Mark Bartoloni and Zazil-xa Davis-Vazquez

00:01 Hello, my name is seseta. I'm 25 years old. Today's date is March 3rd 2020. I'm in Las Cruces, New Mexico with Mark and we are new friends.

00:19 My name is Mark by baloney. I'm 72 years old born April 10th. 1948. Today is March 3rd 2020 location, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

00:33 Name of my interview Partners. I'm so self-centered. I don't remember. I'm sorry. I think I'm to feel absolutely I'm so happy to be sitting down with you today. Can you tell me about where you grew up and what it was like and I grew up with that two older brothers two younger sisters at Two Step Brothers a mother and father that would just stand my plant. My mother was a Christian good woman. She was a saint my father came home. We landed Omaha Beach D-Day. I got wounded twice at Foxwood.

01:20 Battle and Franson in eventually made it to Germany. He came home and alcoholic. I didn't even I didn't make it home for a few years. I would come and stay for a while and then

01:32 Promise me the world and disappear, you know, that's the way it was growing up a God bless my brother Pete my brother. Well, they kept me safe and and kept me going the way I should be gone for the people played football in high school when I learned from him and play football sewing and in, you know growing up. I never knew what was wrong with me cuz I thought I was crazy. Like I guess a lot of kids. Do I had so much stuff going on inside me, and I had nowhere to let Let it Loose and I discovered the football field and man. I let loose on the football field. I was captain of the football team my senior year and want to break my leg in the next option with the military. So they're on when I graduated from high school in North Quincy High School in North Quincy, Massachusetts in 1966.

02:31 And went right into the military why they're going to the military. I come from a family of Warriors. I come from the 1% in this country. The warrior is not the Billionaire's not the Donald Trump's we have to live with and die with everyday.

02:49 Can you tell me a little bit more about playing football? Do you have any fun memories of being on the field? Can you tell me some Thanksgiving we played Quincy High School have played for North Quincy games. We played Quincy High School and it was a wife already that I remember is a little kid and you always took took place on Thanksgiving and it was just a wild wild time my senior year. I wanted to break in my leg the second to the last game of the year and wasn't able to play in that gay men that sat on the sidelines and watched everything and just loved it, but I wanted to be out there.

03:31 Do you remember any of your fellow players or quarterback was what you want what you want to be fine with that tight end. He went out to play for the Chicago Cubs be withheld wow player. Let me see the smallest guy in the team's name was Kenny McPhee. He was about a hundred and fifty pounds and he played left guard. The kids had more guts than anybody ever met my life. You just ate played with Reckless abandon, and it was just a great time in my life. You know, I mean my outside life was crazy. But but the football just made everything. Alright, you know, and that's the way it was, you know.

04:16 What about the day that you enlisted? Can you tell me a little bit about that? It was it was an affair six of us wanting together level 145 the other five were dippy green.

04:33 Mike Campanella

04:39 My brother where the hell he didn't come in with me. We came a little bit after he was all with my protector when he chased me right into the military. I don't want to remember the other guy Mighty Keef cuz he got killed over there. Mighty good killed their neighbors a good kid music and will quit it.

04:59 Tell me about the day when you enlisted what happened that day we went up to.

05:07 In Quincy, they had a recruiter there and the recruiter would come to the courthouse. And as a football team we were all out at Squaw Rock Squaw rock with what we all hung out all the cool kids all the jocks back in the day. We used to party out there and everybody gotta lick it up one night and I don't really know what happened the rest of the night cuz I I know I heard stories from a lot of different people, but I I wanted up four of us wound up in front of a judge about a month later at the police come out and arrested I sent the judge said you can either go to jail or you can volunteer to Vietnam. That was a that was the way it was back in Quincy in the day if you went to court and you had a Chad's they could really scare you with you either update for the military. That's right in jail. So we all signed and went and we were grateful ago. We were we were we were all from families that had fathers I found out

06:07 The Vietnam War

06:10 What was really going on? They were sending poor white boys for black boys for Indian boys for everybody that they could send to Vietnam and I'm not rich people good people think when they did course I did but the bottom line is they would draft in the port. They didn't draft us we enlisted.

06:31 And I do not step back from one minute. My Vietnam experience is what it was and I'm eternally grateful that I had it it is taught me to be the kind of human being that I am today and I don't think without that experience. I would be where I am today.

06:48 Can you tell me about what basic training was like fun for me? My leg is healed. You know, I was pretty much full heal by then and I love basic training in great shape. We all bought not all the guys. I went to one of the guys played baseball Mighty played soccer. Woo. Woo woo and you know, we all wrong but yet we got the basic training we stuck together. We went out on the bed buddy plan after basic training, you know, I would go to the physics of stuff. I love the running. I was again picked out his you-know-what oportun, you know, they made you like it. If you were physically fit and did will walk in the four guys that come in that we were overweight and stuff. They they win they tried to do it, but they were putting some of my foot behind they had to go through it again.

07:43 I'm grateful. I was able to go through it. I want from there to Fort Belvoir Virginia and boil boy was that that will never experience anything like Washington DC. Tell me about what you remember from that time when you arrived.

08:03 Wound up at Fort Belvoir and is the kid that was scared. You know, I mean, I didn't know I couldn't talk to nobody about what's going on inside me. So therefore I drank and I got

08:15 I I didn't reject who I really was a projected who and alcohol drinking. Mike was in or not. I didn't want to be that kind of person but I had no way out because I got all this crazy stuff inside me. The only thing that seemed to take care of it was booze, you know, it was the only thing and I tried and tried and tried and then I just succumb to the boy who said I didn't go right to Vietnam. I wanted up in Europe Heidelberg Germany one of the most beautiful places in the world. I traveled around with I was at Patton barracks right in downtown Heidelberg day at the University of Maryland and Southern Cal for sale in Meadow bunch of people in and it was enjoying my life and

09:04 Get into a little bit of my my my military stuff was going real good and everything else was going with my life and I got orders for Vietnam me and another guy got from San Antonio Texas flu back to Massachusetts. We were the only two from the Pooh on now that we did nothing wrong, but we will both radio operators at the time radio operators will getting killed left and white in Vietnam. So me and him will back to Mass 2 weeks up in Mass with my family in 2 weeks down in San Antone the first time I had will we ever been you know, I mean, I'm I'm in the military, but the first time it will been on my own with another guy to enjoy two weeks of a month we had all together and it was fun. What did you do during that month? I never made it to see the animal. I wanted to see the Alamo. We went into Mexico and never been out of the country and that was so exciting.

10:04 I wanted to look at stuff, and it was also to stuff. I had never seen in my life. You know what I did and and we had it. We just had a fantastic time back to San Antone get on a plane in San Antonio was at Travis Air Force Base putting a great big Hangar hundreds thousands of guys. I have never been no place like it my life. It was a huge aircraft Hangar with double bunks just roll out to all and you will given a section you come in they give us a b14 so you go to be sectioned bed number 14 that your bed you grow through what you need to do during the day. That's how you'll be back every night. They're going to call your number if they call your number and you're not there then you get written up for being AWOL. So everybody was backing for 4 days later to call. My number at landed in cam ranh Bay that night. We landed in cam ranh Bay he want

11:04 One way I'd never seen him again to get killed his last name was eanes. He was a real good guy. And you know, I can remember via the flight over and it was like, wow, you know, the waitress is a Comedown. We had a couple of far and waitresses beautiful girls and stuff and everybody's like I was going to be easy just do what you got to Buy Buy Baby but he's talkin trash in on and we got there in the first thing. I remember was the heat. I mean I get off the plane in that teaches it almost knocked you over by the time I got the wrong upstairs. I was soaking wet sweat. I've always been a sweater and then it was real it was pouring out of me. They gave me a bottle so much. I was doing some watering.

11:54 They gave us a little talk showed us some pictures put us in a certain place that one of their going to come for you. We don't know when could be today could be tomorrow could be next week that night. I I live through my first step mortar attack, you know, we got to lay down and and they come in that drop that he didn't didn't come close to anyone of us, but that's what they did to keep you up at night. So when you get up and when you did get a little bit of sleep get up and do you want on your toes they

12:25 We I spent I believe 3 days could have been 4 days and I in a convoy came in and they told me I was up. I went out and told me to jump on the truck. We're going naughty going to 48th signal and coin yarn, which is part of the 1st Cavalry Division. I said, okay, that's fine. We headed north we get up to yank a past and there it came by boom ba. Boom. We got hit they hit a gas truck of off 53045 vehicles in front of me. That truck went up guy come running to us engulfed in flames. I just said that I didn't know what to do with the first decided there was on he was driving jump down shot. The guy the guy couldn't have been saved, you know, it was crisp.

13:11 And smell just crippled May hatches. I have a member asking to see God. What's that horrible smell incidents that man burning I said I got myself into and I got up there and just shut my mouth and fold instructions.

13:34 But I spent all together 14 months in Vietnam. I went there was a young Catholic boy Roman Catholic brought up made my confirmation made my made all the things that the young Catholic boy does.

13:50 And I can remember when I was in Vietnam. I don't know a week maybe two weeks and all these different things will happen one after another in any belief I had in the Catholic church. I left right there.

14:02 That never to return because I also have other Catholic stuff. I'd rather not going to today that his turn me against and you know, my my life in Vietnam. What I did was I tried to follow around the guys that were there before me just like I do in life today, you know, cuz that's how you learn. You don't learn by trying something yourself and I had a lot of good guys before me and a lot of good guys behind me and my worst experience in Southeast. Asia came.

14:42 I would say around nine nine and a half months. I believe in and we've been out for three days. I was TDY with the forest Gavin.

14:54 TDY temporary Duty different units. I was basically out of the 41st signal 44 signal input signal which was attic when Ian and we supplied pretty much all the Donuts around that's what the way you operate as if they needed them and sometimes you can go for week 2 weeks and I'll sometimes you are a little more. But anyway, yeah.

15:22 How that night. Was monsoon season raining everywhere and we will have to down we're in a rice paddy. We have been there for a little while and it was also it's a firing going on around Dustin.

15:37 Complete Command to get hit that night in the shoulder and he was he was doing okay and you called in some coordinance and I don't know if I made a mistake on the coordinates. Nobody ever told me nobody really cared but a couple of rounds warmed up short. I don't know if they were from my mistake them State gopher.

15:59 Whatever

16:17 50 children are killed by those two wines.

16:22 In an orphanage

16:24 And it changed my life to change me.

16:43 Man, I thought I text you this would have the tears but you know, I guess sometimes you just got to do what you got to do.

16:51 And done

16:53 That changed my life.

16:56 I'm not blaming anything that happened in my life on that experience, but it did change my life.

17:04 I came on the military and I want as I was gone. It's been three years in the a psychiatric hospital in Valley Forge. Pennsylvania was a locked Ward and it was it was really a crazy Ward to a homicidal and suicidal people on the same Warden only the government would put that combination together, but that's what it was and it was a very bizarre Place have they had me tuned up. What about 1,500 mg of Thorazine the day I couldn't walk I couldn't do anything at pills at night to make you sleep. I got out of the military hundred percent disabled veteran a short time later military load of me up on any kind of door. Not the military. I'm sorry the VA at the time lord of me up in any kind of do hope they don't want to let patient and say that they load of me up on.

17:56 Saginaw's tornados nembutal is the time to sleep during the day. They gave me through his and I never took it. I found my own way to deal with that stuff and that was to alcohol.

18:10 Alcohol nearly killed me many many times. I told you I came from a family of Warriors and my brother beat. My older brother Pete was a marine he served in that turkey along the Russian border. He deciphered Morse code for three years listening to that. Did it. That did it that that I don't know what happened to my brother people. He's been in prison for 47 years since he get out of the military not because of anything you did in the military, but he came out the same way. I did I take it in the ass got himself jammed up with a bunch of guys.

18:48 In prison to this day I talk to him every Sunday is just a big brother. I know he's in there. Yeah. I know Hampshire state prison system my brother house in a psychiatric omen.

19:15 In Massachusetts

19:18 My sister Pat, he's a banker. She's been a bad girl whole life. It just goes to show to bank now and she's working big Banks and Watson a whole life, but she didn't want to retire as she loves working. She loves being with people and she's done all the all the family for years. So, you know, she just she's just so that's where all my sisters and my brother. You know, what she does for me. She just open the door for my Two Step Brothers and I should get a huge hot and

20:01 My sister Joanne was caught up in this disease that I have the alcohol with some my brother peed my brother. Well, you know, it's a family you're missing. I found my way out to your program. I am not going to talk about that. But today I haven't had a drink of alcohol for 32 years and I am so grateful for that it wanted to kill me, but they didn't

20:29 You know where I am today and with the soldiers home in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. What a beautiful place Jimmy Han Korean War veteran reminds me of my grandfather. I got a bunch of people menezes and Alba is it a woman had a reminder to cut my mom's haircut, you know and just a lot of real good people.

20:50 So when did you move to New Mexico?

20:54 I moved to Mexico after I married the most beautiful woman in the world. Actually. It was a little while after that. I got that. I just talked about my a little bit about being so boring now. I get to open the Northampton VA hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts in

21:13 I get into reason I get onto that Ward was because of two men been merci again and inductive Kendall and chicks in those two men started War date if you go on the internet and just look up Ward 8 PTSD, you'll see what's been going on at the North Hampton VA hospital for a lot of years and it's guys getting better guys licking the same getting through their nightmares and never all the stuff that goes on inside any combat veteran.

21:45 And these two guys that molded me the only place they would allow me to go is that to a program to stop drinking and they also would allow me to spend time over at the alcohol Ward listening to people talk. That's all I did. I sat then I listened and one day the most beautiful woman in the world watch with a multi. She's a Cherokee for my

22:14 Are family it's from the hills of Tennessee, but to apply the with life were in the military in there, and she helped me heal. She helped me heal.

22:24 And then we spent the

22:27 A lot of time just talking and

22:31 I said I was 40 years old. I never marry cuz I was never going to be like my father. I was never going to be a giveaway. What was inside me? I was never going to give away. I knew why I would load it up with agent orange and I was right about that. I had a buddy that came at home that had twins and they would defective and in their grade kids today, you know, he's in a fantastic job, but I just didn't want to take that chance. So I never got married. I met him when I was 40 years old and that in the program and and and we kind of just hang out for a while. And then she was in the same program. I was so we started going around to different places together and and a friendship caught fire and three years later to write 12 in front of the psychiatric ward. I was wrong. I'm driving a 1968 Dodge. I Pop the trunk of some roses and

23:28 Been on my knees and said sweetheart. Will you marry me and she said yeah.

23:35 And she said when and I said I got the reservations were going to go to Las Vegas in 2 weeks get married. And and we did we can run the airplane. That was the second American Indian AA convention out. There will say that it was an AA convention and my wife and I flew out we went to the AA convention.

23:59 It seemed like thousands of people will probably hundreds of people stood up and wanted us that we get asked to dance and it was just as so much fun. We're not to wake me skinny dip and one of the Overton up to the

24:14 Overton Nevada or a little small town. I wanted to the florist I said that is there anybody in town that can marry us? And she said yes my bishop and brought up Catholic I said and I can't be official was a Mormon Bishop a Mormon Bishop got his some and came under that tree and married my wife and I and it was like, you know, I've heard people talk about Mormons this scum so many years and I found out that's not true. You know this man and his little son married at 7.

24:47 It's been great. My wife is in TC. Now she's about a mile-and-a-half. She brings the dogs up a couple of times a week and we walk the dogs and hang out with the biggest gift for my wife is giving me is to get to know myself. She's giving me Insight. She's giving me a lot of things and I want her to know that not what you know that she's very special. What's one of your favorite things that you've done with your wife.

25:15 The most favorite thing. She be probably kind of mad when I say it but the most favorite thing is when my wife and I were asked to

25:28 Anime want to say it because it is the most favorite thing I do with my wife is hang out with her with the dogs to go to TLC to the dog park. We got a new dog park until you see a woman with swivel when did a lot to put that up and that's my most favorite thing. I'm I going to ask you if we getting close to the end. Okay, cuz 10. Okay super II. I need to talk a little bit about what's going on today. My wife. My wife is is is real. She's got you got a lot of have physical problems to away. And I know that sometimes I can get that. You know, I can get like why can't you come up and see me today while I don't feel good? And you know, I got this I got that was just playing dead. Do you know or not? I'm acting like a two-year-old and she'll straighten me out with a couple of words and then I'm that I'm okay and all but one of them.

26:28 Yeah, I'm sorry miss her I miss her. Yeah. Yeah, I'm always missing always when I'm out with a missa you right that's not brain-dead. You just miss her but what has happened? She's the one that got me into I had to two years ago. I had open heart surgery. They replace the valve on my hot. After that. I have my left hip Don I had my right hip. I have my left shoulder and on my left shoulder camping on cuz it's Quest but they kind of put me back together again.

27:06 Things of where I am just so so good and it's had so little to do with anything except a lot of prayers. I believe I found We Believe That the Truth or Consequences Soldiers Home is a beautiful place to be today. It really is a year ago. I couldn't say that a year ago. I could say it's a very dark place to be I could possibly even say it's an evil place to be I felt bad for the workers. It will work in the Hat and doing what they needed to do.

27:45 I felt bad real bad for the veterans in through some work that out to veterans are we've been able to realize that we have I don't even know how to say this. But anyway, we're back at the house. She's a New Mexico representative. That's what you said Mexico weapons. I want it and I called her and I asked her to come up just to chat for a few minutes and she came up she talked to me and she she was very nice. And you know, we had a real good talk and I just felt like okay another politician. Maybe she heard a couple of things I said, but you went too bad. She wanted to she wasn't she went to

28:32 2 in Congress or whatever they have up their New Mexico when they all get together and and do what they do in and she came out of it with some great things for the soldiers home. Just amazing and we just recently got a new director and her name is Juliet Sullivan then and she came in and just said just knocked this place apart that makes you run around. Oh my God, what's going on? What's Happening? Why am I and we're going to all sorts of changes, but it's all for the good guys walking around with a smile on that face honest honest in and it's because they have a little bit of hope. That's what I see is Hope a little bit of Hope goes a long way.

29:16 I got to talk about you know, there's just so much ignorance in the world. I want to say so many people are getting so stupid. I just don't know what's going on. You listen to people and one day that talking about this and that it confuses the hell out of me cuz every day it's a different story like the world is going to end today know it's going to be tomorrow and now it's going to be next week. You know, it's it's crazy and I just try to leave it all I had to stop watching the TV as much as I can because I don't make me real nuts. And I know today that created is giving me nothing but love I know that today the longest journey in my life. Did I ever talk and I learned this for my man a long time not a long time ago with number years ago, but a very very wise man the longest journey I took was for my head to my heart.

30:14 And when I arrived at my heart I found out I have more love to give any more people. I just you know all my life. I heard people I did I never worked a job. You could tell your mother about I'll tell your grandmother about I was always outside the law.

30:34 I got sold when my life changed I started realizing that you know what maybe I can be a good person. Maybe I can do for others and I found I can do that and I like doing it. It feels good feels so good feels so good to come down here and talk with you guys today. I couldn't do this 20 years ago. Even I don't know 10 years ago. I got around people when I get all jammed up inside, but the Creator is allowed those things to leave me and allowed other things to fill up inside me in god, it feels good.

31:10 I don't know what else to say, except, you know, I love the United States of America. I'd do anything for it. My father did my grandfather. Did my brother. Did my other brother did I did and many before I was so many after us and they just want to say thank you very much for having me. I am enjoyed myself, and I'm going to go get something to eat now. Thank you. Thank you Mark. I'm so happy to hear all of that. Thank you.

31:44 Good night.