Bleier shares story, thoughts
BUTLER TWP — On Aug. 20, 1969, Rocky Bleier was wounded by gunfire and shrapnel when his Army light infantry brigade platoon was ambushed in a rice paddy in Vietnam.
Less than a year removed from his rookie season as a running back with the Pittsburgh Steelers, doctors in Tokyo told Bleier that he would not be able to play football again.
Being badly wounded in the Vietnam War and facing the end of his football career was tough, but things took a turn for Bleier when he famously received a postcard.
The note written on the postcard was simple and to the point: “Rock, the team's not doing well. We need you.” It was signed by former Steelers owner Art Rooney Sr.
“That was a great gesture, but what it really created was a sense of hope and an opportunity that somebody cared about you as a person, and that opportunity becomes very important,” Bleier said Sunday morning in Butler.
“We live in a country of that — of opportunities.”
Bleier, a four-time Super Bowl champion, shared his story and his thoughts about the war with a crowd gathered Sunday at the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, an 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., that was set up for four days behind the VA Butler Healthcare facility on New Castle Road in Butler Township.
The AVTT was brought to town by the Butler County American Legion Riders, a group of veterans and children of veterans who ride motorcycles and often provide escorts to soldiers returning home from active duty. More than 1,000 motorcycles escorted the wall last week from Cranberry Township to Butler Township, where it was on display to visitors at all hours until noon Sunday.
Sunday marked the ninth and final ceremony held at the replica wall. Each ceremony included the reading of the names of the 43 men from Butler County who were killed in action in the war and a ceremony to honor the men and women who were missing in action. The wall is inscribed with the names of 58,479 men and women who died in the war.Bleier, 71, was introduced by Herb Carpenter of Mars VFW Post 7505.A native of Wisconsin, Bleier played college football at Notre Dame University and was a junior when the Fighting Irish won the national championship in 1966. He was drafted by the Steelers in the 16th round of the 1968 NFL draft and was drafted into the Army in December of that year.He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart after being wounded and was discharged in 1970.“Determined to return to the game he loved, with sheer courage, determination and drive Rocky overcame all his obstacles and fought his way back,” Carpenter said.Though it took him a couple years, he worked his way back into the Steelers lineup and became a key player in the teams that won Super Bowls IX, X, XIII and XIV.Bleier told the crowd that he believes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the greatest memorials in the United States.The wall, which was paid for entirely through donations, took eight years to get funded, approved and built and was dedicated in 1982.“Like the war it wasn't popular, this memorial. It was called the big black gash of shame, if you may recall,” he said.Despite the war being controversial among the American public, the memorial is important for many people.“It has become one of most popular monuments in Washington, D.C.; it has become a wall of healing for those who have lost loved ones,” he said.Most of the 3.5 million men and women who served their county during the Vietnam War would return home to their families, their jobs and their lives. Despite the frosty reception many of them received upon returning home, they deserve recognition for their sacrifices, Bleier said.“Now that we have come of age, we are the ones who feed this nation and care for the sick and we are the ones who own the factories and make the country's decisions. We paid a price, so be proud not only as Americans, but also as Vietnam veterans. Because we deserve it. You did good. God bless and enjoy it,” he said.In September, the Legion Riders will take three bus-loads of local veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They will also donate the tributes left at the foot of the replica wall to the U.S. National Park Service, to be added to the items collected at the memorial.
