Ronnie Stone, a Vietnam veteran, joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967, a year after he graduated from Dillon High School in 1966. He went to Parris Island for his basic training and took his AIT training at Camp Lejeune. He was trained as a weapons machine gunner. He was sent to Vietnam. He arrived by ship on the USS America around 3 a.m. in the morning to Danane-Quang to Province, just south of DMZ. He said it was very scary as he watched from the balcony. Artillery was firing and bombs were being dropped outside Danang weapons Platoon. Stone was a tunnel rat due to his size. His platoon was almost wiped out. Only three remained walking out of 22 people. He remembers walking across a rice patty at DMZ. The medic was walking beside him. Fire broke out, and he looked back and the medic’s head was blown off before he hit the ground.
He said he first got over to Vietnam, he was on ambush patrol and fighting go to hand combat, and he was hit in the nose with a rifle butt, which cracked his nose. Later up at the DMZ, they were patrolling and he got hit four times with an AK-47.
Stone received the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and others. In 2019, Stone was named the Dillon County Veteran of the Year.
