Dennis “Denny” Theesfield - 

Combat Wounded Vietnam Veteran

Born in Fenton, Iowa 1945

Lives in Armstrong Iowa with his wife Sharon

 As I build my list of veterans to photograph, and complete the photo sessions and interviews, I will post the results here on this blog site. Mr. Dennis "Denny" Theesfield is my first interview for this project, and what a guy to begin this journey with! This veteran is a true local hero and cherished community treasure. His name was given to me by his niece after I posted an introduction to my 'Portrait of a Veteran' Photo Project on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joseph-Kreiss-Photography.  

What a way to start!! Response to a post on Facebook with Denny's photo has 'blown-up' my comments section. I've NEVER received so many likes, comments and shares as I have with the photo of Mr. Theesfield!

With every veteran I have the honor to interview and photograph during the duration of this photo project, I will post the story of that veteran and a selection of pictures to this blog. My hope and dream for this project is to be able to take the collection of images and stories and turn them into a beautiful coffee table style book.

Here is Denny's story and a few images I made of him at his northern Iowa farm.

 

Iowa native Dennis Theesfield was 24 year-old farmer working the family acreage when he was drafted into the U.S. Army July 2, 1968. They shipped him out to Fort Lewis in Washington State for basic training, then on to Fort Benning, Georgia to attend NCO school.

After a stint in Fort Polk, Louisiana, the Army sent him back to Fort Lewis to wait out his orders to ship out. He headed to Vietnam in 1969 arriving at Cam Ranh Bay with an E-6 rating. He was stationed at Củ Chi Base Camp (also known as Củ Chi Army Airfield) in the Củ Chi District northwest of Saigon in southern Vietnam. Theesfield had only been in 'Nam about three months when, on October 25^th 1969, while leading a squad of soldiers with the 32 Bravo Infantry, was critically injured after a landmine exploded where he and another soldier were walking.

“We should have died,” he recalls. He and the other soldier were airlifted out, strapped into a stretcher hanging from the outside of a medi-vac helicopter and taken to a Quonset hut field hospital. “It's was just like you see on (the television show) M*A*S*H. He survived, but was left paralyzed from his injuries. He still carries a piece of the land mine's shrapnel lodged in his spine.

He received a medical discharge from the Army in May of 1970 and came back home to the farm and community he was born and raised in. Theesfield soon was back working at the local hardware store and back on the tractor, even though confined to a wheelchair. “I farmed for 24 years out of a wheel chair,” Theesfield states matter-of-factly. With the help of neighbors and friends, Theesfield devised ways to lift himself off his wheelchair and up into the tractor seat using an electric winch, chain and straps. Others helped adapt the controls of the tractor and combine to allow him to operate them without help. Nowadays, his wife Sharon and his nephews help farm and maintain the heritage 80 acres.

“I loved the service,” Theesfields says proudly. “I'd go back again right now if I could.” But, he adds, the U.S. politicians “wouldn't let us fight,” a common complaint voiced by many Vietnam veterans. “There was a lot of things we couldn't do over there. That war would have been over a lot sooner if we could have fought it they way we should have,” the wounded warrior says.

Theesfield is still actively involved with the Armstrong, Iowa Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and a member of many other veteran's groups and organizations.

Please take a moment with me to honor this local American Hero.

If you are a veteran, or know of a veteran who is from Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa, please let me know. I would like to honor as many our area vets as I can with a portrait session. The pictures will be included into a photographic image collection that I hope to turn into a book honoring those who have served... our area military heroes.

There is no cost involved for our veterans, other than an hour or so of their time.

If you, your business or community service group would like to join in to honor our local veterans and help contribute funding or in-kind services or supplies to help this project reach it's goal, please contact me.

Drop me a note on Face Book at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joseph-Kreiss-Photography, via this blog, or to my email address: jeepinjoseph@hotmail.com 

All Images © 2015 Joseph Kreiss Photography