PROUD TO SERVE MY COUNTRY
By Captain Vazquez-RodriguezAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2011 Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4567-3452-7Contents
Dedication...................................................................................................................................IXPART I.......................................................................................................................................1Chapter 1 Introduction: Proud To Have Served My Country During The Korean And The Vietnam War And In Peacetime..............................3Chapter 2 Pre-Korean War:...................................................................................................................19Chapter 3....................................................................................................................................24Hindsight End Thoughts.......................................................................................................................89Foot Notes, Part I...........................................................................................................................90PART II POST KOREAN WAR......................................................................................................................93Chapter 1: Timeline of Peacetime Assignments.................................................................................................95PART III: VIETNAM WAR........................................................................................................................181Chapter 1: Introduction......................................................................................................................183CHAPTER 2: 5th Special Forces Group Airborne, 4th Corps: Aug 1966 – Jul 1967 ODA 426 – Ha Tien...................................186Chapter 3: 5th Special Forces Group Airborne, 4th Corps, Nov 1966 – Jul 1967 ODA 426, MyAn Floating Camp, Vietnam......................200Chapter 4: July 1967 – Nov 1967: Military Hospital Yokohama, Japan.....................................................................228Chapter 5: Jan 1968 – May 1969: Company A, 8th Special Forces Group Airborne, Fort Gulick, and Canal Zone, Panama......................240Chapter 6: Jun 1969 – Aug 1969: Company, 75th Rangers, And Republic of Vietnam.........................................................253Chapter 7: Sep 1969 – Nov 1969: 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, and 101st Airborne Division.............................................255Hindsight....................................................................................................................................290PART IV: POST VIETNAM WAR....................................................................................................................295Index........................................................................................................................................335
Chapter One
Introduction: Proud To Have Served My Country During The Korean And The Vietnam War And In Peacetime.
This book is an account of four members of my family military service in the United States Army and participation in the Korean and the Vietnam War. Three of us fought in the Korean War and two in the Vietnam War. We all knew that been native of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico our journey was going to be hard and painful, but we chose to answer our country's call to bear arms and fight to preserve its freedom and fulfill our responsibilities as American citizens. This is about our struggle to succeed when most people around us did everything they could to see us fail. But more important this book pays tribute to the Korean Veterans of the "Forgotten War" and especially those who fought side by side with me in the 15th and the 65th Infantry Regiments, 3rd Infantry Division; my fellow Special Forces warriors in Operational Detachment A-426 in the floating camp at My An in the Mekong Delta; and the courageous men of the Second Battalion, 506th, 101st Airborne Division during the siege and battle for Firebase Ripcord considered the last great battle of the Vietnam War.
This book is our way to say thanks to the men and women of the Armed Forces that continues to fight in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan to preserve our security and freedom. This is to say thanks to hundreds of native Puerto Ricans that answered the call and fought well although their accomplishments were less publicized than their failures. We, native Puerto Ricans can be proud of our heritage and service to our country. And finally, this book salutes and pays respect to the Korean people for their sacrifice, resiliency, and perseverance against many odds to ensure and preserve the freedom of their own country.
Most books are normally confined to the coverage of a specific war. However, I address both the Korean and the Vietnam wars because during this period a privileged group of Americans turned their backs on the soldiers that fought in these conflicts. I understand the frustration of the American people watching their love ones in the armed forces go back overseas to fight a war just short five years after the conclusion of the Second World War. But their anger should not have been directed toward the military establishment; the civilian leadership sends our soldiers to war when they believe that it is in the best interest of the nation. Some of our citizens will agree and others will of course disagree, but this is the way the system works in our great democracy. President Truman sent the Armed Forces to fight the so called forgotten war; others called it "police action" in the case of Korea. President John F. Kennedy committed our Armed Forces to the war in Vietnam and other presidents have done the same during previous wars. I believe that both Presidents had very good reasons for sending our armed forces to fight these two conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. After WWII, the Russians were not really our friends; General George Patton did not trust the Russians and many newspapers in the United States published his opinion. The General's message was very clear and direct and he believed that the Allied Forces should have been fighting the Russians instead of the Germans during World War II. The Russians armed and supported the North Koreans and the Chinese during the Korean War and the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War; there is no doubt that the Russians were behind these two wars.
Unlike most others books providing coverage of our nation's wars or conflicts, this book focuses mostly on the day-to-day life on a battlefield from the perspective of a foot soldier who served on both wars. The coverage is limited to that period of time that I and my cousins served as infantryman during these conflicts. It avoids politics as much as possible and it concentrates on the successes, failures, emotions and hardships of the foot soldiers assigned to small units under a harsh combat environment. At time the readers may see flashes of political matters being addressed because politicians make most of the decisions that determine the outcome of military conflicts. It is not my intent to question the performance or decision making of our military leaders; our nation has been blessed to have had excellent military leaders that have provided the leadership and the courage to ensure success in battles fought on land, sea, and air. In general, our military units have been well-led regardless of the environment, the terrain, the weather, and the type and size of the enemy forces. Some of our leaders at all levels have made mistakes, but humans make mistakes especially when dealing with a complex environment such as wars where decisions must be made in the spur of the moment and where the life of soldiers are at stake or in the balance between life and death.
Many elitists and critics blamed the shortcomings of the foot soldiers during both the Korean and the Vietnam wars to the lower socioeconomic groups that filled the ranks of the infantry units. But I have to be honest; I am not aware of any military unit that distinguished itself in combat because it was composed solely of soldiers from the rich and affluent families in the United States of America. It is not the fault of the soldiers from the lower socioeconomic groups that victory was not ours to grasp in Korea. The units that fought in Korea were filled with a large number of soldiers from the great generation who fought valiantly during WWII. Most of the leaders above the battalion level fought in the Second World War and were graduates of West Point the most prestigious of the military academies. The media in general and most of the American public supported the Second World War, but, as we all know there was no support for the Korean and the Vietnam War. Nonetheless, we must remember or keep in mind that the Generals move armies, corps, and divisions and formulate the strategic and tactical plans for the Armed Forces, but the outcome of the battles are decided on the ground at the battalion, company, and platoon level. To achieve a favorable outcome, the units must have appropriate equipment, the best weapons money can buy, timely combat and logistics support, and the leadership and commitment to win in the battle field. A good example is the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry; this unit stationed in Japan was deployed to Korea on July 1950 and given the mission to stop the advance of a North Korean Division that was supported by Soviet tanks. The battalion was under strength, poorly equipped, and lacked the training and combat readiness to go into combat to face an enemy unit with a superior strength; well led and supported by large armored and artillery units; and familiar with the ground in which they planned to maneuver. Additionally, two of the companies organic to the American battalion were not ready for deployment and did not accompany the battalion during the initial engagement. The battalion was instructed to link with a South Korean Division that was not at the designated place and therefore linkage was never established. The men of the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry fought under adverse conditions with rifles and obsolete rocket launchers to stop an enemy division that attacked in mass and human waves with little or no concern for the lives of their own soldiers. It does not take a genius to predict the outcome of such a battle; the outcome of this combat engagement was known before the battle started.
The Battalion was not defeated because of the lower socioeconomic composition of the infantry unit's soldiers. Simply, the battalion minus two companies did not belong in that battlefield at that time and place. Those who question the courage of those soldiers should place themselves in that battlefield facing thousands of North Korean and Chinese troops supported by Russian tanks and the friendly forces with limited or no ammunition to fight the enemy. My question to the critics and experts is very simple, what would you have done under same circumstances in that battlefield? Perhaps the same thing those soldiers did; they fought bravely until their ammunition was expended and they were overwhelmed by the superior enemy force. This war scenario reminds me of those gallant and courageous 300 Spartans who chose to fight against thousands of Persian soldiers; at least they knew and understood that they were not expected to win, but their objective was to inflict as many casualties as possible to the enemy force; delay its advance; and gain time for the main Spartan Army to deploy and defeat the enemy.
I understand that during most wars, there is a group of privileged citizens that manage to avoid serving in the armed forces and of course members of this same group criticize the patriotism and courage of those who choose to serve their country. Perhaps these citizens want to insure that they are not called to serve because of their disagreement with the War. Their actions and opposition to any war our armed forces are called to fight will probably never change unless the enemy invades our home land and these privileged groups or individuals have no way out, but to fight or die. My advice to the anti-war demonstrators and the leftist media is to choose the correct target audience for your criticism; our soldiers fight to keep our country safe and to preserve your freedom of speech and the myriad of benefits you enjoy as an American citizen. Your hate should be directed to the civilian leadership that your vote put in office and not to the soldiers that fight, bleed, and die in the battlefield to ensure that your peaceful sleep is not interrupted at night. Perhaps, you should remember that the freedom you enjoy is built on the blood spilled by our brave soldiers in the battlefield.
This book provides an insight into the conduct of a war through the eyes of a Spanish speaking foot soldier who is a veteran of the Korean and the Vietnam War and who fought as a rifleman, a sniper, squad leader, platoon sergeant, platoon leader, and company commander with very good combat units such as the 3d Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and the 5th Group, Army Special Forces. War is very different for those who carried out orders at the lowest levels of any organization. There is no opportunity to question what is right or wrong, to do that may result on serious consequences and retaliations. The only option available to the foot soldier is to carry out the orders of his superiors even if doing so leads to their death or disability. Simply stated; it is not ours to question why, but to do or die.
This is my personal account and interpretation of how the battles are carried out at the small units levels; I was there; I fought there along with two of my cousins and lost several of my friends during both the Korean and the Vietnam War. Whether I like it or not, decisions in the battle field are influence by the political objectives of the nation civilian leadership. The commanders in the field regardless of their ranks are subject to the restrictions imposed on them by that leadership. Therefore, it is not my intention to analyze or debate whether General MacArthur was correct on pushing the war across the 38th parallel or whether the American President (Harry Truman) was justified in taking the United Nations Forces command away from the general. The foot soldier is not involved in decision making at that level. Our responsibility is to obey the orders of our immediate superiors including squad leader, platoon sergeant, platoon leader, and company commanders among others; most of times if not always, the foot soldier does not know where he is going or why. I, myself as a 19 years old young soldier had little knowledge of what I was doing or should have done when I got to Korea on April 1951; eventually I learned how to fight and survive thanks to the guidance from the old soldiers of the great generation. But, in many occasions I found myself totally disoriented and just following the steps of the man in front of me with no knowledge of where I was going or for what purpose.
Most of the information provided at the platoon or squad levels was very limited and confined specifically to the ground where the small unit was scheduled to maneuver or fight. Once the small unit crossed those boundaries, information as to the enemy capabilities in terms of strength, weapons systems, intentions and location became much obscured. At least that was the situation in Korea where the enemy was all over the battlefield including the rear areas where the logistics units normally operate from to support the front lines units. Eventually, if you the foot soldier were able to survive two or three combat engagement, you might gain information and anticipate how your enemy will behave, deploy, and fight in future engagements.
The North Korean and the Chinese soldiers were in our face constantly by attacking or defending with an overwhelming force, therefore, we did not have to expend too much time to find them and counter theirs tactics. Since my arrival in Korea my unit was constantly moving back and forth either to attack or defend against counter-attacks by an enemy that its sole mission was to destroy the American Forces and its allies no matter what the cost. I was too busy to even learn and remember the names of the soldiers in my squad. When you are as young as I was in 1951 in a combat environment you just do not know anything about anything; soldiers react to each situation the best they can or ask their leaders for instructions if they are close enough to your position. In my case I was fortunate enough to be closed to my leaders and they provided instructions before I had time to ask questions. Keeping the foot soldiers informed make them feel that they are a vital cog in the battles to be fought.
We, the men who fought there in the Korean Peninsula went to war with our hands tied behind our back to fight a so called limited war or a police action and lost thousands of soldiers in that forgotten war. It was not even called a war for many years, and yet 36,576 American soldiers gave their lives and 103,284 were wounded. These figures may or may not be correct; they seem to change every year. The unit I fought with, the 3d Infantry Division alone lost an estimated 2,160 soldiers killed in action during the period 1950 through 1953.
Our veterans were not received with open arms simply because a victory per se was not achieved, but in reality victory was never ours to win; our civilian leadership never intended for us to win or to defeat China because of fear of confronting the Russians in a Third World War. The American public (Media) blamed the cease fire or the unsatisfactory outcome of the war on the poor fighting spirit of the combat soldiers; evidently, the media with all its knowledge forgot that the outcome of a geopolitical conflict and Korea fits that title and definition, cannot be used to measure the performance of a combat unit regardless of its size and capabilities. The old and the young soldiers fought and died on that war with courage, determination, and commitment; the South Korean people, military and non-military alike showcased their resiliency, courage, and perseverance amid the destruction and violence inflicted by a ruthless enemy that showed no mercy even for the wounded or prisoners of war. If the critics want a better answer as to where the cause was worth fighting, take a close look at South Korea today and you will see a well developed and proud industrial nation with fairly high standards of living. I cannot say the same for their brothers and sisters living in North Korea under an oppressive and corrupt government that controls every aspect of their lives.
I am astonished and ashamed by the behavior of that small group of people within our American population who turned against veterans of both wars, but especially the Vietnam War. The veterans of these two wars were not different from those that fought in previous wars. Our nation called and our men and women responded like any good and loyal citizen should and must do. The soldiers who fought during the Korean War came from all walks of life; very few came from rich and affluent families; some came from the middle class and good education background; and some from poor families and in some cases limited or poor education. They all fought because they believed in the United States of America; all gave some and some gave all. Most of us served without shirking or complaining because of a sense of duty and this is something for which we can be proud.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from PROUD TO SERVE MY COUNTRYby Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez Copyright © 2011 by Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
