Vernie Lynn Berry 

Birth date	June 28, 1946
Age they entered the service	20
Hometown	Atwater, California
Branch of the service	Army
Rank	Sergeant (E-5)
Name of their unit	5th Special Forces Group
When they served	From August 1966 to 1969
Where did you serve?	Ft. Ord, CA; Ft. Benning, GA; Ft. Bragg, NC South Vietnam (Ban Me Thuot, Pleiku, Dalat)
Did you enlist or were you drafted?	Enlisted
How did you feel about going to war?	I didn't feel like it was something I had to do, but it was something I wanted to do.  At the time I felt it was the right thing to do.  Special Forces has a motto, "De Oppresso Liber", liberate from oppression, I feel the goal was worth while.
Did you have any family members that went to war? If so, did they survive?	Yes, my father served in World War II.  I think he was stationed in North Africa.
Were you ever wounded? How and where?	Luckily, no.
Did you receive any medals? Which ones?	Yes, Army Commendation Medal Vietnam Service Medal National Defense Service Medal Also have Combat Infantry Badge & Paratrooper Jump Wings Foreign Medals: Gallantry Cross w/ Bronze Star from the government of the Republic of Vietnam

Do you have a war story you would like to tell?
What was your reaction when you found out the war was over?	I was sorry that we had left without finishing what we started.  We didn't prosecute the war like we should have; guerilla wars can't be won by conventional means.
What was the most frightening event of the war for you?	Getting shot at is never easy, nor is having someone killed next to you.
What was the most cherished memory of the war for you?	Some of the most memorable time were going to the local villages and helping our medic conduct medical clinics.
Do you have regrets about your service in World War II?	From time to time, I regret that I did not stay in the service.
How do you feel about America today?	As always, our hearts are in the right place, but we can't save the world alone.  But we continue to try.
How do you feel about the war with Iraq?	I feel the war was justified even if they don't find any WMD.  Iraq was in violation of UN resolutions and had been "thumbing their nose" at us for a long time.  It would have been nice to have a few more partners.  But, now we need to get the Iraqi people involved in their own peacekeeping as soon as possible and not let the conflict turn into a guerilla war.  The more the Iraqi people are involved the more they will appreciate the freedom they now have.  When everything is done for you, then you do not appreciate what you have.
Is there anything else you would like to add?