Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
8:07 | Ted Cummings recalled leading his large battalion and having to deal with a small minority of them that were disinterested and oftentimes rebellious against their own leadership and involvement in the war. Having to handle this extra variable proved challenging but surmountable for Cummings in his leadership.
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Being trained in unconventional warfare, Ted Cummings and his division learned about going behind enemy lines and causing massive disruptions in their ongoing processes. In special forces, the key was to train so that there was a fully developed team effort so that the company never had to rely on a single person.
After his extensive training in special forces, his group deployed to Okinawa, Japan for a 2.5-yr tour. From there, they left for Vietnam and worked for the CIA to run the Civilian Regular Defense Groups out of Saigon.
At a Vietnamese ceremony that his company attended, Ted Cummings might a Vietnamese village wiseman that taught him some valuable lessons about the flaws in Western culture.
Moving through the thick jungles of Vietnam proved challenging for Ted Cummings and his division. When travelling through these scenarios, the utmost care was necessary to remain safe.
Remaining a strong relationship the native Montagnards, the native people of Vietnam, was essential to the success of the division. While patrolling in South Vietnam, Cummings' division came into contact with some NVA soldiers, which confirmed to them for the first time that enemy soldiers had made it that far south.
While resupplying in Vietnam, Ted Cummings was in charge of deciding what they need and what they didn't. Thanks to the assistance of a man he respected, General Casey, they got what they needed.
Ted Cummings reflects on the insubordinate troops that he had in his battalion and the reasons that something like that happened.
In 1965, Johnson sent some troops down to the Dominican Republic to manage the Cuban revolutionaries that had taken root. Ted Cummings was a part of the battalion sent down there to manage American influence.
While living in Washington D.C., Ted Cummings remembers valuing the Vietnam Memorial which, to him, represents a lot of the American values that he felt were exemplified during the Vietnam War.
