Photo In Uniform |
Service Details |
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Current Service Status
USA Retired
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Current/Last Rank
Specialist 4
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Current/Last Service Branch
Infantry
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Current/Last Primary MOS
91B20-Medical Specialist
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Current/Last MOS Group
Medical
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Primary Unit
1967-1968, 198th Light Infantry Brigade
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Previously Held MOS
91B10-Medical Specialist
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Service Years
1966 - 1968
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Official/Unofficial US Army Certificates
Golden Dragon Certificate
US Army Disabled Veteran Certificate
Cold War Certificate
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Voice Edition
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1967-1967, 91B10, 23rd Infantry Division (Americal)
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1967-1967, 91B10, HHC, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry
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1967-1967, 91B10, 198th Light Infantry Brigade
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1967-1968, 198th Light Infantry Brigade
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1967-1968, B Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry
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1967-1968, 23rd Infantry Division (Americal)
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1967-1968, 91B10, 198th Light Infantry Brigade
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1969, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Chapter 5 (Executive Director) (Bayonne, New Jersey)
- Chap. Page
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2005, Americal Division Veterans Association
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2013, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 700 (Recorder) (Washington, New Jersey)
- Chap. Page
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2014, ATWS Unit Historian
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2015, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Chapter 1002 (Member) (Stanhope, New Jersey)
- Chap. Page
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Reflections on SP 4 De Frank's
US Army Service
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PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE ARMY.
A lot happened in my life during June 1966. I was 21 years old, graduated from St. Peter's College with a B.S. in Economics, got married, rented a nice apartment in a two-family home, and started working for the Internal Revenue Service as a Revenue Officer. I felt like I was at the pinnacle of my life, invincible, so to speak, looking forward to a bright future. I was opening my mail one day and came across a rather official-looking envelope, the contents of which were about to change my life. The enclosed letter was dated September 21, 1966, and it stated: GREETINGS: You are hereby ordered to report for induction into the Armed Forces on October 7, 1966. I knew that the Vietnam War was escalating, so I was not at all shocked to get this letter. I reflected briefly on how I had not protected myself from the draft. I could have applied for Graduate School. I could have completed four years of R.O.T.C. at St. Peter's College but dropped out after two years. I would then have been commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and could have chosen the Finance Corp. But it was too late now. I realized that not only was I not invincible, instead, but I'd also be going to a place where I would learn how vulnerable I actually was. I knew a little about the war from the media, but I did not know anyone who had been drafted, and I had a different idea about what my life was going to be like. All I knew about war was what I had learned many years ago from my Dad, a veteran of World War II in the Army Corp of Engineers. However, Vietnam was not a conventional war. It sounded more like a "ghost" war, fighting an often unknown enemy in unknown territory. I did not relish the idea of going off somewhere to be trained to kill, but most of all, I hated having to leave my wife, family, friends, and job. But I knew it was my duty, and I just wanted to get it over with and come back home to pick up where I had left off. Who knew that in about 17 months, I would reflect on the prophetic words of a college classmate who went on to grad school and said I would probably wind up getting shot in the ass in the elephant grass of Vietnam???
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WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
I arrived in Fort Dix Reception Center and was rudely introduced to long lines, lousy food, sleepless nights, and two concepts that seemed to permeate my entire service in the Army. These two concepts were 'Hurry Up and Wait" and "Lack of Information." You were always rushing somewhere and then waiting forever to do whatever. You never knew where you were going, when you were going, or what you were going to do until a few hours before it was time. I was hoping to receive my basic training in Fort Dix, close to home, and be able to see my family and friends on Sundays. But the Army kept me in suspense for almost three weeks. Several groups of new recruits came through during those three weeks and got assigned to Fort Dix, but one night, we were gathered at the "red speaker stand" and informed that we were shipping out to Fort Hood, Texas, the following day. Basic training at Ft. Hood in Killeen, TX, was not the easiest place to socialize - you were either working or sleeping most of the time. Nevertheless, I formed friendships with several recruits, and the group of men as a whole shared the bond of commonality. I learned tolerance, trust, and understanding for others during the eight weeks of basic training. We experienced some of the toughest physical work of our lives - up at 4:30 AM, running two miles, endless push-ups and pull-ups, calisthenics, obstacle courses, marches with a 65-pound backpack, hand-to-hand combat, weapons qualification, the art of war, kill or be killed, first aid, general orders, guard duty, and KP. I learned to coexist with the Army. Keep your hair short, your brass and boots polished, and your mouth shut. I graduated Basic Training and was informed that my MOS ('Mission of Service') was 91B20, Combat Medical Specialist. We were all granted a two-week leave for Christmas. I would then report to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, for Combat Medic training. By this time, I had come to hate the Army, but this assignment made me feel much better. It meant that my primary mission in Vietnam would be to save lives rather than take lives. I spent the next ten weeks at Fort Sam Houston, completing Advanced Individual Training as a Combat Medical Specialist. Fort Sam Houston is where I learned how to save lives in combat. The training was intensive - everything from basic first aid for various wounds and ailments to caring for patients in a hospital setting. It was almost like being back in college. There were classes on anatomy, vital signs, shock, splints, dysentery, immunizations, IV therapy, blood tests, resuscitation, sucking chest wounds, bandages of all types, infection, malaria, transporting and evacuating the wounded, triage (aid stations or hospitals), tagging and bagging the dead (mortuary). We were tested often and paid close attention to this serious business of saving lives since this would eventually be our primary mission in Vietnam. The Army extended some of us an invitation to sign up for Officers Candidate School, a three-month training course which, if you passed, would get you a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. It meant a safer, more comfortable job in an aid station or hospital and much more pay, but you had to sign up for three more years. I only had 19 months left and just wanted to get it over with ASAP. So I decided to take my chances as a Specialist 4th Class Combat Medic. I returned to Fort Hood, Texas, for additional orders when the training was completed. On May 17, 1967, I got official orders that I was being assigned to the First of the Sixth Infantry, 198th Light Infantry Brigade, nicknamed 'The Brave and Bold.' It was part of the Americal Division, and I was assigned to Company B as the 1st Platoon Medic. We would receive "simulated jungle" training in Fort Hood until we were deployed, but there were no details as to when and how we would go. Light Infantry units had become a popular and successful way to fight in Vietnam. They sort of lived off the land, carried out daily missions in their area of operation, got re-supplied in the field, and rarely went to a base camp for an extended time. We trained intensely as a unit over the next four months and developed a camaraderie that would ease the transition into combat. We finally got our orders, alternated two-week leaves during August, packed up the Brigade when we returned, and flew to Oakland, California, where we boarded a troop ship named the USNS Upshur, bound for Vietnam. The journey across the Pacific took approximately three weeks. This ship had two large holds, forward and aft, with accommodations for 416 officers and 1748 enlisted men. We passed under the Golden Gate Bridge, wondering if this was the last thing we would see of America. Quarters were cramped, bunks stacked four high, and the sleeping compartment smelled bad. The food was lousy, and the seas were rough, especially over the first couple of days. We were expected to keep fit and had to participate in the "daily dozen" workouts on the deck each day. I got lucky after a couple of days and was assigned to the medical unit. I got to sleep comfortably in the hospital bay (sometimes on the floor if the beds were full) rather than the cramped, smelly sleeping compartment, and I got to eat in the officer's mess rather than the "messy" galley. I was also quite lucky that I never got seasick, but I kept busy treating those who did. We crossed the 180th meridian International Dateline on October 11, 1967. We were initiated into the Royal Order of the Golden Dragon, a crazy Navy tradition, the details of which are sworn to secrecy. When the wind blasted across the Pacific, some of the guys looked slightly green. We were to learn in only a few months that we were indeed green troops -- new to the realities of war. Within a year, over 100 of the approximately 550 soldiers from the 1st Bn 6th Infantry would be dead. We had an overnight stop in Okinawa, and on October 22, 1967, we docked in Da Nang, 19 days after the start of our voyage. We got onto an LST and proceeded down the coast to Chu Lai, a secure base camp in central Vietnam along the South China Sea. We were the first element of the 198th to come ashore at Chu Lai. After three days, we went to Duc Pho, where we earnestly began our combat tour as a light infantry brigade. We had brief initial operations south of Duc Pho and additional combat training with battle-hardened 3rd Brigade soldiers and 4th Infantry. Our main area of operations was the Batangan Peninsula, Quang Ngai Province. Our main mission was to secure the installation at Chu Lai from the enemy ground, mortar, and rocket attacks. It included a base camp, an airstrip, and 17,000 men of the Americal Division Headquarters, who provided necessary logistical support to infantrymen in the field. Ironically, I was wounded but survived the bloodiest battle fought by the Americal Division at Lo Giang on February 8, 1968, only to be medevaced out of Vietnam on February 21, 1968, after being wounded by friendly fire. I was medically retired from the Army on December 10, 1968, after spending nine months at Valley Forge Hospital.
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IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
Tet Offensive 1968 - It was the eve January 30, 1968, of the Vietnamese New Year (Tet Nguyen Nan) and we heard there would be a cease-fire for part of the seven-day celebration. That day, all hell broke loose. We heard rumors of the broken truce and widespread attacks by the NVA and VC in major cities throughout South Vietnam. The news of this major offensive was soon confirmed and we were on alert around the clock.
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DID YOU ENCOUNTER ANY SITUATION DURING YOUR MILITARY SERVICE WHEN YOU BELIEVED THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY YOU MIGHT NOT SURVIVE? IF SO, PLEASE DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME.
Posing in this photo is Tom Caldwell's squad, who all survived the Battle of Lo Giang. From left to right are Joe Dahinden, Tom Dunithan (later KIA), Dave Knopblock, Bobby Miltenberg, Tom Caldwell, and Stinky Brennan(RIP) squatting. Tet Offensive 1968 - It was the eve January 30, 1968, of the Vietnamese New Year (Tet Nguyen Nan) and we heard there would be a cease-fire for part of the seven-day celebration. That day, all hell broke loose. We heard rumors of the broken truce and widespread attacks by the NVA and VC in major cities throughout South Vietnam. The news of this major offensive was soon confirmed and we were on alert around the clock. Task Force Miracle - We were ordered back to Chu Lai and then went by Chinook to a Marine base camp near Da Nang to participate in Task Force Miracle. We arrived on the morning of February 8, 1968, and, within the hour we were in a deuce and a half being transported to a location near where the Marines had been heavily engaged with a large enemy force. My platoon took a position as part of a blocking force and we moved slowly, on line, dike by dike, toward the village of Lo Giang where there were supposedly 100 VC. It was not until much later that we found out that the intelligence information had been wrong and there were actually some 400 well-fortified NVA Regulars in the village. Just after we crossed a chest-deep creek, we heard the sound of mortars. At first, we thought it was our mortar platoon but soon realized they were incoming from the village. They had us zeroed in and were walking the mortars all around us. Talk about a frightening experience!!! Then small arms fire was coming from the village and we all started firing in that direction. I expended a full clip from my M-16 when I heard the cry for a Medic. I maneuvered to the wounded soldier. He had been hit in the side of his gut, mainly because he had his flak jacket wide open. I began to bandage the wound and a mortar dropped in real close. I was momentarily blinded but only sustained a few scratches on my face, arms, and hands. The wounded man took another piece of shrapnel that had cut through the top of his boot and penetrated his foot near the arch. After bandaging his wounds, another guy and I carried him back across the creek to a pre-designated Medevac location while dodging mortars all the way. The rest of the platoon had maneuvered to the left to avoid being outflanked by the enemy. I was never so frightened in my entire life and thought for sure we would be killed. Then the mortars stopped and the wounded man was evacuated along with several others. I eventually found out that shrapnel had passed thru his liver, his spleen was removed and he was in fair condition. Our entire company retreated from the blocking position for re-supply and we watched our artillery and jets bombard the village. We found out about American losses from some guys in A or C Companies. They were filthy and quite disheveled and their eyes had widened until the pupils, lost in an expanse of white, were focused on nothing at all. Veterans called it “the thousand-yard stare.” Every once in awhile a mortar found its way into our new position. The airstrikes and artillery continued well into darkness. The next day we swept through the village and found several dead Americans who had been part of the attacking force. They had been the victims of an enemy ambush. There were several tied to trees and shot in the head. We called in choppers and lifted the dead out wrapped in their ponchos. They were awfully heavy and we were awfully depressed. Then we found one of our guys alive. It was a miracle that he had been out there all night and survived. He said he had a badly sprained ankle during the attack and hid in a tree line all night. He said he saw the NVA shooting at bodies lying on the ground, but fortunately, they never found him. His biggest fear was that he would be hit by our own air and artillery strikes. But the Lord was with him. We moved through the village, took a body count, and gathered the weapons, equipment, and supplies that had been left behind. There were multiple shallow graves and we found socks tied together filled with boiled rice on many of the bodies. I guess that was their food rations. The fiercest fighting had been done by A & C Companies who lost 20 men killed and about 40 wounded. Another two soldiers of the 1st Bn 6th Infantry were killed and 28 wounded. It was a costly battle. The 198th had won its first major battle, considering over 250 of the enemy had been killed in the village and we were told that the rest had been captured or killed as they tried to "di di mau." (Vietnamese words for go, go quickly.) Most had been killed by the air and artillery strikes. A Colonel and a General inspected the location and congratulated the 198th for a job well done. We were glad to be alive and very sad for those who didn't make it. I was informed that I was being recommended for a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart. I was just happy that I was able to do my job under real pressure and that the three of us had gotten out okay, as well as the rest of my platoon. After that battle, the 198th was referred to by some as 'The Da Nang Gang." We received a Valorous Unit Citation for the victory at Lo Giang. Ironically, after surviving the bloodiest battle that the Americal Division fought during its four years in Nam, I was wounded by "friendly fire" and medevacked out on February 21, 1968. I spent nine months in Valley Forge General Hospital prior to discharge on December 10, 1968.
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OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
My fondest memories are of medical training at Ft. Sam Houston and my least favorite memories are of Basic Training at Ft. Hood. San Antonio was a much nicer place than Killeen - much more scenic and better things to see and do during non-duty hours. The food was better, the pace was a bit slower and Sunday was a day of rest. I, went to the annual HemisFair, dined in restaurants, strolled along the River Walk, and many other waterways throughout the city and even spent a night in a Mexican border town. I also visited the Alamo and couldn't resist climbing up on the monument for a pic with my childhood hero, Davy Crockett.
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FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
The Battle of Lo Giang stands out the most as it was our Baptism of Fire. The battle itself was part of Task Force Miracle, which was formed in February 1968 during the enemy's Tet offensive when the city of Da Nang was threatened by the 60th Main Force Viet | The Da Nang Gang |
Cong Battalion. The 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, and 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry assisted the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines near highway QL1 just south of the Cau Do River in the fighting. After four days of fierce fighting, the threat to Da Nang was over and the task force was deactivated and returned to the Americal Division area of operation. The 198th had won its first major battle, considering over 250 of the enemy had been killed in the village and we were told that the rest had been captured or killed as they tried to "di di mau." (Vietnamese words for go, go quickly.) Most had been killed by the air and artillery strikes. A Colonel and a General inspected the location and congratulated the 198th for a job well done. We were glad to be alive and very sad for those who didn't make it. I was informed that I was being recommended for a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart. I was just happy that I was able to do my job under real pressure and that the three of us had gotten out okay, as well as the rest of my platoon. After that battle, the 198th was referred to by some as 'The Da Nang Gang." We received a Valorous Unit Citation for the victory at Lo Giang.
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WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
At Fort Sam Houston I completed Advanced Individual Training as a Combat Medical Specialist. The training was intensive - everything from basic first aid for a variety of wounds and ailments to caring for patients in a hospital setting. It was almost like being back in college. There were classes on the anatomy, vital signs, shock, splints, dysentery, immunizations, IV therapy, blood tests, resuscitation, sucking chest wounds, bandages of all types, infection, malaria, transporting and evacuating the wounded, triage (aid stations or hospitals), tagging and bagging the dead (mortuary). We were tested often and paid close attention to this serious business of saving lives since this would eventually be our primary mission in Vietnam.
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OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
Combat Medic Badge - Knowing my mission was to save lives changed my whole perspective of being in the Army. Purple Heart - The color is purple and it cannot be defiled. It is the combat award most respected, least desired. The basic price for the chance to have one pinned on your chest is BLOOD; the ultimate price needs no validation. It is made up of pain, skin, muscle, nerve ends, bone, and blood folded into a mix of duty, courage, gallantry, decision, and honor. It is then left to harden in the glare of history, memory, and appraisal, and becomes an indestructible chunk of pride.
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WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
Brave and Bold Brothers of B Company, 1/6 Infantry, 198th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. I salute you. You are the ones who answered when you were called to serve. You are the ones who fought bravely and endured a terrible war in a terrible place. You are the ones | B, 1//6, 198th LIB, Americal Reunion 2013 |
for whom the words duty, honor, the country have real meaning because you have lived those words and the meaning behind those words. You are my brothers in arms, and I am not ashamed to say that I love you. Whatever people have come to think of NAM, it was something very near and dear to our hearts so long ago. I believe there are no winners or losers in the war, only the ones that lived, and the ones that died. We the ones that lived must live every day to the fullest, for the ones that died. Many of us still question why and cannot tell the reason why we stand here now except to honor those who fell for our country. I dedicate this piece in honor of the memory of all our fallen comrades and also to those of us that survived and now keep our brothers' memory alive. I will always cherish the camaraderie that developed among a group of "Brave and Bold" soldiers who were willing to fight and die for each other. We began as strangers. We became friends. We became one with each other. We remain as one forever. Once Strangers...Forever Brothers!
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LIST THE NAMES OF OLD FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH, AT WHICH LOCATIONS, AND RECOUNT WHAT YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THEM. INDICATE THOSE YOU ARE ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH AND THOSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH.
| 1st Platoon, B, 1/6, 198th LIB |
TOP PICTURE: Upper: ( ??) Middle: LT Lynn Noel Apple Lower: Ron Martin BOTTOM PICTURE: Top Row: (??), Jerry Haussels, Ernie Baker, James Griffin (RIP), Ken Rowland Bottom Row: Dave Knoblock, Ron Martin, Dan Ritson, Ted Andrews
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CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Christmas 1967, in the field - We got the word that hot meal was being choppered out to us and we're quite happy to find that it included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, greens, coffee, pie, and even ice cream - delivered right out there in Dinkland - in green Marmite containers by Huey. You could sense the apprehension of the support personnel who brought the food. They were not used to being in the field. While they were happy to serve us, they were much happier to return to a safe base camp. It was rather difficult to handle a 7-course dinner in a mess kit. but I did not want to pass up the ice cream. So they piled it on top of the other courses and I ate it first before it melted. It was the strangest dinner I ever ate, but somehow, it was awfully good. For two weeks we were on a hill, having replaced a Republic of Korea (ROK) Marine unit that had just completed an 18-month tour of duty. Almost every morning at dawn, we experienced an AK-47 clip being fired up at us. One morning, I was sitting on the two-holler on the side of the hill when the AK-47 started firing. It was well out of range and you could almost catch the rounds. Then someone got behind a fifty caliber machine gun and fired away at the tree line below, chopping it up. Then a patrol would go out and find nothing. It was almost a daily ritual. For two weeks, we pulled guard duty at the Binh Son Bridge along Highway 1. It was a pleasant change of pace to be able to swim in the nearby Song Tra Bong River every day. We got to mingle with some of the civilians and Vietnamese soldiers (ARVN's), who was also guarding the bridge. Some of the soldiers spoke pretty good English and liked to play cards for money. After the engineers swept for mines early in the morning, you would see quite an array of highway traffic. It included U.S. and ARVN jeeps, various trucks, occasional tanks or Armored Personnel Carriers, swarms of civilian people-movers, including motorcycles, pedal rickshaws, motor-bike taxis, scooters, an occasional car, and, of course, the ubiquitous open minibus painted in gaudy pastels and striping and loaded with 8-12 people, chickens, pigs, dogs, bags, boxes, bicycles, babies, baskets of dried fish. Every day a bunch of young children was selling soda, greeting cards, ice, silk clothing, and pajamas. I also remember some of them stealing whatever they could from us. But there was one small boy - no more than 5 years old - who caught my attention. I took some pictures of him: standing with my M-16 (empty cartridge) and steel helmet; saluting; and with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. This young boy, who we called Tee Wee, would challenge naive G.I.'s to a game of Tic Tac Toe. He knew how not to lose and amazingly won a lot of money from the guys. He would also take whatever he could get his hands on when we weren't looking. I entitled the picture where he was holding my M-16 the "End of Innocence." Then there were the young women with silk dresses and parasols, being driven along Highway 1 on motor scooters by Vietnamese men, to relieve the tension of some of our young single guys for a small price. Little children would lift up the canvas covers on the bunker windows, peek in, and run around the bunker laughing and yelling "boom-boom." We called these women ladies of the day. I warned our guys about using protection. Mail Call was always an adventure. I got a package once (mailed three weeks earlier) and coming apart at the seams. In it were Krushchickies (probably not spelled correctly), those flaky cookies with the powdered sugar, from my Polish in-laws. Well, we all ate them, down to the last crumb, and had a lot of laughs. You had to be there to appreciate the humorous exchanges after a long day in the bush.
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WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
| Me & My WW II Buddy, Vinnie Sabatino (RIP) |
I had a 36-year career with the IRS, including 30 years as a manager. I retired in January 2002. I now spend time visiting family and friends, attending military reunions and gatherings of former IRS employees, and frequenting the local VA Medical center as a patient and as a volunteer member of the Center of Health and Wellness Veterans Voice Committee. I have participated in the NJ VA Healthcare system since I retired from the IRS. I met Vinnie Sabatino, another Army Combat Medic, at the VA Wellness Gym in 2005 and we became good friends, sharing endless stories of our military experiences over the years until he sadly passed in 2017 at the age of 98.
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WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
Americal Division Veterans Association, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart. Membership in these associations has allowed me to reunite with many with whom I served, to help other veterans, and to stay connected with those who shared similar military experiences.
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
While there were not many good memories, I will always remember the Brave and Bold (motto of the 198th Light Infantry Brigade) men I met and I will always cherish the camaraderie that developed among a group of soldiers who were willing to fight and die for each other. Basic Training | Motto of the 198th LIB |
at Ft. Hood, Texas -- I was now in a strange place where all of the people I knew and interacted with had been taken out of my life and replaced by an incredibly diverse cross-section of Americans - Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Whites - rich and poor country-bred and city-dweller - Southern drawls and Brooklyn accents - Grand Ole Opry and Motown sounds. We were all so remarkably different in so many ways. Of course, the Army set out to make us just as much alike as it possibly could. Basic training was not the easiest place to socialize - you were either working or sleeping most of the time. Nevertheless, I formed friendships with several recruits, and the group of men as a whole shared the bond of commonality. I learned tolerance, trust, and understanding for others during the eight weeks of basic training. Combat in Vietnam --The fear of death. How would it happen? Would it be a booby trap, enemy fire, friendly fire, an accident, the bite of a bamboo viper -- a small green snake the size and color of a blade of grass-- which gave you about 45 seconds to blow your own head off before the agony began. Or would it be the dreaded claymore mine -- a curved tray of explosives with hundreds of 1/2 inch steel balls glued on the face -- which the enemy often stole from base camp perimeters or ambush formations, right out from under some GIs nose and used against us in the field. You came to love your buddies, who you knew were also experiencing the most horrendous, dangerous, profound experience of your lives. The friendships made in this pressure-cooker atmosphere were special. You were aware that they might die at any minute and you fought the normal emotions and did not let yourself get too close to many of them. My memories are both good and bad. War was like hell on earth. It was no fun dodging bullets, mortars, rockets and never knowing day to day whether you would ever see home and family again. The military takes a lot out of a man and gives very little in return. It is not glamorous, exciting, or enjoyable. I have often thought about the many maimed and dead honor-bound young men who never hurt a soul and I am sure my comrades often wondered if one of us would be the next to be carried out on a litter or, worse yet, in a body bag. There is no glory in war, and in Vietnam, there was not even a ‘Well Done’ or a bit of gratitude on the part of the country that sent its sons to fight.
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BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE ARMY?
Be all that you can be. Never forget that freedom isn't free. Know that you are part of a brotherhood that is willing to sacrifice everything for God, Family, and Country.
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
It has allowed me to tell my story and share it with others who have served and also with family and friends. I like the ease of navigation and how it reconnects those with whom we served and to meet veterans with similar backgrounds. "God handpicks His combat medics...next to God, a grunt's best friend." KC 12.18.23
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