More detail on this person: George Budetich
was my father. He was born and raised in Farrell,
Pa He joined the army in 1960 when I was 2 years
old. He served 2 tours in Vietnam and was on leave
before going back for his 3rd tour when he had his
accident. He was teaching a young boy how to dive
and hit the bridge abuttment that was under water
and broke his neck. After months in Walter Reed
Hospital he came home. Me ( Bobbie ) , my sister
April, my brothers Bucky, Troy and Brett lived
with him for about a year before he left us. He
passed away on September 29, 1974. He lived in
Wheatland, Pa at the time of his passing. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
07/12/2023
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From: Bobbie
I served with him in Vietnam and was a friend of
his stateside. He served with C Troop, 3/17th Air
Cav in Vietnam as a UH1H pilot.
From: Earl G. Warwick Jr.
I am overcome with unrelenting emotions. I was
privileged to meet and spend two weeks with the
gentle giant George Budetich.
I was at the time in my early teens, my father had
not long returned from his tour of duty with the
A.A.T.T.V, ( Australian Army Training Team
Vietnam ). George was given the choice of R&R
locations and rejected them all. Instead he
convinced the powers to be to be re-united in
Australia with his Ausie mate ( CW2 Allen Jones
AATTV ) Ret.
George as i said was a gentle giant, he had a
sense of peace and a genuine calmness in his own
personal aura.
George wanted to see the real Australia that my
father had shared with him, but only in the wide
eyed Australian view.
My father, my Mother and my now deceased grand
parents showed George, not only what it was like
to be apart of this great wide land we call
Australia, we also showed George how, especially
in time of conflict, how much it means to be a
mate. God bless you George RIP and thank you for,
be-it ever so briefly touching my life,
Kenneth in Cairns Australia