Gene Rasmussen: The story of a heroic
soldierBy: Devin Anderson
Josh PittmanAsia johnston
Gene was born and raised in Iowa
He was an only child with a single
mother Gene never new his
father
Child hood
Fell in with the wrong crowd as a teenager Eventually ended up at court because of his
actions The judge gave him two options:
◦ Go to jail at the age of 17 or go to boot camp◦ Gene chose boot camp
Teen Age Years
Genes boot camp look a lot like this, This type of place started Gene on his journey
Boot Camp
Before Gene, joined the army, he married a young lady that he barely new
Her name was Penny, and they got married a month before Gene left to serve his country
Gene with his wife at a young age
Once he completed boot camp, Gene enrolled in the navy to serve on the rivers of Vietnam
He was in the NSA (Naval Service Activity) Gene’s first day:
◦ Was shot at the second he stepped off the boat in Vietnam
Naval Base
Mr. Rasmussen depended on certain things when times got hard
He kept a picture of his wife in his helmet Had a religious quote on the back of his
uniform that said; “Me and you right God?”
Good Luck Charms
This man helped him during very difficult situations, he was Gene’s translator
Vietnamese Translator
River he patrolled on This is the river where Gene spent most of
his time in Vietnam He spent from sun down to sun up, risking
his life daily
This is the low amount of protection that Gene had while he was patrolling the very dangerous rivers of Vietnam.
He was extremely venerable to machine guns and other fire arms
Here is a boat similar to the one Gene patrolled in
Boat he patrolled on
While on the river, if Gene and his crew found a boy that was 17-35 years, they would have to detain him, take him back to their base and have him sign up for the United States service
Boat he patrolled on
Gene guarded the river mostly at night He made sure no foreign boats traveled on
the river at night
Boat he patrolled on
There was no age limit to drink at his camp All of the men drank, but certain treats were
hard to come by Whenever they wanted beer or extra food
they would have to take a truck, drive to the nearest base and “borrow”
Gene in uniform
They had multiple things to keep them entertained:◦ Singers and performers◦ Tape 8-track players
USO Performers
The radio was the most significant part of entertainment
Learned about what was going on in Vietnam and in America because of the radio
Radio
Gene and his buddies would play lots of tricks on one another◦ Lessened stress
One example:◦ Putting red kool-aid in the water of their showers
of the night shift crew
Gene with friends
Gene became increasingly home sick his last three months in Vietnam he really missed his wife
Home sick
Gene, attended Cal State San Bernardino after his tour in Vietnam
Received his bachelors degree in criminal studies
After Vietnam
Once Gene returned to the States, him and his wife ended up having five children and 8 eight grand children
Gene and his Wife
Gene credits the military for being the man he is today
He is very grateful for his experience He explained it straightened him up and
made him a better person
Gene now