Voices of Veterans and Volunteers: Don Adam
Voices of Veterans and Volunteers: Don Adam
Veteran Don Adam has been a volunteer on the National Mall with the National Park Service since 2002. Adam has volunteered over 20,000 hours at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in honor of his cousin and comrades who gave the ultimate sacrifice. On August 25, 2020 Adams received the George & Helen Hartzog Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. The virtual ceremony was hosted by the National Park Foundation. Adams spent four years in the US Air Force from 1966 to 1970. He served in Japan and South Vietnam.
Left: Don Adam at the Vietnam Memorial on the National Mall performing a name-rubbing service for a visitor. Right: Don Adam in uniform while in service in the US Air Force. Courtesy of the Department of U.S. Veteran Affairs.
Trust for the National Mall (TNM): Could you share where you served and for how long you were in service?
Don Adam (DA): I spent four years in the US Air Force from 1966 to 1970. After graduating from basic training I was sent to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi to attend Phase I and Phase II of Morse Intercept Operator training.
I was stationed in Misawa AB in Misawa, Japan for almost two years intercepting enemy communications sent via morse code. I returned stateside for additional technical training at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Texas learning some Vietnamese and learning how the enemy communicated. I then went to Fairchild AFB in Washington for Survival School / POW training and then additional survival training in the Philippines before landing in the Republic of South Vietnam.
I was stationed at Pleiku AFB and DaNang AFB in South Vietnam as an Airborne Radio Direction Finding Specialist. I flew in excess of 100 combat missions while in Vietnam while being awarded several Air Medals and a Distinguished Flying Cross. While in Vietnam I also gave pre-flight intelligence briefings
TNM: Veterans Day is a special time of remembrance and gratitude. What would you like visitors to take away from their time on the Mall?
DA: Realization that so many have given so much (their all) in defense of our great country. Almost half a million lives were lost during WW II (400,00), Korea (34,000) and Vietnam (58,000) alone. The United States is very lucky to have so many proud young men and women volunteer to defend our country. Freedom can't be taken for granted ... think what freedom actually is or means. The price of freedom is not free.
TNM: You’ve seen thousands of people engage with the memorial. Is there a specific moment or two that are particularly memorable?
DA: There are several memorable moments. Picking one or two is very difficult. I had just arrived at the VVM kiosk one early Spring morning when two elderly ladies approached the kiosk and knocked on the window. They were looking for a name on the Wall. I closed the kiosk, grabbed the ladder and slowly walked towards the Wall while talking with the older of the two. She told me she lost her only son and wanted to find the name and get a picture or two. I located the name in the directory and we proceeded down the Wall walkway.
I found the name and she started telling me about her son. We sat down in front of the panel for a couple of hours chatting, taking pictures and making several rubbings of his name. She didn't want to do a rubbing herself so she placed her hands on mine while I did some of the rubbings. She sent me a very thoughtful thank you note and some pictures.
Her companion also wrote and said she was over 90 years old and upon returning home told everyone she could about the young man that helped her find her son.
I always enjoy meeting / talking with friends and family members of those I served with. Buddies finding buddies ... old vets meeting younger vets or active-duty servicemen and servicewomen.
The camaraderie between vets - whether old or young - is immediate. They understand one another and have a bond no matter what service they were in or what rank or rate they obtained.
During the height of the Iraq/ Afghanistan wars, active-duty servicemen would bring their wounded buddies from Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval down to the Wall before they went back to the sandbox for their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th tours. I told each and every one to come back and see me when they returned. This actually did occur on a couple of occasions.
TNM: Many of your fellow volunteers are also veterans, is there a message you would like to send to them and to the thousands of other veterans that visit the Mall on Veterans Day and throughout the year?
DA: A heartfelt thanks for all the time, efforts and activities each one of you give in serving as a volunteer. And thank you to those thousands of others for their service, too.
TNM: What drew you to continue to serve the country as a volunteer?
Basically, to give back to my community. I am extremely fortunate that I live close enough to volunteer at America's front yard. I volunteer to honor my cousin who was killed in Vietnam, other family members who served, friends, classmates and those I was proud to serve with in Japan and Vietnam. I also want to portray a positive view of a Vietnam Veteran.
To all those who have served, and those who continue to serve, thank you for your service and sacrifice. The Trust is honored to be able to share some of your stories this Veteran’s Day.
Do you or the veterans in your life have a special memory from a visit to one of the memorials on the National Mall? Share it with #MyNationalMallStory @TheNationalMall and HERE.