Vinet, Richard

Richard Vinet was born December 10, 1943 in Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, Quebec.  Adopted when he was three years old, his family relocated to Ontario, first to Cornwall and later to Morrisburg, and that is where Richard grew up in the 1950s.  He would finish high school in St. Petersburg, Florida, graduating in 1962; as he was on a green card he was subject to the Selective Service system.  Richard recalls that he was not making the best life choices at this point, so he made the decision to proactively meet his draft board and to sign up for service – a surprising decision in those days, and one which did not please his parents.  Richard went into training, making several stops before he was deployed to Vietnam in 1966-67, where his MOS was medical supplies. He arrived in Saigon, and while on the air base at Tan Son Nhut he experienced his first taste of the war when the base was shelled; within the week he was sent to Nha Trang and was attached to the 32nd Medical Depot, later transferring to Saigon.  It was Richard’s job to keep the various units supplied with any and all medical supplies they might need, and he got to know many of the field medical personnel who would often pick up those supplies.  The 32nd also delivered supplies to the field, usually via air drop, doing whatever they needed to do to keep the men well-supplied.  Richard finished his tour of duty, returning to the US and then to Canada, where he recalls that he was “messed up” from his year overseas – and the negative homecoming he experienced did not help matters.  It did take him some time to adjust, but he did adapt during those postwar years, taking work at the Burwash Correctional facility and accepting help and disability coverage from the VA.  Richard is now an advocate for veterans’ rights and needs, and he actively works to promote awareness of Canadian Vietnam veterans.  Richard Vinet was interviewed by Scott Masters at his home in Long Sault, Ontario in October 2025.