The doorbell rings. Vietnam veteran Joe Tobia gets up from his Memorial Day dinner. Through the little squares in his screen door, he can make out a blond-haired man who wears a wide smile on his face. His hand is raised in salute.

"Thank you for your service," says the man."Thank you," Tobia replies. He studies the man who keeps his smile and holds his salute."Am I supposed to know who you are?" Tobia asks. The mystery man chuckles."Oh my God!" shouts Tobia.A 10-minute reunionOn the other side of the screen door stood Ed Zatoris, Tobia's old Army buddy from basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. They have had no contact with each other since 1972."I recognized Ed's chuckle from 48 years ago. We bunked together in 1969," Tobia said. "I was overjoyed to see Ed. He was en route to Philadelphia Airport to catch a flight back to his home in Florida. We stood on the porch and had a picture taken. He couldn't stay.""I had come up from my home for my 50th Marian High School reunion," Zatoris said. "I visited my cousin in Palmerton and asked if Joe Tobia still lived in town, and he told me Joe lived right around the corner so I had to go and say hello."Zatoris, formerly of Tamaqua, and Tobia spent 10 minutes together and exchanged contact numbers to keep in touch.The road to VietnamLike any other young high school graduate, Joe Tobia had a life plan. He wanted to go to art school, get a job, raise a family. On the day of his brother's wedding, he opened an envelope with his name on it."Imagine. I'm all dressed up in a tuxedo for Steve's wedding and now I'm reading my draft notice. There's a war going on in Vietnam. Steve, who served in the same Vietnam location two years earlier than I would, said to me, 'Don't tell mom today.' "Ed Zatoris graduated from Marian High School and coincidentally had a similar plan. He wanted to attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Instead of waiting for his draft notice, however, he enlisted in the Army."When Joe and I met up at Fort Dix in New Jersey," Zatoris said, "right away I could tell he was a funny guy, but he knew when to get serious. They kept us so busy in basic training and the drill sergeant worked us hard before we returned to our bunks in rooms with no air conditioning. Joe and I didn't have much time, but when we did, I saw he was a lot like me. We became great friends in just two months."After basic training, Tobia went to military police school in Georgia while Zatoris was sent to Fort Belvoir in Virginia for engineering school. A short time later, Tobia and Zatoris were called for duty in Vietnam.Scents and soundsAs a member of the Army Military Police Century Dog Unit, Tobia worked the overnight shift in the 110-degree jungles of Long Bihn, South Vietnam."I trained German shepherds to sniff out Charlie (Viet Cong) around 2 miles of woods that surrounded our ammunition and weapons base," Tobia said. "We walked the perimeter all night long. If a dog picked up a scent, we radioed the coordinates and choppers would fly in and spray the area with 6,000 rounds a minute."Tobia knew his night duty was over and he could go back to safety when the base radio played "Here Comes the Sun," by the Beatles, a song he still loves to hear today.Zatoris, whose stay in Vietnam was just over a year, was trained at the Army corps of engineering school. In Maitrang, South Vietnam, he operated radar equipment to detect incoming sounds of enemy movements."I worked on top of a mountain with Americans, Koreans, South Vietnamese and Chinese nationalists," he said. "About once a month, we were under attack."When asked about why he volunteered for service to his country, Zatoris gave an interesting reply."I joined because it was a two-year term. It was three years if you were drafted." He added, "I'm opposed to any kind of war, but I felt it was my duty for my family and for my country."Life after warAfter a stay at Fort Riley, Kansas, Tobia visited the home of an Army buddy in South Dakota, where he would meet Mary, who would become his wife. Following his term of service, he came home to a much different America from the one he had left."When I left, this country was doo-wop music, Richie Cunningham and 'Happy Days,' " he said. "I came home to Archie Bunker (bigotry) and Meatheads (liberalism), drugs, and Led Zeppelin, peace and make love, not war signs.After his service, Zatoris worked road construction before moving to Melbourne, Florida. Tobia worked 46 years as a grocery manager for Acme Markets and then 20 years selling large appliances for Sears. He and his wife, Mary, raised five children and have eight grandchildren.What made a friendship 48 years ago was their faith and optimism that no matter the hardships, everything would turn out OK."We came out of the jungle smelling like roses," Zatoris said.Words of wisdom from the two veterans were offered."War does not determine who is right, only who is left to salute our lost heroes," Tobia said."Young people today who need to gain life experience and improve their physical conditions and self-esteems should consider enlisting in the military," Zatoris said. "You gain a sense of self-dignity."Two men became friends in 1969 and survived the atrocities of war. Their reunion began with a simple salute at a screen door, and continues now as a deserving reward for their service to our country.