YEARS LATER. IN A CITY OF NEARLY 600,000, THESE THREE MEN, BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME, YOU KNOW, LEAVING HOME SHARE A CONNECTION. YEAH, I WAS 21. THEIR YOUTH IS PRESERVED IN PICTURES AND I WAS DRAFTED. I DIDN’T INTEND TO GO ALL THREE WERE DRAFTED INTO THE MILITARY. THE ONE FOR GOD. I WOULDN’T BE HERE TODAY. THE VIETNAM WAR. A NEWSPAPER PHOTO SHOWS ROOSEVELT. HOBSON ON THE BATTLEFIELD MORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO. HIS WORDS TAKE US TO THE FRONT LINE. WHAT REALLY MESSED ME UP WHEN MY PARTNER GOT KILLED, WE WAS GOING THROUGH THE BUSH AND I SAID, FOLLOW ME. DON’T WORRY ABOUT NOTHING. THE NEXT THING I KNOW, HE WENT ANOTHER WAY AND THEY GOT HIM. BUT I GOT THE GUY THAT GOT HIM. HOBSON SERVED FROM 1969 TO 71, A BRONZE STAR AND PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT. I TOLD MY I GOT A FEELING I’M GOING TO GET HIT TONIGHT. THEY SAID, WOW, HUH. FOR REAL? I SAID, YEAH, I GOT THAT FEELING. THAT FEELING BECAME SOME REALITY. NEXT THING THEY CAME IN FROM EVERYWHERE. DID YOU GET HIT? I GOT HIT HERE IN THE KNEE AND I FELL DOWN. I TRIED TO GET BACK, BACK UP AND I SAID, I’M HIT, I’M HIT. AND THAT WAS ON YOUR BIRTHDAY. ON MY BIRTHDAY, HIS 22ND BIRTHDAY. YOU HAD A PREMONITION THAT THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. MHM. WOW. LIKE HOBSON, BOB MOTEN AND BOBBY BELL WERE ALSO IN THE ARMY. WE DIDN’T HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE BEHIND. AND THEY KILLED EVERYBODY ON MY RIGHT SIDE. AND SO THEY CAME DOWN TO ME AND THEY SHOT ALL THE WAY AROUND MY HELMET AND THEY MISSED ME. AND I RAN FOR MY LIFE. I SAID, GOD BE WITH ME. AND I JUST RAN. HE RAN TO SAFER GROUND, THEN HEARD A VOICE. HE GOT HIS ARM SHOT IN HALF. HE WAS CALLING FOR ME TO COME BACK OUT THERE AND HELP HIM. SO THEN I TURNED AROUND AND AFTER I CLEANED MY WEAPONS, I WAS STRAIGHT BACK OUT THERE. SO I WAS DRAGGING HIM WITH ONE ARM. I HAD TO RAISE UP THE DRAG, DRAGGING ONE ARM AND SO THEY WOULD SHOOT AT ME REAL HEAVY AND I HAD TO DUCK DOWN AND PLAY DEAD AND THEN I WOULD DRAG HIM A LITTLE BIT MORE. THE FRIEND YOU WENT BACK TO SAVE, YOU SAID, WHO LOST HIS ARM? HE’S FROM MILWAUKEE. YES. BELL WAS ALSO INJURED DURING THE WAR. AWARDED A PURPLE HEART AND SILVER STAR. WHEN I CAME BACK, I WAS THINKING THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE OKAY. THE RETURN HOME FOR ALL THREE HAD ITS OWN CHALLENGES. I REMEMBER GETTING OFF THE PLANE WHEN I FIRST GOT ON. THE FIRST THING I DID WAS GOT ON MY KNEES AND KISS KISS THE GROUND. I DO MISS HOME FIELD, BUT AS I’M WALKING THROUGH TO PICK UP MY MY DUFFEL BAGS AND STUFF, I GOT THERE. HEY, I HEARD WHAT Y’ALL DONE OVER THERE IN VIETNAM. AND I LOOKED AT THIS PERSON AND I SAID, WELL, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO KNOW WHAT I DID OVER IN VIETNAM? YOU WERE NOT THERE. IT’S A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE THAT NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN OVER THERE. WHATEVER. FORGET ABOUT I GOT BACK HOME. IT WAS TERRIBLE. PEOPLE TREATED YOU LIKE TRASH. THE JOB I SUPPOSED, WENT BACK TO, THEY WOULDN’T ACCEPT ME. AND I WAS PROMISED THAT JOB BEFORE I LEFT. AND WHEN I CAME BACK, I DIDN’T SEE ANY PROGRESS BECAUSE I COULDN’T RENT ON 18TH AND CAPITOL. AND THEY TOLD ME THE REASON WHY THEY DIDN’T RENT IT TO ME WAS BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF MY SKIN. I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO RENT ON ON ATKINSON STREET AND I GOT SENTIMENTAL ABOUT THAT HOUSE. THE FIRST HOUSE I EVER WRITTEN. I STILL GOT IT TODAY. OKAY? BECAUSE I WANTED TO REMIND MYSELF OF JUST HOW FAR I CAME WHEN THEY CAME TOGETHER FOR THIS INTERVIEW. I JUST KNOW WHO YOU WERE, MAN. I KNEW TWO OF THEM. I KNOW YOUR FIRST TWO. YEAH. COME ON. THE FLIGHT TOGETHER REALIZED THEY WERE ON THE SAME HONOR. FLIGHT TRIP TO WASHINGTON, D.C. LAST NOVEMBER. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU? THAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE. YOU KNOW, YOU GO UP TO THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL AND YOU COULD FEEL THE SPIRIT. I WAS ABLE TO GET THEIR NAMES OFF OF THE WALL, YOU KNOW, AND BRING THEM HOME WITH ME. NOW, A FEW MONTHS LATER, ANOTHER HONOR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS 39 YEAR HISTORY, THE BLACK EXCELLENCE AWARDS WILL HONOR AFRICAN AMERICAN VIETNAM WAR VETERANS. THESE MEN ARE AMONG THE 12 VETERANS BEING RECOGNIZED. THEY WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO FIND THE BLACK VIETNAM VETERAN TO BE THE HONOREE OF THIS YEAR, AND I AM SO PROUD. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I WAS GLAD ABOUT IT TO ARE WE NEEDED THAT? I KNEW I NEEDED IT, A RECOGNITION OF THEIR SERVICE TO THE COUNTRY AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY THEY CALL HOME. IN ADDITION TO THEIR MILITARY SERVICE, ALL 12 HONOREES HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY SERVICE AS WELL. IT’S SO HARD NOT TO GET EMOTIONAL LISTENING TO THEM TELL THEIR STORY. THEY DID SO MUCH FOR OUR COUNTRY AND AND IT AND IT REALLY DOES FILL YOU UP WITH EMOTION WATCHING THEM SAY THAT AS WE HEARD, THEY’RE SO PROUD TO BE RECOGNIZED.