Hometown Heroes - Bobby Hewitt

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - It was 1965 and the Vietnam War was escalating. Bobby Hewitt was drafted into the army and sent to southeast Asia.

“I left here with very few goodbyes and no wires still left hooked up,” recalled Hewitt. “I really didn’t think I was coming back from where we were going. There were times when we were there that I didn’t think we were coming back.”

Hewitt’s unit survived with few injuries. After he left, the Tet Offensive began and there were many fatalities.

“When I see the monument there in Lake Charles at the Vietnam Memorial, I can’t walk by it without crying because they look like kids.”

Years later, through his son, Hewitt met a fellow veteran who organized “Serve Outdoors,” a group that organized hunting and fishing trips for veterans dealing with post traumatic stress disorder.

“I think it gives them a chance to open up. It did me. I met these Vietnam vets from all over and we talked. We broke that barrier. We had a common cause.”

For more information on the veterans group, “Bayou Serve Outdoors,” check out their Facebook page.

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