Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:53 | The first senior advisor Rich Rolfe had during his tour was a great leader who was tough on the basketball court. He was replaced by an officer who put Rolfe on the spot during briefings. One of the Colonel's barbs had him making calls involving the official atomic clock.
Keywords : Rich Rolfe advisor Vietnam chaplain Germany Ban Me Thuot John Hodes atomic clock National Security Agency (NSA)
Rich Rolfe was drafted after he graduated from college but that didn't faze him. He had been in ROTC. He already spoke multiple languages so, after he received his commission, he was sent to Fort Bragg for training as a a MACV advisor.
When Rich Rolfe flew into Vietnam he was expecting to see something akin to old scenes of war-torn Europe. Instead, he saw a lush countryside and fairly normal city scenes. He was a new MACV advisor to an ARVN unit but when he got the field and met all the advisors, he found out he was now part of a Combat Assistance Team.
It was in the Central Highlands of Vietnam that Rich Rolfe was part of a team of American advisors working with a South Vietnamese unit. It was their war. Their leaders had been fighting for a long time so it was kind of a joke that these rookie war fighters could advise them. What they did was provide support.
ARVN Advisor Rich Rolfe saw a lot of grisly sights following battles between the ARVN and the VC. As Public Information Officer, he was required to photograph the scene following a firefight. He was also responsible for calling in fire support when needed.
The GIs loved having dogs around because they growled when they sensed danger. They shared that area of the Central Highlands with the Korean White Horse Division. Rich Rolfe describes how they were greatly feared by the VC and how they didn't trust the ARVN troops.
It was during his last week in country that Rich Rolfe had to fly a sniffer mission with another advisor in a second ship. Since he was short, he took the higher aircraft. When he got back to the States, he had to do a double take when he saw what women were wearing.
