Documentary chronicles Lower Burrell veteran's Vietnam War experiences

Hal Shaffer knows first-hand about the sacrifices and suffering war can bring.

Now the 74-year-old Lower Burrell man is sharing his story about serving and being wounded during the Vietnam War as part of a documentary series being produced by John Bailey, “Duty, Courage, Honor: Southwestern Pennsylvania Goes to War.”

The 30-minute documentary about Shaffer is one of 64 chronicling the experiences of local military veterans that Bailey, an Arnold native, has created.

About 50 people turned out Saturday afternoon for the premiere of the documentary at the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Heritage Museum in Tarentum.

Bailey said Shaffer’s harrowing story about being gravely injured by a grenade set off by a trip wire while on patrol and the extensive medical treatment he required in its aftermath “is the most remarkable of them all.”

“My father served in World War II, so I had an understanding about what soldiers face,” Bailey said. “But spending time with Hal and the other veterans for this project has given me a much greater appreciation for the sacrifices and hardships they endured. Hal’s story is certainly one that will stay in my head.”

Dennis Ames, 73, of Erie, said he served briefly with Shaffer in Vietnam before he was injured. The pair remained friends after being discharged from the Marine Corps.

“The word came down to us that Hal was killed in combat,” Ames said. “So it was a pretty big shock when I found out that he had survived.

“Seeing this video makes me feel a little guilty about all the things he’s gone through,” Ames said. “I spent a year over there and never had any problems. But he has suffered a lot.”

Shaffer was hit by shrapnel and dirt from the grenade blast, which blew off the tip of his nose, tore out his left eye, damaged part of his lower bowel and severed a vein in his left leg.

He underwent multiple surgeries before being discharged from the military and classified as fully disabled.

He was decorated with a Purple Heart.

In 2006, Shaffer suffered the first of four heart attacks and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

He also has been treated for prostate, lymphoma, lung and thyroid cancers, which he believes are the result of his exposure to Agent Orange, a tactical herbicide used to clear vegetation during the Vietnam War.

He said the grueling radiation and chemotherapy treatments “are almost as bad and sometimes worse” than the condition they are being used to treat.

Doctors have told Shaffer there is nothing more they can do for him and sent him home from the hospital under hospice care.

Shaffer’s grandson, Drew Campbell, 22, of Lower Burrell, said he has heard many of the stories included in the documentary before “but I didn’t know all details.”

“I was aware that my grandfather was wounded in Vietnam, but I really had no idea about the extent of his injuries,” Campbell said. “I always knew he was a pretty tough guy. But I didn’t realize how tough he really is until hearing about what he had to go through.”