Keizer veteran one of few who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam

There's no mistaking John Vierra's love for his country and military service.

Five flags are prominently displayed on his Keizer home — the American flag, one for each of the branches he served, plus the U.S. Merchant Marine.

They're posted in the order he served. First is the Merchant Marine, followed by the Coast Guard, the Marine Corps and the Army.

Every morning, sometimes multiple times a day, Vierra grabs a long white stick from the corner of his garage and heads out to untangle any of the flags wrapped around poles by the wind.

It's not an easy task, maneuvering around the manicured lawn and shrubs with a walker. But the 91-year-old isn't about to shirk his duty, an approach he carried through three wars and 26 years in the military.

Vierra served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

How many others did that is next to impossible to find out.

The National World War II Museum provided a population table from the VA's National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics showing nearly 13,000 veterans still living today who served in all three wars.

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But a spokesperson for the Veterans Administration referred a request for the overall number whose service spanned three wars to the Department of Defense. The DoD deferred to the VA and suggested the National Archives as a possible resource.

An official there reached out to several offices and ran into the same roadblocks, but she did find an answer on Quora from a person identifying themselves as a former VA headquarters employee.

Based on data from the Statistical Abstract of the United States published by the Census Bureau, "the number of living Vietnam veterans with service in WWII and Korea peaks at 203,000 in 1977."

At least one other three-war veteran resides in the Mid-Valley.

Stanton Rickey of Dallas retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1971 after 33 years in the Marine Corps, Army Air Forces and Air Force.

Vierra did a couple of two-week stints in the stockade after bending the rules early in his career, but that was nothing compared to the 10 months Rickey spent in a prison-of-war camp after his B-17 was shot down over Germany.

Vierra's wartime experience was less harrowing, but he did spend time on a cargo ship in the South Pacific and with a Military Assistance Command team in remote Vietnam.

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Joined Merchant Marine at 16

Vierra was a jack of all trades, working in everything from motor pool maintenance to personnel. He served with combat engineers and tank battalions.

His career started in 1944 when he volunteered for the U.S. Merchant Marine because it had the youngest entry requirement. He was 16.

He was part of a civilian force of 250,000 merchant seaman during World War II. Mariners hauled vital cargo and supplies for American and allied troops while getting torpedoed by German U-boats and strafed by Japanese airplanes.

More than 700 ships were lost and mariner seamen gave their lives at a rate that proportionately exceeded the U.S. Armed Forces — more than 6,000 died — but they were denied veterans' recognition until 1988.

Vierra served on the cargo ship George W. Tucker, which did convoy escort duty alongside the Coast Guard during the liberation of the Philippines. Joint missions earned him an honorable discharge from the Coast Guard.

After the war, Vierra served about 18 months in the Marine Corps. He was stationed at Honolulu, Hawaii, and worked as a motor vehicle dispatcher. He maintained the fleet and was responsible for providing transportation to visiting brass.

He tried civilian life for a short time, working in a steel factory in his hometown of Oakland, California, but the itch for the military never went away.

Vierra joined the Army in 1949, and he admits there was no rhyme or reason why he chose that branch.

"I headed downtown, and it was the first building I hit," he said.

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Starting their family abroad

Vierra applied for ordnance school and was assigned to a depot in Atlanta, Georgia, where he eventually met his wife, Nannie. He was 21. She was 15.

They met on the phone when she called a dance hall for a friend and he answered. Unable to track down who she was calling for, he kept her on the phone and their courtship was underway.

Within just a few days, he met her family.

Vierra was transferred to an engineer combat company when the Korean War started. The unit was eventually shipped to Salzburg, Austria, where, by that time, he was a staff sergeant and his wife was permitted to join him.

They were stationed in Austria for three years, and the oldest of their seven children was born there. The youngest was born in Germany, where Vierra did a three-year peacetime tour in the early 1960s after transferring from tanks to personnel.

Back in the states, he was stationed first in Washington then Oregon, where he was advisory team personnel sergeant for the Army.

During that stretch, Vierra was proud to accept his third promotion without testing and based on job proficiency alone. But the celebrations were tainted by tragedy.

Two of his children died in accidents, one in a fire at their Washington home and another on the beach at the Oregon Coast. A third child died in an accident in 1972. All three were younger than 12.

"They were all precious," Vierra said. "Why they had to go so soon, I don't know."

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The family was living in Keizer and he was working as a personnel sergeant in charge of payroll for the Oregon National Guard when he received orders for Vietnam in 1968.

Vierra didn't have to go because he was the sole surviving son in his family. His brother died the year before in Vietnam while trying to rescue two soldiers trapped inside a burning tank.

Joseph Vierra was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star Medal with V device for valor.

"I chose to go regardless," John Vierra said. "After what he did, didn't feel right to avoid it."

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Vierra was assigned in Vietnam to U.S. Military Assistance Command Headquarters as an administrative supervisor for the surface plans and operations section, but he requested field duty.

He then served as the first sergeant of Advisory Team 98 of the U.S. Army Advisory Group, III Corps Tactical Zone.

While there, he connected with his nephew, who was badly wounded and spent time at a nearby hospital before being evacuated and sent home.

Vierra's tour soon ended, and he returned home with honors.

He received a Bronze Star "for distinguishing himself by meritorious service in connection with military operations against a hostile force during the period September 1968 to July 1969 ... Sergeant Vierra's performance of duty was characterized by exceptional professional competence, unflagging devotion to duty, enthusiasm and initiative."

Vierra's final assignment as at Fort Lewis, Washington, where he processed new recruits for basic training. He traveled back and forth on weekends to be with his family in Keizer until he retired in 1970 as a master sergeant.

While at Fort Lewis, he attended postal training school and was offered a job with Salem Post Office. He was a local letter carrier for 20 years.

"Forward This" taps into the heart of the Mid-Valley — its people, history, and issues. Contact Capi Lynn at clynn@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6710, or follow her on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.