"He had my back many times," Middaugh said as the two awaited surgery last week at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "So this is payback time."

"We got through Vietnam. We'll get through this," Warner said.

Both are 73 years old, served in Vietnam together and received Purple Hearts for their service.

Keep Reading

ajc.com

Credit: n/a

Featured

Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)