COMBAT STORIES FROM Vietnam

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Showing : Vietnam Videos

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  When he saw the weapons the Vietnamese infantry had, American Advisor Nat Robb thought he was in World War II. M-16's were on the way but, in the meantime, the untested unit had to fight. There was little activity at first, but it was just a matter of time.

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  Myron Harrington - Marines +8 Total Videos

  D Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division

  Upon leading the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Myron Harrington had to help conduct an attack on the citadel in Hue City, Vietnam. This is the story of how he and his men charged the tower, which took longer to accomplish than expected.

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  Willard Womack - Army +13 Total Videos

  18th Aviation Operating Detachment

  As the American advisor argued with his Vietnamese counterpart over the radio, Willard Womack, an Army pilot stuck in transit, could hear the frustration mounting. The battle of Ap Bac could not be won with these tactics. Eventually, the evacuation was made and, weeks later, several of the aviators involved hitched a ride to Saigon for a night of carousing. Pt 2 of 3. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH J. TINGLE.)

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  American Advisor Nat Robb did not run the South Vietnamese unit, but he controlled the fire support that sustained it. He spent his entire tour in the field with them except for a couple of leaves. He wonders if the way the Army rotated troops in and out of the war was the best way to fight it.

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  Bill Cunningham - Marines +24 Total Videos

  Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 (HMM 263)

  Marine aviator Bill Cunningham served with a fellow officer named John Archibald during his second tour in Vietnam. One night, Archibald wandered into his quarters and made an ominous pronouncement.

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  Willard Womack - Army +13 Total Videos

  18th Aviation Operating Detachment

  Willard Womack gives his account of the Battle of Ap Bac, a significant turning point in the Vietnam War. It begins with him hitching a flight to Saigon to pick up the pay for his outfit. Detoured on his way back to his base, he saw a group of men listening intently to a firefight on a radio. Part 1 of 3. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH J. TINGLE.)

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  Bill Cunningham - Marines +24 Total Videos

  Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 (HMM 364)

  There were 87 men on some high ground surrounded by Viet Cong and Marine helicopter pilot Bill Cunningham had a problem. There was only room for one ship at a time to land in the tiny landing zone they had hacked out of the bush. It would be one at a time so he spiraled down for the first load. Then he felt like a sledgehammer hit his leg.

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  Freddie Owens - Army +11 Total Videos

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

  After the column was devastated by an NVA ambush, wounded Americans were scattered in the darkness. After his captain heard one such group calling for help on the radio, Freddie Owens joined a patrol to find them, guided by a gunshot every few minutes. Once there, medic Daniel Torres volunteered to stay with those who couldn't move and protected them through the night with medicine and a machine gun.

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  Willard Womack - Army +13 Total Videos

  18th Aviation Operating Detachment

  Willard Womack was nervously awaiting the news of what happened to the helicopter carrying some of his friends who had just participated in the Battle of Ap Bac, a crucial turning point early in the war. They had come though that unscathed but were now missing. Decades later, he received an email that brought the memories flooding back. Part 3 of 3. (This interview made possible with the support of RALPH J. TINGLE.)

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  George Forrest - Army +11 Total Videos

  1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment

  They were hunkered down after fierce fighting when the call came from "Ghost 4-6." It was a group of wounded men who had pulled themselves together after the ill fated march to LZ Albany and were lost in the dark. George Forrest sent a patrol to find them, and in an incredible act of bravery, medic Daniel Torres stayed through the night with them and saved many men. Captain Forrest still had to write a gut-wrenching letter to the mother of a missing soldier. Part 3 of 4.

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  Joe McDonald - Army +5 Total Videos

  A Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Division

  The RPG that severed Joe McDonald’s foot didn’t kill him. The machine gun fire that hit him as he still tried to help others didn’t kill him. The grenade taped to his hand might have killed him if the VC had found his hiding place.

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  Lee Ellis - Air Force +9 Total Videos

  390th Tactical Fighter Squadron

  Col. Lee Ellis (ret.) gives details about the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, better known as "The Hanoi Hilton," where US servicemen were kept as Prisoners Of War.

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  Stuart Jamison - Army +9 Total Videos

  9th Infantry Division (ARVN)

  Stuart Jamison recalls observing the reality and immediacy of death as his unit assaults a Viet Cong company during Phase II of the Tet Offensive.

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  Tommy Clack - Army +8 Total Videos

  C Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division

  In a letter home, Tommy Clack expressed his worry that something bad was going to happen and it did when his unit engaged the NVA near the Cambodian border. He saw the enemy soldier stand and fire the RPG that changed his life forever.

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  LtGen Ron Christmas - Marines +16 Total Videos

  H Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division

  As Marine Captain Ron Christmas fought to regain the city of Hue, he found the enemy adept at concealment and surprise. Every soldier in a spider hole was armed with a rifle and a RPG launcher. He also encountered a nun with an AK-47. His action during this time earned him the Navy Cross.

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  John Reed - Army +8 Total Videos

  101st Airborne Division

  In his early years, John Reed had a bit of a difficult time with his family. His father was also at war while he was growing up, so he had a bit of exposure to the nature of the military before joining himself.

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  Nat Robb got to know the efficiency of different weapon systems when he called in fire support to the South Vietnamese unit he was advising. He would work his way through various types of artillery until he got to what worked every time, big bombs from the air.

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  John Reed - Army +8 Total Videos

  101st Airborne Division

  To conclude, John Reed gives advice to future generations and to the public regarding the Vietnam war and future wars. He also speaks to present day veterans and soldiers in the military.

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  American Advisor Nat Robb was glad his men had their new M-16's when the Tet Offensive happened. Once the American and South Vietnamese forces regrouped, they began to surround Saigon in order to trap the enemy. Robb's unit took part in an ill fated river crossing that was salvaged by massive air power.

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  John Reed - Army +8 Total Videos

  101st Airborne Division

  One of the men that Reed was with had a .45 Auto handgun, which was one of the only guns left that had any ammunition in it. Reed remembers that he had to know how to use his gun like it was second nature, and how that helped him in his Viet Cong approach.

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  Nat Robb carried a can of his favorite food for six months in Vietnam until the anticipation was just too much and he ate it. He should have just kept looking at it.

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  John Reed - Army +8 Total Videos

  101st Airborne Division

  After joining the army, Reed had no idea what was in store for him next. At this point, no one had even heard of Vietnam. Here he remembers what it was like to be part of the first division to be sent there, and tells of many important men he remembers from his unit.

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  The Vietnamese troops had their families living with them in the fort, and once American Advisor Nat Robb got to know them, he was glad he got the assignment he did. This was a change of heart for the infantry officer. He bolstered his defenses with some salvaged fifty caliber machine guns, but he had a dilemma. How was he going to get the ammunition?

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  John Reed - Army +8 Total Videos

  101st Airborne Division

  Upon going into battle, Reed and the rest of the men from his division were told to expect many casualties. He tells of exactly what that was like to hear right before having to go into combat.

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  On a sweep through a rubber plantation, the South Vietnamese unit made contact with the enemy and the fighting became fierce. American Advisor Nat Robb fell behind with one of his men and he had one thought. This was it. It was be killed or be captured and he knew which it would be.

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  John Reed - Army +8 Total Videos

  101st Airborne Division

  John Reed recalls a time when he rescued one of his own men, named Robinson, from death. Because of this, he's always looking to see if he's at any of the veteran reunions. He also remembers a few casualties, particularly ones involving grenades.

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  Nat Robb was advisor to a South Vietnamese unit guarding a highway outside Saigon. In preparation for the Tet Offensive, their base was attacked to clear the way for infiltration by the enemy into the city. The fierce battle required that he call for multiple sources of firepower, artillery and gunships.

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  John Reed - Army +8 Total Videos

  101st Airborne Division

  One of the worst experiences Reed had while in Vietnam was when he was caught in the explosion of a bomb during combat. Immediately, he took shelter as best he could, but was still ultimately affected by the blast.

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  Myron Harrington - Marines +8 Total Videos

  D Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division

  After coming home from Vietnam, Harrington did a lot of traveling around before finally settling in one spot. Here he tells about the places he went and the events he participated in.

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  Nat Robb - Army +9 Total Videos

  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)

  Once the Tet Offensive was beaten back, Nat Robb was on a Saigon highway with the South Vietnamese unit he was advising when he saw a funny sight. The first supply trucks that were allowed to move after the massive attack had an interesting cargo.