Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

COMBAT STORIES FROM Vietnam

A Kim | 5th Marine Regiment

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Showing : Vietnam Videos

Keith Nightingale - Army +27 Total Videos

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

After nearly being overrun on the first night of the Tet Offensive, the Vietnamese Rangers, along with American advisor Keith Nightingale, rejoined the other half of their battalion which was battling the VC nearby. They were aided by some splendid Australians and some cocky VNAF pilots. Part 2 of 3.
John Overcash - Army +11 Total Videos

Multiple Units

The Montagnards were the original inhabitants of Vietnam. They were pushed into the highlands as other ethnic groups came into the region. For Green Beret John Overcash, they were stalwart allies. They could live off the land in the jungle, unlike the Vietnamese, who were dependent on their rice bowl.
John Johnson - Army +5 Total Videos

2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Division

Returning to base after a harrowing all day firefight, the man who had gotten the platoon out of it took command of the company. Under the leadership of Captain Barry McCaffrey, it began to function at a high level. The casualties went way down, but not far enough for machine gunner John Johnson.
Jimmie Spencer - Army +12 Total Videos

Multiple Units

Jimmie Spencer was dead set against the proposed design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, thinking it was like a tombstone. But he has come around and now sees it as a great thing, bringing closure to those still disturbed by the experience.
Galen Foster - Army +11 Total Videos

196th Light Infantry Brigade

A hot landing zone meant that you could expect contact as soon as you set down. They might tell you that a landing zone is cold, but Galen Foster says you never could tell. He saw the lead helicopter get shot down as they went into a so-called cold LZ. When moving on foot, the point man used a compass the guide the unit. Once, an improper reading led the men straight into a Viet Cong base camp.
Quincy Collins - Air Force +18 Total Videos

80th Tactical Fighter Squadron

Upon the request of the NVA running the prisoner of war camp, Collins was asked to form a choir along with other musically inclined prisoners. While they were practicing, they set it up so that there was a hidden message for the American audience watching; spilling information about the POWs.
Frank Francois III - Army +7 Total Videos

Support Command, 1st Cavalry

The worst day in Vietnam for Frank Francois III was the day one of his Forward Support Companies was overrun. It was his responsibility to retrieve and transport the bodies to the Quartermaster Corps. In the middle of that grim task, he was informed that there would be a party. He couldn't believe what he was hearing but it turned into a valuable life lesson.
Richard Jackson - Marines +15 Total Videos

Multiple Units

The first time he came under fire, it was rockets coming out of the DMZ. Richard Jackson got as deep into the foxhole as he could and the thought occurred to him, why the hell did I volunteer to come to Vietnam?
Carl Fedde - Army +6 Total Videos

42nd Infantry Platoon (Scout Dog), 101st Airborne

Fedde talks about an unfortunate event that happened while he was going through a village with his scout dog, after a man behind him open fired on a house nearby. He also talks about another close call he had where he almost got blown up by a hand grenade booby trap.
Jack Swallows - Marines +14 Total Videos

2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment

He had done his time as a forward observer. From his last forward post on Hill 22, Jack Swallows was moved back to the battery to become the fire direction officer. At Da Nang and An Hoa, he used his skills to direct fire on a number of missions, all of which had their own challenges.
Mo Erkins - Army +5 Total Videos

Multiple Units

He thought the military was for other folks, but the $27.90 per month for advanced ROTC students was attractive to Mo Erkins at Tuskegee University, so he decided to pursue his childhood dream of flying. He couldn't get in the Air Force program, but the Army gave him a chance to become an aviator.
Ron and Judie Richtsmeier - Army +9 Total Videos

Multiple Units

They met in Vietnam and got married on an adventurous R&R. Ron and Judie Richtsmeier were settling into married life while he was on a cushy assignment in Germany, but the war in Vietnam was not over. Their life together had one more combat deployment to survive.
Rick Hilton - Air Force +11 Total Videos

Multiple Units

With two tours there under his belt, Rick Hilton watched the tragic fall of Saigon on television. His feeling is that this should never happen again, that the American military is sent into war with it's hands tied and not allowed to win it.
Mo Erkins - Army +5 Total Videos

128th Assault Helicopter Company

His first missions in Vietnam were resupply runs, which were used to break in new pilots. Mo Erkins moved on to combat missions and on final approach to one of these, his tail rotor was hit and he was forced down. The maintenance officer wanted to know why he didn't keep flying the aircraft, but after he went to the field to retrieve it, he sought out the pilot to apologize.
Jesse Groves - Army +6 Total Videos

2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Division

Getting shot at was bad enough but not being able to take a shower really got to Jesse Groves when he had to stay in the field for weeks at a time. He had a new family, the men in his platoon, and they all smelled just as bad as he did. (Caution: strong language.)
Earl Simms - Army +8 Total Videos

Civil Affairs Advisor, Nhon Trach District

He truly liked the Vietnamese people, and as a Civil Affairs advisor, Earl Simms was responsible for bringing them aid and medical care, so they liked him right back. As part of a tightly knit unit with just 12 Americans, he looked forward to his turn to do the mail run into Bien Hoa for a change of pace.
Mo Erkins - Army +5 Total Videos

Multiple Units

Back home from Vietnam, helicopter pilot Mo Erkins had a little trouble readjusting, but he went on to a long, successful career in the Army. He rose to the rank of Colonel with the help and mentorship of good people he met along the way.
Mike Leonard - Air Force +14 Total Videos

Multiple Units

After flight school, Mike Leonard returned to the crew of a Lockheed Constellation, this time as a pilot. Based in Cape Cod and for a while in Iceland, he flew active air defense missions, no matter the weather.
LTG (Ret) Lawson W. Magruder III - Army +14 Total Videos

23rd Infantry Division (Americal)

He was on the way to brigade headquarters. Lawson Magruder had been designated Lieutenant of the Week, something the brigade commander liked to do to give young officers a taste of high level operations. At the end of the day, he had a great surprise.
Alex Ortolano - Army +7 Total Videos

57 Medical Detachment

In the distant past, medical evacuation wasn't always there to aid the wounded after a battle had gone down. Lt. Ortolano elaborates on the history of medical evacuation units and how they got to be as they are today.
Rick Groulx - Marines +4 Total Videos

Combined Action Platoon 1-2-7

Though he thought he would not re-enlist, he found himself back in the service within a year. After returning home, transitioning into civilian life was not at all easy for him as a Vietnam vet.
Jimmie Spencer - Army +12 Total Videos

Multiple Units

Despite minimal contact with civilians during his first tour of Vietnam, Jimmie Spencer developed a great curiosity about their culture. On his second tour, he was an advisor to the Regional and Popular Forces, local civilian militias, which was perfect for him. He was dismayed, however, at the callous attitude toward them held by most Americans. He was also grateful that the racial divisions in society back home did not penetrate to the unit level in the field.
Dick Sklar - Army +10 Total Videos

1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division

Dick Sklar remembers his time spent over Cambodia with his airborne division. Here, they had to set up a base for American troops out of absolutely nothing.
Carter Tucker - Navy +10 Total Videos

USS Bluegill (SSK-242)

After the first patrol, Carter Tucker's submarine returned to California and to it's home port. While on leave he got married, but he also injured his leg, so his time aboard submarines came to an end. Pursuing his calling as a minister led to a renewed desire to serve, this time as an Army chaplain.
Carl Scheidegg - Air Force +12 Total Videos

35th Tactical Fighter Squadron

F-4 pilot Carl Scheidegg was flying a mission near Hue when he looked down and saw three dust clouds erupt on the ground. With a sinking feeling, he looked up at a B-52 flight above him. He was between them and the target.
Thomas Gipson - Army +10 Total Videos

4th Aviation Battalion, 4th Infantry Division

The fog rolled in while he was out an a mission. Huey pilot Thomas Gipson had to divert from his base to a nearby base in Pleiku which had IFR capability, instrument flight rules. They would have to talk him down.
Jesse Tamayo - Army +5 Total Videos

Company C, 1st Medical Battalion

As the war started getting heavier, more and more patients were rushed to Tamayo's aid station for immediate care. During his time there, Bob Hope actually came to visit the country for a special Christmas show for the military. Tamayo was able to come home from Vietnam after spending a good amount of time in medical work, and was then stationed again as a medic in Germany. This would not be the last time he was in Vietnam, however.
Bennie Koon - Army +6 Total Videos

HHC 1st Battalion 5th Cavalry Regiment 1st Cavalry Division Air Mobile

When one of the Marine units supporting them left, Bennie Koon and his platoon had to think quickly to fill in the gaps to stay secure. In their down-time, they played games and drank beer, which became pretty habitual for him.
Al Stiles - Navy +16 Total Videos

USS Manley (DD-940)

Al Stiles remembers that it seemed to take forever steaming into home port at Charleston. The USS Manley had returned from Vietnam and he was anxious to see his wife. He adapted his letters home to her, along with deck logs and other materials into a book.
Jesse Tamayo - Army +5 Total Videos

Company C, 1st Medical Battalion

Tamayo remembers one instructor he had during his training days that sticks out in his mind. When his Battalion finished medical training, they shipped over to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. He describes the types of patients he had to work on and the people he worked with. His patients were from several infantry divisions. Since he didn't work in an actual hospital, it was his job to handle the simple minor injuries such as bullet wounds.