Jack Sikora
Jack Sikora was born in Norwich, Connecticut, and grew up in New London. He came from a family with generations of military service, although Sikora's mother objected to him going to war. Sikora attended Danbury State Teachers College as a history major. He didn’t want to leave for war before finishing his degre. However, his plan from the beginning was to serve. He clearly felt a sense of duty to his country and wanted to give something back. Because of this he spent a year in the Vista Program, working in impoverished communities in the South.
He was stationed in Belvins Creek, North Carolina. Sikora then started graduate school at Appalachian State until he was commissioned by the Air Force. He completed officer training school, and went to Vietnam as an intelligence officer in 1968. Sikora was stationed at Otis Airforce Base as a signals control officer.
Sikora flew numerous reconnaissance missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. His responsibilities were to find out where the VC were and to report back to those who were on the ground. Sikora expressed his regret of not joining the Marine Corps; in his mind, this would have been more honorable. He returned to the United States in 1969, but did not leave the service until 1971 at the rank of Captain. He says his perspective on the war has changed over time.
Originally, Sikora felt the involvement was valid. After returning home, pursuing a career in academia and earning his doctorate in Anthropology, his perspective on the war changed. Sikora also shares his experiences with battling PTSD, and transitioning back to civilian life. He felt as though he was self medicating for many years. Eventually, he was able to find help. Like many other veterans he kept quiet about his experiences overseas for many years, until writing and publishing a book about his time in Vietnam, Batcats. This experience gave Sikora closure on the war. He concludes, “I like to think that there are some people alive today, because of what we did."