Thousands of American troops served our country during the Vietnam War – including a Chippewa County man who spent much of his time in the air.

Lonnie Heidtke, a Jim Falls-native, was just 20-years-old when he went to Vietnam in November of 1968.

"I would have been drafted, so I enlisted in the Army,” he said.

He was part of the 101st Airborne Division and spent one year in Vietnam.

"I was a helicopter crew chief on a huey,” he said. "I was in charge of the helicopter's maintenance. So, you make sure it's ready to fly and available for missions."

It was an assignment that gave him a birds-eye view of the action – from behind a 30-caliber machine gun.

"We did a combination of combat assaults and re-supply missions,” Heidtke said. "Any mission could be equally dangerous. [We] got shot at a lot."

And one day, the enemy didn’t miss.

"April 13th, 1969. It was a Sunday,” he remembered. "A bullet came up through the floor of the helicopter and hit me in the back. I was told by a VA doctor it was the best of all possible places to be shot."

Heidtke says he recovered within a month and served out the rest of his tour.

"People have asked me, well, were you ever scared over there? Yeah, pretty much everyday,” he said.

But, he says the experience changed his life – for the better.

"Before I went into the service I was a young kid who had no idea what I wanted to do or what I could do or if I could do anything. And when I came back from Vietnam – I was still young – but, at least I knew I could do anything I put my mind to."

For the last few years, Heidtke has shared his stories from the war with Memorial High School students.

He also remains active in a number of organizations for Vietnam vets.