United forever
Fateful day in Vietnam bound lives of two men forever
BY MARY PERHAM THE LEADER

William Kastner and James Yarborough, pictured above, pose for a picture while reminiscing about the Vietnam War and looking at Kastner's combat medals at his home in Bath last month. At right, Kastner and "Rocky" Yarborough stand next to their 02-B aircraft in Danang, Vietnam, in 1970. TOP PHOTO BY ERIC WENSEL/THE LEADER

BATH - Something happens when military veterans like Bill Kastner and James "Rocky" Yarborough get together. They'll josh and jostle, hoist a glass or two, spin some yarns about what it was like in the service.

And then the laughter in the eyes dims, jaws grow tighter, voices more grim.

They look down at their hands, take deep breaths and knuckle down to brass tacks.

Up in an attic, known as the "Dog House" and packed with military history memorabilia, Kastner and Yarborough recently tipped back a couple of beers and reminisced.

On the surface, the two have nothing in common. Yarborough is a retired Air

Force first lieutenant and pilot, slight and soft-spoken, with a Tennessee drawl.

Kastner is a retired Air Force senior master sergeant, tall and gangling, speaking with a rat-a-tattat cadence that commands attention.

PHOTO AT RIGHT PROVIDED BY THE LEADER

But some 40 years ago in Vietnam, Kastner, a military policeman with 10 years of experience under his belt, teamed up with Yarborough for reconnaissance missions near their base in DaNang, near the Laotian border.

On March 16, 1970 Yarborough had completed his daily "PsyOps" mission of dropping information leaflets and broadcasting messages over the region. Kastner, who had been in the country since mid- December and completed 87 missions, climbed into the O2-B aircraft for a routine late-afternoon survey of the region.

"Well, mother told me there'd be days like this," Kastner said, recalling that afternoon. "I didn't know it was going to be that one."

With Yarborough piloting the plane at 1,000-feet, Kastner used binoculars or unaided eyesight looking for telltale signs of the enemy's presence under the dense brush. No one expected infiltration 10 miles away from the base, but he scrutinized the ground for signs of life.

"I kept flying around the area sensing Bill was very interested in something and I tried to maneuver the aircraft so that his view point would be best," Yarborough said.

Kastner told his pilot he wanted a low-level pass to check out what looked like

smoke rising from cooking fires.

"We were low!" Yarborough said. "Maybe 3 feet above the rice paddies and Bill was looking fast, seeing everything all at once. He was talking fast also, identifying bunkers and the enemy and AK-47s, too."

Kastner said the potential danger wasn't a factor.

"Our job is to spot the enemy and hope they're not a good shot," he said.

As sudden, rapid gunfire from below hit the plane, Kastner jumped and blood splattered the windscreen. He had been cut nearly in half by bullets traveling from his leg through his abdomen and up to his diaphragm.

With Yarborough radioing their immediate return to the base, they applied what pressure they could to staunch the serious bleeding. Kastner grabbed a grease pencil, writing on a map what other signs of danger he saw to the U.S. base, and telling his pilot what he saw.

"He even took a look under to make sure our landing gear was down," Yarborough said, shaking his head.

Kastner shrugged, and sipped his beer.

"I just wanted to be sure we'd get down all right," he said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kastner was evacuated immediately, to begin his year-long recovery from nearly fatal wounds.

Using the information Kastner wrote on his map, U.S. Marines conducted a sweep that night, locating rockets and mortar that would have been used against the base within days.

The men went their separate ways.

Kastner eventually ended up in charge of recruitment in Hornell. After his retirement, he took over the Steuben County Veterans Affairs Office and worked to ensure benefits for local veterans. Yarborough left the Air Force to fly for Federal Express.

Recently, due to Kastner's efforts, Yarborough was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds he received during the flyover.

"Well, they told me back then I qualified," Yarborough said. "But after seeing him, the way he was shot up? I just said 'I don't think so.'"

So, after more than 40 years, the men reunited to sit up in Kastner's doghouse and reminisce, the officer and enlisted man, a pilot and a recon man. They don't seem to have that much in common, the boy from Memphis and the kid from Bath.

Just a war.

"There is no way to capture the flight to DaNang following the incident," Yarborough said later. "But, to see Bill critically wounded and still doing his job was as inspiring as the pictures of the Marines raising the flag over Iwo Jima, or the rescuers at the World Trade Center Towers... He is a true hero, and I salute him."