Carlos J. Bonilla

Carlos Joseph Bonilla was only 18 years old when he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve in 1966. Rather than wait to be drafted, he enlisted, because it would provide him with the freedom to choose where he would serve. 

Bonilla was born in Cuamo, Puerto Rico in August of 1948. Prior to the war, his father was the only family member who had served in the military. Although Bonilla’s father did not share his experiences with his son, he served in the United States Army in Puerto Rico during World War II.

Although Bonilla was born in Puerto Rico, he grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he first joined a naval program offered at his high school. The program sparked his interest in the military, specifically in the Navy. He enlisted in the Navy because he was familiar with it and thought it was safer to be on a ship than on land during the Vietnam War.

Two weeks after Bonilla’s high school graduation, he left for two years of active duty with the Naval Reserve. He ended up in Seattle, Washington, where he was assigned to the USS Puget Sound (AD-38), a Samuel-Gompers class destroyer tender. Bonilla recalled life on the ship traveling to California, Mexico, and “Gitmo” (Guantanamo Bay) Cuba, where he spent a few months.

Bonilla stated that the crew of the USS Puget Sound numbered around 1100 men, and that his service was quite enjoyable, since the ship was brand new and felt “like a hotel.” He was, however, disappointed in not becoming a radio operator, since he learned that he had to serve six months on deck before training for a different skill. Bonilla was even more disappointed after that time elapsed, and he still was not offered the position. He told the interviewer that that situation, combined with the fact that he was married and had a child on the way, was why he left the Navy.

Bonilla mentioned that the crew of his ship often experienced bad weather, especially off the coast of New Jersey. He said that the ship was built to list up to 45 degrees and recover. On one occasion, however, the crew became frightened when the weather was so harsh that the ship hit the 42-degree mark. Bonilla noted that since his crew was the first aboard the USS Puget Sound, it qualified him and his fellow sailors as “plank owners,” a nickname that made him proud.

Bonilla only spent a few months on the USS Puget Sound before he was transferred to the USS Huntington, where he performed the same duties as he had on the Puget Sound. Aboard the Huntington, however, his experience was different, though, as the ship’s mission was to engage in “war game” maneuvers, He remarked that he would practice aiming at other ships and planes in training for war.

After about two years of service, Bonilla returned to civilian life and reserve duty. After a month, he was called back to active duty as the Vietnam War was ramping up. Before rejoining, Bonilla had heard about “Cinderella Liberty,” which meant that men at the rank of E-3 or below had to essentially relinquish their freedom by midnight. An E-3, he took a test to become an E-4, which he ended up passing yet did not hear back until months later when he had already returned from service as an E-3.

When Bonilla was called back into service, he also recalled hearing stories of Vietnam. He mentioned how he heard that it was rough, but that men were glad they made it out alive. While Bonilla was at Guantanamo Bay, he remembered that five volunteers were needed to go to Vietnam. He came close to volunteering yet ultimately did not, but stated that if he ended up being picked, he would have been okay with it.

Before the war, no one in his family other than Bonilla’s father had served in the military. He and his uncle were similar in age, however, and his uncle was drafted, served in the Marines for three years, was wounded in Vietnam, was physically disabled, and mentally “was never the same.”

Bonilla reflected on how traumatizing the Vietnam War was for many people. From the stories he heard from fellow crewmen and his uncle, he concluded that the Vietnam War was unlike any war the United States had fought. “The Vietnam War was just a jungle of a war.”

Carlos J. Bonilla died at home in Florida on September 23, 2020. Among his military awards was the National Defense Service Medal.