Valencia Town Center Connection
While shopping with my lovely wife, Meg, at Westfield Valencia Town Center, we bumped into Buzz and Joyce Gunnarson, whom we didn’t know but immediately hit it off with beautifully. Buzz asked me if I had anything to do with Santa Clarita’s veterans and our conversation just took off from there. Buzz and I followed up at a local restaurant, where he loaned me his priceless collection of memorabilia and I recorded his life’s experiences as we bounced off one tangent after another.

Drummer – Barber – Infantry

Rudolph L. Gunnarson, nicknamed “Buzz,” was born October 4, 1947 at San Fernando Hospital in the City of San Fernando, where he grew up graduating from the brand spanking new Sylmar High School. Buzz attended its very first class, graduating on June 20, 1965. During high school, Buzz became a gifted drummer and played in the band “The Fabulous Vistas,” taking gigs at Pacific Ocean Park and numerous others on road trips, including in Las Vegas. Due to his love of music, Buzz never actually learned a trade until he graduated from barber school, becoming a licensed barber in 1966. Buzz anticipated being drafted into Uncle Sam’s Army; thus he hoped to become an Army barber, as it was a dangerous time, what with combat in Vietnam raging. He also attended Pierce College just long enough to realize college was not his forte, and in fact, he couldn’t wait to leave high school. Buzz worked as a barber in Toluca Lake until that fateful day Uncle Sam’s greeting letter arrived. Buzz was instantly drafted August 15, 1967 and took his eight weeks of basic training at Fort Ord, Calif. Next, Buzz was assigned to communication school at Fort Ord to learn to install telephone lines ;however his Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) was abruptly switched to infantryman assigned to ground surveillance.

Good Morning Vietnam!
After a two-week leave of absence, Buzz reported to Fort Carson, Colorado, where his mechanized infantry unit, the 1st Battalion, 61st Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, assembled for deployment into the Vietnam War. On July 20, 1968, Buzz and his fellow brigade troopers flew to Danang, South Vietnam, while their equipment was shipped across the Pacific Ocean. The next day they traveled by truck convoy north of Danang to Wunder Beach, a logistics and supply depot, where they established their temporary base camp until their equipment arrived, whereupon they moved north near the demilitarized zone. Buzz served in some of the most treacherous communist-infested areas within South Vietnam, notably Con Thien, Khe Sahn, the Rock Pile, Dong Ha, LZ Tombstone and Camp Carroll. Upon arrival at Khe Sahn, which was after its famous siege and subsequent bulldozing, Buzz recalled, “We got into one hellacious firefight with fearless North Vietnamese regular soldiers (NVA)”.

DMZ Combat Action

Throughout his 12-month tour of duty, Buzz and his buddies patrolled the northernmost provinces bordering the demilitarized zone (DMZ), making regular contact with NVA and Viet Cong fighters. Virtually, on a daily basis, they received incoming enemy artillery, as well as rocket and mortar fire, costing Buzz’s unit many soldiers killed in action, including several of his close friends. However, enemy forces took a heavy toll when engaging the 5th Infantry Division’s mechanized units that consisted of straight leg infantry troops, artillery howitzers, mortar teams and flame thrower armored personnel carriers. Despite the chaos and rigors of combat, Buzz maintained his humor and optimistic attitude, which he maintains to this very day. He enjoyed conveying a combat training exercise prior to Vietnam that he and his pals experienced during the dead of winter at Fort Carson. They were ordered to turn in their cold weather gear and then shockingly assigned to a 30-day bivouac. That first night in below freezing conditions, the guys scavenged every scrap of wood they could find and built a big bonfire – it was great! But then a 2nd lieutenant spotted it and demanded they extinguish the fire, whereby Buzz asked why. That rookie officer retorted that the enemy could see it, prompting Buzz’s response, “If the enemy is in that tree line, we really are losing the war. He was not amused.”

Honorable Discharge
Buzz’s tour of duty thankfully ended July 25, 1969, which sent him stateside to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he swiftly received his honorable discharge. Among his awards, Buzz earned the Bronze Star Medal. On his way home via Seattle, Buzz stopped into a bar, and upon ordering a drink, the bartender requested his identification, nevermind that he was wearing his U.S. Army dress uniform. When Buzz presented his driver’s license, that bartender said it was unreadable, and Buzz said he had dragged it all over Vietnam’s jungles, so what do you expect? The bartender told him to get out, consequently presenting Buzz his with first taste of America’s disgusting anti-war movement. Back in his hometown, Buzz landed a job October 10, 1971 as a firefighter with the San Fernando Fire Department, where he worked until January 15, 1979. From that date until March 15, 1999, Buzz worked for the Los Angeles Fire Department, retiring after 28 years and then becoming fire chief for Paramount Studios for the next 12 years.

Blessed Life

Buzz will be the first to acknowledge that he’s lived a blessed life, and it all started back in high school when he became infatuated with a beautiful cheerleader, Joyce Rodero, whom he met at a party. Buzz was dating another girl, but once he spoke with Joyce, it was all over but the shouting. After Buzz mustered enough courage, he phoned Joyce for a date, which led to their engagement a mere six weeks later. Buzz and Joyce were married October 6, 1973 at Saint Stephen Presbyterian Church near Chatsworth’s Kennedy High School. Their beautiful twin daughters were born August 2, 1976, and they are also blessed with one granddaughter, Isabelle, who just started walking. Buzz, you are a great American patriot!

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