COMBAT STORIES FROM Vietnam

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Showing : Vietnam Videos

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  Tommy Clack - Army +8 Total Videos

  C Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division

  In a letter home, Tommy Clack expressed his worry that something bad was going to happen and it did when his unit engaged the NVA near the Cambodian border. He saw the enemy soldier stand and fire the RPG that changed his life forever.

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  George Forrest - Army +11 Total Videos

  1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment

  They were hunkered down after fierce fighting when the call came from "Ghost 4-6." It was a group of wounded men who had pulled themselves together after the ill fated march to LZ Albany and were lost in the dark. George Forrest sent a patrol to find them, and in an incredible act of bravery, medic Daniel Torres stayed through the night with them and saved many men. Captain Forrest still had to write a gut-wrenching letter to the mother of a missing soldier. Part 3 of 4.

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  LtGen Ron Christmas - Marines +16 Total Videos

  H Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division

  As Marine Captain Ron Christmas fought to regain the city of Hue, he found the enemy adept at concealment and surprise. Every soldier in a spider hole was armed with a rifle and a RPG launcher. He also encountered a nun with an AK-47. His action during this time earned him the Navy Cross.

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  Stuart Jamison - Army +9 Total Videos

  9th Infantry Division (ARVN)

  Stuart Jamison recalls observing the reality and immediacy of death as his unit assaults a Viet Cong company during Phase II of the Tet Offensive.

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  Lee Ellis - Army Air Corps/Air Force +9 Total Videos

  390th Tactical Fighter Squadron

  Col. Lee Ellis (ret.) gives details about the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as "The Hanoi Hilton," where US servicemen were kept as Prisoners Of War.

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  Joe McDonald - Army +5 Total Videos

  A Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Division

  The RPG that severed Joe McDonald’s foot didn’t kill him. The machine gun fire that hit him as he still tried to help others didn’t kill him. The grenade taped to his hand might have killed him if the VC had found his hiding place.

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  Freddie Owens - Army +11 Total Videos

  A Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division

  After the column was devastated by an NVA ambush, wounded Americans were scattered in the darkness. After his captain heard one such group calling for help on the radio, Freddie Owens joined a patrol to find them, guided by a gunshot every few minutes. Once there, medic Daniel Torres volunteered to stay with those who couldn't move and protected them through the night with medicine and a machine gun.

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  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.

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  James Holmes - Army +5 Total Videos

  101st Airborne Division, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, A Company

  James Holmes remembers shipping off to Vietnam just before his 21st birthday. Since he had 4 years military experience, his leadership was essential to the success of their unit while stationed over there.

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  Mark Kramer - Marines +7 Total Videos

  C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines

  After only a few hours in Vietnam, Mark Kramer is sent to spend the night in a foxhole with 2 slightly more experienced soldiers. He soon learns he will be sent to Khe Sanh, where the Tet Offensive is already underway.

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  Larry Jennings - Army +9 Total Videos

  Marine Attack Squadron 333 (VMA-333)

  Larry Jennings was a little older than most of the guys he served with in Vietnam and he tried to steer them away from the bad choices that they could easily make. Many of them looked up to him and took his advice, including one who didn't make it.

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  Paul Hart - Army +6 Total Videos

  1st Cavalry Division, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, C Troop

  Paul Hart remembers two of his good friends from flight school, Ralph and Wylie. Helicopter pilots had a high risk of injury and death, but even decades later, Paul remembers these men and what happened to them both during and after Vietnam.

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  Tom Blake - Army +8 Total Videos

  11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division

  Tom Blake was the RECON Platoon leader and he depended heavily on his point man, Tex Quinn. You could bet a six pack on your location on the map and you'd lose. They used characters from Robin Hood for radio code names, but there was no fun and games if you were caught falling asleep on watch.

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  Roger Hamann - Army Air Corps/Air Force +3 Total Videos

  23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron

  Hamann returns to the US to serve the remainder of his military time close to his home in Maine. Just days into a new job, Hamann - who was never wounded in combat - loses an eye in a carpentry accident.

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  Galen Foster - Army +11 Total Videos

  196th Light Infantry Brigade

  Charlie was smart. You seldom saw him. An air strike would drive him into his tunnels but he would be back. Galen Foster describes just such an encounter, with friendly shrapnel flying all around. After that firefight, his unit was given an uncomfortable task, hosting an American news crew.

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  Omer McCants - Army +8 Total Videos

  162nd Assault Helicopter Company, 13th Combat Aviation Battalion

  It was flat in the delta. You could see for miles and that made for good flying, says helicopter pilot Omer McCants. It was wet, a lot of rain. Back at the base, they hung out in the officers club, where he spent a lot of time reading and writing letters home. He was aware of the anti-war movement, but it made no difference to him.

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  Bill Cunningham - Marines +24 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  It was a strange trip home. Bill Cunningham was in a full body cast and next to a patient who was ranting and raving. Then an engine went out, which caused him to make an urgent request to the nurse.

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  Roger Hamann - Army Air Corps/Air Force +3 Total Videos

  23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron

  Upon his arrival in Vietnam, Roger Hamann is assigned to serve as a "Rustic", communicating with French-speaking Cambodian troops from the back seat of an OV-10. Though he flies dozens of combat missions out of his Thailand air base, one in particular still haunts him.

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  Brian West - Marines +5 Total Videos

  HMM 363

  Brian West arrived in Danang as a First Lietenant, offloading in torrential rain, a metaphor for what was to come. After getting stationed at Marble Mountain, Brian West settled down into his company and started flying.

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  Donna Lowery - Army +2 Total Videos

  Women's Army Corps

  Donna Lowery learned how to live around base and take advantage of the surroundings. Rules were strict but they managed to still find time for some fun.

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  Mike Law - Army +8 Total Videos

  7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry, Headquarters Company B & C

  Mike Law remembers finishing school with plenty of flying time where he felt like he began to get proficient at flying. Operating his aircraft in Vietnam was always difficult with the NVA constantly shifting and having to learn their changing routes.

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  Ed Callison - Army +8 Total Videos

  493rd M.I. Detachment, 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division

  Ed Callison remembers his basic training and the important subject matter he learned throughout that to be as efficient a soldier as possible in Vietnam. Shipping off to Vietnam was very memorable as well.

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  Roger Hamann - Army Air Corps/Air Force +3 Total Videos

  23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron

  Hamann admires a Cambodian colonel and his soldiers, whose sacrifice was felt throughout the war. The Rustics feel guilt and dismay following orders to vacate the region, leaving their Cambodian allies to face communist aggression without US air support.

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  Brice Barnes - Army +9 Total Videos

  50th Signal Battalion

  For new soldiers in Vietnam, more training was imperative to get them ready for the changes they would face in country. During a mission, Brice Barnes found a huge weapons cache that they were worried might be more heavily guarded than they expected.

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  Robert Goddard - Navy +7 Total Videos

  Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light)3

  Navy gunship pilot Robert Goddard flew missions in support of ground troops in Vietnam. His Huey gunship had awesome firepower but he had to be careful when the situation called for firing very close to friendly forces.

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  Joe Chan - Army Air Corps/Air Force +4 Total Videos

  23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron

  Running day missions over the jungles was a constant threat for Joe Chan and other pilots. Running an efficient team on these missions was essential to success.

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  Larry Jennings - Army +9 Total Videos

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

  Larry Jennings saw some of the younger soldiers in Vietnam going astray with the local women, which he attributed to the very young age of the men. Out in the field, friendly fire was sometimes a problem, affecting our Australian and Korean allies as well.

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  Tracy Sheils - Marines +5 Total Videos

  1st Marine Regiment

  His one trip to the hospital was memorable. Fed up with the chaos and screaming, Tracy Sheils couldn't wait to get back to his unit. He talks about surviving an ambush, how he took up smoking and why that was a good thing, and why his flak jacket was worthless.

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  Dale Ney - Army +10 Total Videos

  173rd Airborne Brigade, 503rd Infantry Regiment

  There was no reason for them to be there. Dale Ney spotted a group of civilians working on a rubber plantation in a Communist stronghold. He fired in their direction and they scattered, but they had a radio and soon their compatriots set up an ambush which pinned down the Americans for over an hour.

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  Larry Jennings - Army +9 Total Videos

  Marine Attack Squadron 333 (VMA-333)

  Larry Jennings was in transit to a new outfit when the Viet Cong launched a furious attack on the holding company's base. Once that was over and he got to Pleiku, he was struck by the different environment that resembled his home. He was supply sergeant for an engineer company with a lot of heavy equipment, a tempting target for Charlie.