"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.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com