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Fred Wiley

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Fred Wiley almost missed shipping out with his unit because he got sick just before embarkation. He was allowed to go at the last minute and after a fast Atlantic crossing on an ocean liner, he was training in England for the coming invasion. (3:48)

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It was June 7th, D-Day plus one, when Fred Wiley went ashore on Omaha Beach and saw the grim aftermath of the previous day. There was no resistance moving inland at first, but soon enemy artillery and even some friendly fire became a problem. As the company runner to battalion headquarters, it was not his job to fire at the enemy. (4:57)

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At Saint-Lo, Fred Wiley spent most of the battle in a foxhole. As company runner, it was his job to transfer messages and orders between G Company and battalion headquarters. When he was out on a run, it could get very dangerous, especially if you forgot the password. Later, during the advance across France, he was happy to find a barn to sleep in. It was comfortable but it came with a rude awakening. (4:20)

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More timely treatment might have saved his eye, but Fred Wiley was walking wounded and there were more grievously wounded soldiers that were attended to first. What really surprised him was that after losing the eye, he was sent back into service instead of home. At least it was MP duty so it was relatively safe. (5:46)

Freddie Owens

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He had already been in the Army for four years, serving in Germany and seeing the construction of the Berlin Wall. Freddie Owens then went to Fort Benning where he trained many of the men who would ship out to Vietnam with him. They went the old fashioned way, by troop ship. (5:34)

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No one got any sleep that first night in Vietnam. Freddie Owens recalls the tension among the men, most of whom he had trained. This bond would make it tough for him later on when the dying started. His unit went straight into the field and stayed there. Not a chance they would get to see Bob Hope but they did claim to run into some Chinese troops. (5:31)

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As the battle of the Ia Drang Valley began, Freddie Owens had to hunker down and listen to the fire from a couple of miles away. He knew there were enemy battalions in there and he feared a bloodbath. Moving in the second day, he saw the grim results of the battle so far, an unbelievable scene of death and destruction. (7:48)

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Freddie Owens shares his experiences during the ill-fated march to Landing Zone Albany during the battle of the Ia Drang Valley. His company was attached to another unit and was bringing up the rear. He credits his company commander, George Forrest, with saving them after the column walked into an ambush. (9:41)

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Freddie Owens reflects on the heroic actions of Capt. George Forrest during the battle of the Ia Drang Valley. He saved the day, but still, men were lost. One was the baby of the unit, eighteen year old Vincent Locatelli. Owens felt that if he could keep young Vincent alive, he could do it for the others. (4:38)

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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. (9:58)