"This stuff goes through your mind every time you go out in a convoy. You always say, 'Is it going to be my day to come back?'" Video interview, 24:21

Thomas H. Hodge

Thomas Hodge, 2002 War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Branch: Marine Corps Unit: Truck Company FLSG-B, Force Logistics Command, 3rd Marine Division Service Location: Parris Island, South Carolina; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; Okinawa, Japan; Da Nang, Quang Tri, Dong Ha, Khe Sanh and Rockpile, Vietnam Highest Rank: Sergeant Place of Birth: Springfield, MA

Thomas Hodge didn't expect to live long when he got to Vietnam. After he was assigned to a truck company, he heard that the life expectancy of a wartime truck driver was three days. At first, he took that remark for a joke; then he got to Vietnam and saw what a dangerous job he was in for: working 18 hour shifts, dodging enemy fire, and hoping that his truck, often loaded with explosives, didn’t hit a land mine.