Rick Prescott of McHenry said his time in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War taught him that military service is not just about war but about helping people – all people.

He was one of 10 children raised in a strong military family in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Two brothers served in the Marines, two in the Navy and one in the Army.

Prescott said he joined the Marines initially as a way to escape a future working a factory job. But it turned out to be more meaningful and shaped who he is today.

Prescott’s first mission as an 18-year-old private first class was in spring 1975. His job was helping to thousands of people fleeing Vietnam after the fall of Saigon.

He worked among thousands of Marines building “Tent City” for Vietnamese refugees at Camp Pendleton in California.

“These were people who supported Americans. They would have been killed by the new Communist government” had they not been resettled, Prescott said.

Marines worked in four shifts, seven days a week, he said. They built tents and set up churches, schools and parks. Refugees arrived within three days of starting the work. They were provided clean clothes, showers, beds, jackets and food, Prescott said.

“Even as they were arriving, we were still building. ... But not one individual spent the night outside,” he said. “They were all taken care of.”

Prescott recalled how the refugees were used to living in jungles and harsh conditions. They had no fear of rattlesnakes and spiders. He recalled a young girl holding a rattlesnake in each hand and chasing Prescott and other Marines, giggling.

Prescott and other Marines regularly mingled with the refugees, playing baseball with children or pushing them on swings. One Vietnamese man who didn’t know English took out a guitar and played and sang “The House of the Rising Sun” perfectly.

Caring for the refugees “was an honor,” Prescott said, adding that he knew well the fate they were being saved from.

He also learned in boot camp that if he were to go into battle, there was a good chance he would not come home.

“I grew up instantly,” Prescott said. “I lost my sense of humor. ... I became a very serious young man at that time. I broke up with my girlfriend [after boot camp], and she wanted to get married. I said, ‘I don’t want to leave a widow.’ It was a time our nation was at war, and the country was split over Vietnam, and we were kids growing up in that environment.”

However, he also recalls the time as an “incredible adventure.”

“We knew we were seeing historical moments. ... We knew that we were part of something that was bigger than us,” Prescott said. “I came to the conclusion that we are all the same. We are just human beings. I thought, ‘I really like this Marine Corps thing. It’s not all about war. It is about helping people, too.’”

That time instilled in him a lifelong mission to help people and to keep an open mind. It also led him to serving and connecting the veteran community.

He serves as commandant of the Marine Corps League McHenry County Detachment 1009.

The league meets monthly at the former Veterans of Foreign Wars post building in Woodstock. About 30 vets attend.

The military is “very comrade-driven. ... You are connected – connected to the organization, you are connected to the mission, the people suffering and serving in the same capacity,” Prescott said.

After returning to civilian life, veterans can feel lost, missing the sense of connection, identity and trust they had while serving, Prescott said.

“When they get out, they go home ... they start to share their stories with their family, and their family doesn’t believe it or understand,” Prescott said.

That loss is a driving factor in veteran suicide, he said, and the reason he works hard to serve and connect veterans.

Bob Dorn, senior vice commander of Crystal Lake American Legion Post 171, likewise said it’s important to reach out and connect with veterans and their families of all ages and branches in combating the “epidemic of suicide,” especially when respect for veterans and patriotism is “falling off the wall.”

“There is the visual of a bunch of old guys sitting around a bar, drinking, wearing funny hats and telling war stories,” Dorn said. “That was the fact years ago, after World War II. Now it’s different.”

The focus of today’s veterans groups, such as the Marine Corps League, American Legions and VFWs, is facilitating social activities for vets and their families, Dorn and Prescott said.

A group of veterans including Prescott and Dorn meet for coffee each Friday morning at The Other Side in Crystal Lake. They discuss substance use disorder and mental health. They plan community projects and activities such as gaming events and nature hikes.

Prescott arranges bowling, camping and fishing trips. Recently, the Marine Corps League hosted a fishing trip for 30 veterans at Three Oaks Recreation Area in Crystal Lake.

Such outings “are very important for those veterans who lost that connection,” Prescott said.

Dorn added: “There is something about the military. No matter what branch you are, when you talk to someone who served, you have a bond.”

That bond, Dorn said, also includes first responders.

Prescott said the Marine Corps League will help veterans from other military branches and their families. Dorn said Prescott “is turning the ship.”

“It was a pleasant surprise to have him come for coffee with us and meet other people and think about the community, not just the Marines,” Dorn said.

Prescott encourages veterans and their families to contact the league when needing help transitioning to civilian life, struggling with mental health, starting up a business, or trying to navigate medical care and VA benefits.

The league also offers scholarships; helps provide household items, food and utilities to veterans in need; and much more.

“We have donated thousands of dollars worth of orthopedic shoes, kitchen ware and a host of support items to people in need,” Prescott said. “We have provided our manpower to Habitat to Humanity and other causes to assist veterans rebuilding their lives. Our money and voluntary time goes 100% to veterans in need.”

He personally helped a veteran who had no hot water in his home for five years because he couldn’t afford a new water heater. Prescott contacted a contractor, and a water heater “was placed in his home, along with other items he needed, at no cost.”

The league also helped a woman who could not afford car repairs and had no means of transportation.

“We sent one of our mechanic veterans to take a look. He determined it would cost $850 to repair it, and he would volunteer to do the job,” Prescott said. “We cut a check, and she got her car back.”

The league also facilitates Toys for Tots throughout McHenry County. Last year, members collected 37,000 toys – so many that “Lake County was short on toys, so they came to us for some,” Prescott said.

He has delivered donations to veterans in the hospital, visited nursing homes and had lunch with veterans, celebrated birthdays with them, and listened to their stories.

“[It’s] about getting the community to appreciate what the veterans do for them and connecting those veterans,” Prescott said.