Lyle Bowes, far right, gets set to lead a four-man short-range patrol somewhere in the Central Highlands, South Vietnam, where he served a year-long combat tour, from June 1968 to June 1969.

As Americans celebrate Veterans Day 2009, two former infantrymen, one from White, the other from De Smet, can look back to a friendship that started more than 40 years ago on a bus in Brookings, survived the war in Vietnam and continues today.

Lyle Bowes, 60, a native of De Smet, graduated from high school in 1967. He got drafted in January 1968. He said, "I volunteered for the draft because I didn't want to go to college."

So while some men went to campus, Bowes went to boot camp. Before he got there, his friendship for life began,

He explained, "The night I left on the bus for the induction center in Sioux Falls, I met Gene Murphy here at the Sawnee Hotel where the bus stop was, when I got on the bus."

The two men took basic training at Fort Lewis, Wash. Then came advanced infantry training followed by orders to Vietnam, where he served from June 1968 to June 1969. He was assigned to Charlie Company, First Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, whose base camp was at Pleiku in the Central Highlands.

Bowes explained, "Gene Murphy and I stayed together all through training and got shipped to Vietnam together, got shipped to the same company together." Bowes went to Second Platoon, Murphy to Third Platoon. Bowes spent 10 1/2 months of his 12-month in-country tour in the jungle. "I was there the whole time for R and "

. added, "I spent no time at base camp. We pretty much stayed up around the Cambodian border. I went north of Pleiku; I went south of Pleiku." Wounded in action

In April 1969, with the end of their tours drawing near, their unit was ambushed and Murphy was hit when he learned of his , .

Bowes said, "I carried him out of the jungle. I carried him back to where we were gathered up. I dug a little fox hole for him to lay in; he couldn't feel his legs. I laid with him all night long until the choppers came."

Murphy had been hit by three rounds: two through his back, one of which hit his spine, and one which hit his ankle.

"They came in to get him, but it was dark and they were shooting at them. So they left and came back in the morning and put him on the chopper," Bowes recalled. After that came the uncertainty of survival that Bowes had witnessed in the past. He'd seen men less severely wounded who died before or shortly after initial evacuation.

He said, "I didn't know if he'd lived or died for two weeks, until I got letters from home, let- ters from his family telling me that he'd lived." Orders changed, friendship continues

Via the chain of medical evacuation through several levels of care, Murphy was returned to Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver for extensive long-term care. Meanwhile, Bowes finished his tour of duty and left Vietnam in June 1969.

Following his return to the United States and after 30 days leave, he was to report to Germany for his final six months of active duty. But first Bowes went to Denver to visit Murphy. That was his first visit. Then as his leave was nearing its end, he had his parents drive him to Denver to see Murphy before leaving for Germany. He decided on the spot that he did not want to leave Gene. With one day of leave left he flew to Washington, D.C., and went to the Pentagon to see if he could get his orders changed.

Bowes explained to an Army clerk that he didn't want to go to Germany, adding, "I can do a lot more good here in the States at Fitzsimons Hospital than I can in Germany."

The clerk checked his orders and gave Bowes some unexpected good news: "They can't send you to Germany without your signature . You've got one day less than six months in the Army. They can't send you overseas without your permission."

Bowes replied, "Well , they're not getting it."

What he did get was orders to Fort Carson, Colo., the nearest post to Denver where he could be assigned as an infantryman . He flew back to Denver on the first flight he could get out of Dulles International Airport.

He served at Fort Carson until October 1969, visiting Murphy on weekends. He was discharged after serving one year and nine months of his two-year draftee commitment.

"I got an early out to help my dad pick corn," Bowes said, with a smile. 'Can't take life for granted'

Bowes tried farming for a year, but he said that didn't work out. He came to Brookings and got a job driving a truck. That was the start of what has become a very successful business venture.

Since 1979 he has owned and operated "the pit" Bowes Construction, Inc., a Brookings-based business that specializes in portable agregate production, sand and gravel delivery, grading, asphalt paving, site work and excavation.

Murphy, who uses a wheelchair, has devoted his life to the causes and concerns of the Disabled American Veterans organization . He served as DAV national commander in 1987 and has been serving as state adjutant for the South Dakota DAV.

"Life is pretty short; you can't take it for granted," Bowes said, looking back at Vietnam-lessons-learned . "I feel like I've lived on borrowed time since I was 19 years old. We had a huge amount of casualties in my company in the year that I was there.

"You cannot take your government for granted," he added. "I took my government for granted when I was that young kid. When I was 18 years old, I felt that our political leaders knew what they were doing and that I was not qualified to second-guesss them.

"I guess it was an experience probably that helped me be who I am. When I was younger, I used to think when I got in trouble the world was caving in on me.

"But at least they're not shooting at me. Things could always be worse. " When the going gets tough, I get going. It works; it's always worked for me."

John Kubal may be reached at jkubal@brookingsregister .com.