A 1964 graduate of Columbus High School was already a senior at the Indiana University School of Business when he signed up to join the U.S. Army in 1968 as a non-commissioned officer.
The military allowed David Yeley to complete his undergraduate work in management and business administration and receive his degree before he was ordered to report for active duty.
From Jan. 2 through Aug. 17 of 1969, Yeley was an E5 Specialist (equivalent to sergeant) who worked in supply and logistics for the Ninth Infantry Division at Dong Tam Base Camp. The military installation was located about 40 miles south of the Mekong Delta near what was then Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).
“My job was to keep them supplied with food, ammunition, fuel, and anything else they needed,” Yeley said.
With the exception of guard duty, Yeley said he was seldom assigned to engage in direct battle. However, he narrowly survived some harrowing experiences.
On one day, a mortar and rocket attack was launched on his barracks. Yeley had five seconds after realizing what has happening before a mortar crashed through a tin roof and exploded directly on his bunk, he said.
While the Columbus native moved quickly and made it to safety, a fellow soldier next to him did not — and was killed, he said.
Another close call occurred when Yeley was with his unit as they were clearing trees as another mortar and rocket attack was launched against them.
With the enemy stair-stepping their attacks on different observation areas, deadly explosions were occurring on either side of Yeley — and he witnessed more of his brothers-in-arms either wounded or killed, he said.
“I though the next projectile would probably be a direct hit on me,” Yeley said. “But for some reason, it never came.”
After then-President Richard Nixon announced in July, 1969 that he would begin pulling troops out of southeast Asia, the Ninth Infantry Division, along with Yeley, was among the first to return to the U.S.
Following a short stay in Hawaii, Yeley was stationed with the 194th Armored Brigade at Ft. Knox, Kentucky.
It was there that he received the Bronze Star upon the recommendation of Major Gen. George S. Patton IV, the son of the famed World War II commander.
After being discharged from military service in June, 1970, Yeley returned to Indiana University as a graduate assistant in the Kelley School of Business.
While some have called him lucky, Yeley said he prefers to believe his survival was divine intervention, and that he was meant to do good things in his life.
After receiving his masters degree in 1972, Yeley did serve in a variety of leadership roles with the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Bartholomew County, and the Energy Environmental Forum.
Admitting that he likely suffered some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder, Yeley remains part of a 70-member veterans support group that not only support one another, but also does outreach work for charitable causes, he said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the Indy Honor Flight” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Indy Honor Flight launched in the summer of 2009 when Grant Thompson of Mooresville arranged a flight for his wife’s great-uncle, a World War II veteran, to see the newly constructed World War II Memorial.
Thompson and his wife, Tammy, immediately began searching for other World War II veterans to provide them with the same experience.
Besides paying for the veterans’ expenses, the Indy Honor Flight organization ensures that participants are accompanied by a guardian who can assist with their needs during the trip. A physician and two nurses accompany the veterans.
Information: Call 317-559-1600, or going online at indyhonorflight.org.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
