Mayville veteran recalls service in Vietnam
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During his time as a combat engineer in Vietnam, Carl Steenburn worked on building roads and landing zones for helicopters.
After graduating from Mayville High School in 1968, Steenburn joined the U.S. Army, spending three years in service. The first year was spent training with heavy equipment, with combat training at Fort Dixon in Illinois, and later on advanced training outside Washington.
On June 2, 1969, he was sent to Vietnam to serve as a combat engineer.
"We built roads and I ran road plows," Steenburn told The Post-Journal. "We would knock the jungle down and then spray Agent Orange to make sure the Vietcongs would not be able to go through that jungle. Agent Orange was one of the biggest tragedies of that war."
Steenburn said about 58,000 people were lost to Agent Orange during the war.
The motto of his squadron was "build, fight, destroy," because of their time building things like roads, destroying and defoliating jungles, and fighting in combat. Steenburn would also sometimes fly in helicopters to go and fix broken down equipment, and he added that his company was awarded four bronze stars.
One of his favorite memories of that time is the camaraderie with his fellow soldiers.
"I still see a lot of the men from that time," Steenburn said. "We've lost some over the years. I was responsible for a squadron at 19 years old, and made lifelong friends there. The six of us that are left from that squadron stay in contact."
Steenburn said being in Vietnam shaped his life when he was younger. He met many good people, but also saw a lot of tragedy. These days when he talks to other veterans, he tries to point them in the direction of God.
"That's how I've survived all of these years," Steenburn said. "I try to live a normal life. I have four sons and nine grandchildren, and am a happy Christian."
For Steenburn and many other veterans of the Vietnam war, coming home was not much easier. Steenburn said there were a lot of protests happening in the late '60s and '70s about the war, because people did not understand the war.
"Lots of veterans came home Friday, put their uniform in the closet and then were expected to go back to work on Monday," he said. "You have to find a way to live with what you've been through and make peace with it."
Steenburn added that it was a crazy time, but he was happy to support America, calling it "the best country in the world," and that he was also happy to come home.
Steenburn's time in the U.S. Army has meant that he got to meet and become friends with a lot of people he never would have met without being there. But, it has also meant he now suffers from PTSD and has been divorced twice.
"I have a very supportive wife now and all of my problems I give to the Lord," Steenburn said. "It's how I get through it now. I have been all over the world and I am happiest back home in Chautauqua County."
Steenburn has lived in the area since 1958.
The most important thing about his time in the service was that it was a privilege to serve his country and the people who live in it. He said that people should always take time to thank a veteran.
A lot has changed since Vietnam, but Steenburn said a simple thank you goes a long way for veterans.
"We did not get a welcome home when we came back. Having people walk up and say thank you means a lot."