Felipe John Guardado

 

Birth date

 

 November 26, 1951

 

 

Age they entered the service

 

 18

 

 

Hometown

 

 Azusa, California

 

 

Branch of the service

 

 U.S Navy

 

 

Rank

 

 Seamen E3

 

 

Name of their unit

 

 U.S.S Higbee DD806

 

 

When they served

 

 1970-1975

 

 

Where did you serve?

 

 Vietnam

 

Did you enlist or were you drafted?

 

 Enlisted

 

How did you feel about going to war?

 

 

 I did what I had to do for my country. I fought for my country.

 

Did you have any family members that went to war. If so, did they survive?

 

 Yes, brother my brother was on the same ship as me.

 

Were you ever wounded? How and where?

 

 Yes my ship got bombed,  I received 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 40% of my body (waist up),  in Vietnam.

 

 

 

Did you receive any medals? Which ones?

 

 Purple Heart and the Vietnam service star medal

 

 

Do you have a war story you would like to tell?

 

 When my ship got bombed. I had just done a shore bombardment, as we were getting away from the shore, the ship was bombed by an enemy aircraft, I was in the rear gun mount were the bomb exploded. 3 other sailors were next to me, out of the 4 of us in the room me, and 2 others were injured and the 4th left without a scratch, no one was killed, what a miracle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What was your reaction when you found out the war was over?

 

 Very relieved, I was in the hospital for 12 months, when he got out they put me on the same ship and brought me back to Vietnam with a second tour. This trip was 2 weeks long and by the time I got there the peace treaty was signed.

 

 

 

 

What was the most frightening event of the war for you?

 

When the ship was bombed.

 

 

 

 

 

What was the most cherished memory of the war for you?

 Having my brother at my side when I was injured. My brother was on the bow of the ship, and he was so worried about me knowing that I was on the rear gun mount. I cherished the bonding that my brother and I had when he was there with me when I was injured. He comforted me and told me that everything would be ok, even though I didn’t think it would, and we are now very close. 

 

Do you have regrets about your service in World War II?

 

 No, not at all, I wish it didn’t happen the way it did, but you have to deal with it.

 

 

 

 

How do you feel about America today?

 

 I love my country. If I had to do it over again, I would in a heartbeat. Whenever I hear the national anthem I get tears in my eyes, because the country is good to us, if you can do something for your country you should.

 

 

 

 

How do you feel about the war with Iraq?

 We needed to remove a person, a dictator that was doing an injustice to inhumanity and what we are doing for the world today we are doing for the world tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

 

 

 To young people of America, believe in your country and your god, because today will be your future for tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Mr. Guardado’s job was to load these large bullets into the gun mount. When the bomb exploded many of these did too and caused most of the damage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


This is from before the rear gun mount was bombed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


This is from after the rear gun mount was bombed.