Veterans Day each November turns the nation’s attention to service on the battlefield and at home. In 1968, in Vietnam, a Platoon staff sergeant was wounded but was saved by his company commander. Fifty-seven years later, he finally sets eyes on the person who saved his life because of Atlanta History Center’s Veterans History Project.
Sergeant L. K. Lannom Jr. cleaning an M60 platoon machine gun emplacement in Vietnam, 1968. Photo courtesy L. K. Lannom Jr.
Our Director of Oral History and Genealogy, Sue VerHoef, received an email from a veteran seeking to be reconnected with the man who saved his life. The e-mail read:
“My name is Leo K. Lannom. I called the Atlanta History Museum Monday and was referred to you, in hopes that [you] could help me locate Lt. Col. Oliver E. Murray, retired. (I left a message on your voice mail.) My reason for trying to find him or a member of his family is we served in Viet Nam in 1968 at the same time and Lt. Col. Murray (then Capt. Murray) was my Company Commander. I was a Platoon Staff Sergeant for Company C, 2nd Battalion, 199th Light Infantry Brigade.
I was wounded and Captain Murray saved my life. I have been trying to find him for 57 years, but unable to do so. . . However, last week I searched, through AI and found a You-Tube video interview that was done at or by the Atlanta History Museum in 2017. Hopefully, you can find Lt. Col. Oliver E. Murray and/or a member of his family, so that I can finally THANK HIM (or a member of his family) for his Heroic act!!! I really appreciate any help you can provide. Please don’t hesitate to contact me either by phone or text or at this e-mail address.”
Sue never shares information about veterans without their permission, so she emailed Lt. Col. Murray and left a voicemail for him, hoping that the eight-year-old contact information for him was still correct. It was. A few e-mail exchanges and a wee bit of phone tag followed, but less than three days later, this e-mail arrived from Mr. Lannom:
“I spoke with Lt. Col. Oliver Murray Friday evening! We had a great conversation and plan to meet in the near future. I will keep you posted and hopefully will have the opportunity to meet and thank you for making this possible.”
The men decided to meet in Atlanta on September 17, 2025 and visit Atlanta History Center the next day.
Left to right, Sue VerHoef, Lt. Col. Oliver E. Murray; L. K. Lannom Jr.; Susan Lannom, 2025. Photo courtesy Sue VerHoef
Sue joined them that morning in the museum atrium and was privileged to chat briefly with them all. Mr. Lannom recalled the day he was critically wounded when a mine exploded beneath him while on a reconnaissance mission Northwest of Saigon. Temporarily deafened by the blast, the first thing he remembers hearing was then-Captain Murray’s voice, asking if he was alright.
He remembers Murray immediately coming to his aid, despite Lannom’s cries to stay away, fearing that Murray would also be injured. “He grabbed me by my collar and dragged me out,” Lannom recalls. “I’d have surely bled out there if it hadn’t been for him.”
Lieutenant Colonel Murray doesn’t remember much about that day. “We were involved in so many firefights, you see,” he recalls. But Lannom never forgot. His wife, Susan, recalls the day her husband discovered Murray’s Atlanta History Center Veterans History Project interview online.
“He just sat there with his phone in his hand, tears streaming down his face, saying, ‘It’s him! It’s him!’’
Sue’s Reflection
The purpose of Atlanta History Center’s Veterans History Project is to collect, preserve, and share oral histories of American veterans and civilians who supported them. These personal accounts allow future generations to hear directly from veterans and better appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices made by those who serve in uniform. Atlanta History Center is very grateful when teachers, students, and other researchers use the collection to learn about serving in our country’s military.
“But it’s the personal connections the project engenders that mean the most to me,” said VerHoef. “It’s an exceptional moment when the child or grandchild of a veteran lets us know they’ve discovered their father’s or their grandmother’s interview. ”
“I’ve witnessed many of these exceptional moments in the 13 years I’ve spent managing the project, but bringing these brothers-in-combat together again after 57 years is a moment that will stay with me forever.”