HECKE
HECKE HAS
HECKE HAS HAD QUITE THE LIFE. IN THIS MONTH'S
VOICES OF THE
BRAVE, WE TAKE A
LOOK AT THIS
VIETNAM VETERAN
WHO'S BECOME A
HOUSESHOLD NAME IN
MANY PARTS OF
CENTRAL TEXAS.
CENTRAL TEXAS.
BILL
BILL HECKE IS A FIXTURE ON TELEVISION AND
RADIO STATIONS
ACROSS TEXAS.
BUT THE
METEOROLOGIST,
WHO'S BEEN
FORECASTING AND
OBSERVING WEATHER
FOR OVER 55 YEARS,
GOT HIS START IN THE
AIR FORCE.
"I STARTED ON MAY
28, 1963 I HAD JUST
GRADUATED FROM
HIGH SCHOOL IF I
WAITED ALL MY
OPTIONS WHICH
WERE DAMN NEAR
NINE AND WENT IN
THE MILITARY."
AT 17 HECKE WENT TO
BOOT CAMP AND THEN
STARTED WEATHER
SCHOOL.
"INITIAL WEATHER
SCHOOL IS BASICALLY
WEATHER OBSERVER
IT'S EVERY
INSTRUMENT THAT'S
MAP PLOTTING
BECAUSE WE DIDN'T
HAVE COMPUTERS OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT
WE HAD TO KNOW ALL
THE INSTRUMENTS
WE HAD TO LEARN
EVERY TYPE OF
CLOUD WE HAD TO
LEARN CODES"
HECKE WAS
STATIONED IN
MISSOURI BUT SOON
AFTER, HIS LIFE
WOULD CHANGE.
"WE FOUND OUT THE
ARMY DOESN'T HAVE
WEATHER TEAMS AND
SO THEY TOOK 28 OF
US PHYSICALLY FIT
YOUNG GUYS AND WE
WENT AND TRAINED
WITH THE ARMY
RANGERS AND SO WE
KNEW OUR LIVES
WERE GOING TO BE A
LITTLE DIFFERENT"
IN 1966, HECKE
HEADED TO VIETNAM.
"I WAS ASSIGNED TO
FIRST BRIGADE FIRST
INFANTRY DIVISION SO
I HAD THE VERY FIRST
OFFICIAL COMBAT
WEATHER TEAM."
HECKE, WHO WAS
JUST AN AIRMAN
SECOND CLASS AT
TIME, WORKED ALONE
TO SET UP A WEATHER
STATION ON HIS BASE
IN RURAL VIETNAM.
HE WORKED WITH HIS
BRIGADE COMMANDER
AND HELPED
FORECAST WEATHER
THAT WOULD AFFECT
GROUND AND AIR
MISSIONS.
HIS FORECASTS
HELPED SAVE LIVES,
BUT WHEN HE WASN'T
OBSERVING THE
WEATHER, HE WAS
RUNNING COMBAT
MISSIONS LIKE ANY
OTHER TROOP.
"WE GOT UNTIL THAT
THERE WAS A VILLAGE
NEARBY THAT HAD TAX
COLLECTORS IN DC
SO WE IMMEDIATELY
HAD HEADED UP TO
GO CAPTURE IT AND
THEY NEEDED A GUN
OR ON A MACHINE
GOING ON THE JEEP
SO THAT'S WHAT I DID
I FLEW A LOT OF
MISSIONS ON A
CHOPPER HAS A DOOR
GUNNER THEY WERE
CALLED SLICKS
BECAUSE I DIDN'T
HAVE AUTOMATIC
WEAPONS THEY JUST
HAD TO GONE OR IS IT
ONE IN EACH STORE
AND SO I'D FLY A 30
CALIBER MACHINE
GUN."
BUT HECKE SAYS IT'S
WHAT HE
VOLUNTEERED TO DO,
THAT'S LEFT THE
MOST LONG-LASTING
AND DAMAGING
IMPACT.
"SUPPLY AND
TRANSPORT, S AND T,
IS WHERE GRAVES
REGISTRATION IS AND
WHEN YOU HAD REAL
HIGH KILL RATES WE
WERE OVERLOADED
AND THERE WERE
ONLY TWO GRADES
REGISTRATION GUYS
THERE SO WHEN I
WAS IN BASECAMP I
WOULD ALWAYS
VOLUNTEER TO GO
DOWN AND HELP OUT
IDENTIFY AND BAG."
HECKE HELPED
IDENTIFY HUNDREDS,
MAYBE EVEN
THOUSANDS, OF THE
MEN KILLED IN THE
VIETNAM WAR.
"FOR THE LONGEST
TIME MY MIND
WOULDN'T WOULD
MAKE ME REMEMBER
EVERY SINGLE
PERSON IDENTIFIED I
COULDN'T GET THEM
OUT OF MY HEAD FOR
YEARS BUT NOW YOU
GET OLD AND HE
START
START FORGETTING EVERYTHING SO I CAN FORGET SOME OF
THAT BUT THAT
PROBABLY WAS SUCH
A STARK REALITY OF
WHAT WE WERE
LOSING WE HAVE WE
LOST 58,000 TROOPS
AND DIDN'T WANT TO
WORK AND WANTED
TO."
AFTER HIS TIME IN
VIETNAM WAS OVER,
HECKE CAME HOME
BUT SAYS HE WASN'T
THE SAME PERSON.
"I DRANK, I FOUGHT
AND I HAD A HARD
TIME.
IT MAKES YOU BITTER,
MAKES YOU ANGRY
AND I THINK TOO
BECAUSE I WAS AS
YOUNG AS I WAS IT IT
JUST STICKS WITH
YOU."
FOR THE REST OF HIS
CAREER, "20 YEARS,
TWO DAYS, THREE
HOURS AND 16
MINUTES" HECKE
TRAVELLED THE
WORLD,
FORECASTING THE
WEATHER FROM THE
TROPICS OF PANAMA
TO RIGHT HERE ON
FORT HOOD.
IN FACT, HE RETIRED
AS CHIEF OF
WEATHER STATION
OPERATIONS FOR THE
GREAT PLACE.
"THAT'S THE BIGGEST
MILITARY
INSTALLATION IN THE
FREE WORLD SO YOU
DON'T GET ANY
BIGGER THAN THAT."
WHEN HE RETIRED,
HECKE STARTED A
NEW CAREER.
FIRST DOING THE
WEATHER ON RADIO
STATIONS ACROSS
THE REGION.
THEN, AS A WEEKEND
METEOROLOGIST
HERE AT CHANNEL 6.
"I WAS HORRIBLE I
WAS SCARED TO
DEATH I'VE NEVER
BEEN SO SCARED
EVEN IN ANY
SITUATION IN VIETNAM
IS WHEN I FIRST WENT
ON OUR CHANNEL 6
AND I THINK WAS 1981"
ALL THESE YEARS
LATER, HE'S STILL
DOING WEATHER ON
THE RADIO AND
HOSTING A GOSPEL
SHOW EVERY SUNDAY
MORNING.
HE'S STILL EXTREMELY
ACTIVE, IS AN AVID
MARKSMAN AND GUN
ENTHUSIAST AND HE'S
A THIRD DEGREE
BLACK BELT.
" AND THIS IS ONE
THING THAT HE HAS
TOLD ME AND
HANDLING PTSD IS I
THINK I DO REAL WELL
BECAUSE I'M ALSO A
MARTIAL ARTIST I
HOLD OUR 3RD
DEGREE BLACK BELT
AND I'VE BEEN
INSTRUCTOR BY
DOING THAT THEY
THINK I GOT RID OF A
LOT OF WHAT I HELD
INSIDE AND WHAT I
THINK SO BASICALLY
IT'S THERAPEUTIC."
HIS OTHER FORM OF
THERAPY? LAUGHTER.
THERAPY? LAUGHTER.
"DON'T
"DON'T CRITICIZE MY FORECAST I TOLD YOU I HOLD A THIRD-
DEGREE BLACK BELT"
THE LAUGH YOU'VE
HEARD FOR SO MANY
YEARS
A LOVE OF COUNTRY --
LASTING A LIFETIME--
" I STILL FEEL LIKE I'M
KIND OF A MIXED UP
PERSON INSIDE BUT I
LIKE PEOPLE.
I JUST HOPE OUR
YOUNG TROOPS
TODAY KNOW WHAT
THEY'RE THERE FOR
AND THAT'S FOR THE
UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA FOR THIS
COUNTRY I LOVE THIS
COUNTRY AND I'VE
BEEN TO SEVERAL
OTHERS IN UNTIL
YOU'VE BEEN THERE
DON'T GRIPE ABOUT
THIS ONE THIS IS A
GOOD ONE."
GOOD ONE."
BILL
BILL HECKE HAS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE STORY AND THERE'S MUCH
MORE FROM HIM ON
OUR
OUR WEBSITE AND OUR APP - INCLUDING HIS PERSONAL
CONNECTION TO THE
WORLD WAR II CODE
TALKERS.
THAT'S AT
KCENTV.COM
KCENTV.COM