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LtGen Ron Christmas

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It was Friday the Thirteenth when a North Vietnamese soldier fired an RPG at Ron Christmas. Dodging a direct hit, his legs were wounded badly enough to cause his evacuation. Unfortunately, he became lost in the medical system. (6:31)

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Ron Christmas tells the story of a Marine who kept getting wounded, and kept returning to battle because he couldn't desert the men that he considered to be his brothers. That, he says, is the true meaning of Semper Fidelis. (4:10)

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Under the rules of the Marine Corps at the time, Ron Christmas should have been discharged after he was wounded in Vietnam. As he recovered his strength, he was able to avoid a medical exam until he got in line with some inductees. (5:24)

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Marine Ron Christmas reflects on the basic principles of urban warfare, which he learned on the fly in the battle for Hue. He felt blessed in his later career as he received many rewarding assignments. (4:21)

Lucio Lopez

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Lucio Lopez was from a large family and he already had two older brothers in the Marine Corps. One day he got up, went to town and enlisted as well. In just two hours, he was on a bus to boot camp. (5:14)

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He wouldn't wish boot camp on anybody. Lucio Lopez recalls the DI's that made his life very interesting for a few weeks. When he got to advanced training, another Marine there who had been at Khe Sanh made sure he got the map and compass skills he was going to need. (2:52)

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His first night in the field was memorable. Lucio Lopez sat down to a spartan meal and then the base came under attack with VC in the wire. He didn't even have a weapon yet. (3:55)

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Lucio Lopez had never been out of his hometown of Sacramento. When he joined the Marine Corps, he met guys from all walks of life, from every place and of every race. It was an eye opening experience. (Caution: coarse language.) (4:08)

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He was fortunate to meet someone in training who had been to Vietnam and who gave him some pointers. Because of that, Lucio Lopez was able to adapt well once he got there. He also had more than a little luck when it came to booby traps. (Caution: coarse language.) (5:07)

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Squad leader Lucio Lopez would take the point a lot. He did not want another Marine in danger and he, frankly, did not trust all of them to do it right. He was also the demolition man and tunnel rat for his unit. Some of the underground facilities he found were truly amazing. (6:53)