Page 89 - Stand Down Vietnam

My name is Bud Heathcock, I was born in Alma, Michigan,
on the 29 of March 1947 which makes be six months
th
older than the current air force.

My folks lived on a farm, but my daddy said he was
going to sell the house and move to Arizona. That
didn’t last long, and we returned to Michigan; he was
happy.

I went to school in Ithaca, Michigan. I did the sixth
grade twice. I had three older brothers and one
younger sister.

My older brother went into the Navy after he graduated.
He did his four years, he just recently died. I have
another brother that was thirteen or fourteen years in
the Army as a Chaplain. Another brother did three
years in the army and four in the air force. He is a
Vietnam “ERA” Veteran. My dad was Army Air Corps and
then he went into army weapons for competition. He was
stationed in Panama on P6 airplanes. My dad flew the
first P12 airplanes in Panama.

P6 P12

About a month before graduation, I was debating what to
do. I knew I had that draft card promise and greetings
from the president, and I didn’t want that. So, I was
shopping around and talking to dad; I didn’t want the

army because at that time I had a little bit of chicken
in me.