Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

COMBAT STORIES FROM Korea

Charles Vicari | 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division - Marines

7:37   |   It was quiet at Koto-ri when Charles Vicari got there, but then the Chinese struck. The Marines got on trucks to head up to Hagaru-ri, but they were soon cut off. They repelled all attacks, but they had to withdraw down that same little mountain road they had ascended. The retreat from Chosin had begun.

More From Charles Vicari

Keywords   :     Charles Vicari    Korea    Koto-ri    Chosin Reservoir    Chinese    Udamnee    Hagaru-ri    cold

Videos ( 11 )
Korea
Vietnam
  • Charles Vicari  |  Vietnam  |  Multiple Units  |  5:00

    In 1951, Charles Vicari returned to duty after recovering from the wound he received in Korea. His enlistment was up in a matter of months, but he didn't find civilian life to his liking so he re-enlisted. When 1965 rolled around, he had a plum post, but President Johnson decided he was needed in Vietnam.

  • Charles Vicari  |  Vietnam  |  1st Marine Division  |  5:35

    As he waited to step foot in Vietnam for the first time, Charles Vicari was obsessed with the thought of stepping in a punji pit. Then he jumped off the helicopter and...no punji pit. Once he was over that, he settled into his role as mortar platoon sergeant.

  • Charles Vicari  |  Vietnam  |  1st Marine Division  |  5:19

    It was different from any other war in Vietnam. There were no front lines and the enemy could be anywhere. That's what Charles Vicari had to deal with as a Marine gunnery sergeant. He was also perplexed by the people he was there to help, like the Vietnamese militia member who wanted compensation for something that the Viet Cong did.

  • Charles Vicari  |  Vietnam  |  1st Marine Division  |  5:10

    Charles Vicari already had experience in a Headquarters and Service company, so when he was offered the job as H&S gunnery sergeant while he was in Vietnam, he jumped at the chance. If they wanted him to not get shot at, it was fine with him.

  • Charles Vicari  |  Vietnam  |  Multiple Units  |  5:32

    When he got near the end of his Vietnam tour, Charles Vicari could not sleep, so the medical officer gave him some medication. This became a problem one night, when a mortar barrage came in. When his time was up, he finished up a career in the Marines in a much less dangerous North Carolina.

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