Vietnam veteran reunited with family in Indiana after spending several years in Iowa medical facilities
By Ethan Humble
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A Sunday morning flight from Des Moines to Indiana was a special one for Vietnam veteran Harry Holland.
Holland did two tours in Vietnam after joining the army in January of 1970.
He said he served as an air traffic controller.
“There were so many helicopters over there. They needed somebody to control them. So that’s what I did,” Holland said.
He continued his duties until he came to Iowa in March of 1972 to raise a family with his wife, Diane.
They were both able to find work in the Hawkeye state.
Holland began receiving treatment for his exposure to Agent Orange, a tactical herbicide used during the war.
He remembered struggling to walk.
“I walked bowlegged,” Holland said. “Finally, it got down to the bone on bone.”
He’s since endured several knee surgeries, a spinal epidural abscess and a severe hemorrhagic stroke at medical facilities in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and most recently, Des Moines.
Three years ago, Diane left Harry to go back to Indiana for help with her own medical battles.
It left Harry placed in the Iowa Veterans home alone — several hundreds of miles away from his Diane and the rest of his family in Indiana who loved him and cared for him for so long.
That was until Sunday.
The American Legion of Iowa and the Veterans Airlift Command came together for a special mission to get Harry back to Indiana for good.
Jim Clark, state captain of Iowa’s Patriot Guard Riders, was at the send-off. He also served in Vietnam for a year, supporting the Marines.
Clark said he relates to the need to keep family close.
“When you’re in country for a year, you know, letters from home always kept you going. So it’s a big support for the families to be able to support you,” Clark said.
Holland’s flight landed safely in Indiana Sunday morning.
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