Team Robins hidden hero finally recognized Published Dec. 2, 2011 By Jenny Gordon 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- When a dear friend from high school was killed in Vietnam in the late 1960s, Gary Graeber knew he had a duty to fight for his country. "So, I volunteered for Vietnam," said Graeber, an industrial engineering technician with the 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The year was 1969. Just two years earlier, the southern California native had joined the Air Force fresh out of high school. But at first, he and a group of friends were undecided, almost joining the Marine Corps. "However, I listened to that Marine recruiter - and I went across to join the Air Force," Graeber recalled with a chuckle. After receiving extensive training in electronics, cryptology and Morse code, his skills were put to use gathering intelligence and information for the U.S. government while stationed in Vietnam. As an enlisted crew member, he flew hundreds of hours worth of missions with the 6994th Security Squadron across Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia from 1969 to 1971. His time aboard various C-47s took him from Pleiku Air Base, where attacks occurred almost daily, to missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and back to Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon. Along with a crew consisting of pilot, copilot, navigator, and a few other men, his squadron included Morse radio intercept operators, linguists, communications analysts and equipment repairmen ready to get the job done. Sometimes his mission would allow for only a few hours in one location, and then it was back in the air again, gathering invaluable information on enemy locations and activities. Despite the heat and humidity, he remembers Vietnam being a beautiful country. He has not been back since. When he returned to the states in 1971, the country was a different place then. Even 40 years later, he still remembers every harsh look given and word that was said to him while on his way back to his family. "Even in the airport in San Francisco, people were yelling nasty things at you while you were in uniform. It was really something," he said. "It made me feel almost ashamed when you were pretty proud of what you did. I felt that I really helped save people by eliminating the enemy. After attending college and working several years at McDonnell Douglas, he and his former wife decided to move to Middle Georgia to be near family. He was hired at Robins in 1988, first working as a mechanic on the C-141 and C-130s. Now he works as a planner with the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program. David "Opie" Hurst met Graeber one day, and after talking with him, knew he had an unsung hero in his midst and wanted to do something special for him. Hurst decided it would be fitting to have a display case made by the base Arts & Crafts Center staff, encasing all of Graeber's honors. "His stories were captivating," said Hurst, C-130 PDM Quality Assurance chief. "I was very interested in seeing his medals and patches. I was fascinated, and also very proud to meet someone who served in such a difficult time in our nation's history. "I knew that he and so many thousands more like him never got recognized as being heroes by the country they proudly served," he said. "He never received any of his medals during ceremonies. Seeing his face today, and knowing that he will receive this recognition and be able to pass on his legacy to his son, made my year, not just my day. I know there are many hidden heroes at Robins." Graeber served in the Air Force from 1967 until 1973. For his years of service, particularly in Vietnam, among the many honors he received was the Distinguished Flying Cross for a mission performed near Phu Cat. He received the honor in the mail, with a letter from the governor of Washington thanking him for his service. He also received five Air Medals, and was proud of the fact his squadron had twice received the Presidential Unit Citation. He flew more than 1,300 air combat hours. Graeber is particularly overjoyed when he sees that veterans returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq are welcomed and supported. He's also humbled by his supervisors and co-workers who honored him with the display case. "To me, this presentation of my medals is finally a welcome home," he said. He's quick to point out that he loves his job on base as an aircraft production planner, and being out on the flight line. "There are a lot of veterans who work out here who are really dedicated, hard-working people. They've done more than I as far as Vietnam, and they're all hard-working people," Graeber said. "That's one thing I like about this place. You come out here, and it doesn't matter where you came from or what you look like. Everybody works together as Americans getting these aircraft out. It's a really good feeling."