Aransas Pass Progress
Richard A. Zepeda, 77, served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. The Aransas Pass resident is listed as 100-percent disabled by the Veterans Administration, in part due to exposure to the defoliant commonly known as Agent Orange.
Courtesy: Richard Zepeda
Growing up in a military family, Zepeda (pictured, upper left) followed in the footsteps of his father (pictured, center) who also served in the Army, in World War II.
Aransas Pass Progress
Zepeda was highly decorated for his service in Vietnam, his name, rank, and honors commemorated with a brick at the Blue Star Memorial in Conn Brown Harbor.
Courtesy: Richard Zepeda
As a young man, fresh out of boot camp, Zepeda was trained as an engineer who helped the Army maintain roads and bridges vital to keeping supply lines open for U.S. and Allied forces. The recruit who held the job before him was killed by a sniper, a threat Richard faced every day, reminded how many times he was subjected to gunfire, but never wounded.
Aransas Pass Progress
Often, you may see Zepeda out and about wearing a hoodie that he believes helps remind others just how many U.S. military service personnel sacrificed their lives in Vietnam, more than 58,000. It reads, “All gave some, some gave all.”
Courtesy: Richard Zepeda
For the longest time, Zepeda rode a Yamaha motorcycle to escape some of the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), joining the Patriot Riders of South Texas, members fellow veterans who supported one another through biking activities.
Vietnam Veteran in Aransas Pass Faced Death to Keep Troops Supplied
Heroism and gallantry under fire. Aransas Pass veteran Richard A. Zepeda remembers with clarity what he did in Vietnam to earn so many medals and decorations, including the Bronze and Silver Stars. Each day he faced the enemy, assigned a dangerous task of keeping roads and bridges open so troops and their supply lines were maintained. When he landed in southeast Asia, the U.S. Army recruit he replaced had just been killed, gunned down where he stood by a sniper.
