JOURNEY OF A HERO

Today, after 36 years of service, Dennis Haines retired from Hershey Medical Center. People retire everyday. Many people give this many years and some many more. For Dennis it was not an easy road.

Dennis was drafted into the Army in Oct.1967 at the age of 18 and had graduated from high school in 1966. After completing Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training, he arrived in Viet Nam on 24 March 1968, at the 90th Replacement Center in Long Binh. After two weeks there he was assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry. He first served as a radioman for the 3rd platoon. On 9 May 68 a very close friend of his from a town in PA, not far from his hometown, was killed only a few feet from him in an intense battle in the Delta, south of Saigon. When Jack, his friend, was hit, he thought that he was too, as rounds were going everywhere from bunkers right in front of them. One round even hit the antenna of his radio, only inches above his head. They would pull back for cover and attempt to get in to get his body out three times before being successful. They dragged him out under constant heavy fire, put him into a poncho that quickly filled with his blood, carried him to the LZ (landing zone) and placed his lifeless body onto the evacuation helicopter. Years later while I stood beside him, kneeling at The Wall at Washington DC, Dennis touched his name and recalled how the blood was draining from the body bag as he helped to load him onto the chopper.

Eventually he became radioman (RTO) for the entire Company and the Commanding Officer. Later he gave up the radio to become the M-60 machine gunner and then machine gun team leader. While doing this he received a promotion to Specialist (E-4) rank. He was made a squad leader in July 1968, held this job until December 1968 and had been put in for promotion to Sergeant (E-5) rank. On December 6, while his squad was leading the entire Company on a cordon of a suspected VC occupied village that night, he was severely wounded by two gun shot wounds to the right side of his head. He was evacuated by helicopter to the 24th Evacuation Hospital, stayed there about five days, was transferred to the 249th Army hospital in Japan and was there two weeks before being sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC. He was medically retired with a 100% disability rating in March 1969 and spent more than a year in hospitals.

After his retirement he was transferred to Lebanon, Pa. VA Medical Center close to where he lives. He wears a full leg brace with locking knee on his left leg and a splint on his left wrist and hand that provides a little use of it. He can walk short distances, but uses his wheelchair for longer distances and when he's on the go for most of the day. Dennis ended up being a hemiplegic from his wounds and years later would find that he also contracted Hep-C from the 20+ blood transfusions he received during his surgery in Viet Nam. With the help of the VA, Dennis was able to return to work.

The job was an entry-level job at the Penn State's Hershey Medical Center. This position was a very basic clerical job and was a newly created one tailored to his abilities. After high school and graduation from a vocational school in 1966, he was working as an architectural draftsman for a local company that sold building material and also manufactured prefabricated residential and commercial buildings of all types. It was a job he loved, but one he could never return to after how the wounds had left him. But in his mind he always wanted to try getting back into drafting again, but doing everything with only one arm and one hand left him at a huge disadvantage.

During the ten years in this clerical position, he kept working at enhancing his skills to do manual drafting using only his right arm and hand. He was becoming confident with doing this and even did some drafting jobs on the side using equipment he had at home. Things were really going well with that, and when a drafting position opened up in the Engineering and Projects division of the Maintenance Department he applied for the job. With his recent samples of drawings he had done, a recommendation from a friend there, and the VA purchasing him a drafting machine that could be used one handed, he was hired into this job that he has continued doing until today.

In 1993 computers came along and computer aided drafting made his life so much easier. His job incorporated coordinating renovation and construction projects from beginning to end, at Penn State's Hershey Medical Center, along with all the various types of drafting.

Dennis Haines made the decision to be self sufficient and successful. He did not lie down and exist as many others have done. Instead he pushed himself to the limit to achieve all that was possible. Quitting was never in Dennis' mentality or vocabulary. The treatments that he takes for the Hep-C made it nearly impossible for Dennis to continue showing up for work, but he pushed himself and went to work anyhow.

There have been some highlights in his life in the past few years. Probably becoming a Grand paw to Max and Marly Haines was at the top of his list. In June of 2004 he was nominated to receive the Images of Bravery Award from Chapter 391, Sonora California. What made this award so special was the person who nominated him for it. It was, Dr. John Baldwin, the surgeon who operated on him in Viet Nam. On June 3, 2004, surgeon and patient were reunited at Ontario, California. Dennis had found Dr. John from a post on a website for the 24th Evac Hospital.

Then on July 3, 2004, Dennis had another dream fulfilled. Though he always wanted to drive race cars, Viet Nam ended that dream. As I said, he doesn't give up. He and a friend bought a race car together. When his friend passed away from cancer, he left the race car to Dennis. Although he had to have someone else drive the car, he continued with his love of the sport of racing. So, on that day, Dennis Haines was the feature attraction at Maple Grove Speedway. Thanks to a devoted group of friends and racers at the track, who arranged for the him to experience the thrill of thundering down the speedway's drag strip at speeds topping 100 mph. With close friend and driver Rod Royer of Lebanon behind the wheel of his McDonald sponsored car, he sped down a section of Maple Grove at over 100 mph for 10 seconds. Part of this day was for Dennis, but the rest of it was for his favorite charity, which also benefited from the race. Over $2000 was raised for The Ronald McDonald House, via a $20 fee that was charged for signing Dennis' helmet.

Then on Memorial Day 2006, the 4 remaining men who were in Dennis' squad presented him with his Bronze Star, which he was put in for but had never received. He had received his Purple Heart but never received this medal. The medal was pinned on him by his good friend, Nancy Sinatra, with his friend, Paul Revere, of Paul Revere and the Raiders looking on. This past summer Dennis got to meet another friend, Anthony Pahl, from Australia, who came to visit a few days with Dennis; Viet Nam Veterans from different countries, but brothers none the less.

Dennis is a tribute to what the living spirit can achieve with perseverance and the refusal to give up. Dennis Haines could have lain down and existed and been waited on and the world would have been so much a lesser place.

Even though he does not call himself a hero, he is a hero in every sense of the word. At least to me he is. And now what will Dennis do with all of his time. He will be volunteering at the Lebanon Veterans Hospital in Lebanon, Pa.

©Copyright December 29, 2006 by Mary E. Rogers