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Larry Westbrook

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Westbrook recalls his landing on the beaches at Salerno, Italy. On the fourth day of travel, a woman known as Berlin Sally came on the intercom on his ship and prepared the men for what lie ahead. Upon landing on the beaches, Westbrook details several encounters including 6 German Panzer Divisions, the attack of 10 German tanks, digging foxholes, and maneuvering his jeep amongst all the chaos. (6:11)

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While hiding in their ditches, two men in Westbrook’s outfit were chased by a bull with no way to get rid of it. (0:35)

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In order to cut off German troops on their way to Rome, Westbrook’s outfit and the French Foreign Legion traveled through the mountains in Anzio. While staying in a wedge in the mountain, a member of the French Foreign Legion notified the outfit that an intense military barrage was about to take place. The men, as well as 40 civilian women and children, hid in a building in a nearby town. (2:51)

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Larry Westbrook tells a funny story about a man that jumped into a latrine for fear of a German aerial attack. (0:45)

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During a battle on the Rapido River in Italy, after losing 3000 men, the American colonel and the German colonel met on a bridge and called a temporary cease fire. (0:35)

Laurie Druyor

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Laurie Druyor grew up in Methuen, Massachusetts. Her dad was a mechanic and her brother was in the Navy before her, so joining herself didn't seem like a bad idea. After joining, she began her orientation for the Navy Medical Corps and went to Great Lakes Naval Hospital. When it came time to choose where she wanted to go, she chose Vietnam. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.) (4:43)

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After her medical training for the Navy, Druyor went aboard the USS Sanctuary Hospital Ship to Da Nang, Vietnam. While in Da Nang and on the ship, she cared for a cluster of badly damaged patients, some were even burned from nasty landmine explosions. The worst part for her was that many of the patients were also children. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.) (7:11)

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Druyor talks about what it was like working aboard a sizable hospital ship rather than a hospital on land, and expands on seeing the awful effects of war on the children. At a few instances she would go into Da Nang to operate remotely on patients, but those times were few and far in between. Fortunately, she and the other medical personnel experienced no close calls while they were doing their jobs. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.) (3:27)

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One night, while Laurie was eating dinner, the USS Sanctuary got a call about a plane crash. She vividly remembers the patients coming aboard, and the aftermath of this incident, including one boy who was MIA. As difficult as this experience was, it was nothing compared to the Tet Offensive. New wounded were coming in constantly, and trying to care for all of them at once was emotionally exhausting. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.) (5:58)

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After her year in Vietnam was up, Laurie Druyor went back over to the United States to Key West, Florida. She was lucky enough to meet her husband, who was also helping serve in the Vietnam war as a helicopter pilot. She gives her closing remarks and reflections about her experiences in war and what she hopes everyone watching will take away from this. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the Military Heritage Museum- https://freedomisntfree.org/.) (3:40)