Sergeant Dakota L. Meyer is a United States Marine Corps veteran, the recipient of the Medal of Honor and the New York Times best-selling co-author of 'Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War.' He is also an entrepreneur, having founded a successful construction company in Kentucky.
Meyer earned his Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, as part of OperationEnduring Freedom. He is the first living Marine to have received the medal in 38 years and one of the youngest. Humble and soft-spoken, Meyer insists that he is not a hero, and that any Marine would have done the same thing he did in battle.
Born June 26, 1988 and raised in Columbia, Kentucky, he is the son of Felicia Gilliam and Michael Meyer. In 2006, after graduation from Green County High School, he enlisted in the Marine Corps at a recruiting station in Louisville, Kentucky and completed basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
Meyer deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007 as a scout sniper with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. On his second deployment to Afghanistan with the U.S. Marine/U.S. Army ETT (Embedded Training Team) 2-8, he gained national attention for his heroic actions.
On September 8, 2009, ETT 2-8 led TF (Task Force) Chosin, a combined group of Afghan Army and National Police forces led by a
small team of American advisors and trainers, on a patrol operation near Ganjgal village on their way to meet with village elders. TF Chosin had only 3 months earlier closed down a mountainous border smuggling route between Pakistan and Afghanistan, earning additional ire from the Taliban, who controlled the smuggling routes.
During TF Chosin' s mission planning, it was made clear that no dedicated close air support would be available for the mission but commanders promised artillery support from nearby forward bases. They were promised, however, that helicopter support could be redirected from an operation in a neighboring valley within five minutes. Available intelligence indicated that Taliban fighters were aware of the mission and were setting up ambush positions within Ganjgal village with a forward force of at least 20 fighters.
Just after dawn, after inserting into the valley and approaching Ganjgal, TF Chosin came under heavy machine gun, small arms and RPG fire from at least 100 entrenched Taliban fighters, far more than indicated by intelligence reports. Coalition forces soon found itself pinned down in a deadly three-sided ambush. Initial calls for artillery support were rejected by the command post due to new rules of engagement put in place by Gen. Stanley McChrystal in an effort to reduce civilian casualties. Both an Army artillery NCO and an Air Force Joint terminal attack controller took immediate action to provide the ambushed coalition forces with fire support but were overruled by the command post. ETT 2-8 informed the command post that they were not near the village but were again denied fire support. Calls for emergency helicopter support were also denied because adjacent helicopter assets were tied up and taking fire in support of another operation.
The coalition forces were taking increasing fire and could observe women and children shuttling fresh ammunition to Taliban fighting positions. Within 30 minutes of making contact, the ETT request the command post to provide an artillery barrage of smoke canisters to cover their withdraw. Told that no standard smoke was available, the team requested white phosphorus rounds be used instead to screen their retreat.Nearly an hour later, the white phosphorus rounds landed and the coalition forces retreated under heavy fire a short distance before being pinned once again. By this time, three U.S. Marines, their Navy Corpsman, their Afghan interpreter and several Afghan soldiers had been killed. Taliban snipers were moving into flanking positions when helicopter support finally arrived and began to attack Taliban positions. This arrival allowed the wounded to be pulled out and for three Marines to fight their way back up the hill to retrieve fallen comrades. It was nearly nine hours, including 6 continuous hours of fighting, from initial contact until coalition forces were able to totally disengage from the firefight.
The position occupied by the three dead Marines and the Navy Corpsman had been overrun by the enemy, who stripped the bodies of their gear and weapons. The bodies were recovered after their comrades, including Meyer, braved enemy fire to return to the location.
Meyer suffered a shrapnel wound in one arm and was sent home after the battle with combat-related stress. The loss of his teammates and friends continued to haunt him for years.
An investigation led U.S. Army Col. Richard Hooker and U.S. Marine Col. James Werth was launched into the lack of requested fire and air support. While members of the task force publicly blamed Gen.McChrystal's new ROE's (Rules Of Engagement, as dictated by President Obama), and personnel at the command post agreed, the investigation placed most of the blame on the battalion leadership. It found that three U.S. Army officers at nearby Forward Operating Base Joyce, from Task Force Chosin, a unit comprising soldiers from 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, N.Y, had exhibited "negligent leadership" which had directly contributed to the loss of life in the battle. Two of the three officers, Maj. Peter Granger and Capt. Aaron Harting were given formal reprimands.
On November 6, 2010-fourteen months after the Battle of Ganjgal-Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Amos, told reporters during a visit to Camp Pendleton, California that a living Marine had been nominated for the Medal of Honor. Two days later, Marine Corps Times, an independent newspaper covering Marine Corps operations, reported that the unnamed individual was Dakota Meyer, citing anonymous sources. CNN confirmed the story independently two days later.
When the White House staff called Meyer to set up a time for President Barack Obama to inform him that his Medal of Honor had been approved, they were told Meyer was working at his construction job and were asked to call again during his lunch break.
When Meyer was reached by phone, a White House staffer went over the details of the Medal of Honor ceremony and other particulars. At the end of the conversation, Meyer asked if he could have a beer with the president. That requests was arranged and on the afternoon before the ceremony, President Obama and Meyer, both in shirtsleeves and ties, sat at a metal patio table on the White House lawn, each with a clear glass mug of ale. During their meeting, Meyer requested that his colleagues at the ambush be honored at the ceremony. President Obama agreed.
This is the story of that day, as told by President Obama himself on Sept. 15, 2011, during the Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House.
"Let me tell the story. I want you to imagine it's September 8, 2009, just before dawn. A patrol of Afghan forces and their American trainers is on foot, making their way up a narrow valley, heading into a village to meet with elders. And suddenly, all over the village, the lights go out. And that's when it happens. About a mile away, Dakota, who was then a corporal, and Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, could hear the ambush over the radio. It was as if the whole valley was exploding. Taliban fighters were unleashing a firestorm from the hills, from the stone houses, even from the local school.
"And soon, the patrol was pinned down, taking ferocious fire from three sides. Men were being wounded and killed, and four Americans - Dakota's squadmates and friends - were surrounded. Four times, Dakota and Juan asked permission to go in; four times they were denied. It was, they were told, too dangerous. But as one of his former high school teachers once said, 'When you tell Dakota he can't do something, he is going to do it.' And as Dakota said of his trapped teammates, 'Those were my brothers, and I couldn't just sit back and watch.'
"The story of what Dakota did next will be told for generations. He told Juan they were going in. Juan jumped into a Humvee and took the wheel; Dakota climbed into the turret and manned the gun. They were defying orders, but they were doing what they thought was right. So they drove straight into a killing zone, Dakota's upper body and head exposed to a blizzard of fire from AK-47s and machine guns, from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.
"Coming upon wounded Afghan soldiers, Dakota jumped out and loaded each of the wounded into the Humvee, each time exposing himself to all that enemy fire. They turned around and drove those wounded back to safety. Those who were there called it the most intense combat they'd ever seen. Dakota and Juan would have been forgiven for not going back in. But as Dakota says, you don't leave anyone behind.
"For a second time, they went back - back into the inferno; Juan at the wheel, swerving to avoid the explosions all around them; Dakota up in the turret - when one gun jammed, grabbing another, going through gun after gun. Again they came across wounded Afghans. Again Dakota jumped out, loaded them up and brought them back to safety.
"For a third time, they went back - insurgents running right up to the Humvee, Dakota fighting them off. Up ahead, a group of Americans, some wounded, were desperately trying to escape the bullets raining down. Juan wedged the Humvee right into the line of fire, using the vehicle as a shield. With Dakota on the guns, they helped those Americans back to safety as well.
"For a fourth time, they went back. Dakota was now wounded in the arm. Their vehicle was riddled with bullets and shrapnel. Dakota later confessed, 'I didn't think I was going to die. I knew I was.' But still, they pushed on, finding the wounded, delivering them to safety.
"And then, for a fifth time, they went back - into the fury of that village, under fire that seemed to come from every window, every doorway, every alley. And when they finally got to those trapped Americans, Dakota jumped out. And he ran toward them. Drawing all those enemy guns on himself. Bullets kicking up the dirt all around him. He kept going until he came upon those four Americans, laying where they fell, together as one team.
"Dakota and the others who had joined him knelt down, picked up their comrades and - through all those bullets, all the smoke, all the chaos - carried them out, one by one. Because, as Dakota says, 'That's what you do for a brother.' Dakota says he'll accept this medal in their name. So today, we remember the husband who loved the outdoors -Lieutenant Michael Johnson. The husband and father they called 'Gunny J' - Gunnery Sergeant Edwin Johnson. The determined Marine who fought to get on that team - Staff Sergeant Aaron Kenefick. The medic who gave his life tending to his teammates - Hospitalman Third Class James Layton. And a soldier wounded in that battle who never recovered - Sergeant First Class Kenneth Westbrook.
"Dakota, I know that you've grappled with the grief of that day; that you've said your efforts were somehow a 'failure' because your teammates didn't come home. But as your Commander-in-Chief, and on behalf of everyone here today and all Americans, I want you to know it's quite the opposite. You did your duty, above and beyond, and you kept the faith with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps that you love.
"Because of your Honor, 36 men are alive today. Because of your Courage, four fallen American heroes came home, and - in the words of James Layton's mom - they could lay their sons to rest with dignity. 
Because of your Commitment - in the thick of the fight, hour after hour - a former Marine who read about your story said that you showed how 'in the most desperate, final hours - ¦our brothers and God will not forsake us.' And because of your humble example, our kids - especially back in Columbia, Kentucky, in small towns all across America - they'll know that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can do great things as a citizen and as a member of the American family.
"Therein lies the greatest lesson of that day in the valley, and the truth that our men and women in uniform live out every day. 'was part of something bigger,' Dakota has said, part of a team 'that worked together, lifting each other up and working toward a common goal. Every member of our team was as important as the other.'
"So in keeping with Dakota's wishes for this day, I want to conclude by asking now-Gunnery Sergeant Rodriguez-Chavez and all those who served with Dakota - the Marines, Army, Navy - to stand and accept thanks of a grateful nation.
"Every member of our team is as important as the other. That's a lesson that we all have to remember - as citizens, and as a nation - as we meet the tests of our time, here at home and around the world.
"To our Marines, to all our men and women in uniform, to our fellow Americans, let us always be faithful. And as we prepare for the reading of the citation, let me say, God bless you, Dakota. God bless our Marines and all who serve. And God bless the United States of America. Semper Fi."
Following the reading of the citation, President Obama carefully placed the Medal of Honor around the neck of Dakota Meyer as he stood stiffly at attention, eyes straight forward as his proud family, friends and fellow combatants looked on.
As is sometimes the case, however, there was some debate over Meyer's Medal of Honor and questions raised over former U.S. Army Capt. William D. Swenson's recommendation for the Medal of Honor by Marine Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force at the time.
An investigation by McClatchy News Service concluded that the justification for Meyer's decoration may have been inflated and that the nomination for Swenson's Medal of Honor may have been intentionally lost.
On December 14, 2011, McClatchy news outlets published an article which questioned the actual number of lives Meyer saved. The article stated that"crucial parts that the Marine Corps publicized were untrue, unsubstantiated or exaggerated," but that Meyer "by all accounts deserved his nomination."
Nearly a year later, in September 2012, a McClatchy journalist interviewed nine Afghan soldiers from the Afghan National Army's 1st Kandak, 2nd Infantry Brigade 201st Corps who had been present at the battle. The Afghan soldiers disputed portions of the USMC's account of the battle, stating that the Taliban did not charge Meyer's vehicle and that only two dead Taliban were found after the battle. The Afghan soldiers stated that it was the belated arrival of attack helicopters which finally chased away the Taliban, not the actions of any of the U.S. Soldiers or Marines on the ground. The Afghans added that the three Marines and naval Corpsman, Johnson, Kenefick, Johnson, and Layton, were killed after remaining behind to cover the withdrawal of the Afghan soldiers from the ambush site.
In response to McClatchy's findings, the Marine Corps said it stood by the official citation that was produced by the formal vettingprocess. Asked to explain the individual discrepancies and embellishments, the Marines drew a distinction between the citation and the account of Meyer's deeds that the Marines constructed to help tell his story to the nation. At least seven witnesses attested to him performing heroic deeds "in the face of almost certain death."
Meyer and co-author Bing West wrote the book 'Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War, about the Battle of Ganjgal.' It was published on September 25, 2012. In the book, Meyer makes a case for Army Capt. William D. Swenson to be awarded the Medal of Honor; Swenson had criticized Army officers at the nearby Forward Operating Base Joyce for not providing fire support, the resulting political fallout not conducive to awarding him the medal. Those same officers were later cited following a military investigation for "negligent" leadership leading "directly to the loss of life" on the battlefield.
In August 2012, California Representative Duncan D. Hunter wrote to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta regarding the Medal of Honor nomination of Swenson. In January 2013, Hunter said Swenson's nomination had been awaiting President Obama's approval at the White House since at least July 2012.
Swenson was awarded the Medal of Honor on October 15, 2013
A year after the battle, suffering from PTSD, and after a night of heavy drinking, Meyer attempted suicide with what he thought was a friend's loaded weapon, which turned out to be unloaded.
In September 2011, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear bestowed upon Meyer the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel during an event in his hometown of Greensburg in which Meyer served as grand marshal.
On March 13, 2015, Meyer became engaged to Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. After a tumultuous year of on-again, off again relationship and the birth of a daughter together, Meyer and Palin were married on June 8, 2016. In December 2016, Palin announced that she was expecting a girl, the couple's second child together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mev2exb1C0g
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24554149.html
It has been estimated that as many as 11,000 women served in Vietnam or in other locations, but over 90% served as nurses. Some served as nurses in evacuation hospitals, MASH units and aboard hospital ships. Others worked in support roles in military information offices, headquarters, service clubs, and various other clerical,medical, and personnel positions. Servicewomen in Vietnam experienced many of the same hardships as their male counterparts and served bravely in dangerous situations. Many were awarded personal citations.
Non-military women also served important roles. They provided entertainment and support to the troops through the USO, the American Red Cross, and other humanitarian organizations. Women working as civilian nurses for USAID (US Agency for International Development) participated in one of the most famous humanitarian operations of the war, Operation Babylift, which brought thousands of Vietnamese orphans to the U.S. for adoption. Additionally, many women reported the war for news and media agencies.
Combat Nurses
Combat nurses worked twelve-hour shifts six days a week and when a mass casualty incident occurred, like a major battle, those twelve-hour shifts could easily turn into twenty-four to thirty-six hour shifts. Nurses also volunteered their time in the communities around them, often going to the local orphanages or hospitals to offer the civilians their medical services or to teach classes on basic hygiene, first aid or even English. Nurses also had to deal with numerous emotions: stress from the amount of patients they had to serve, anger at seeing young men so horribly wounded and guilt at not being able to save all of the wounded men or make them whole again.
Despite the long hours and sometimes horrifying wounds these women had to face, many nurses found their service rewarding. They were able to serve their country and save and comfort the wounded men in their facilities. During the Vietnam War 98% of the men who were wounded and made it to the hospital survived. Nurses witnessed some truly miraculous events such as men recovering from their wounds or acts of true selflessness that are common during combat situations, and many nurses made close friends with their fellow co-workers some of whom still keep in contact into the present day.
Eight U.S. of these heroic nurses died in Vietnam; six were killed, two died of illnesses. Each dedicated themselves to taking care of the wounded and dying.
See their faces and remember their names. These are their stories.
Lieutenant Colonel Annie Ruth Graham, Chief Nurse at 91st Evacuation Hospital in Tuy Hoa. A native of Efland N.C., she suffered a stroke in August 1968 and was evacuated to Japan where she died four days later. She was a veteran of both WW II and Korea. She was 52.
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/argraham.htm
View her shadow box on TogetherWeServed: LtCol Annie Ruth Graham
First Lieutenant Sharon Anne Lane died from shrapnel wounds when the 312th Evacuation Hospital at Chu Lai was hit by rockets on June 8, 1969. From Canton, OH, she was a month short of her 26th birthday. 
She was posthumously awarded the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm and the Bronze Star for Heroism. In 1970, the recovery room at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver, where Lt. Lane had been assigned before going to Vietnam, was dedicated in her honor. She was 26 years old.
In 1973, Aultman Hospital in Canton, OH, where Lane had attended nursing school, erected a bronze statue of Lane. The names of 110 local servicemen killed in Vietnam are on the base of the statue.
http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/nurse-sharon-lane-paid-the-highest-price-in-vietnam/
View here service shadow box on TogetherWeServed: 1stLt Sharon Ann Lane
2nd Lt. Carol Ann Elizabeth Drazba (L) of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, and 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Ann Jones of Allendale, South Carolina. Both were the first military women killed in the Vietnam War. Both were assigned to the 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon. On February 18, 1966, they were on an administrative flight to Dalat aboard a helicopter from the 197th Assault Helicopter Company, 145th Combat Aviation Battalion, when the aircraft struck a high-tension transmission line over a river in the vicinity of Bien Hoa. They died along with five other passengers in a helicopter crash including Jones' fiance. Both were 22 years old.
They are honored on Panel 5E, Row 46 and Panel 5E, Row 47 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
View their shadow boxes on TogetherWeServed: 2nd Lt.Carol Ann Elizabeth Drazba
2nd Lt Elizabeth Ann Jones
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Ann_Drazba
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=107659173
Capt. Eleanor Grace Alexander (L) from Westwood, New Jersey, and Lt. Hedwig Diane Orlowski of Detroit, Michigan died on November 30, 1967, when a U.S. Air Force C-7B hit a mountain about 5 miles south of Qui Nhon. The presence of low clouds and rain had reduced visibility to about two miles. It took search and rescue teams five days to locate the crash site in the dense jungle. Twenty-six people were killed in the crash. Four crewmen were lost, two Air Force passengers and 18 U.S. Army personnel, including two U.S. civilians, were also killed in the accident. With them when their plane crashed on the return trip to Qui Nhon were two other nurses, Jerome E. Olmstead of Clintonville, WI, and Kenneth R. Shoemaker, Jr. of Owensboro, KY.
To help in a rush of wounded, both were assigned to temporary duty in Pleiku. Alexander's regular duty was at the 85th Evacuation Hospital and Orlowski was at the 67th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon. Alexander was 27; Orlowski was 23. Both were awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
View their shadow boxes on Together We Served:
Capt. Eleanor Grace Alexander
Lt. Hedwig Diane Orlowski
They are honored on Panel 31E, Row 15 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Second Lieutenant Pamela Dorothy Donovan, from Allston, MA, became seriously ill and died on July 8, 1968, in Gia Dinh Province, South Vietnam, at the age of 26. She was assigned to the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon. She was born in Wirral, Merseyside (in England), UK, March 25, 1942, to Irish parents. The family returned to Dublin, Ireland; and Pam was raised and educated there before the family came to Brighton, Massachusetts.
View her service profile on TogetherWeServed: 2ndLT Pamela Dorothy Donovan
Capt. Mary Therese Klinker, U.S. Air Force was from Lafayette, Indiana. On April 3, 1975, Klinker was aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5A leaving Saigon and bound for Clark Air Base in the Philippines. She was a part of the initial mission in "Operation Babylift." The C-5 troop compartment carried 145 Vietnamese orphans and seven attendants' en route the United States. 
The cargo compartment held 102 orphans and 47 others. Twelve minutes after takeoff, the rear loading ramp's locks failed, leading to explosive decompression and massive structural damage. The C-5 touched down in a rice paddy, skidded about 1,000 feet before becoming airborne again, hit a dike, and broke into four parts. The cargo compartment was completely destroyed, killing 141 of the 149 orphans and attendants. Klinker was posthumously awarded the Airman's Medal for Heroism and the Meritorious Service Medal. She was 27 years old.
View her shadow box on TogetherWeServed: Capt Mary Therese Klinker
These eight women embody selfless love, sacrifice, and courage. They are American heroes who volunteered to serve their country.
A grateful country remembers.
American Red Cross
In 1966, the American Red Cross expanded its Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO), a program that provided recreational activities to servicemen posted too far from USOs and other military entertainment facilities. The Red Cross recruited female college graduates between the ages of 21 and 26 to participate in these "Clubmobiles." Soldiers referred to these young women as 'Donut Dollies,' a reference to the Red Cross Donut canteens of World War II.
Donut Dollies often brought along candy, decks of cards, paperback books, mirrors, combs, stationery and other items to distribute to the soldiers. They also set up and staffed more permanent Red Cross recreation centers for troops, which offered coffee, Kool Aid, games, reading libraries, music, and other activities.
The young women serving with the Red Cross provided a valuable respite for soldiers, and played an important role in maintaining the morale of the troops.
Virginia E. (Ginny) Kirsch was born on December 2, 1948, in Erie, PA. Ginny graduated from Brookfield High School in 1966 and from Miami University of Ohio in 1970. In July of 1970, Ginny attended Red Cross training and arrived in Vietnam about two weeks later. She was assigned to the American Red Cross at Cu Chi.
At approximately 3:50 am, August 16, 1970, a man was seen running from the back door of Kirsch's room. She entered Kirsch's room and observed Kirsch on the floor with stab wounds to the throat, left side, left arm, and left finger. Kirsch was transported to the 25th Medical Battalion Dispensary and was pronounced dead from the stab wounds. She was not sexually molested.
Ginny was the first Red Cross worker to have been murdered in the 17-year history of overseas service.
Full story: http://www.war-stories.com/donut-dollie-murder-of-ginny-kirsch-1970.htm
Hannah E. Crews died in a jeep accident, Bien Hoa, October 2, 1969.
Lucinda J. Richter died of Guillain-Barre syndrome, Cam Ranh Bay, February 9, 1971.
Army Special Services
The Army Special Services Program in Vietnam began on July 1, 1966. In pursuit of their mission, the women who served as Special Services librarians and recreation specialists worked long hours in monsoon mud and dusty heat. Because there were far fewer personnel than there were installations requiring their services, they travelled extensively by any available means: jeeps, 2 1/2 ton trucks, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, and on foot. They endured rocket attacks, mortar barrages, and commando raids mounted against the installations.
They managed permanent libraries, similar to small public libraries in the United States; they directed a variety of recreational programs and activities, from ping pong tournaments to song fests, running them from service clubs; and they coordinated USO tours of entertainers and celebrities, and produced, directed, and acted in little theatre productions at larger base camps.
Rosalyn Muskat died in a jeep accident, Long Binh, 1968.
Dorothy Phillips died in a plane crash, Qui Nhon, 1967.
Central Intelligence Agency
Barbara Robbins was an American secretary employed by the Central Intelligence Agency. She was killed when a bomb exploded in front of the American Embassy, Saigon, on March 30, 1965. Before the explosion, there was a confrontation between the driver and a policeman and Robbins went to the window of her second-story office to see what was happening; she was killed instantly.
She was the first female employee to be killed in action in the CIA's history, the first American woman killed in the Vietnam War and, as of 2012, and the youngest CIA employee to die in action.
More Information at https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Robbins&GSfn=Barbara&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=16862379
Betty Gebhardt died in Saigon, Feb. 9, 1971.
United States Agency for International Development
Marilyn L. Allen was from Albany, NY. She was a civilian nurse working with the United States Agency for International Development. She was murdered in Nha Trang on August 16, 1967 by a U.S. soldier who then committed suicide.
Dr. Mary Breen Ratterman was born on Jun. 26, 1926 in Los Angeles County. She was in Saigon working with the American Medical Association. She died from a brainstem injury resulting from a fall from an apartment balcony in Saigon, October 2, 1969. She was not married.
United States Department of the Navy
Regina "Reggie" Williams died of a heart attack in Saigon, 1964.
Journalists
Georgette "Dickey" Chapelle was killed by a mine on patrol with Marines outside Chu Lai, November 4, 1965.
Philippa Schuyler was killed in a helicopter crash into the ocean near Da Nang, May 9, 1967.
Missionaries
Rev. Archie Mitchell, Dr. Eleanor Ardel Vietti, and Daniel Gerber were taken prisoner in 1962 at the leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot.
It was about 7:45 p.m. when approximately twelve armed men appeared on the compound. Dividing into three groups, one accosted Dan Gerber and tied him up.
Another band went directly to the house of Rev. Archie Mitchell, the administrator. Ordering him out of the house, they tied him up and led him away to join Dan Gerber. The third group crossed over to Dr. Vietti's house and ordered her to the location just outside the compound where Mitchell and Gerber were being held.
About ten that evening they departed in one of the hospital vehicles. Not a shot had been fired. Nor had they attempted to molest any of the Vietnamese or the four missionary nurses on the compound. But their orders were explicit to Mrs. Mitchell and the nurses: they must leave the Leprosarium the following day and not return.
The missionaries who had been left behind informed the authorities in Ban Me Thuot. The next morning U.S. military advisers joined the South Vietnamese soldiers in a search-and-rescue operation. When they got within sight of the abductors and saw they had been heavily reinforced, the American commander reluctantly decided not to attack. He notified Alliance headquarters in Saigon that a rescue attempt would only bring heavy loss of life. Optimism for their early return waned as months went by with little information.
During the years following the abductions, fierce battles were fought in the area. Still, tribesmen coming in from the jungle brought encouraging stories. One Montagnard said he had seen the three captives alive in a mobile VC prison camp. A woman told of seeing two white men and a white woman with a group of VC; the white woman had asked for a Bible. In 1967, Allied soldiers overran a VC jungle hospital and found prescriptions which they claimed only an American doctor could have written.
As late as 1969 negotiations were still under way to get these three people back from the VC. They continue to be listed as POW-MIA.
http://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietti.htm
https://www.pownetwork.org/bios/b/b600.htm
Janie A. Makil was shot in an ambush while in the arms of her father, who was also killed, at Dalat, March 4, 1963. Janie was 5 months old. Her twin sister, an older sister, an older brother (who was also wounded), and mother survived the ambush.
Carolyn Griswald, Ruth Thompson and Ruth Wilting were killed in a raid on leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot during Tet, February 1, 1968.
Betty Ann Olsen was born to missionary parents in Bouake, Ivory Coast. She had attended a religious school and missionary college in Nyack, New York. Curious about the way the other part of the world lived, she went to Vietnam in 1964 as a missionary nurse for Christian and Missionary Alliance and was assigned to the Leprosarium at Ban Me Thuot, South Vietnam. This center treated anyone with a need as well as those suffering from leprosy.
Betty was captured along with Henry Blood during a raid on a leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot during Tet, Feb. 1, 1968. For months the two and Michael Benge captured a few miles from the hospital, were chained together and moved north from one encampment to another, over 200 miles through the mountainous jungles. The trip was grueling and took its toll on the prisoners. They were physically depleted, sick from dysentery and malnutrition; beset by fungus, infection, leeches and ulcerated sores.
Hank Blood weakened steadily and eventually died of pneumonia. He was buried along the trail by Olsen and Benge. Betty Ann Olsen died September 29, 1968, and was buried by Michael Benge along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Mike Benge survived and was released from Hanoi in 1973 during Operation Homecoming. Betty's remains have not been recovered.
More information at https://www.cmalliance.org/alife/the-last-witness/
In the late hours of Saturday, October 27, 1972, a small group of North Vietnamese soldiers (NVA) invaded the southern Laotian town of Kengkok where Missions of Many Lands maintained a missionary hospital facility. The communists took Beatrice Kosin and Evelyn Anderson prisoners along with Samuel Mattix and Lloyd Oppel, a Canadian citizen, to a nearby village located in a small clearing surrounded by dense jungle. The men were taken north but the women were tied together.
On November 2, 1972, a radio message from Hanoi was intercepted by U.S. intelligence that ordered the execution of Evelyn Anderson and Beatrice Kosin. Later a captured NVA soldier, who was present during this entire incident, told U.S. military intelligence that after the women were captured; they were placed back to back with their wrists tied with wire around the center post of a hut. He also stated the women remained in that position for five days
Immediately after receiving the order to execute the two nurses, the communists simply set fire to the house where they were being held and burned them alive. Further, the NVA torched some 200 other huts thereby destroying the whole village. Reportedly, a later search of the smoldering ruins revealed the corpse of Miss Anderson with her wrist severed, indicating the struggle she made to free herself. There was no report of the condition of Beatrice Kosin's remains.
More information at http://taskforceomegainc.org/ka01.html
Gloria Anne Redlin was a nurse for Lutheran World Relief. Little information is written about the death of Redlin and her companion 1st Sergeant Louis Emil Janca but what is known the pair were returning by moped to Dr. Pat Smith's hospital in Kontum City late at night on October 13, 1970. On the way, they tried to run an ARVN roadblock, not knowing if it was friendly. Sergeant Janca was killed and Gloria Redlin was seriously wounded. She died of her wounds on October 21, 1970.
More information click here.
According to a collection of official records, the number of American civilian women thought to have died were 67. Fifty-nine were civilians, including 37 women volunteers who died when a plane carrying them and Vietnamese orphans crashed on takeoff during Operation Babylift. Eight were military nurses.
Operation Union II was a military operation that took place in the Vietnam War. It was a search and destroy mission in the Que Son Valley carried out by the 5th Marine Regiment. Launched on May 26, 1967, the operation ended June 5. It was a bloody 10-day battle that resulted in 594 NVA killed and 23 captured, while U.S. casualties were 110 killed and 241 wounded.
The Que Son Valley is located along the border of Quang Nam and Quang Tin Provinces in South Vietnam's I Corps. Populous and rice-rich, the valley was viewed as one of the keys to controlling South Vietnam's five Northern provinces by the communists and by early 1967 at least two regiments of the 2nd Division of the People's Army of Vietnam had been infiltrated into the area. The 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5) and 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5), experienced units that had fought in Vietnam since their arrival in the summer of 1966, were assigned to the valley in 1967 to support the outnumbered the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) forces in the area.
From April 21 to May 16, the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines had fought the PAVN 21st Regiment near the Marine outpost on Loc Son Mountain for control of the southern part of the Que Son Valley. Operation Union II was launched on May 26 to destroy the withdrawing remnants of the PAVN with a helicopter assault by the U.S. 5th Marine Regiment, commanded by Col. Kenneth Houghton. The assault was coordinated with ground attacks by the 6th ARVN Regiment and the 1st ARVN Ranger Group.
The operational plan called for 1/5, commanded by Lt. Col. Hilgartner, to establish blocking positions in the western portion of the valley while the 3/5, commanded by Lt. Col. Esslinger, was to make a helicopter assault into the southern part of the valley and sweep northeast.At the same time, the three battalions of the ARVN Ranger Group would attack southwest from Thang Binh, while two units of the 6th ARVN Regiment attacked northwest from a position near Tam Ky. The ARVN named their part of the operation Lien Kit 106.
The operation began the morning of the 26th with the 1/5 and ARVN troop movements proceeding as planned. 3/5, composed of three infantry companies, one weapons company, and a command group, was carried by helicopters to Landing Zone Eagle, an area five kilometers east of the Loc Son outpost. The first two waves to arrive at the landing zone (LZ) experienced only light small arms fire, but as the bulk of the battalion landed, the LZ was subjected to heavy weapon and mortar fire. An attack by Lima and Mike Companies launched to relieve the pressure on the LZ found a well-entrenched PAVN (NVA) force, identified as being elements of the PAVN 3rd Regiment, northeast of the landing zone.
Supported by artillery and air strikes, India Company enveloped the PAVN's flank, and the Marines soon gained the upper hand. By the late afternoon, the Marines had overrun the last PAVN positions, counting PAVN 118 dead for a Marine loss of 38 killed and 82 wounded. The Marine and ARVN forces swept the area for the next three days but contacts declined as the PAVN withdrew from the area. Concluding that the enemy had been routed, the ARVN ended their part of the operation.
Col. Houghton, however, was not convinced and responding to intelligence reports he directed the 5th Marines to continue sweeping the region. On the morning of June 2, the Regiment was sweeping toward the Vinh Huy Village complex. 3rd Battalion 1st Marines encountered 200 PAVN troops entrenched 1,000 meters east of the scene of the May 26th battle, engaging and overrunning the PAVN by 1:30 that afternoon.At the same time the 1st Battalion, pushing forward to relieve pressure on the 3rd, was ambushed by PAVN troops while crossing a 1,000-meter-wide rice paddy. Caught in a crossfire the Marines were pinned down and consolidated their positions while calling artillery and air strikes on enemy positions. During heavy fighting Foxtrot Company, commanded by Capt. James A. Graham, was decimated. Capt. Graham was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor for defending to the last his company's dead and wounded.
At 2 p.m. Col. Houghton, commander of 1/5 called for the commitment of the First Marine Divisions Reserve "Bald Eagle Reactionary Force," a battalion sized reactionary force unit made up of three different companies from different battalions, commanded by Lt. Col. Mallett C. Jackson Jr., the Battalion Commander of 2/5, to include Jackson's own Echo Co. 2/5; Delta Co. 1/7; and Echo Co. 2/7. At 7 p.m., in total darkness, the Bald Eagle Reactionary Force units of E-2/5 and D-1/7 were inserted by helicopter northeast of the fortified enemy positions and quickly moved south to engage the (NVA) PAVN's left flank positions in order to relieve battle pressure on the 5th Marine units of 1/5, 2/5, and 3/5, that were now pinned down by a large entrenched NVA force.
The Bald Eagle Reactionary Force companies of Echo 2/5 and Delta 1/7 quickly moved forward and were soon hit with heavy automatic weapons fire and heavy barrages of large 82 mm high explosive mortar rounds by the well-entrenched NVA enemy force. It was only whenE-2/5 and D-1/7 came under attack that Lt. Col. Mallett C. Jackson Jr. and his S-3 Operations Officer, Maj. Richard Esau who were together in a fighting hole in the middle of this attack when word came over the command radio, that the pressure had been taken off the pinned down companies of the 5th Marines. Delta Company 1/7 had taken many casualties and their 2nd Platoon Commander, Lt. David Harris radioed requests for medevac choppers, but all requests were denied because of the extreme darkness.
In desperation, Lt. Harris repeatedly called out several SOS's and MAYDAY's for an emergency medevac on the radio. Quickly the voice of Capt. N.J. Chilewski, the pilot of a large CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter that had just dropped off the Bald Eagle Reactionary Force Marines of Echo 2/7 at the original landing zone, had taken off and now was flying at an altitude of 2,000 feet. His reply back was "Of course we would" and with the help of a D-1/7 strobe light, the chopper was guided into the landing zone directly in the middle of the battlefield. The Marines with life-threatening wounds were loaded aboard the chopper and were flown back to the hospital for medical treatment. When the chopper returned to its Da Nang Airbase, it was noted that the chopper had received a total of 57 holes in its sides from the exploding mortar rounds and automatic weapons fire during the battlefield landing.
Later Col. Hilgartner described the insertion of the Bald Eagle Division Reactionary Force, led by Lt. Col. Mallet C. Jackson as crucial and helped change the dynamic in favor of the Marine.
The sudden presence of the strong Division Reactionary Force on its northern flank caused the NVA (AVN) units to disengage and make a hasty withdrawal to the southwest, but the move proved costly to them. Once the NVA (PAVN) soldiers left the protection of their fortifications, they were easy targets for the Marines supporting arms fire. The action of June 2 - 3 marked the last significant battle of Operation Union II.
Total enemy casualties were 701 killed and 23 captured, a favorable ratio to 110 Marines killed and 241 wounded. For actions in both Union I and Union II the 5th Marines and all units under its operational control, including the division reactionary force companies of Delta Company 1/7 Marines and Echo 2/7 Marines received the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during Operation Union II.
The unwelcome discovery of a strong enemy force on its northern flank prompted the PAVN forces to attempt a hasty withdrawal during the night, exposing themselves to Marine supporting arms fire. Meanwhile, the 5th Marines regrouped and evacuated casualties. The Marines themselves suffered 71 killed and 139 wounded in the battle. The following morning, when the battalions swept the battle area, 476 PAVN dead were counted in and around the contested rice paddy and its formidable hedgerow complex. 31 weapons were captured.
Leaving a rear guard to slow pursuit, the main body of the PAVN withdrew rapidly, escaping to rearm and refit, a process that would eventually allow them to launch new attacks in September. However, for three months, the PAVN 2nd Division was no longer an effective fighting force. The entire 5th Regiment received the Presidential Unit Citation (US) awarded by President Lyndon Johnson.
Two Green Beret associations are frustrated that only one veteran listed as missing from the Vietnam War has been publicly announced as accounted for since June 9. They expressed bitter disappointment that a new director hasn't been appointed to the DoD's Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) since the sudden departure of Director Michael Linnington eight months ago.
In October, knowledgeable sources told SOFREP that a replacement for Linnington was selected, but before any formal announcement of that candidate's name - another Army general - was publicly made, that man withdrew from consideration. This further clouded the DPAA top leadership selection process for an agency formed over two years ago to bring together three separate federal organizations to improve U.S. efforts to account as fully as possible for U.S. servicemen and designated civilians still missing from the Vietnam War.
The wheels of change that led to the formation of DPAA began rolling in early 2014 when then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel directed the undersecretary of defense for policy to reorganize the DoD's efforts to account for personnel missing from our nation's past conflicts. Hagel said, "Finding, recovering, and identifying the remains of these individuals is one of our highest responsibilities, and I believed that the DoD could more effectively and transparently account for our missing personnel while ensuring their families receive timely and accurate information."
In 2015, the DPAA was formed through the consolidation of three federal organizations: the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO), based in the D.C. area; the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) based in Hawaii, where two of three forensic laboratories are located and from which search teams are launched on missions to recover unaccounted-for Americans; and the Air Force's Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory (LSEL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. LTG Mike Linnington was the first DPAA director, appointed in June 2015 for what he announced would be a 10-year tour of duty with the fledging federal, merged agency. However, Linnington resigned last June after one year on the job, thus necessitating a search for a new director that continues today.
That resignation occurred just five days before the National League of POW/MIA Families 47th Annual Meeting, where Richard Childress, the league's senior policy advisor, characterized Linnington as a "shooting star that appeared briefly" in the decades-long effort to bring home missing Americans. Childress, who has worked on this issue with the league and the government for more than 40 years - including eight as director for Asian affairs in Reagan's National Security Council - added that Linnington' s "sudden departure has set the issue back once again, especially given his previous stance that this was an abiding priority for him."
Since Linnington's departure, the acting DPAA director is Mrs. Fern Sumpter Winbush. A recently retired Army colonel, she was hired by her former boss, Mike Linnington, on Oct. 27, 2015, to formulate policy, oversee business development, and increase outreach initiatives to achieve the agency's goal of providing families and the nation with the "fullest possible accounting of missing personnel from past conflicts," according to a DoD release. Today, there are more than 82,000 Americans technically considered missing and otherwise unaccounted for from Vietnam, Korea, the Cold War, and World War II, though most acknowledge that nearly half of the 73,000 unaccounted for from WWII are unrecoverable, deep-sea losses.
Earlier this year, the only Southeast Asia recovery by DPAA was the return of Marine Corps Reserve Officer 1st Lt. William C. Ryan, the first person since June 9, 2016, announced as accounted for from the Vietnam War. He was listed as KIA/BNR (Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered) on May 11, 1969, after his Phantom F-4B jet was hit by enemy fire while on a bombing pass over Savannakhet Province, Laos. Today, there is still 1,617 U.S. personnel missing and otherwise unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, including 50 Green Berets listed as missing or killed in action while fighting in the secret war in Laos. They are among the 300 still unaccounted for in Laos, including aviators who supported the secret war.
"Although we appreciate DPAA's efforts in the accounting mission, we are astounded at DoD's lack of progress in appointing a new director," said Mike Taylor, chairman of the Special Operations Association/Special Forces Association's joint POW/MIA Committee. Taylor, who fought over five years in the secret war, added, "No doubt the selection process has been complicated by the change in administrations, but this process has taken far too long. We were told that the first person selected withdrew his application and that the DoD then did an internal search for a director within the ranks of the Senior Executive Service, but found no one. Then, we were told that the position would be posted anew in USAJOBS, but there is no evidence that this has occurred to date.
"What makes this particularly difficult to understand for both of our associations and the (National) League (of POW/MIA Families) is the fact that we have endorsed a highly qualified candidate with vast experience in this arena, a man who has proven himself with his leadership and diplomatic skills, while correcting internal dysfunctional problems he inherited and gaining the respect of family and veterans groups. Our recommendations and input regarding criteria for selection have apparently been ignored. Our associations and the league are mystified as to why this talented, dedicated candidate was not selected. On a personal level, this makes me question who doesn't want to select a good leader and why?"
"We're trying hard to support the DPAA with Congress and the administration regarding budget requests and the need for new, dynamic leadership, but sometimes it feels as if we are trying harder than they are." Green Beret Cliff Newman, who served two tours of duty fighting in the secret war, has returned twice to Southeast Asia with DPAA recovery teams in unsuccessful attempts to locate the remains of two Green Berets and four helicopter crew members who died in Laos during the secret war. He pointed out an additional concern among all Vietnam veterans and families of Vietnam veterans: "Every day that is delayed going into Southeast Asia, the acidic soil there eats away at the remains of our dead service members. Naturally, we share the concerns of all families from all wars who have loved ones unaccounted for from World War II, Korea, or Vietnam, but in Southeast Asia, Vietnam veterans share a heightened sense of urgency due to the acidic soil." Experts said it is the most acidic in the world, and that it is destroying not only the remains of our missing in action, but it's eating away at their bones and teeth, literally destroying the evidence needed by DPAA recovery teams.
Additional confusion on this issue was sparked in 2009 when Congress mandated the Pentagon to develop the capacity and capability to identify up to 200 missing-in-action personnel by 2015 - a number that officials admitted could not be met in 2015 or last year. The mandate didn't stipulate actually recovering 200 remains, just to develop "the capacity and capability" to identify up to 200 a year. Thus, there's been pressure both within the ranks of the DPAA and from WWII and Korean War families to place more emphasis and resources on recovering remains of service members from those wars. They say that the DPAA will recover more remains, for example from one WWII bomber crew of 10 or 11 men, than digging in the jungles of SEA for one or two U.S. personnel.
Reflecting a division within DPAA ranks, in 2015 the Honolulu Star Advertiser newspaper quoted DPAA Deputy Director, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Spindler, saying, "Right now we're focusing (on Southeast Asia) in the near term, even though the cost is high." Spindler, who was appointed in September 2015, said the DPAA will develop a "campaign plan" as part of a long- term plan where "we know that we are going to shift probably in our main focus, out of Southeast Asia and into the Pacific and World War II into Europe."
No DPAA official has publicly countered Spindler's comment. Spindler remains on the job and there are others in DPAA leadership roles pushing for numbers over SEA recovery efforts, which further concerns Vietnam veterans.
Taylor's response to Spindler's unanswered comment was, "It is certainly unwelcome news for us, something we'll minimalize, but he confirms what others at DPAA are publicly denying." For example, in April 2015, DoD staff said it would disinter the remains of 388 sailors and Marines who were killed aboard the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor in WWII. The remains of these 388 servicemen were interred in U.S. soil at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, commonly known as the Punchbowl, though not individually identified. In 2015, the deputy secretary of defense directed disinterment of these losses and, with modern forensic sciences, larger numbers can now be identified, but will such an effort negatively impact SEA efforts?
Regardless of who is appointed, there are many major challenges awaiting the second DPAA director:
1. Improving agency morale.
2. Lowering priority on WWII disinterment and IDs, and restoring the priority on accounting for Vietnam War missing, where there are still 1,617 Americans unaccounted for.
3. Improving internal agency communications
4. Improving agency links with Laos and Vietnam. Cambodia has been fully cooperative for many years
5. Supporting an effort to renew and restore the work of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIA Affairs (USRJC)
6. There are more than 600 military personnel and civilians assigned to the DPAA. These resources are always subject to change based on funding and the priorities of the DPAA director, which in 2016 included:
Field activities: with 239 civilian and military personnel who deploy on investigations/recovery missions, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, medics, field communications, and forward-based personnel
Support and administration: 162 personnel, logisticians, policy officials, operations planners, finance specialists, and external communications staff
Research and analysis: 113 personnel including historians, analysts, researchers, and archivists
Forensics: 88 people including anthropologists, archaeologists, odonatologists, lab and evidence technicians, and a medical examiner.
Besides the director's position, there are more than two dozen skilled positions in the new agency that have not been filled. There has also been an effort to discourage retaining skilled, long-term civilian positions, dedicated people bringing historical knowledge and political insights, and to instead replace them with military personnel - men and women who spend two to three years at the agency, get their career ticket punched for a joint assignment, then move on. Some care more about career advancement than recovering America's unreturned veterans, though most are genuinely motivated and some cite their tour with the accounting mission as the most meaningful of their entire military career.
In addition to these issues, the Feb. 10 edition of the National League of POW/MIA Families newsletter "update" pointed out several slowdowns in Vietnam War accounting missions, at a time when SEA political leaders are more willing than ever to work with the U.S. on this humanitarian issue: A joint field recovery mission in Cambodia was cancelled, the only one scheduled for 2017, before it was rescheduled in March. But, due to funding issues, the reduced scope of the planned recovery mission's in-country time has been dropped from 60 to 30 days.
"The unwelcome Cambodia-related news led to a further discovery that, also due to a funding shortage, the DPAA had drastically cut the Vietnam JFA (Joint Field Activity) due to begin in February. The JFA in Laos was also postponed by three weeks due to an aircraft breakdown and delay," the update stated. Additionally, the newsletter said DPAA budget requirements will not permit the funding in the fiscal year 2017 needed to "increase the pace and scope of operations as has repeatedly been requested by Vietnam - DPAA has not yet provided clarification on any of the budget-related questions, but the full explanation should be provided without further obfuscation."
Last, but not least, the update reiterated a key point that Taylor made regarding the search for a new director: "The selection official, then-acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Brian KcKeon, apparently didn't share our sense of urgency to replace retired Army Lt. Gen. Mike Linnington. Hopefully, this means that the Trump administration will carefully consider recommendations provided by the league, Special Operations Association, Special Forces Association, and others. Up to now, there has been no indication that serious qualifications - experience, character, commitment, and dedication to the mission - were given any consideration, nor crucial factors such as having earned the trust and respect of affected families, veterans, and foreign officials whose willingness to authorize necessary cooperation is critical to success."
About the Author
Born on Jan. 19, 1946, John Stryker Meyer entered the Army Dec. 1, 1966, completed basic training at Ft. Dix, N.J., advanced infantry training at Ft. Gordon, Ga., jump school at Ft. Benning, Ga., and graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in Dec. 1967. He arrived at FOB 1 Phu Bai in May 1968, where he joined Spike Team Idaho, which transferred to Command & Control North, CCN in Da Nang, January 1969. In October 1969 he rejoined RT Idaho at CCN. That tour of duty ended suddenly in April 1970. Today he is a program director at the Veterans Affordable Housing Program, based in Orange, CA and joined the SOFREP team of correspondents in March 2015. He has written two non-fiction books on SOG secret wars: 'Across The Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam - Expanded Edition,' and Co-Authored 'On the Ground: The Secret War in Vietnam' with John E. Peters, a member of RT Rhode Island.
Meyer's website is: www.sogchronicles.com
This book is about Daniel Dundee, a fictional blue-collar New Yorker, who gets drafted in the late sixties, ended up serving a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam with the Eleventh Armored Cavalry Regiment.
The story begins with Daniel and other new arrivals to Vietnam riding in the back of a deuce and a half truck heading for the "Blackhorse" base camp several miles south of the village of Xuan Loc. March waste no time in getting the reader into the action. On page two, the convoy is ambushed by Viet Cong, killing two of the new replacements and escaping into the jungle. From that point on, the author gives the reader Daniel's one year of combat duty in Vietnam, capturing what it meant to face lethal danger, to follow orders and to hope that he survives.
Throughout his one-year tour (July 1967-July 1968), Daniel gets assigned to various jobs. Assigned as an artillery man within the fire direction control (FDC), Daniel's days are spent filling sandbags and spending many a day or night on bunker guard around the perimeter. He also goes out on missions with a platoon of mechanized troops on bridge security, road clearing and ambushes in the jungle as well as dodging frequent mortars and rockets fired into the basecamp. It was during one of these mortar attacks that he witnesses the death of one of his best friends. From that moment on his main goal was to stay alive and return home in one piece.
While assigned to the FDC, his ability to compute and order fire mission for the artillery was lauded by his superiors but one such mission ended in disaster: a nine-year-old Vietnamese boy was accidently killed, calling for an investigation, which caused him to question his competencies as fire direction coordinator.
Like most junior enlisted men, Daniel is assigned to the latrine burning detail with another soldier who is ready to go home. The short-timer offers him a joint and they smoke weed the entire day. This led to Daniel being a daily pot smoker and congregating with other pot heads and misfits in whatever unit he was assigned.
Taking R&R in Bangkok, Daniel and several buddies meet some bar girls with whom they spent their entire time while in Thailand. Daniel's female friend was Mia, who took him all around Bangkok, including a famous Buddhist temple where he felt at peace with himself and what he had seen in Vietnam.
Returning to Vietnam, he was told to meet with a board for promotion to sergeant. This was the last thing he wanted so he sabotaged his chances by antagonizing the board members. He never rose above the rank of E-4.
From the descriptions of the battles, terrain, and living conditions, March takes the reader along on Daniel's one year journey through the day-to-day drudge and monotony of the Viet Nam war, days that were punctuated by life-and-death challenges, sad losses and momentous gains, including the constant attitude of survival and self-preservation and the various smells and sounds associated with Vietnam.
While the subject matter is graphic and the language used is very raw, behind the blood, tears, and vulgar language exists a story that needed to be told. And Michael March did a wonderful job of writing a very realistic account into the life of Daniel Dundee.
This book held me captive from the beginning to the end.
Reader Reviews
When I was in high school, I remember my dad telling me stories about his shocking and poignant experiences while serving the United States Army in the Vietnam War. It was around then, he vowed to write a book about it. Heart, determination, courage, and now, I am holding a copy of Each One a Hero! What an amazing book, Dad. Reading about your time in the Vietnam jungle via the gripping third-person point of view of Daniel brings to life the stories I heard all those years ago in such a fresh, relevant fashion. This autobiographical novel helps me understand the trials of your life while also entertaining any reader with riveting action and slice-of-life humor.
~Scott Martin
This is another story about a more modern "Lost Generation" and is authentic right down to the hard and truthful conversations. This must be added to your collection of true Vietnam stories written by a vanishing breed.
~David Ramati
This book literally made me laugh and made me cry. I know personally that the book speaks the truth about the experiences of Black Horse cavalrymen. My husband was the man called Mickey in the book. He had told me several of the stories. Michael March relates and the details are the same to a T. This is such a well-written, moving account of a group of boys thrust into an impossible situation and they manned-up and got the job done while holding on to their youth and hope for surviving the experience.
~Rose Pellegrino
I read the book and I must tell you, it got me thinking. Therefore, saying that I liked it a lot would be an understatement. I loved it. After all, if a book gets you thinking, it means it really got the job done.
The terrible ordeals of a war are described in such living colors, but also in a very human way. In the skin of Dan, a guy forced to go to the war in Vietnam, I felt like I was there, even had to clean off dust after dodging some bullets.
I watched M*A*S*H, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket and man, this one goes hand in hand with them all. It made me laugh, it made me cry.
~Marcos B.F.
The plight of the young men who were drafted is brought to the forefront in this book. How they were viewed and treated helps the reader understand the stance some of these soldiers took.
One aspect of the descriptions that drew my attention was the way the author chose to describe in extreme detail the various smells and sounds associated with the modern battle. For me, this made everything clearer. Also, March shares many military terms and designations relating to equipment and tactics.
Bookended between arrival and departure, you witness the growth and evolution of the main character during his one-year tour of duty. After reading this book, you will understand why no soldier can return home from war unscathed.
This is an excellent book. The author is a skilled writer. The subject matter is graphic and the language used is very raw. But behind the blood, tears, and vulgar language exists a story that needed to be told. Michael March accomplished that task with this book.
~Alan B.
About the Author
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Michael March attended James Madison High School and after graduation studied industrial engineering at Fashion Institute of Technology. But rock and roll were his first love. Foolishly, he left school to pursue that musical dream and did so, until that day he found a letter of greeting from Uncle Sam in his mailbox. Michael served with the Eleventh Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam from July 1967 to July 1968. After his discharge from the Army, he traveled America, visiting the revolutionary hotspots. First stop was Berkeley, Calf., followed by Madison, Wisconsin where he entrenched himself inside the counter-culture. Eventually making his way back to New York, he married, and worked as a production manager and clothing designer in the garment industry. The world of consumer electronics beckoned and he found employment as store manager at Crazy Eddie, the infamous electronics chain. After working in that industry for twenty-five years, Michael took his leave and moved south to Atlanta, where he currently resides and writes every day.
In the author's own words:
"Possessing a wild streak tempered by the idealistic belief that good will overcome evil, in the end, can cause spiritual indigestion. That's my biggest problem. I find my imagination takes control of my fingers and I never know what will come out of my keyboard.
"I have experienced much in my lifetime, including attending Fashion Institute of Technology, being ripped off as a professional musician, learning a trade in the garment industry, working at Crazy Eddie and then at Uncle Steve's, and as an early indoctrination to fear and guilt, serving my country during the war in Vietnam.
"The most important lesson learned though, is the need to express love and to be kind to others. I try to communicate that in my work. Each One a Hero is my first novel and hopefully, only the beginning of my creativity."
Meyer earned his Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, as part of OperationEnduring Freedom. He is the first living Marine to have received the medal in 38 years and one of the youngest. Humble and soft-spoken, Meyer insists that he is not a hero, and that any Marine would have done the same thing he did in battle. 
On September 8, 2009, ETT 2-8 led TF (Task Force) Chosin, a combined group of Afghan Army and National Police forces led by a 
Just after dawn, after inserting into the valley and approaching Ganjgal, TF Chosin came under heavy machine gun, small arms and RPG fire from at least 100 entrenched Taliban fighters, far more than indicated by intelligence reports. Coalition forces soon found itself pinned down in a deadly three-sided ambush. Initial calls for artillery support were rejected by the command post due to new rules of engagement put in place by Gen. Stanley McChrystal in an effort to reduce civilian casualties. Both an Army artillery NCO and an Air Force Joint terminal attack controller took immediate action to provide the ambushed coalition forces with fire support but were overruled by the command post. ETT 2-8 informed the command post that they were not near the village but were again denied fire support. Calls for emergency helicopter support were also denied because adjacent helicopter assets were tied up and taking fire in support of another operation.
The coalition forces were taking increasing fire and could observe women and children shuttling fresh ammunition to Taliban fighting positions. Within 30 minutes of making contact, the ETT request the command post to provide an artillery barrage of smoke canisters to cover their withdraw. Told that no standard smoke was available, the team requested white phosphorus rounds be used instead to screen their retreat.Nearly an hour later, the white phosphorus rounds landed and the coalition forces retreated under heavy fire a short distance before being pinned once again. By this time, three U.S. Marines, their Navy Corpsman, their Afghan interpreter and several Afghan soldiers had been killed. Taliban snipers were moving into flanking positions when helicopter support finally arrived and began to attack Taliban positions. This arrival allowed the wounded to be pulled out and for three Marines to fight their way back up the hill to retrieve fallen comrades. It was nearly nine hours, including 6 continuous hours of fighting, from initial contact until coalition forces were able to totally disengage from the firefight.
An investigation led U.S. Army Col. Richard Hooker and U.S. Marine Col. James Werth was launched into the lack of requested fire and air support. While members of the task force publicly blamed Gen.McChrystal's new ROE's (Rules Of Engagement, as dictated by President Obama), and personnel at the command post agreed, the investigation placed most of the blame on the battalion leadership. It found that three U.S. Army officers at nearby Forward Operating Base Joyce, from Task Force Chosin, a unit comprising soldiers from 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, N.Y, had exhibited "negligent leadership" which had directly contributed to the loss of life in the battle. Two of the three officers, Maj. Peter Granger and Capt. Aaron Harting were given formal reprimands.
When Meyer was reached by phone, a White House staffer went over the details of the Medal of Honor ceremony and other particulars. At the end of the conversation, Meyer asked if he could have a beer with the president. That requests was arranged and on the afternoon before the ceremony, President Obama and Meyer, both in shirtsleeves and ties, sat at a metal patio table on the White House lawn, each with a clear glass mug of ale. During their meeting, Meyer requested that his colleagues at the ambush be honored at the ceremony. President Obama agreed. 
"The story of what Dakota did next will be told for generations. He told Juan they were going in. Juan jumped into a Humvee and took the wheel; Dakota climbed into the turret and manned the gun. They were defying orders, but they were doing what they thought was right. So they drove straight into a killing zone, Dakota's upper body and head exposed to a blizzard of fire from AK-47s and machine guns, from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.
"And then, for a fifth time, they went back - into the fury of that village, under fire that seemed to come from every window, every doorway, every alley. And when they finally got to those trapped Americans, Dakota jumped out. And he ran toward them. Drawing all those enemy guns on himself. Bullets kicking up the dirt all around him. He kept going until he came upon those four Americans, laying where they fell, together as one team.
Because of your Commitment - in the thick of the fight, hour after hour - a former Marine who read about your story said that you showed how 'in the most desperate, final hours - ¦our brothers and God will not forsake us.' And because of your humble example, our kids - especially back in Columbia, Kentucky, in small towns all across America - they'll know that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can do great things as a citizen and as a member of the American family.
"Every member of our team is as important as the other. That's a lesson that we all have to remember - as citizens, and as a nation - as we meet the tests of our time, here at home and around the world.
On December 14, 2011, McClatchy news outlets published an article which questioned the actual number of lives Meyer saved. The article stated that"crucial parts that the Marine Corps publicized were untrue, unsubstantiated or exaggerated," but that Meyer "by all accounts deserved his nomination."
In response to McClatchy's findings, the Marine Corps said it stood by the official citation that was produced by the formal vettingprocess. Asked to explain the individual discrepancies and embellishments, the Marines drew a distinction between the citation and the account of Meyer's deeds that the Marines constructed to help tell his story to the nation. At least seven witnesses attested to him performing heroic deeds "in the face of almost certain death." 
A year after the battle, suffering from PTSD, and after a night of heavy drinking, Meyer attempted suicide with what he thought was a friend's loaded weapon, which turned out to be unloaded. 
Despite the long hours and sometimes horrifying wounds these women had to face, many nurses found their service rewarding. They were able to serve their country and save and comfort the wounded men in their facilities. During the Vietnam War 98% of the men who were wounded and made it to the hospital survived. Nurses witnessed some truly miraculous events such as men recovering from their wounds or acts of true selflessness that are common during combat situations, and many nurses made close friends with their fellow co-workers some of whom still keep in contact into the present day. 
Lieutenant Colonel Annie Ruth Graham, Chief Nurse at 91st Evacuation Hospital in Tuy Hoa. A native of Efland N.C., she suffered a stroke in August 1968 and was evacuated to Japan where she died four days later. She was a veteran of both WW II and Korea. She was 52.
She was posthumously awarded the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm and the Bronze Star for Heroism. In 1970, the recovery room at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver, where Lt. Lane had been assigned before going to Vietnam, was dedicated in her honor. She was 26 years old.
Capt. Eleanor Grace Alexander (L) from Westwood, New Jersey, and Lt. Hedwig Diane Orlowski of Detroit, Michigan died on November 30, 1967, when a U.S. Air Force C-7B hit a mountain about 5 miles south of Qui Nhon. The presence of low clouds and rain had reduced visibility to about two miles. It took search and rescue teams five days to locate the crash site in the dense jungle. Twenty-six people were killed in the crash. Four crewmen were lost, two Air Force passengers and 18 U.S. Army personnel, including two U.S. civilians, were also killed in the accident. With them when their plane crashed on the return trip to Qui Nhon were two other nurses, Jerome E. Olmstead of Clintonville, WI, and Kenneth R. Shoemaker, Jr. of Owensboro, KY. 
Second Lieutenant Pamela Dorothy Donovan, from Allston, MA, became seriously ill and died on July 8, 1968, in Gia Dinh Province, South Vietnam, at the age of 26. She was assigned to the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon. She was born in Wirral, Merseyside (in England), UK, March 25, 1942, to Irish parents. The family returned to Dublin, Ireland; and Pam was raised and educated there before the family came to Brighton, Massachusetts.
The cargo compartment held 102 orphans and 47 others. Twelve minutes after takeoff, the rear loading ramp's locks failed, leading to explosive decompression and massive structural damage. The C-5 touched down in a rice paddy, skidded about 1,000 feet before becoming airborne again, hit a dike, and broke into four parts. The cargo compartment was completely destroyed, killing 141 of the 149 orphans and attendants. Klinker was posthumously awarded the Airman's Medal for Heroism and the Meritorious Service Medal. She was 27 years old.
In 1966, the American Red Cross expanded its Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO), a program that provided recreational activities to servicemen posted too far from USOs and other military entertainment facilities. The Red Cross recruited female college graduates between the ages of 21 and 26 to participate in these "Clubmobiles." Soldiers referred to these young women as 'Donut Dollies,' a reference to the Red Cross Donut canteens of World War II.
Virginia E. (Ginny) Kirsch was born on December 2, 1948, in Erie, PA. Ginny graduated from Brookfield High School in 1966 and from Miami University of Ohio in 1970. In July of 1970, Ginny attended Red Cross training and arrived in Vietnam about two weeks later. She was assigned to the American Red Cross at Cu Chi. 
The Army Special Services Program in Vietnam began on July 1, 1966. In pursuit of their mission, the women who served as Special Services librarians and recreation specialists worked long hours in monsoon mud and dusty heat. Because there were far fewer personnel than there were installations requiring their services, they travelled extensively by any available means: jeeps, 2 1/2 ton trucks, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, and on foot. They endured rocket attacks, mortar barrages, and commando raids mounted against the installations.
Rev. Archie Mitchell, Dr. Eleanor Ardel Vietti, and Daniel Gerber were taken prisoner in 1962 at the leprosarium in Ban Me Thuot. 
More information click 
The story begins with Daniel and other new arrivals to Vietnam riding in the back of a deuce and a half truck heading for the "Blackhorse" base camp several miles south of the village of Xuan Loc. March waste no time in getting the reader into the action. On page two, the convoy is ambushed by Viet Cong, killing two of the new replacements and escaping into the jungle. From that point on, the author gives the reader Daniel's one year of combat duty in Vietnam, capturing what it meant to face lethal danger, to follow orders and to hope that he survives. 
About the Author