PLYMOUTH, Mass. — John Magnarelli served his country in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam from May 4, 1969, to April 10, 1970, as a sergeant. 

 

He grew up in North Quincy and was drafted into the Army on Aug. 12, 1968. 

 

"I had been working in a factory, Mathewson Machine Works, as a drill press operator since I graduated high school. It was a solid job and I had fallen into a comfortable routine," he said. "That morning, I left home with my dad, who drove me to the South Boston Army Base, where all new recruits were processed into service. There was no big send off — he just dropped me off on his way to work. He shook my hand and said, 'good luck and stay safe.'"

 

He would do his basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., which was built in 1917 and named after President Andrew Jackson. 

 

"It was like a city — 20,000 people, 2,500 buildings and 50 firing ranges on 82 square miles," he said. "I learned one thing very quickly, that you never refer to your rifle as a gun. That would earn you the ire of the drill sergeant and typically involve a great deal of running." 

 

He continued proudly, "after never having fired a gun in my life, I received my marksmanship badge at the expert level."

 

He was assigned to Fort Benning, Ga., for Combat Leadership School then sent to Vietnam.