A little about myself. Not the best family life; barely got out of high school. No college calling me . . . so what to do? Join the Marines, visit hot, mosquito-ridden islands and shoot people. Guess what? They shoot back. … Because of my wounds and a stint in the hospital I was told my service was no longer needed. I lost my family once again. The guilt I was feeling was overwhelming. You may leave Vietnam, but Vietnam doesn’t leave you.
Daniel was sent to serve in Germany. The first two years he worked as a personnel clerk for Army Security Agency, a precursor to the NSA. This involved studying the North Vietnamese language. His daily duties included processing soldiers, both those returning from and being deployed to Vietnam. During this time, American deaths in the war reached their apex, and pressure was on to start pulling back. The ASA program was dissolved by President Nixon in the winter of 1969. During the last two years of his service, Daniel worked within the US Army mortuary system, which involved assisting morticians and funeral directors, processing the remains of the fallen, and occasionally holding funerals (though typically this was done back in the States).