Vietnam Veteran remembers "Five minutes later, he was dead"

When you think about what they go through during war, never forget what they have to remember afterwards.

Vietnam War Veteran Awarded Bronze Star for Valor
Updated: Friday, 20 Apr 2012
By BETH PARKER/myfoxdc

WASHINGTON - Great sacrifice was remembered Friday on the National Mall. About 100 people gathered at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall. One of them was honored for a brave act 40 years ago.

When Tony Martinez looks at the wall, he sees himself.

“My name should be there, not his,” he says.

In 1970, Martinez was an 18-year-old serving in a village in Vietnam. Over breakfast, his friend Joe Billy McNett asked him to trade duties for the day. That made McNett the first man on patrol.

“We had just shared a meal that morning,” says Martinez. “He showed me some pictures of his family and we were laughing about the old times back in basic. Five minutes later, he was dead.”
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Vietnam War Veteran Awarded Bronze Star for Valor: MyFoxDC.com