An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Veteran continues to serve through extensive volunteerism

  • Published
  • By Airman Gwendalyn Smith
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Editor's Note: This is the second in a series on Scott's Vietnam Veterans, and is part of the DoD's 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Vietnam War.

In 1954, conflicts in Vietnam were heating up, and meanwhile a young psychology major at Buffalo University named Claude Barrow pursued an Air Force ROTC career with a goal of commissioning as a navigation officer.

After graduating in 1957 and with no positions available as a navigator at the time, Barrow considered his options.

"I wrote [the Air Force] back and said I have a wife and a child on the way to support, so I have to get a job. They gave me three different choices, and I picked personnel."

Barrow was later assigned to a small squadron with an administrative job, and being a personnel officer with an admin job caused him to get passed over for promotion, he said.

"I figured, probably, if I went to Vietnam and that got on my record, I would have a pretty good chance at getting promoted. So I volunteered to go to Vietnam in 1967."

In previous wars, units would be sent to fight together, but starting with the Korean War, the Air Force began to send a few people at a time from various places to replace people who had already served a year at war. Barrow said it caused a lot of short term friendships, so it was easy for loneliness to set in.

"You are alone, in essence. You have people around you but they're working 12-15 hours, so you didn't have anyone to talk to or confide in about important things," said Barrow. "I didn't have a buddy to turn to and say, 'I'm scared, I have a wife and kids, and I may never see them again.' You didn't have reliable contact with your family except letters."

Barrow served at Phu Cat Air Base from 1967 to 1968 while the vietcong launched a series of fierce attacks known as the Tet Offense. During this time, attacks were happening just about every night, he said. As the admin officer for the base, it was his job to assure that flash messages were getting delivered to the wing commander.

"We could hear the shellings and them hitting us with mortars at night, trying to hit the aircraft, however, they weren't good shots, so they would hit other places on the base. We were expected to go to sandbag bunkers. As soon as you heard the siren you would go into the bunker, and if they hit a bunker directly everyone in there was dead. The wing commander found out that we weren't getting those flash messages to him while the attacks were going on."

As he tried his best to explain that the messages were not relevant to what was happening and would only put people's lives in danger, the commander still ordered the messages be sent right away. However, Barrow would not ask his men to risk their lives even more, so he delivered the messages himself.

"It was almost nightly that we would have these attacks, and they would last for quite a while and they were shooting at you, but that's what I did. I delivered the messages."

After one of the attacks, Barrow found a piece of warm shrapnel on the ground, one that could have easily killed anyone in its path and now carries it with him as a positive reminder.

"I've had a good life, and this is a reminder that times could be worse," said Claude.

He retired from the Air Force after 27 years at the rank of lieutenant colonel, and is now known by hundreds of people in the Scott community as a volunteer. He volunteers for Meals on Wheels, with the Red Cross at the base satellite pharmacy, the YMCA, the USO on base, the Boy Scouts, along with the Volunteer Interface Caregivers. He also sings in the church choir and is an usher at the Fox Theater.

Brynn Tolliver, Scott Satellite Pharmacy technician, said, "It's not about him, he always makes sure everyone else is comfortable. I couldn't believe how many places he actually volunteers."

Barrow and his wife spend their lives giving back to the community, not only because they feel it's the right thing to do, but also because they sincerely enjoy it.

"My personal philosophy is that we were all put on this earth to serve each other, to help each other. If we all did that this would be a wonderful world. That's why the military was good for me; you're doing good things for the people and for the country. That's why the military is called the service. We are here to serve. That's why I don't need to be thanked, I don't need publicity, and I am doing it (volunteer work) because I feel good when I help somebody."