In his Veteran Spotlight interview, Benno talks about volunteering for the U.S. Army in 1968 under the Great Society Choice after running into trouble with the law in Fairbanks. He served two tours in Dong Tam, Vietnam, earning the Purple Heart before being discharged for medical reasons in 1970.
When he returned home to Alaska, Benno recalls struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a number of health problems, including feeling like he no longer belonged in the “Real World” outside the Vietnam War zone.