Vietnam Veteran donates hundreds of models to Orlando Museum

Vietnam veteran gives hundreds of military models to Cpl. Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum in Orlando
December 5, 2012
By LIVI STANFORD
DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES — For years, Bill Haponski couldn’t speak about his experiences in the Vietnam War.

But those experiences stayed with him. 
He would awake in the middle of the night thinking about his time in combat, he said.

“I lost 43 men that I commanded,” said Haponski, who served in the Army from 1952 to 1978, retiring as a colonel. “That has stayed with me and will stay with me forever.”

The experiences were hard to bring to the surface again for him and for other veterans, he said.

“We held it inside ourselves, and it has been my experience about 15 years ago that people my age and younger began finally to start talking to one another about their experiences,” the Village of Piedmont resident said. “The talking was very therapeutic.”
read more here

I went to the Bunker many times. During this trip I sat down with Harry for an interview as a project for Valencia College. Even my professors were surprised the museum was there.