In the 1960s, a little Tennessee country boy left McMinnville and came back a war-hardened Marine. He earned his battle scars in Vietnam.
Today is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Warren County’s own Vietnam vet, Thomas Cantrell, 78, remembers his time there like it was yesterday.
Born in McMinnville in 1945, he graduated from McMinnville City High School in 1963. Cantrell headed off to Paris Island for boot camp in February of 1964.
“It was just a job to me,” he says remembering his 13 months in the war-torn nation, so very far away and different than his Tennessee home. “But luckily I love to work and I really enjoyed my time there.”
“The most fun I had there was the Marine beach landings,” he reminisced. Most of his time there was spent in the town of Chu Lai.
Sounding like the storming of the beaches in Normandy, France in WWII, he described the adrenalin rush of getting out of the battleships. They would then scramble into the boats and, lastly, the landing craft.
He remembers the sensation of the overhead sweep of the helicopters.
One day an unexpected enemy blast injured Cantrell. He recovered from his burns, but lost his hearing due to the sonic force. He is now partially deaf. He lost over half of his hearing range in the end.
He says it’s more of a “frequency” thing.
“I have trouble hearing the frequencies of women’s voices,” he smiled.
Calling movies about the Vietnam experience “bogus,” he admits the worst part was coming home.
“When we finally came home, we flew from Vietnam to El Toro, Calif. near Los Angeles. Our leader told us before we got off the plane to not talk to anyone. We were not to touch anyone,” recalls Cantrell.
To his surprise, and fury, there were mobs of angry protesters. There were no welcome home hugs and kisses. This was not his father’s or grandfather’s war.
“I had to hold in my anger. I couldn’t believe it.”
Cantrell is unsurprisingly from a long line of warriors. His dad, Carmon Cantrell, served in WWII. His great-grandfather served in WWI and he had a great-grandfather serve in the Civil War.
When he changed planes and finally made it to Nashville, he was met with indifference. He said, “It was like night and day. No one cared one way or the other.”
Cantrell came home and settled back here in McMinnville, eventually marrying Alice Bumbalough. The pair had two sons, Brian and Steve. They now have four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Now retired, Cantrell parlayed his experiences in the Marines to become a research and design engineer. He now enjoys working in his metal shop as an expert blacksmith and blade smith.
Cantrell is a long-time member of several veteran’s organizations in Warren County as well. He is a long-time Honor Guard member for veteran burials. He also organizes Christmas baskets for Warren County veterans in nursing homes each year.
“I know him from his membership in Warren County VFW Post 5064 where I am the senior vice-commander,” said Mike Menth. “For me, Tom Cantrell is a Marine’s Marine. He epitomizes the Marine Corps motto ‘Semper Fidelis,’ always faithful.”
Local veteran George Lee who is in the Marine League with Cantrell has only praise for the man. Lee and his wife Elizabeth say Cantrell and his wife Alice are some of the kindest people they know. “They have always been sweet to me and my wife. We think a lot of them.”
As horrific as war can be, ultimately it can change the survivors into someone who thrives. Cantrell is a one-of-a-kind tough and tender Marine. He summed up his experience in Vietnam like this: “It was an adventure, that’s for sure. Marines are crazy. It was the most fun I’ve ever had.”
