In 2017, Congress declared March 29th to be National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Woodford County native Danny Yeary was an Army infantryman who served, and fought, from December 1968 to December 1969. He came back with two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and lots of memories.
“Basically, we would sit up at night, and just circle around, and we'd wait for them to attack. They were out in the middle and we were in an open territory. And that's what we did.”
Yeary said he thinks about his experiences in Vietnam every day, but doesn’t believe he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. He said when he came home, he had a new appreciation for his country.
“When you see the lifestyles of people that are poor and have nothing and are governed by dictators and things like this, you know, you're just so much more appreciative of being here.”
After leaving the Army, Yeary returned to Eastern Kentucky University, got his degree and worked in state government, eventually becoming the director of probation and parole. He and his wife, Kathy, have two children and two grandchildren.
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