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Dave Mathis Involvement In The Vietnam War

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Being involved in the Vietnam war seemed inevitable to 19 year old, Dave Mathis, whether it be through the draft or enlistment. The thought of war consumed his mind, masked in fear. Mathis was a wild child, the youngest boy of 6, he had no fear in the world, that was until talk of the Vietnam war erupted. He knew he was going to have to fight but thought it would be better if he enlisted himself so then he could at least choose what branch of the military he went in to. Dave Mathis grew up in a religious household, his mother was a Christian, but didn’t believe in organized religion. His mom used to say, “People who go to church only go to show off their new car or dress,”, so Mathis believed her, he never wanted to attend church. As a boy, he believed he was an atheist. He didn’t believe anything that his mom would preach, but to protect his mother, he described himself as agnostic. This meant he didn’t care one way or another about religion. …show more content…

He passed all the tests except the eye exam. To be a helicopter pilot, he had have perfect 20/20 vision without glasses. The thought of war still consumed his mind, he said, “I was worried I was going to go over there and get my ass killed so I avoided all contact with girls”. He didn’t want to leave someone he loved behind if he were to die at war, so to make it easier on him, he stayed single. Along with avoiding women, Mathis never discussed going to war with his mother. One of his older brothers, Harry, was already in Vietnam and his other brother, Less, was a survival instructor for the military, so he figured his mom was just glad he was out of the

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