Tribune Chronicle / R. Michael Semple Vietnam War veteran Jim Doeberling displays pictures from photo albums that chronicle his time in the conflict.

Editor’s note: This is part of a series published every Monday between Memorial Day and Veterans Day honoring local veterans.

BAZETTA — Most people who hear the word “Vietnam” associate it with the gruesome and seemingly indiscriminate killing in the conflict that devastated that country and tore the social fabric of the United States apart.

But there was a different experience of Vietnam — one defined less by mortar fire and land mines and more by humanity and kindness.

That was Jim Doeberling’s experience.

Born to Navy parents in Cleveland, Doeberling, 72, enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps at Kent State University in 1964. He graduated from the program as a second lieutenant and became a military police officer. He received his notice to go to Vietnam in 1969 and recalls the harrowing flight from Oakland, Calif.

“It was dark,” Doeberling recalled. “And it stayed dark the whole way. We spent 24 hours in the dark, and I thought it was an omen.”

After landing in Vietnam, Doeberling was assigned to the 194th Military Police Company, which provided security for signal sites in South Vietnam. The lower third of Vietnam, where Doeberling was stationed, was designated non-U.S. combat areas.

In that portion of Vietnam, Doeberling often saw the Vietnamese riding bicycles and Chinese shopkeepers continuing to operate their stores.

“I was fortunate to live with the people of Vietnam who were quite diverse,” said Doeberling. “The people were kind and gentle people who really did not care who was the government as long as they could prosper.”

Doeberling said the Vietnamese were kind and respectful and invited him into their homes. He was most struck by the number of orphans in the country, but found the bureaucracy and necessary bribes too daunting to adopt a Vietnamese girl.

Still, children played a big part in Doeberling’s service in Vietnam.

“We would go to the orphanages and bring them candy and balloons and seeds our parents sent,” said Doeberling.

But Doeberling also saw the tragedy of war right before him.

“The worst part of my tour was seeing the fallen American soldiers lined up awaiting return home,” said Doeberling. “The decision to make these sacrifices should be used with prudence.”

Despite his service to his country, Doeberling did not exactly receive a hero’s welcome when he returned to the United States in 1970. After landing in San Francisco, Doeberling lost his hat and needed directions to Oakland. “People just looked at me and stared like I was a villain.”

After returning from Vietnam, Doeberling met his wife, Linda, to whom he has been married 36 years, and had three children. Now they have four grandchildren. He became a physical therapist with an office in Warren, beginning practice in 1974 and retiring in 2015.

Doeberling said his Vietnam service and his love for children have come full circle. Two years ago, he began traveling to Haiti four times per year with a volunteer group — STAND-the Haiti Project — to fight malnutrition and disease. The group also trains Haitians to become professionals, including physical therapists.

The work is a fitting chapter in Doeberling’s story, who said he found some gratification in his Vietnam service.

“It made us feel good that even in a country at war we could provide some good,” said Doeberling. “I feel that same feeling now when I serve with a medical mission in Haiti.”