COMBAT STORIES FROM Vietnam

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Showing : Vietnam Videos

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  Mike Paque - Army +13 Total Videos

  2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division

  The airmen didn't like the infantry's dirty boots on their PX floor, but they changed their tune after a Viet Cong attack. Those infantry boys were welcome, after all. Mike Paque recalls that, after that incident, his entire division moved to the Cambodian border in a bid to clear out enemy refuges.

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  Freddie Owens - Army +11 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  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.

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  Omer McCants - Army +8 Total Videos

  162nd Assault Helicopter Company, 13th Combat Aviation Battalion

  He went because his country said go, not because he wanted to kill innocent people. Omer McCants still doesn't understand why his own countrymen treated returning Vietnam veterans so badly.

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  Rody Conway - Army +14 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command Vietnam

  Tet came to Rody Conway’s area in a big way. Word of a large uniformed force nearby brought in heavy airstrikes and his unit went in to do damage assessment. When they got there, they found out that the wrong spot had been bombed and they were in hot water.

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  Bill Cunningham - Marines +24 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  Marine Corps helicopter pilot Bill Cunningham served a ground tour in California, where he set up a second training location for pilots. The Marines needed many more because Vietnam was heating up and helicopters had become vital to their mission. During this time, he had an interesting excursion to Thailand, where he trained Thai pilots.

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  Freddie Owens - Army +11 Total Videos

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

  Freddie Owens says they paid no attention to news from home while in the field in Vietnam. They were trying to survive a war and didn't need the distraction. He certainly paid attention when he got home and there was a mob outside the airport.

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  Dan Spahn - Navy +2 Total Videos

  Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 11 (VAW-11)

  Following the evacuation of Saigon, Dan Spahn was on the USS Coral Sea when the big ship executed a rare U-turn. They were responding to the boarding of the SS Mayaguez, a merchant vessel, by the Khmer Rouge.

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  GEN Barry McCaffrey - Army +10 Total Videos

  1st Cavalry Division

  Being a battalion commander, Barry McCaffrey had a lot of responsibility, especially when they faced a month straight of combat against the NVA. Thanks to their great air support, they won almost every firefight.

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  Freddie Owens - Army +11 Total Videos

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

  Freddie Owens reveals his most vivid memory of Vietnam, the desperate run of Capt. George Forrest right through the middle of an ambush. He also talks about the best and worst days of his tour.

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  Rody Conway - Army +14 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command Vietnam

  Rody Conway’s first action with the South Vietnamese unit he was advising, was to aid in the rescue of four other advisors who were surrounded after their unit withdrew. He found a wounded friendly with a most interesting note pinned to his chest.

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  Frank Cox - Marines +23 Total Videos

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

  When forward observer Frank Cox was out on a mission, the artillery fire base was attacked by Viet Cong sappers, who managed to knock out one of the howitzers, along with an unpopular sergeant.

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  Joe Galloway (Co-author of +13 Total Videos

  Civilian Journalist

  Joe Galloway's best seller about the Ia Drang battle hit close to home for many veterans, and it inspired many to open up about their experiences. Then it became a big Hollywood film with a pretty good reality/fantasy ratio.

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  Frank Cox - Marines +23 Total Videos

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

  To complete the process of registering his artillery pieces on the target areas, Frank Cox went to the highest ground around. There he found an exotic anti-aircraft battery with a delusional commander who had an exaggerated sense of his mission and of the worth of his weapon system, the HAWK.

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  Ron Mastin - Air Force +6 Total Videos

  11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron

  Ron Mastin's first stop at the Hanoi Hilton was an area known as Heartbreak Hotel. One day he heard an American voice, the first he'd heard. "Do you know the tap code?" Once he had this, when he was near others, they could communicate. He still did not see another American until he got his first roommate.

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  Frank Cox - Marines +23 Total Videos

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

  The job of forward observer is a vital one in combat and Frank Cox describes how he did his job in Vietnam. The forward observer feeds data to the artillery battery for targeting the enemy. On one memorable mission, he called in over 1700 rounds, a record at the time.

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  Tommy Clack - Army +8 Total Videos

  II Field Force, USARV

  The first thing that Tommy Clack learned after arriving in Vietnam was that his training was outdated and irrelevant to the conditions on the battlefield. Still, he adapted and overcame as he worked to train others on new munitions.

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  Dennis Haines - Army +15 Total Videos

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

  Fire from an approaching enemy killed Larry Rycroft and wounded Bob Needham and Kenny Pepper. Dennis Haines laments that they could not fire in time because of the Rules of Engagement.

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  Aaron Watkins - Army +8 Total Videos

  179th Assault Helicopter Company

  When he got there, the smell of Vietnam hit him hard. On his first day, a rocket attack hit the air base where he landed and he injured himself running into the bunker. Then, Aaron Watkins flew his first mission, which turned into an epic.

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  George Forrest - Army +11 Total Videos

  1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment

  The Chieu Hoi were Viet Cong defectors who assisted American units in Vietnam, but George Forrest quickly realized that the ones at his base were not all that they seemed. The mortar fire at night was really accurate. He had a great admiration and respect for his own men, and lists the NCO's and officers who were the backbone of his company.

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  Ross McKimmey - Army +6 Total Videos

  1st Aviation Battalion, 1st Infantry Division

  Ross McKimmey recounts his time above Vietnam.

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  Mike Waugh - Army +10 Total Videos

  7th Battalion, 13th Artillery

  On his thirty day foray into the field with the Special Forces, Mike Waugh thought he would be in a hot area, but it was quiet. The Montagnards on the operation supplemented the C-rations with some delicious food and, when they returned to Pleiku, he was invited to dinner with their commander.

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  Gordon Roberts - Army +7 Total Videos

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

  The bunkers were simply constructed but very strong. No weapon carried by the foot soldier could take them out. So when the firefight started, Gordon Roberts took advantage of return fire from his unit and flanked the bunker. Firing from the hip, he got to the portal and fired inside. Then it was on to the next one.

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  LtGen Ron Christmas - Marines +16 Total Videos

  HQ Company, Marine Barracks, Wash. DC

  When Ron Christmas was assigned to the Marine Barracks in Washington, he was surrounded by tradition at the Marines' oldest post. It was there that he met Blackie, a most unusual member of the garrison.

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  Bill Crossley - Army +15 Total Videos

  6th Artillery Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment

  One example of LTC Gene O'Grady's leadership was his response to an incident of errant artillery fire. Bill Crossley remembers that O'Grady made him use a briefcase to look more professional as he arrived to assess the situation. Then he agreed to use the trashcan as a file for some awful paperwork.

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  COL Robert Certain - Air Force +7 Total Videos

  U.S. Air Force, B-52 Navigator, 307th Strategic Air Wing

  Part 1 of 5: During December 1972, Robert participates in the historic Christmas bombing of Hanoi, Vietnam.

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  LtGen Ron Christmas - Marines +16 Total Videos

  3rd Marine Battalion, 2nd Marine Division

  Platoon leader Ron Christmas was a stickler for training, even on his first deployment, and all his men who were up for promotion passed their test. From the Mediterranean, he went to the Caribbean, where a beautiful sunset changed his life.

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  Rocky Bleier - Army +2 Total Videos

  Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division)

  Rocky Bleier remembers the "foxhole prayer" that he made as he lay wounded after a grenade explosion in Vietnam. (4-time Super Bowl winning Pittsburgh Steeler. www.rockybleier.com)

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  Nimrod McNair - Air Force +3 Total Videos

  U.S. Air Force

  Nimrod "Mac" McNair remembers a time he was stuck in the Vietnamese jungle and received an unpleasant surprise from one of the local residents.

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  Paul Van Riper - Marines +9 Total Videos

  M Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division

  The Vietnamese had a unit called the National Police Field Force and when a platoon of these men was sent to his battalion, Paul Van Riper insisted they be assigned to his company. He integrated them with his Marines and they functioned well together. He recalls a bunker clearing operation that had a surprise ending.

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  Bob Keller - Army +6 Total Videos

  5th Special Forces Group

  Bob Keller and his unit come across a VC tunnel that he has to search alone.