Klar, Larry E.

Diane Mateo

Bronx, New York

Vice President of Sales in Marine Industry, AkzoNobel International Paint - for 46 years since being discharged from army

2nd Lieutenant, 1st year
1st Lieutenant, 2nd year
Captain 3rd year

1969

1972

Douglas Magruder Award - 1968

Battalion 5th/2nd supported many units during the tour. Combat and combat support; support of 11th ACR, 1st Cav, 1st Infantry, 101 Airborne, 82nd Airborne

Larry Klar was born in Bronx, New York. He attended the University of Miami. He felt an obligation to his country and took ROTC though college, and worked during the summers, but did basic training during the summer of his junior year.  He was awarded the Douglas Magruder Award by ROTC (for fraternity brother Douglas Graham Magruder, who had been killed in Vietnam in 1967). The award is given to the most physically fit student every year since 1968. 
Larry graduated 1st in his ROTC class at Miami University and accepted a regular army commission. His parents were proud of accomplishments and somewhat concerned with the Vietnam War going on and his volunteering to go to Vietnam. He served in the Army - Air Defense Artillery/Automatic Weapons.  Point of entry was Ft Bliss, Texas, where he had Air Defense Artillery/Nike Hercules Missile training.  He attended Chemical Biological Radiological training at Ft McClellan, then returned to Ft Bliss for automatic weapons training before going to Vietnam.  He remembers the best part of his training was the comraderie and respect for those with him, and the worst was the physical side of not sleeping much during training.  An instructor that stands out was Captain Culpepper - he was 6'5" and played football for Arkansas.
His first assignment was Nike Hercules Platoon Leader at Sweedsboro, NJ.  Second assignment was Automatic Weapons Task Force Platoon Leader in Vietnam.  His third assignment was General's Staff, Stewart AFB/West Point.  He recieved specialized Nike Hercules Missile training, CBR (chemical, biological, radiological) training, automatic weapons training, and training in Quad 50's, and Dusters/Twin 40mm.  He was qualified to fire Hercules missiles, Quad 50's, Twin 40mm, M-60 machine guns, M-16 rifles and 45 pistols. The training was intense, with extensive procedures to remember. 
Promotion was faster during the war than peacetime; he rose from 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant after the first year, then to Captain in the year after. 
In Vietnam, his Battaion 5th/2nd supported many units during his tour, was both combat and combat support.  It supported 11th ACR, 1st Cav, 1st Infantry, 101st Airborne, and 82nd Airborne. He stayed in touch with family and friends through letters, as their were few oppurtunities to call or phone, and he was in the field the entire time in Vietnam.  In the field, they were on duty 24 hours, so there was no recreation.  In combat there there was no "off duty"; two weeks R&R/Rest and Recouperation was the only off duty they had.  For luck, he prayed; he has vivid pictures of the men who were under him, and those that were lost.   
In the third year of his committment, when his father was sick with cancer, he recieved a compassionate reassignment to West Point/Stewart AFB so he could be close to home during his father's final months. 
After his service ended he returned to Glen Rock, NJ to an excited family.  He found a job and worked for a few months before going to Europe for a monthlong vacation, where he met his wife, a teacher, who was also on vacation in Spain. 
He went to graduate school at Fairleigh Dickinson University on the GI Bill.  Larry moved to Ramsey and worked for the same company, AkzoNobel/International Paint for many years, retiring as Vice President of Sales in Marine Industry.  He stayed in touch with fraternity brothere who also served, and other officers in the same branch, and recieves a newsletter from his unit every month; they have an annual reunion which he plans to attend this year in Ft Sill.  He has been a member of the VFW and American Legion since he left the service. 
He and his wife raised three girls who all played sports, graduated college, and are working and are married.  He has 6 grandchildren. 

Thoughts and reflections:  

The best part of the service experience: Saying I served and being proud at the accomplishment. 
The easiest part of military life-style to adapt to: The respect you show to your fellow service comrades and superiors. 
The hardest part, and why: The structure was regimented and something that everyone who is young needs. This country is a mess and would be better off if people were required to go into the military where God and Country are respected. 
How did the service change you? Very regimented in everything I do.  I believe in detail. 
How did the service affect the way you relate to others?  Respect for others but conflict with those that don't honor God and Country. 
How did your military experiences affect your life?  Became quiet, kept to myself.  Liberal lifestyles and disrespect for our country are bothersome.  Political fake news and lies by left are disturbing. 
Life lessons learned from your military experiences:  Honesty, conscientious, respect, patriotic, sympathetic, philanthropic, kind. 
How has your military service impacted your feelings about war and the military in general?  Revolutionary War and World War II were necessary.  All other wars have never accomplished anything.  Example: Vietnam - People lived for a bowl of rice from day to day.  It didn't matter whether communism or democracy ruled, as long as they had food from day to day. 
What message would you like to leave for future generations who will view/hear this?  I am very concerned that our nation is moving to a society where the government will replace God in which the consequences will be tyranny.  Who are those that report on war through a political prism without ever seeing or understanding the thoughts, needs, struggles, feelings, hopes, ambitions, fears, joys, sufferings of the oppressed, to determine if war is the answer.  The disturbing political coverage by the mainstream media will lead to the downfall of our country. 
Is there anything you've always wanted to share about your service or veteran experience?  It erks me that you have veterans that fought and died for the freedom we have in the US, and left wing socialists/anarchists abuse that freedom.
Anything else we haven't covered?  The current debacle in Afganistan by Biden and the lack of correct coverage by fake news. 
What do you wish more people knew about veterans? Empthy for some of the issues that have from their service - loss of life/disabled/psychological issues.      

Father Edward Klar, Mother Alice Klar, sisters Lorraine Klar Marshall, Alice Klar Amerault, LuAnn Klar Mulder

Mahwah Museum Questionnaire for Mahwah Veterans

Larry Klar, Alph Battery 5 BN 2nd Arty, Vietnam; Larry Klar, Firebase, Vietnam; Larry Klar, Firebase, Vietnam; Firebase , Vietnam; Local Vietnamese children