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Episode 93 — From Hot‑Rod Highways to Mekong Mud: Jimmy Henke’s Road to Vietnam
Guest: James “Jimmy” Henke | Host: Richard Acritelli | Series: hmTv – The Fog of War and Humanity

What happens when a small‑town Long Island gear‑head is yanked from his 1955 Chevy and dropped into the sweltering marshes of the Mekong Delta? In Part 1 of this two‑episode arc, retired Brookhaven highway foreman Jimmy Henke traces his unlikely journey from carefree summers in Sound Beach to combat with the 9th Infantry Division’s river‑assault force.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Beach kid, two zip codes: How Sound Beach locals lived a different life from the “summer people” who invaded each June.
• Nuns, hot rods, and track meets: The Catholic‑school discipline and driveway engineering that shaped Jimmy’s work ethic—and left him expert with machines.
• “Greetings” from Uncle Sam: Draft boards, Fort Jackson screaming sergeants, and why shooting expert on every weapon still landed him in the infantry.
• Brown‑water baptism: Riding armored tangos up jungle rivers, slogging through waist‑deep rice paddies, and discovering the enemy already owned the terrain.
• First firefight reality check: The second a rookie freezes—and a veteran yanks him into survival mode.

Jimmy’s story is equal parts nostalgia and hard‑earned wisdom, setting the stage for next week’s deep dive into the brutal Battle of 19 June 1967. Buckle up for a ride that starts with chrome bumpers on Long Island and ends in the mud of Vietnam.