Gene Rasmussen: The story of a heroic

soldierBy: Devin Anderson

Josh PittmanAsia johnston

Gene was born and raised in Iowa

He was an only child with a single

mother Gene never new his

father

Child hood

Fell in with the wrong crowd as a teenager Eventually ended up at court because of his

actions The judge gave him two options:

◦ Go to jail at the age of 17 or go to boot camp◦ Gene chose boot camp

Teen Age Years

Genes boot camp look a lot like this, This type of place started Gene on his journey

Boot Camp

Before Gene, joined the army, he married a young lady that he barely new

Her name was Penny, and they got married a month before Gene left to serve his country

Gene with his wife at a young age

Once he completed boot camp, Gene enrolled in the navy to serve on the rivers of Vietnam

He was in the NSA (Naval Service Activity) Gene’s first day:

◦ Was shot at the second he stepped off the boat in Vietnam

Naval Base

Mr. Rasmussen depended on certain things when times got hard

He kept a picture of his wife in his helmet Had a religious quote on the back of his

uniform that said; “Me and you right God?”

Good Luck Charms

This man helped him during very difficult situations, he was Gene’s translator

Vietnamese Translator

River he patrolled on This is the river where Gene spent most of

his time in Vietnam He spent from sun down to sun up, risking

his life daily

This is the low amount of protection that Gene had while he was patrolling the very dangerous rivers of Vietnam.

He was extremely venerable to machine guns and other fire arms

Here is a boat similar to the one Gene patrolled in

Boat he patrolled on

While on the river, if Gene and his crew found a boy that was 17-35 years, they would have to detain him, take him back to their base and have him sign up for the United States service

Boat he patrolled on

Gene guarded the river mostly at night He made sure no foreign boats traveled on

the river at night

Boat he patrolled on

There was no age limit to drink at his camp All of the men drank, but certain treats were

hard to come by Whenever they wanted beer or extra food

they would have to take a truck, drive to the nearest base and “borrow”

Gene in uniform

They had multiple things to keep them entertained:◦ Singers and performers◦ Tape 8-track players

USO Performers

The radio was the most significant part of entertainment

Learned about what was going on in Vietnam and in America because of the radio

Radio

Gene and his buddies would play lots of tricks on one another◦ Lessened stress

One example:◦ Putting red kool-aid in the water of their showers

of the night shift crew

Gene with friends

Gene became increasingly home sick his last three months in Vietnam he really missed his wife

Home sick

Gene, attended Cal State San Bernardino after his tour in Vietnam

Received his bachelors degree in criminal studies

After Vietnam

Once Gene returned to the States, him and his wife ended up having five children and 8 eight grand children

Gene and his Wife

Gene credits the military for being the man he is today

He is very grateful for his experience He explained it straightened him up and

made him a better person

Gene now