Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Richard Dorsey

Vietnam | 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Division

He was raised by his mother and sisters, so the Army was quite a change for Rich Dorsey. He had a good drill instructor who tried to help mold his men after breaking them down. (5:47)
Advanced infantry training was tough, but Rich Dorsey had adapted well to Army life so he got through it fine. He was well versed in following orders so, after a brief leave at home, it was no problem for him to be at the right place in the right state to leave for Vietnam. (3:30)
Cam Ranh Bay was quiet. Rich Dorsey arrived there and went up near the DMZ where there was very little enemy activity at the time. He thought that this war might not be so bad. (5:58)
He didn't know what a monsoon was, but once it started, he sure did. Rich Dorsey describes what life in the field was like in constant rain. (1:36)
There was little activity up by the DMZ, so Rich Dorsey's unit was moved further south, near the Cambodian border. This area was hot, as he found out on his first patrol which also turned out to be his first big firefight. Part 1 of 3. (5:54)
They were lost when the point man got shot. Rich Dorsey and the rest of the men in the platoon had never really been in a firefight, but necessity and the lack of a good leader made them focus and respond. They got the machine guns into a position where they could fire back and then he saw it. A grenade coming right towards them. Part 2 of 3. (5:21)
Rich Dorsey's platoon was written off back at battalion. A relief force had been stalled and there wasn't much chance of reaching the pinned down unit. In a helicopter overhead was Captain Barry McCaffrey, who was on his way to take command of another company. Hearing their plight on the radio, he instructed his pilot to land. He was going to get them out of this. Part 3 of 3. (5:49)
Rich Dorsey was wounded three times in Vietnam. The first two were minor injuries from friendly fire but the third involved a brave assault on a bunker. A small group led by Captain Barry McCaffrey were tying to relieve a platoon which was under heavy fire. Part 1 of 2. (8:30)
It was like slow motion in his mind. He watched machine gun bullets dancing down the trail, and as he scrambled to get out of the way, Rich Dorsey took a round off his helmet. Then, Captain Barry McCaffrey, who had taken over and made the company into a crack outfit, received a serious wound from the same enemy gunner. Part 2 of 2. (8:30)
After a bullet grazed his head, Rich Dorsey had a week of recovery before he returned to the field. He was not the same soldier, though, and it was fine with him that they kept him at the command post until his time was up. It was an euphoric flight home from Vietnam, then it was time for a different kind of battle, one in which he was cast as the villain. (7:13)