On November 8th, 1966, Bernard McClusky reported for draft duty six months after graduating from high school. Growing up, McClusky had a life expectancy of twelve years, and, as he says, because the American health care system saved his life, he felt as though he owed it to his country to serve. His first ever flight, McClusky arrived in the Mekong Delta as an on base radio operator. McClusky believes that the best way to resolve racial relationships in the United States is through the military: "We're all trying to make it in America." In this conversation, McClusky reflects on wartime racism, the Tet Offensive, his lifelong career dedicated to assimilating returning soldiers, and his "therapeutic" trip back to Vietnam decades later.