Vietnam veteran Billy Terrell shares his story of rock, war
Stephen Finn
The Sun
Billy Terrell is a veteran who has lived a life you might expect to see in a movie. His story took him from the charts of America’s booming music industry in the 1960s to the middle of America’s war in Vietnam. In his book “The Other Side of Rock and War,” Terrell challenges many preconceptions people have about the time period. On Wednesday, Nov. 7, he visited the Burlington County Library to share his story.
One constant in Terrell’s life has been his unerring work ethic. When his father went broke, it fell on Terrell to provide for his family at a young age. He dropped out of school after ninth grade and went to work full-time at a restaurant in Asbury Park. This restaurant was located next to a convention hall where Terrell witnessed his first rock show in 1962. He was fascinated and knew he wanted to be a part of that world.
“I scrounged up a few bucks, bought a $40 guitar and started teaching myself to play,” said Terrell.
After a transition from the restaurant to the more upscale Empress Motel, Terrell found an opportunity to start performing, as the motel doubled as a popular venue.
At the Empress, Terrell was noticed and received an invitation to go to New York to pursue a career in music. After struggling for years there as a songwriter, he finally got a break and was signed to the label Kama Sutra Records, whose artists included hit makers of the time like The Lovin’ Spoonful and The Shangri-Las.
“I had my first song recorded by The Duprees and I was really moving along,” said Terrell. “I was all ready to go, I had a record on the charts as a writer and then the Vietnam War broke out and I got drafted.”
The executives at Kama Sutra Records did everything they could to convince Terrell not to go to war. They even came up with a scheme that involved Terrell feigning insanity when he reported for duty.
Terrell told them that while he appreciated what they were trying to do for him, he couldn’t turn his back on the country his grandfather immigrated to to make a life for himself and his family.
“America afforded him a life and America afforded me the right to be an American, and there’s no way I’m going to turn my back on this country,” said Terrell.
Knowing the risks, Terrell answered the call of duty and went to Vietnam. His experience there was very different from what people are used to hearing about the conflict. His memories of the war were of the humanitarian efforts going on at the same time.
While stationed near the village of Tuy Hoa, Terrell witnessed children living in horrid conditions in a small hospital run by local priests and nuns. He was so moved by their plight that he and a lieutenant he had befriended began collecting money from their fellow soldiers to help them build a proper orphanage.
Something he will never forget is the love and appreciation the orphans showed for the help they were receiving. Many had lost their families and villages and had nowhere to go.
“These angels were just sensational, I can’t describe the love. It’s mind-boggling to me how they cherished being held,” said Terrell. “We got very attached to the children and we were their safety net.”
Terrell spent much of his time in Vietnam helping at the orphanage they built in Tuy Hoa. In 2013, he made a return trip for a reunion and met with some of the orphans he had helped as children. They remember him to this day.
Most people’s perception of the war comes from the movies they have seen where houses are burned and villagers are mowed down from helicopters. With his book, Terrell wants to share another side of the war and humanize the people on both sides of the conflict.
There is much more to Terrell’s story that is detailed in “The Other Side of Rock and War.” The book is presented by The National Foundation of Patriotism and is featured on its website at foundationofpatriotism.org.
