November 22, 2008: David Ballentine / George Perrault

David Ballentine recalls his experiences as a young pilot flying an armed UH-1E with Marine Observation Squadron Six in Vietnam. Like any good war memoir, parts of the book are deadly serious, even sad, while others are filled with thrilling, often humorous descriptions of squadron life during the early stages of the war. The book provides little known detail about the missions, operations, and living conditions at Ballentine’s base in Ky Ha, shortly before the Tet Offensive.John F. Kennedy Assassination. On November 22, 1963 the world was stunned by news that our popular president had been assassinated. George Perrault was a young Navy enlisted man at the time and was grabbed to be an Honor Guard for the president, who was to lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda. The most famous photo of the time shows four guards, one from each major branch of the service, standing at attention just off of the four corners of the casket. George was the Navy guard in that photo.Tune in to hear George Perrault describe behind-the-scenes activity and his feelings during one of the most important events of his lifetime…and the humorous story of how the Honor Guard was literally caught with their pants down by Ethel Kennedy.