Hal Watson, Viet Nam veteran Spc 4

RUMFORD — Over four decades ago, on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, traveling in Apollo 11, landed on the moon, with Armstrong becoming the first human to set foot on the moon’s surface.

Back home, Hal Watson was being discharged from the Army as a Specialist 4 after serving one year, nine months and three days, as a crew chief gunner on a helicopter during the Viet Nam war.

“It was an incredible, short period of time that had a big impact on my life,” Watson said. “I matured during that time and learned how to take care of myself.”

Watson’s grandfather and father both served in the military so it was expected that when the time came, so would he. It was the days of the draft and eventually Watson was off on a journey of unknown proportions.

During his time in Viet Nam, Watson flew helicopter missions that included clearing landing zones for infantry soldiers and a variety of operations that placed him, and the crew he flew with, in life-threatening situations, every moment of the day.

“I was very lucky and fortunate,” Watson said. “You get used to what you are doing; most of the time we were suppressing fire from below, but those guys in the infantry, they are the ones who had it rough.”

Unlike many of the veterans who served in Viet Nam, Watson was blessed with a loving family who had the experience and understanding of what it meant to come home from a war. They gave him space and time, didn’t ask questions, and waited for the young man they knew to come through.

“So many people really didn’t want us when we came back from the military,” Watson said. “It was a bad time. When I came back, I had a great family. They all had military background; they greeted me and treated me with respect.”

He added, “They were a great support group and didn’t need anything from me.”

With time and the support of his family, Watson went on to enroll at Defiance College, in Ohio, and recently retired after 31 years as a history teacher at Dirigo High School in Dixfield.

Watson gained major distinction during his teaching career as the school’s wrestling coach, building the program from scratch and then winning two state titles. Last year, he was inducted into the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame.

“I was overwhelmed at being selected,” Watson said, at the time. “To have my name mentioned in the same conversation with those (past and current) recipients is gratifying. As I have contacted people, it has forced me to realize that this has happened to a short, fat, bald kid from (River Valley).”