They forged unbreakable bonds on a fateful day in Vietnam in 1969.
More than five decades later, they resumed their friendship.
Mike Lowry, an air traffic controller, was days from his 21st birthday, and Spc.
John Lunsford, a communicator, was 24.
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Four of their comrades were killed Sgt.
They had no way of contacting each other, and it seemed their paths would probably never cross again.
Both married and went on to have full lives.
Mike worked in construction out West before settling in Montana where he has a small plumbing shop.
He and his wife, Jeniel, had seven children.
John went back to Virginia and his job as a field representative with Blue Cross Blue Shield.
He then had a 39-year career in banking; he and his wife, Sandy, had two daughters.
Mike spent much of the intervening five decades thinking about John and that fateful night in both their lives.
Mike had done some searching and come up with nothing on John.
Jeniel googled the correct spelling and gave Mike a list of eight John Lunsfords to call.
I remembered he was from over there by Newport News, [Virginia], Mike recalled.
I called the first one, and this guy answered.
