“A Special Bond”
The story really began in December 1966 when Ward Hinze Jr. from the midsize Midwest town of Racine, Wis., received a letter from the Selective Service requesting that he report for active duty.
Ward Hinze Jr., left, with his Vietnam roommate David Pope in June. Photo from Island Packet.
He was 19 and had not been much farther than 100 miles from home.
On Jan. 24, 1967, he reported for basic training at Fort Jackson. After finishing basic training, he was sent to Fort Gordon, Ga., where he attended school for his assignment to the Military Police.
About the same time, another young boy, David Pope, from Fayetteville, Ga., a small, then rural, suburb of Atlanta, received the same letter. In June 1967, Ward boarded a plane heading for Saigon, Vietnam, a country about which he knew very little.
In Vietnam, he was introduced to many new faces, most of whom would come and go over the next year. He did have two new roommates whom he came to know quite well during that year. One of them was David Pope. In June 1968, his tour of duty in Vietnam over, Ward returned home to the United States.
Forty-two years were to come and go before the story continued.
By 2010 many social media sites had surfaced. Ward kept up with friends from back home over email and was just learning how to browse through Facebook. On Sept. 2, 2010, he received notice of a Facebook entry. He found the message on Sept. 7. The entry bore the name of David Pope. The message read: “Looking for Joe Hinze. Not sure if I have the correct person. Looking for Joe Hinze who I roomed with, along with Keith Smith, at the 716th in Saigon, in 1967. Would that happen to be you?”
Read the full story by Lynda Hinze of Island Packet.
