Dennis Moran still carries vivid memories of Vietnam more than five decades after he was drafted into the Army on April 3, 1969, but his story is also one of family, resilience, and enduring loyalty to the men he served beside.
Moran grew up in St. James after his family moved from Ozone Park, Queens, when he was just two years old. Life on Long Island felt like the country at the time, and he spent his youth playing sports, hunting, and exploring the outdoors with his siblings. A standout athlete at Smithtown High School, he played football, baseball and basketball, building the toughness and discipline that would later serve him in the military.
After graduating in 1968, Moran was drafted the following year at the height of the Vietnam War. He trained at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where the intensity of infantry preparation quickly made it clear what lay ahead. Soon after, he shipped out through Fort Lewis, Washington, eventually arriving in Vietnam after stops in Alaska, Japan and Guam.
Assigned to the 27th Infantry, Moran operated out of Cu Chi and other dangerous areas near the Cambodian border. He spent months at a time in the field, often walking point, one of the most dangerous positions in a patrol. Carrying a compass and sometimes the radio, he led fellow soldiers through rice paddies, swamps and dense jungle terrain. The threat of ambush, hidden explosives and sudden enemy fire was constant.
Moran also took part in operations in Cambodia, where U.S. forces pushed into enemy-held territory. He recalled helicopter insertions under fire, massive B-52 bombardments that shook the ground, and the discovery of hidden enemy base camps and supply caches. The conditions were relentless—heat, monsoon rains, insects and exhaustion—but the mission never stopped.
The war also brought deep personal loss. Moran’s lifelong friend Alan, who had been drafted on the same day, was critically wounded and left paralyzed from the waist down. The uncertainty of not knowing his fate, followed by seeing him in a VA hospital, left a lasting impact. Moran also lost fellow soldiers in combat, memories that have stayed with him throughout his life.
Returning home was its own battle. Moran said he struggled emotionally and had difficulty adjusting to civilian life. Like many veterans of that era, he received little support and turned to drinking for a time before finding his footing again.
He eventually rebuilt his life, marrying in 1976 and raising a family. He worked for the highway department and later as a union laborer in construction, helping install concrete noise walls along the Long Island Expressway during major expansion projects.
Today, Moran remains active and connected. He keeps in touch with fellow veterans, visits friends and gravesites, and took part in an Honor Flight to Washington, where he made rubbings from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for fallen comrades. He is also involved with the VFW and continues to live by a simple philosophy shaped by war and experience—keep moving forward and never forget.