‘They should never be forgotten” 

Back in 1966, Ronnie “RD” Foster said, you either went to college or got drafted.

So two weeks after graduating from McKinney High, the 18-year-old Foster, whose parents couldn’t afford to send him to school, did neither.

Instead, seeking a life of adventure and following a desire to help the people of Vietnam, Foster and his best friend since seventh grade, Charles W. “Bill” Bryan, enlisted in the Marine Corps’ Buddy Program, which allowed them to stick together for a while.

Two weeks later, the pair was bound for basic training in San Diego.

“We just looked at each other and said we’re ready to see the world,” Foster said. “This was a chance to live a life full of adventure and to serve my country. I wanted to do something good for mankind.”

After boot camp, the two friends parted ways. Bryan was sent to the infantry, then to reconnaissance school, while Foster was assigned to motor transport.

Soon after, both men were sent to Vietnam.

“We felt good about it and weren’t afraid of anything” Foster said. “We both wanted to go.”

Foster would never see his friend alive again.

Tour of duty

As a motor transport specialist, Foster primarily rode on convoys in Vietnam, doing patrols and manning the perimeters of base camp.

When he wasn’t providing transportation support, Foster would help build first-aid stations and an orphanage with the help of other Marines, soldiers and sailors.

“If we had a day off, we’d set up playground equipment and hang out with the kids,” Foster said. “We were basically 18-19 years old at the time — practically kids ourselves.”

So, too, was Bryan, when he was killed Jan. 20, 1968, as he tried to save two of his men from a North Vietnamese battalion that overran his seven-man recon team.

News about his friend arrived slowly. While in Okinawa, Foster received a letter from his mother two weeks after Bryan’s burial.

For the next 40 years, the memory of his dear friend is something Foster would call to mind daily.

Memories live on

Foster has wondered for many years why he came home alive and his friends and fellow soldiers did not.

“I’d have to say we were pretty cocky, we knew our jobs,” he said. “And it never once crossed my mind that I wouldn’t come home."

That optimistic outlook also has helped Foster as he embarked on a more recent mission: He has worked for four years to bring Veterans Memorial Park to Craig Ranch — a tribute to the 325 soldiers from Collin County killed in action from World War I through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“They’re not just soldiers — they’re real people,” Foster said of the soldiers whose names will be displayed at the $1.2 million project.

“That’s who all these people are,” he said. “They’re just kids from the neighborhood that didn’t come home. They should never be forgotten.”

• For more information, visit Foster’s Web site, ccfreedomfighters.com, which includes profiles of the 324 men and one woman from Collin County who have been killed in action since World War I, and a place to make donations to help build the memorial.

STAFF PHOTOS BY JENICE JOHNSON

Donnie Wyar is the McKinney neighborsgo editor. He can be reached at 469-330-5692 or dwyar@neighborsgo.com.