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00:00Welcome to Operation Healing Heroes. Join us on the boat today as we feature retired
00:09Purple Heart recipient Tim Smith. They served for us. They sacrificed for us. Their stories
00:23deserve to be told. Every military veteran has a story to tell. Join our host Jay Garstecki
00:35as we honor the stories of our true American heroes, one soldier at a time. The mission
00:43today is Operation Healing Heroes. Brought to you by Great Clips.
00:53Operation Healing Heroes traveled to northern Wisconsin to meet an American hero on the shores
01:03of Lake Superior. It is here in Ashland, Wisconsin where we connected with Tim Smith to do a little
01:12fishing for whitefish on the Shaquamegan Bay.
01:17You on? Yep. This time. Not coming. He's not getting off, right? Hopefully. Is that a good one? Yeah, fair. They fight good, don't they? Yes.
01:36Got it. There you go. Got him. It's in the bag as they say. Yes. Good work.
01:47Nothing to it.
01:51So how old were you when you got drafted? 20. 20 years old, huh? Yep. And did you know any
02:01other kids from your neighborhood that got drafted or no? No, I didn't. Scared not until I got the
02:10orders Vietnam. After that, I flew to Vietnam. And I was on orders for the Big Red One, first division. But the
02:22fourth division got needed replacements. So I got shipped to the fourth division. And I lucked out, I guess, because I was in a mechanized unit.
02:38And I rode a lot. And I rode a lot in the APC. I got there in January 1 of 68. We spent a lot of time being ambushed with NVA or whatever. We dealt mostly with NVA, not Viet Cong so much.
03:01We got hit with a B-40 rocket in February of 68. The story was we're just trying to get somebody to basically shoot at us. But half of the guys went down what we call the blue line stream and walked the stream to see what they could find. And the other half stayed with the APC.
03:30The other half stayed with the APC. And we followed the ridge line above the stream. And we got somebody to shoot at us.
03:37And we got somebody to shoot at us. Somebody from across the rice field fired a B-40 rocket and hit the front of the APC. And there was four of us on it. And Junior got wounded.
03:59Junior got wounded. Trujillo got wounded. I got wounded. And Harms, hit from Iowa.
04:08Where were you standing in the APC when that happened? In the back, drinking a canteen of Kool-Aid.
04:17Cantina Kool-Aid, huh? Yeah. So not even a month and a half have you been in country and you're already getting hit by a rocket, huh?
04:25Right. I was in the back, but I was standing up. There's hatch that opens. I was standing up looking out forward. So I saw the puff of smoke where he fired. And we reached here and fired.
04:43You know, in training, you know, fire steady bursts, short bursts, so you don't burn your barrel out. Well, that went by the wayside because all I could think about was returning fire. And the first sergeant said we got him. And between the toes, I got it.
05:11Operation Healing Heroes is a nonprofit organization dedicated to documenting the lives of our US military veterans. In addition, we also provide financial support and treatment for post-traumatic stress.
05:39Your donation will help heal our heroes.
05:46Tim was awarded the Purple Heart while still in the hospital immediately following the missile attack on his armored personnel carrier.
05:57Well, the first sergeant came to the hospital with the basically with the Purple Heart Awards. And he said, you guys, you got him three times.
06:13And what were your injuries from that?
06:15Left side trap? No.
06:18Did it feel good to be back at the unit? No. No?
06:25I was scared. I was, you know, I knew enough to be a little more...
06:33Vigilant? Yeah.
06:35A lot of times it was ambush and fire for rounds at us and take off. So there was nobody to shoot. Basically, they were gone before we got organized enough to shoot back.
06:54When I first got out there, we were walking up in the mountains and we came upon a big bunker complex and there was nobody there to speak of.
07:13They think there was two cooks there. And they fired on us. And they put three rounds between my feet.
07:22Oh.
07:23And either it was a bad shot or a good shot. But he didn't hit me. So they called in a airstrike. And they said, everybody go over to the other side of the hill.
07:40So we did. Five hundred pound bombs. The jets were dropping. And I put my head down on the ground. And the steel pot was every time a bomb would hit, gravel and dirt and .
08:02And I finally got brave enough to look up. And it was two of my fellow squad members throwing dirt and rocks on me.
08:17They'd been there a long time. So.
08:19So they were messing with you.
08:20Yes.
08:21So you thought this was all explosion debris coming down and instead it was two of your own guys throwing rocks and debris on you, huh?
08:28Yep.
08:29One night I woke up. I was sleeping on the ground. I don't know why. Long time ago. But anyhow, I felt something warm on my chest. And it was a rat sleeping on my chest. Stay warm.
08:44So my sisters would send me something that was breakable. They would pack it in popcorn. Well, back then, brandy bottles weren't always plastic. So they'd pack popcorn.
09:05I would scatter popcorn around for the rats to eat. So they weren't eating you, huh? Well, I didn't really like that one on my chest. No, I can imagine not. Yeah.
09:18Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Enbridge, Northern Clearing, and by St. Croix Rods.
09:35All right. Good job. Look at the size of that one, huh? That's a nice one.
09:45Look at the size of that one. Come out here more often.
09:50If you'd like to see more behind the scenes footage, follow us on social media and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
09:57If you're a U.S. military veteran in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, or beautiful sunny Florida, log on to our website, TakeAVetFishing.org, to find an event near you.
10:08Tim and all the troops would look forward to letters and care packages from home.
10:20Did your sister send you booze and popcorn?
10:23You're not supposed to talk about the booze.
10:27What do you think I mixed with the Kool-Aid?
10:30What's that?
10:31The booze.
10:32Most guys had what they call a short-timers calendar.
10:41Mark the days off that last month.
10:44In base camp, they had car salesmen in 68.
10:51So, once I was wondering, what kind of car would you like?
10:57I said, Corvette.
10:59We can have one sitting there waiting for you when you get home.
11:04I said, if I get home.
11:06So, I turned it down.
11:09Probably would have killed myself with it, anyhow.
11:13So, you weren't sure if you were going to make it home, so you...
11:17Well, not then.
11:20So, I got down to that last day, and I was happy.
11:26So, knowing what you know now, would you do it all over again, your time in service?
11:31Yes.
11:35Yeah.
11:40My son's kind of silly, but, um, yeah.
11:45Tim is very much a patriotic person.
11:51If we go into a public building, and he, like, into the school gymnasium, and he sees somebody with their cap on, oh, he doesn't like it.
12:02He's from the old school.
12:04So, yes.
12:05So, yes.
12:06In fact, during the Iraq War, he said, if I, if I was still young enough, I would be there to help them.
12:14I know what Vietnam was all about.
12:19I don't say I agree with it, but, um, I would do it over again if I had to.
12:30Yeah?
12:31You proud to have served your country?
12:33Yes.
12:34I don't have to listen to anyone telling me about how it was over there.
12:45You know how it was?
12:47Yep.
12:48How old were you when you got married?
12:51Forty-two.
12:52Forty-two.
12:53So, you waited a little bit, huh?
12:54Yeah.
12:55When Tim and I first got married, he would have dreams in his sleep, of course, and I always knew I was always waiting for the arms to start flying and the legs to start kicking.
13:11And I knew then to wake him up very gently.
13:16And oftentimes I would ask, do you know what you were dreaming?
13:23And it was always the Viet Cong were trying to either stuff him into a trunk or there were other places that he thought that they were going to stuff him.
13:37But that one is very clear to me that they were going to stuff him into a trunk and he was fighting them off big time.
13:45Where did your love and your passion for the outdoors and fishing come from?
13:49On the farm?
13:51Yeah.
13:52Probably.
13:53Did you grow up hunting and fishing?
13:55Yes.
13:56Every day I'd get home from school, I'd either go up on the hill or hunting or in the fall.
14:07So, it's a part of the reason I liked up here.
14:11You got everything.
14:13Bear, deer, grouse, fish.
14:17How often do you get to get out and fish?
14:20Not often enough.
14:22I am very proud of, very proud of his service.
14:26And he was a, he's been a wonderful provider for his family.
14:35Yeah.
14:36I'm very proud of him.
14:41Very patriotic.
14:43And he was very loyal to his country.
14:50The Apostle Highlands Honor Guard, a combination of VFW Post 8239 and American Legion Post 49,
15:02seeks to honor all veterans, past, present, and future.
15:09If you'd like to personally thank a veteran that you've seen in one of our episodes or nominate a veteran to be featured in a future episode,
15:15log on to our website, OperationHealingHeroes.org.
15:20Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Recon Boats, Thorn Brothers, and by FVP.
15:36Do they understand why you stutter?
15:39Why is that?
15:40Tell me.
15:41Well, I developed two brain tumors in December of 16.
15:49Tim was diagnosed with mystatic brain cancer.
15:56He had a tumor on both sides of his brain.
16:00And the only warning that he had was he stopped talking.
16:08He was at breakfast one morning with the guys, and he could no longer talk.
16:14And so, of course, we thought he was having a stroke.
16:18Rushed him over to the hospital, and they said...
16:22And they said, no, you've got brain tumor, brain tumor, lung cancer, and liver cancer.
16:29So, they took the one on the left side, in the speech area.
16:36So, when I got tired to talk a lot, I stutter.
16:42So, he has had those removed.
16:44And that's why sometimes his speech gets a little bit slurred, because one tumor was in the speech part of the brain.
16:52He has survived Vietnam.
16:58He survived the two brain tumors.
17:02He has survived a very deadly COVID.
17:08So sick, they didn't think that he was going to make it.
17:11In fact, they had said it's up with hospice and everything.
17:14But he pulled out of it.
17:16Did they tie any of that back to Agent Orange?
17:19No.
17:20The doctor, the cancer doctor, said it very well could be.
17:25They came up with it more than likely.
17:30But, you know, it's 55 years ago.
17:34Mm-hmm.
17:35So, but the spray area was where we operated on.
17:41And a lot of times at night, I'd break on this terrible rash.
17:49And calamine lotion was the only thing that stopped the itching.
17:56Mm.
17:57He is still taking the cancer drug, Keytruda.
18:01And that's what's keeping him going.
18:04And no one has lived this long on that drug.
18:09And his doctors, they, every time he goes for an infusion, they tell him that he is a miracle.
18:19And so he has survived the cancer.
18:21He's survived the COVID.
18:23He's survived, he's kind of losing his balance.
18:27So he has survived a fractured pelvic.
18:31And he's survived 35 years of marriage, so.
18:37Do you often get recognized for your time in service nowadays, or no, with wearing your hat?
18:43Oh, yeah.
18:45More so when I was down south in Georgia and places like that, they always honored your service.
18:56But up north, not so, 50 years ago.
19:02But now, I wear this hat, or one of the other ones, people stop and say thank you.
19:13How does that make you feel?
19:14Proud.
19:15Good.
19:17It should.
19:18Yeah.
19:19Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to honor you for your service, too.
19:24Thank you for your service.
19:25And I got a little something for you, if you don't mind, I'd like to give you.
19:28Is that okay?
19:29Sure.
19:30Give me one something.
19:31I guess.
19:32The log is packed in popcorn.
19:38It's not packed in popcorn.
19:40But if it was, it might have been booze.
19:45So this is on behalf of St. Croix rods, and set that down for you.
19:51Okay.
19:52St. Croix rods and Thorn Brothers, this is for you.
19:54And this is a custom-built rod that Thorn Brothers made for you.
19:57It's a St. Croix blank, and it says custom-built for Tim Smith.
20:01It's got all the Branches of Service logo on there and the American flag and our logo.
20:05That's for you so that we can continue to catch fish together.
20:08And I got to make you look official, so I got you your own jersey,
20:12Tim Smith Operation Healing Heroes jersey.
20:14It's got your name there on the front and Smith on the back.
20:18And that's for you.
20:20I hope you wear that proudly.
20:22Thank you for your service.
20:23I will.
20:24We all appreciate it.
20:31If you'd like to personally thank a veteran that you've seen in one of our episodes,
20:35or nominate a veteran to be featured in a future episode,
20:38log on to our website, OperationHealingHeroes.org,
20:41and click on the nominate button.
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