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07/06/2022 07:52 AMEighteen-year-old Brian Miniter was two days away from his wedding when his Vietnam draft card came in the mail.
Yes, the wedding was wonderful – in fact, Brian and his bride, Linda, have been married 53 years. But for this positively patriotic Branford resident, going off to serve in Vietnam holds equally glowing memories and led to a remarkable 34 years of service to his country,
The Miniters have been Branford residents since 1977. Brian grew up in East Haven, which is where he was when his draft card arrived in 1969.
“Because draftees were going to Vietnam, I knew I was going,” says Brian. “So I got lucky enough to go to Vietnam. It was great for me.”
Brian arrived with the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division. At the time, the expectation was the military would soon being pulling out.
“They were telling people back in the United States that the war is winding down and we’re taking people out,” says Brian. “Little did they tell the people that some, like myself, got extended and sent up north. I got sent up to the 199th Infantry.”
Before going up north, Brian was given leave to go to Saigon for a day.
“I had a wonderful time. I met wonderful people. I even walked around Saigon by myself.”
“Up north,” however, was not quite as hospitable. Brian’s company was evacuated by helicopter in a “hot LZ” (landing zone) after coming under enemy fire.
“That night, we were out by ourselves, and we started getting incoming on us. So we called in and they didn’t believe us – they thought it must be friendly fire or this or that,” says Brian. “Finally, they decided, ‘Hey, these guys are really getting hit.’ They came in with these jets and lit up the whole sky. The next day, we went to do a recon to make sure it was all right [before] the helicopters came in with their machine guns and strafed the area. And then, you jumped out and did whatever you had to do. For me, I loved it!”
Brian says the physicality and camaraderie of Army life was a perfect fit for him.
“I always wanted to be in the military,” he says. “So for me, it was like a dream come true.”
Today, at 75, Brian still works out and also runs 12 to 13 miles about three times a week. On Father’s Day, he completed the five-mile segment of the Branford Road Race. He’ll also run the 5K leg of the Labor Day Road race in New Haven in July, another long-running event in which he’s participated. Brian says he sings Ememin’s “Lose Yourself” as he runs races and likes to inspire others by telling them “...don’t let this old man beat you!”
As a young serviceman in Vietnam, Brian received a field promotion, from Private First Class to Sergeant, within about four months. While that’s quite an accolade, Brian says, “I was just doing what I was supposed to do,” adding his military success has always been due to the support and teamwork of “...the people under me.”
Brian served for 18 months during the Vietnam War. About a year later, he followed a friend in joining the CT Army National Guard 1st Cavalry at the Branford Armory. Brian was promoted to First Sergeant of the armory’s next group, the 242nd Engineers.
“We were the first and only company on the New England coast to pack all our gear and take it out to the NTC – the National Training Center — in California,” recalls Brian. “And they loved us out there. And we loved it.”
Brian was in charge of a full battalion at the NTC.
“All the people under me were just great,” he says.
His next goal was to become a Sergeant Major, which required working with other companies.
“So I left the 242 and went to the [CT] 143rd Area Support Group; and then I worked for some people in Fort Riley, Kansas, and they said you did such a good job, we want you to start working with other people,” says Brian.
Using work vacation time, Brian took six-week assignments at locations around the country and earned the rank of Sgt. Major. At age 59, Brian volunteered to go to Iraq when the 143rd was called up for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“Being my age, I didn’t have to go, but I thought, ‘If these people die, I’ll never forgive myself. But if I’m there, and I can prevent something, that’s a different story; because they never got shot at.’”
Brian had to be medically cleared. His physician also happened to be a Branford Road Race runner.
“I said, ‘Doc, you know me, I beat you in the Branford Road Races all the time!’” says Brian, laughing. “He said, ‘You’re fit as a fiddle – you can go.’”
When he was in Iraq, a general told Brian he’d heard, “...you’re the guy who beats all the youngsters at physical fitness.’ I said, ‘Yes, I’m the guy!’”
Brian served 12 months in Iraq. He says his decision to go — and to leave his job, without pay — was fully supported by Linda, who has always been at his side and has his back.
“My wife keeps me going. She’s my inspiration,” says Brian. “I said to my wife, ‘...the money that we’re losing is nothing compared to if somebody got killed, and I was back here in the United States making money. You can always make money. You can’t bring back a life.’”
With news of some US military members (outside of his group) resorting to suicide in Iraq, Brian would travel by Blackhawk helicopter to check in with those under his command at various posts in Iraq.
“The ambassador at the time was a Vietnam vet. I would jump on his Blackhawk helicopter and go see them,” says Brian.
Brian would hold quick meetings to “...see how everyone’s doing psychologically,” and set up other leaders to check in with his people if he couldn’t be there.
“I just have to see the people. If I talk to you face to face, I can see if something’s bothering you that I can work on or that we can just talk about.”
Brian also notes the military provided many supportive services to the Iraqi people.
“Service members do a lot; we help out,” he says. “We helped out over there. So it was a good experience for me.”
After he returned to the US, during debriefing at Fort Drum (NY), someone asked if anyone in the room had served in Vietnam. Brian raised his hand – the only one – and was told, “I bet you didn’t know you had all these benefits,” he recalls. “I didn’t know. When I came home [from Vietnam] no one told me anything.”
Brian recalls being “skin and bones” when he got back from Vietnam; and being lumped in with the prevailing opinion that Vietnam vets were undesirable as employees. Finding a job was hard, he recalls.
“But I didn’t mind. That’s a motivation for me to do better, to prove them wrong, to show them maybe Vietnam vets are real people,” he says. “My wife was behind me, and everything worked out for the best. I got a job at Pratt and Whitney and became a tool maker. I’m still working there, up in East Hartford.”
Brian worked at Pratt & Whitney for 25 years straight, was laid off, and then eventually called back to work. While he didn’t know what his future held at the time he was laid off in the early 1990s, “I always look at the bright side of things,” he says.
In this case, the silver lining was Operation Desert Storm.
“Being laid off was fantastic for me,” said Brian, who threw himself into further assisting the National Guard by volunteering as a supply coordinator.
“I was the person in Connecticut to make sure they had everything they needed to go over to Iraq.”
Brian retired from the National Guard in 2006. This year, as a Vietnam veteran and a long-serving member of the military, Brian was invited to join a 42-veteran Honor Flight of CT trip to Washington, D.C. on June 5. Due the many honors, medals, awards and designations earned over decades of service; Brian was named an Honor Flight “legend.” The purpose of the trip is to take vets to military monuments and military sites where they have time to reflect and remember. Brian wanted to find a special way to honor those who died in the Vietnam War.
“I have a photo of myself saluting, and that was my inspiration,” he says. “I took that photo down to the Vietnam Wall, and I had my daughter take a picture of me saluting the Vietnam Wall as I’m holding that picture; because I’m saluting for all the people that died in Vietnam. They gave their all. They didn’t come back. We should remember them. We have to remember them, otherwise people will make the same mistake.”
Brian was nominated for the flight by Branford friend Dottie Packer (N.C. USN, Retired). He traveled with Kimberly as the program doesn’t send spouses on the same plane. When their plane touched back down at Bradley International, Brian says the reception was far beyond his expectation. A crowd cheered, bagpipers played and units in attendance included a formation of State Police.
“My daughter and I were the last two people to get off the plane, and what a reception we got! There must have been 50 people there, and I thanked them. I said ‘You know, we didn’t have this coming home from Vietnam,’” he says. “For me, it was fantastic. My whole life has been. I don’t do well on the negative. That’s only going to put you down.”
As an active member of Branford Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 12106, Brian participates in veterans’ programs including his ongoing effort to help place flags at Branford military graves on patriotic holidays, assisting friend and fellow veteran, Philip Zielinski, Branford’s Keeper of the Flags. During the first year of COVID, Brian also played Taps on trumpet (he started playing as kid in East Haven) because the regular bugler couldn’t participate.
For many years, Brian also volunteered for CT military funerals, where his duties included playing Taps, helping to properly fold the American flag, and getting down on one knee to share words of the nation’s gratitude while handing the flag to the recipient. Brian only stopped volunteering when he learned others could be paid for those services, because he didn’t want to take a job away from someone else.
Brian also supports Branford’s Wreaths Across American military grave honor program at Christmas, instituted by resident Mark Hally. He’s also a huge fan and supporter of friend, community icon and Branford Veterans Parade chairman Bill O’Brien.
As a life-long athlete, Brian also lends his assistance to another worthy cause, CT Special Olympics, including the most recent games held in June in New Haven. He’s inspired by the courage and positive attitude of each athlete, and happy to help the games run well.
“I’ve been doing that for 30 years, except when I was away,” says Brian. “They call me Gandalf – I’m the guardian of the gate! No one can get past me, otherwise, the athletes get disqualified.”
Together with the support of his loving wife and the love of his family, having a positive attitude has always helped carry him through life, says Brian.
“I just have a good time. Life is too precious to let it slip away. You have to enjoy it. You have to wake up every day and smell the roses.”