Vietnam vet serves as Gresham’s can-collecting ‘tooth fairy’

Published 1:05 am Sunday, November 10, 2024

(GRESHAM) — An East Multnomah County Vietnam veteran now serves as a can-collecting tooth fairy, going out on a daily route to make an impact on his community to spread smiles.

Ed Spradlin, 78, is hard to miss. He starts his day bright and early, sporting a fluorescent safety vest and lugging bags full of bottles and cans.

His common route is to visit Lolo’s Boss Pizza in Fairview, the Troutdale Outlet Mall, the main drag through Downtown Troutdale, Glenn Otto Park and Sugarpine Drive-In, Home Depot on Stark and the Wood Village Fred Meyers, Imagination Station and Legacy Coffee in Downtown Gresham.

All the while, he checks garbage cans for improperly discarded items and picks up anything he spots along the local roadways.

“The people — business owners and city staff — have all been fantastic,” Spradlin said. “Everyone is part of a team.”

The official name of Spradlin’s group is “Can Do!” He loves wearing T-shirts and baseball caps celebrating that logo and attitude.

“Humans are pack animals. We rely on each other,” he said. “If you see someone who is hungry, give them something to eat. Kindness is one of the nicest things there is.”

Spradlin’s efforts on behalf of The Dental Foundation of Oregon and keeping the community clean are why Outlook has selected him for the 2024 Salute to Veterans Section.

“I find people’s willingness to help encouraging,” Spradlin said. “We are at a time where things are so fragmented.”

“I have met a ton of nice people doing this,” he added. “I am having the time of my life.”

Spradlin was born and raised in Portland and attended Oregon State University, although he had little interest in attending class.

“I wasn’t doing a very good job of being a student. I was more interested in being a young boy,” he said.

That led to bad grades and academic probation. It got worse when his dad suddenly died of a heart attack, further pulling his attention from his studies. So, he lost his college deferment and was drafted in 1966 into the U.S. Army as the Vietnam War raged.

“I didn’t start the war, I didn’t volunteer to be in it, but there I was,” he said.

He was given the choice of choosing his job in the Army if he agreed to sign on for an extra year.

“I instantly asked to be a helicopter pilot,” he said.

Spradlin learned that the carte blanche offer had a few caveats. He is color-blind, so flying was out of the question.

“I thought about it for a moment, then asked, ‘What is the longest training process?’” said Spradlin.

Thus, Spradlin became an x-ray technician (radiology specialist). He went through boot camp at Fort Lewis, Washington, and received medical training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. For the majority of his time in the Army, he was stationed in Colorado Springs.

In 1969, his final year of service, Spradlin was shipped to Vietnam. He joined a mostly stationary Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, MASH. The medical team was based in a building in Danang. While they had all their equipment ready to bounce at a moment’s notice, they stayed in the city for the duration of the tour.

“It was a new world for me. I learned a lot,” he said. “As I think back on it, I’m glad I was on the side of saving lives, thankful for that.”

“A lot of our work was battlefield trauma,” he added. “It had to be done now, right and fast. The helicopter would dust down, the patient hit the pad, and ‘bam,’ we were on.”

Spradlin worked nights, and the field hospital was busy. After hours on his feet, imaging patient after patient, he and the others would walk a few blocks and jump into the warm ocean — “It was like bathwater, like being in Hawaii” — to watch the sunrise.

“Vietnam was a beautiful country,” he said. “I’ve never been back, though I would love to someday.”

Upon returning, Spradlin fulfilled a promise he made to himself and earned a history degree from Portland State University. He worked in insurance for 20 years but was unfulfilled, so he made a career change and did yard work and landscaping.

“Being outside was nice, but the key was becoming my own boss,” he said.

He worked that for 30 years, retiring when he turned 70.

Following his career, Spradlin was in search of something new.

While attending Linfield University, his daughter often needed spare change for the laundry machines.

“I started keeping these rolls of quarters in my pocket,” Spradlin said.

Eventually, he thought, rather than cash those unused coins in at the bank, he should donate them to a local group. The “Tooth Taxi” caught his eye—a mobile clinic by The Dental Foundation of Oregon that offers youth-oriented services like teeth cleanings, exams, cavity fillings, X-rays and dental kits.

“As a kid growing up in the 40s and 50s, going to the dentist was emotionally and physically challenging,” he said. “I liked they were teaching kids hygiene and making fixes on the spot for any immediate issues.”

So, his coin collection had a new recipient, but soon, his efforts outgrew his pockets. His deliveries to the Oregon Bottle Drop were getting larger and larger, and he had to open a second account because he was vastly exceeding his limits.

The solution was an official account on behalf of the Tooth Taxi.

Spradlin’s efforts have continued to grow. He donates about 40 bags a week — or, as he likes to joke, he is “dragging down about 80 cents an hour” for The Dental Foundation.

The Gresham veteran’s collecting of cans has led to:

• 2,089 patients screened
• 1,263 appointments
• 2,062 students receiving oral hygiene education in the classroom
• $147,327 value of total services

“Ed has an infectious enthusiasm for The Dental Foundation of Oregon and our mission,” said Executive Director Amber Fowler. “But most importantly, he has a passion for service to others and wants to lend his support to lifting others in their efforts to improve their quality of life.”

“He is a wonderful human being,” she added.

For a lifelong walking enthusiast, Spradlin has participated in the Portland Marathon 10 times. This has been a way to exercise and meet new people. The support has been overwhelming, and he has no plans to stop anytime soon.

“If I hit a wall, that is the only thing that will stop me,” he said.

Community: Gresham

Service Branch: U.S. Army

Years of Service: 1966-1970

“Kindness is one of the nicest things there is,” 

— Ed Spradlin

Mt. Hood Community College

26000 S.E. Stark St., Gresham

503-491-6422

mccc.edu