Northwesterner Lawrence Boyd Sr will be honored by Puget Sound Honor Flight for his experiences during the Vietnam War.
Mr. Boyd entered the service right out of high school and served in combat during the Vietnam War.
He had been earning $95 per month. From that, he sent his mother $50 plus a $6.50 savings bond each month. He kept just $17 for himself. For a bit more pay he decided to train, join the 173rd Airborne Brigade and sign up to go to a place called Vietnam.
Lawrence Boyd experienced a life changing moment during his service in combat. He was going into a Fire Base and witnessed an incredible act while on the first patrol of the day. Mr. Boyd was accompanied by another Black soldier, PFC Watson, who was suddenly killed at the base.
What stood out to him the most – especially during those times of great racial unrest and inequity – was how the medic, a white soldier, was desperately trying to save Watson.
The medic would not stop trying to blow life back into Watson until he had to be pulled away from him because it was too late. At that point Lawrence realized that everyone during the war was family, no matter the color of your skin.
On April 24, the local organization Puget Sound Honor Flight will fly Lawrence Boyd to Washington D.C. to pay tribute to his fallen friend from years ago and to make an etching of is friend’s name at the Vietnam War Memorial.
Puget Sound Honor Flightis a non-profit providing transportation for America’s veterans to visit and reflect at the D.C. memorials built in their honor. The April 24th flight is the first in two years since the pandemic restrictions began.
