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:
01/11/2025
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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