Tyra Oliver, Brandon Wood

Tyra Oliver, Brandon Wood

Period 5

Richard Vargas

United States Navy

4 years of service

Richard Vargas

Many Americans soldiers have helped and protected our country for what it represents today and they will never be forgotten. Richard Vargas was one of the brave men that put time and dedication into our nation. Throughout the war America has wanted to stay out and to be civilized. However with Japan attacking Pearl Harbor, the policy of containment, and the fear of communism our brave soldiers have put their life on the line for our rights and freedom. Richard Vargas has served his country proudly by being in the United States Navy working in communications as a radioman.

Mr. Vargas was born in Artesia, California. He grew up with eleven brothers and sisters and lived in Southern California all of his life. One of his brothers got drafted into the war also. He attended high school and dropped out his junior year and got his GED. He was poor growing up and is appreciative to live in America. Before the war he didn’t travel around the world but had many opportunities when we was in the war. Mr. Vargas wanted to join the service because he felt that it was his duty as an American to serve his country.

Richard Vargas joined the United StatesNavy in January of 1965. He worked in communications as a radioman. He was also a teletype operator and a telegraph operator. He was stationed in San Diego aboard the Destroyer in the USS Black DD666 in April of 1966. The ship was very crowded and he found out one of his cousins was there too. The rooms in the ship had thirty men sleeping in one area. The training for the radioman was in Bainbridge, Maryland home of the Waves boot camp. When he was in the camp he was isolated for three weeks because someone had meningitis. During boot camp they had to learn how to type Morris Code in one day with the alphabet. For five to six months he would have to type Morris Code for four to six hours. His daily job in the war was working for eight hours and setting up machines in a safe place. In his whole time in service he only used Morris Code once to contact a guy in Alaska. During the war he would keep in touch with his family by writing letters. He got some time off and went home for a little and got married to his wife. He didn’t find out when his son was born until a month later. He carried a cross for a good luck charm throughout the war. For a period of time on the USS Black he only went to Vietnam twice but also visited the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Japan, and Canada. One of the sophisticated communication ships got hijacked by the North Koreans called The USS Pueblo. They gave orders for a group of ships to recover it but after they decided to use a different method so they returned to Vietnam. On the ship he found some of his friends that he knew before the war. Richard Vargas believed that we should have gone to war because he doesn’t believe in communism.

When the war was over Mr. Vargas was discharged in January of 1969. He then went to school in Bainbridge, Maryland then transferred to Fullerton using the G.I. Bill. He got his AA in majoring in business and management. It was very easy finding a job after the war. Many businesses offered him a job in communications. He didn’t wear his uniform because many people didn’t give respect to the soldiers. Many people believed that the Americans shouldn’t have gone into the war in the first place. His son went into the army as well. Richard Vargas is now retired and lives in Southern California and likes collecting cars.

The brave soldiers in our past are remembered just much as the ones those fight right now. Mr. Vargas has put in commitment into our country and has served it proudly. He knows how important and thankful we are to be Americans. He had long hours in his service but took his job serious and it paid off in the end with earning a medal for being in the Vietnam War. To this day there are still American soldiers that fight for our freedom just like the brave ones in our past.