The reach of the world is at the tips of your fingers. Through the use of the internet, you can research and find just about anything you’re looking for these days. For Jake Grossman, searching for answers to his grandfather’s military past took no time at all.
“I found them in 15 minutes or so,” Grossman said.
Grossman was searching for answers to questions he never got the chance to ask his grandfather.
“My grandpa passed away in 2011 when I was a senior in high school,” Grossman said. “As far as his military service, the only thing that I knew was that he had served in Vietnam.”
Grossman knew his grandfather Ken Grossman Sr. had served with the Manchus, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam.
He began speaking to other Vietnam veterans and got some sound advice on where to start searching for contacts — his grandfather’s online obituary. That’s when he discovered the comment left behind by Chuck Wills, who had been searching for his old Army friend in 2016.
"So sorry to see this. Ken and I were great friends in Vietnam. We both received the Silver Stars and Bronze Stars on the same missions. Rest in Peace my friend."
Reading the message, Grossman had a significant lead on finding out more about his grandfather, searching the internet for Chuck Wills. After coming across several people with a similar name, he came across Wills' social media pages and a Homefront story on his involvement with creating the Vietnam Memorial in Latonia.
Eventually, Grossman and Wills were able to connect, messaging images back and forth before finally talking on the phone.
“He wanted to know what kind of conditions his grandfather was in. How our relationship grew over the years and, and then at the end, you know, he said, I want to hear — what did you all go through?” Wills said.
For Grossman, they were the answers he had been waiting to hear for years.
“It's just like a jigsaw puzzle that you're trying to put the pieces together,” Grossman said. “It's pretty amazing just because the veil was lifted ... prior to that interaction, everything was an absolute mystery.”
He learned from Wills that his grandfather was a true patriot, played the guitar and was kind and generous during his tour in Vietnam.
“He said that he had a heart of gold and that he would always take those new people in and take them under his wing and tell them how to load up their gear and what to and to not bring up patrol missions and stuff like that were allowed,” Grossman said.
Chuck Wills and Jake Grossman plan to meet in person along with his grandmother to further discuss and share stories of Ken Grossman’s service in Vietnam.
“Good homecoming for him and have some really good conversation. So, I can't wait for that to happen,” Wills said. “Honored to be doing it.”
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