"Any man who went over there and says he wasn't scared is a damn liar, and I'll tell him that to his face." (Audio Interview, 17:40)

Kenneth Ray Rodgers

War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Persian Gulf War, 1990-1995 Branch: Army Service Location: Vietnam; Korea Rank: Captain Place of Birth: Mayfield, KY

Serving in two wars over twenty years apart gave Kenneth Rodgers a unique perspective on the many ways the American military changed between Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War. He enlisted in the Army in 1968 before finishing high school, and he was hardly prepared for a tour of duty in Vietnam during some of the worst days of that war. After returning to civilian life, Rodgers decided in 1977 to give the Army another try, and his experience in the Gulf War as an officer in a reserve unit went much more smoothly.