BEEKMANTOWN -- It's been 40 years, more or less, since the soldiers who survived returned from the wars in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Three of those survivors were recently talking over their experiences while at the Tallon Farm on Spellman Road in Beekmantown.

MEDIC

Frank Gentile, a Long Island resident and retired Teamster, is a frequent visitor to this area for hunting trips with an old friend of Neal Tallon.

Frankie was a medic with the 101st Airborne, serving in Vietnam during 1967 and 1968. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star with V Cluster and two Silver Stars for his actions attending the wounded on operations with the 101st.

"I was only in country' for seven months before being badly wounded," said the quiet ex-medic. "So much happened, most of it bad, that it's hard to remember the particulars "¦ but I'm trying."

PHOTO INTERPRETER

Neal Tallon, born in New York City but a long-time resident of Beekmantown, was with the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion, headquartered in Saigon.

He was with this unit as a photo interpreter from 1966 until 1968 and worked for most of that time on the flight line at Tan Son Nhut Airfield on the outskirts of Saigon.

"Shortly after being discharged in 1968," he was saying, "I received a letter from the CIA offering me a job as a photo interpreter -- probably for work in Laos, where they were running a secret war at the time. However, I decided to pursue my eduction at PSUC instead."

INFANTRYMAN

Ralph "Pete" Conroy, also a long-time resident of Beekmantown, was an infantryman with the 1st Cavalry Division. He spent half of his tour in I Corps, at times in the highlands and jungles along the Laotian border and the rest of the tour near Tay Ninh and the Parrot's Beak area of Cambodia in III Corps.

He has an Air Medal for participating in more than 25 air insertions during infantry operations, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He spent practically his whole tour in the field.

"About the only native people I had contact with who weren't shooting at me was on the streets of Danang, where the hospital ship, USS Sanctuary, released me back to my unit after recovering from wounds.

"As I walked those streets trying to find my way, I was more than a little nervous being without my M-16. The whole scene was alien to me."