Vietnam vets reunite after 40 years

Mark Drudge/Daily News (From left) Alan Rhoades of Galesburg, Ill., Tony Schutty of Newton and Dennis Beckler of Newton met at the American Legion in Newton on March 29 to share stories of their service in Vietnam.

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Their hair has grayed. They are 40 years older. Time has handed them four decades of life filled with trials and triumphs, children and grandchildren. By a twist of fate, a coincidence or maybe divine intervention two Vietnam veterans came together over a table in the Newton American Legion and shared everything life had dealt them one recent afternoon. Tony Schutty of Newton and Alan Rhoades of Galesburg, Ill., had a mini-reunion on March 29, 40 years after they had last seen each other in the South Vietnam province of Quangtri in a helicopter crash. “It was very goose-bumpy,” said Rhoades of how the reunion came about. Schutty, who has lived in Newton his whole life, stopped in to the American Legion and struck up a conversation with a man and woman who were passing through town on a trip from Wisconsin. The Wisconsin man was Jim Ottman, who also was a Vietnam veteran, and the two began sharing war stories. “I was visiting with him and his wife, and I was telling them about when I served in Vietnam and crashed on my first mission,” said Schutty, who served with the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol of Company E of the 52nd Infantry. “He asked ‘Can you tell me when that happened?’ And I said ‘Sept. 3, 1968.’” As Schutty and Ottman continued talking, the pair realized Schutty was in a helicopter accident in 1968 with an acquaintance of Ottman’s. That acquaintance was Rhoades, who served as a crew chief on a helicopter for the Company C of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the United States Army. “He asked if I knew Alan Rhoades,” Schutty shared. Rhoades said he had given a set of photos and an article to Ottman and when Schutty told his story Ottman knew who he was talking about right away. “Tony had the same pictures and story. Jim says ‘I know who was the crew chief on that flight. I know who was with you that day,’” Rhoades said. “He called me and handed the phone to Tony, and we struck up a conversation.” After hanging up the phone, Rhoades decided to plan a trip to Newton. “I decided since Tony was only three hours a way it was not too far,” Rhoades said. Schutty and Rhoades met at the Legion along with a fellow Vietnam veteran from Newton, Dennis Beckler. “The unique thing about Vietnam veterans is that as the day passed on we shared things we probably haven’t talked about for a while,” Schutty said. The three men spent hours at the Legion then met at a local restaurant and continued to talk about old times and the crash that brought them together in the first place. “Hundreds of guys climbed onto that helicopter and because of this crash we all received purple hearts and on my orders all the names were listed,” Rhoades said. “I knew all those gentlemen by name and Tony was on that list. It’s just happenstance that we ran into each other. “I just don’t know why Jim was there in Newton in the first place and ran into Tony or why they shared stories.” Schutty said the whole experience was hard for him to believe too. “We just had a great afternoon,” he said. “Vietnam vets are always bonded. I hope we can keep in touch.” Rhoades said the event that reunited the veterans was one he can’t explain. “Things happen in life that are strange and you just can’t explain them and you just get goosebumps,” he said. “I haven’t talked to Tony since then but I hope we’ll talk again.”