Specialist 4th Class Andre Pelletier / US Army

Andre Pelletier graduated from Nashua High School in 1971 and soon after was drafted into the US Army, and then sent to Vietnam. Like many Vietnam vets, Pelletier didn’t like to talk about his time there. It was a tough period for him, for the US military, and for America.

Politicians and civilians who were at the top of the management chain for the US military had been playing politics with the war for years. Lyndon Johnson planned to gradually ramp up military activity hoping to eventually quell enemy activity. He never let his military leaders “take the gloves off” and get the job done. Nixon began a regimen of what he called “Vietnamization” which wasn’t working well. Much of the population were simple farmers, not someone to take up a rifle for their country. They had little or no concept of country. Vietnam had been under French colonial rule for years. Many natives saw the United States as just another “occupying force.”

According to some accounts, US politicians and military leaders did not understand the Vietnamese culture or their motivation. The US fought a conventional war, as if it was still 1944 and they were slugging their way across France. By the time Andre Pelletier was “in the country” many of the US troops were demoralized and discipline and motivation were a real problem. Drug use was rampant. The soldiers in the field could see no reason to fight. If they were killed or wounded, they felt it was for no good reason. It was all very futile. This was the situation when Andre Pelletier landed in Vietnam in May of 1972.

Andre Pelletier passed away from COVID-19 in January 2021 after falling ill shortly after Christmas 2020. Since he talked little about his military time, I posed a few questions to his daughter and widow to get whatever information I could. Here are those questions and answers.

Nashua native or time spent in Nashua?
Andre is a Nashua native.

If from Nashua, did you graduate from Nashua High? What year?
Yes, graduated from Nashua High School in 1971.

Service branch?
Army, RA

When entered service? When discharged? What conflict?
Drafted in August 1971
Entered September 20, 1971
Served in Vietnam from May 1972 – Feb 1973
Discharged from service in 1974
Rank when discharged? SP4

What was your job in the service?
Auto Mechanic, Track Vehicle Mechanic & Light-Wheel Vehicle Mechanic

Did you see combat?
Yes – when he first arrived via helicopter in Vietnam there was bombing going on. I can only imagine how terrifying it was to fly to a foreign country and when you get there are immediately thrown in the middle of chaos.

There was a day when the motor pool was being bombed. He had started to leave with the rest of the men and he noticed that some were still behind. He took over and got everyone to safety. That’s how he earned his Bronze Star.

Were you ever wounded in action?
No, luckily, the only injury he received was a burn to his arm while working on a jeep.

Best day that you remember.
I don’t think any moment spent in Vietnam could be counted as a best day. The best thing was probably the relationships he made while he was there, bonding with other young men like him who were drafted and serving their country in a controversial war far from home and everything they knew.

Worst day that you remember?
He watched a member of his squad get his legs blown off when he stepped onto a mine. He said that it happened as if he was in a dream. He realized later that he was in shock.

He also was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange.

What are some of the things you’ve seen that only a member of the military would see?
My dad was proud of the time he had spent in the service and serving his country. When he was returning home, he was happy that it was over, and looking forward to receiving a welcome when he arrived back in the United States. Instead, he was greeted by Vietnam War protestors. There was no fanfare, recognition, etc. It was supposed to be a happy moment that was bitterly taken by circumstances beyond his control.

What did you do upon returning home?
My dad worked at Soucy’s Market until just before he went into the Army. When he returned, he found a position with the Nashua DPW. He drove many different types of vehicles during his time there and was probably most well-known for plowing the sidewalks on Main Street. He worked right up until he was admitted to the hospital in December 2020 with COVID. At his wake, the city of Nashua put together a massive truck parade down Kinsley Street in his honor. That parade was featured on WMUR and Good Morning America.

Andre Pelletier’s homecoming in 1972 may have been very anti-climactic, and rancorous – not what someone who has faced such a horrible circumstance should have to come home to. It is refreshing to see the tide has turned, and people everywhere recognize the Vietnam War for what it was, and the sacrifice these soldiers made. The banners flying on the Veteran’s Memorial Parkway are just a small token of the huge debt owed to those who served – in any conflict and under any circumstances.