Tan Tru, Republic of Vietnam. As part of a flight of 10 helicopters, Chief Warrant Officer Lindell flew reinforcements to elements of a Vietnamese division which had been landed by river barge and were pinned down by intense hostile fire. The flight delivered four lifts of reinforcements into a landing zone in the midst of Viet Cong positions. Chief Warrant Officer Lindell's aircraft bore the brunt of a savage Viet Cong attack launched at point blank range. The aircraft was hit on three lifts by small arms, automatic weapons and mortar fire, inflicting thirty-two holes in the aircraft and rendering it unsafe for flight. Undaunted, Chief Warrant Officer Lindell volunteered to fly another aircraft, and for the fourth time, flew into the fierce hostile area. With visibility restricted by dusk and the smoke of battle, Chief Warrant Officer Lindell hovered around the landing zone through a barrage of tracers to pick up wounded friendly soldiers. His heroic actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Michael returned to the United States from Vietnam at the end of his tour physically whole but holding his coffee cup with both hands. He would immediately continue his education receiving a BS in Business Administration from Virginia Tech. Mike loved flying and flew helicopters on heavy construction projects, then as Medevac to Virginia hospitals and for the National Guard. In 1990, he was recalled by the Army to serve in Operation Desert Shield. Michael returned from the Middle East to deal with service related injuries. Career change - He entered a Nursing Program at Radford University, received another BS degree and went into Nursing Home administration. He finished his career as an administrative troubleshooter - Mike would be brought in to manage and fix "broken" institutions. Now retired Michael and Maria, his beautiful wife of 50 years live in Virginia.
Thanks Chief.
