Combat vet tells his Vietnam saga

Most civilians think a “leg wound” in combat means the trooper will be okay -- but often that means a long, painful recovery and doubt whether the leg will be amputated or whether walking again can be accomplished.

Barnesville’s William Parker sustained such a wound on Thanksgiving Day 1967, in the central highlands of Vietnam near Chu Lai. Drafted into the U.S. Army 23rd Infantry American Division just the year before, Parker was one of the soldiers in a “fierce firefight” on a search-and destroy mission.