Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

COMBAT STORIES FROM Vietnam

A Kim | 5th Marine Regiment

125 | comm

Share

Share to email

More From A Kim

Showing : Vietnam Videos

Joe Galloway (Co-author of +13 Total Videos

Civilian Journalist

Back home in the States, reporter Joe Galloway was disturbed by the treatment of returning Vietnam vets and eager to tell his story about the Ia Drang battle. A new job with U.S. News & World Report allowed him to do that and it resulted in a best selling book authored by him and Hal Moore, the American commander at the battle.
Lester Erving - Army +2 Total Videos

U.S. Army, Team 51

Mr. Erving describes what the purposes and duties were for Team 51 during his second tour of Vietnam.
Marshall Carter - Marines +16 Total Videos

1st Marine Division

After a break for grad school, Marshall Carter returned for a second Vietnam tour but this time he was an adviser to the South Vietnamese Marines. He speaks highly of them but says that Gen. Westmoreland's neglect of South Vietnamese forces contributed to their eventual defeat.
Jim Benson - Marines +14 Total Videos

I Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division

It was his first patrol as a platoon leader and they were only a thousand yards out when Jim Benson encountered his first booby trap. He thought, is it this bad here? He found out that his platoon was not very disciplined, not even using flank security when moving. That all changed, but not before he lost a promising young corporal who ignored a basic rule.
Armand Chapeau - Coast Guard +7 Total Videos

USCGC Alert (WMEC-630)

Upset that the politicians “gave it away” after the troops had “won the war twice,” Armand Chapeau still had a long satisfying Coast Guard career after his return from Vietnam.
Bud Alley - Army +13 Total Videos

2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry

Bud Alley's best days in Vietnam were the days he returned to find that everyone had made it back alive. He was encouraged by daily correspondence with his family, which he stores chronologically so he can reconstruct his experience. He regrets that he is still seen as a baby killer by some, but he says that the Vietnam vets are the real greatest generation because they had to put up with all that crap. As for the future, stay informed and vote carefully.
Sam Pyle - Air Force +7 Total Videos

632 Security Police Squadron

Sam Pyle saw the two kinds of horror in war, the personal, as Viet Cong killed nuns and orphans, and the impersonal, as the incessant mortar attacks killed seemingly at random. A very close round gave him a concussion and hearing loss.
Lee Ellis - Air Force +23 Total Videos

390th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 366th Tactical Fighter Wing

After he moved back to the Hanoi Hilton, Ellis was actually elected by his fellow prisoners to be one of their French professors following one prisoner's demand to have a custom education program put in place. He mentions how he moved around a lot before his eventual release on March 14, 1973.
Bob Atkinson - Marines +17 Total Videos

K Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment

Bob Atkinson's favorite C-ration was the pound cake, and he tells about finding something unusual in his cake. R&R seemed non-existent but he did have one six day leave and met his mother in Hawaii because he was sure he would not survive the war. Flying back, he marveled at how pretty the country looked from the air.
David Andrews - Army +9 Total Videos

17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division

David Andrews explains how they prepared for the heat of the jungle, and describes all of the diseases and other dangers of the region.
LtGen Mac Armstrong - Air Force +6 Total Videos

8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 433rd Fighter Squadron

A Chinese soldier managed to return an Air Force Class Ring back to the family of the fallen soldier, Pat Wynne, who Mac Armstrong knew from his time in Vietnam. This gave them closure on how he passed while flying over North Vietnam.
Jerry Sinn - Army +6 Total Videos

Multiple Units

His most vivid memory of Vietnam? It was the way his commander broke the news that he and his men would get no rest before leaving one battlefield for the next. His worst day? It involved rocket fire and a tourniquet. During all this, he was oblivious to news or media.
David Harrington - Army +6 Total Videos

47th Infantry Division

David Harrington recounts his time as a platoon leader leading a mission to wipe out enemy combatants. After taking control over a small village, David Harrington called for artillery but an error with the maps led to some rounds coming too close for comfort.
Grayson Roulston - Army +7 Total Videos

3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, B. Co

Moving to a small village called Rach Kien, Grayson Roulston and his company sought to suppress enemy forces. While there, they found out how good at hiding the VC really were and the challenges they would have to face in trying to eliminate them.
Bill Cunningham - Marines +24 Total Videos

Multiple Units

Marine aviator Bill Cunningham describes the aborted takeoff which caused him to flip his aircraft at the end of the runway. It was a faulty part but there were other hazards in training, like towing the target for the others to shoot. Then there was more carrier training, which was very dangerous.
Walt Russell - Army +5 Total Videos

1st Cavalry Division

First, Walt Russell’s neurologist told him to get used to watching TV because he could not hold a job. Then the loan examiner told him he could not handle law school. After years of public service in elected office, he had proven them both wrong.
James Trapp - Air Force +9 Total Videos

F-105D Crew Chief

Mr. Trapp describes the jet mechanic training he received in Texas prior to the war.
Dennis Haines - Army +15 Total Videos

C Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 199th Light Infantry Brigade

As if getting shot in the head wasn’t enough, Dennis Haines had many complications on his road to recovery, including a serious infection. He was amused, however, by the process of molding the plastic plate to cover the missing part of his skull.
Allen Robinson - Navy +4 Total Videos

USS Jamestown AGTR-3

Having learned the Thai language and mastered radio school, Allen Robinson deployed to Vietnam where he was stationed on an intelligence ship, monitoring and transcribing broadcasts. When he was ashore, the Thai people were delighted to find a Westerner who could speak their language.
Gary Campbell - Army +5 Total Videos

196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Div.

Gary Campbell discusses the discovery of an abandoned NVA (North Vietnamese Army) tunnel system.
Dennis Haines - Army +15 Total Videos

C Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 199th Light Infantry Brigade

Arriving in Vietnam, Dennis Haines got a quick lesson in weapons safety when a soldier dropped a grenade in practice. He also met Jack Kirchner, who was from the same area at home and the two became great friends.
Frank Cox - Marines +23 Total Videos

F Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division

The decision was made to evacuate the villagers while booby traps and bunkers were destroyed. An old woman walked up to forward observer Frank Cox and started kicking the ground and giving him grief. This led to a surprising friendship.
Gordon Roberts - Army +7 Total Videos

B Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

Gordon Roberts was walking point when the third man in line was dropped by enemy fire. Unfortunately, he was the M-60 machine gunner who usually supplied the suppressive fire, so it was up to Roberts who managed to find the bunker and fire through the port with his M-16. Then came the fire from the second bunker.
Paul Kaupas - Marines +7 Total Videos

1st CA Group, 3rd Marines

Paul Kaupas remembers some memorable moments from his training at Fort Pendleton. After that, they left for Vietnam and arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Craig Leyda - Army +3 Total Videos

9th Cavalry Regiment

Craig Leyda describes the devastating firepower of the Cobra helicopter and the aftermath of rocket attacks.
Ed Zielinski - Army +7 Total Videos

129th Assault Helicopter Company, 1st Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade

He was days from going home so helicopter pilot Ed Zielinski had an easy resupply mission with a green co-pilot. They were done and heading back when the mayday call came in. Two Cobra pilots were down and fighting for their lives. He turned to the rookie and said, "OK, we're going to the war." (Caution:Coarse language)
Grayson Roulston - Army +7 Total Videos

3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, B. Co

During one mission, they were ambushed by enemy forces, leaving himself and others wounded. After they began to engage the enemy, they had retreated and the Medevacs were called in to gather the injured.
Larry Jennings - Army +9 Total Videos

1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division

The patrols at the forward fire base were the scariest thing Larry Jennings did while in Vietnam. He was the supply sergeant but he also supported the line companies on their missions. Trip wires, rockets from bamboo tubes and mined bridges were a few of the dangers he faced. Then there was the sacred water buffalo.
Sam Pyle - Air Force +7 Total Videos

632 Security Police Squadron

The different culture of Vietnam was puzzling to Sam Pyle when he arrived fresh from home. Men holding hands? Next to the Air Force base was a Navy base, where Sam was sorry he went on a ride-along out on patrol.
Maurice Northcutt - Army +1 Video

69th Engineer Battalion

"Bud" Northcutt talks about how well he witnessed local civilians being treated by U.S. troops in both Vietnam and Korea.