James “Jay” Tate could not keep his emotions in check as he shared stories from the Vietnam War.
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James “Jay” Ellis Tate Jr. flips through a copy of Newsweek Magazine on Oct. 21. The magazine featured a story on his unit, nicknamed the “Comancheros.” He fought in several large military operations during the war, most notable Lam Son 719 from Feb. 8 to March 25, 1971.
Xavier Martin
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James “Jay” Ellis Tate Jr. points out a photo of him, on right, with second lieutenant Timmons, left, graduating from US Army infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1970. Tate served as a US Army Bell UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” pilot in Vietnam from 1970-71.
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James “Jay” Ellis Tate Jr. shows a picture of his father embracing him when he arrived at the airport from Vietnam in October 1971. Tate left Vietnam as a major. The remainder of his unit would pull out of Vietnam by December of that year.
Xavier Martin
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Miya Banks is an education reporter at the Hickory Daily Record.
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