Vietnam Veteran News

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Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, Medal of Honor recipient.

Australian dock workers secure the USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo while members of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Australian Defense Force begin offloading Marine Rotational Force Darwin gear to be transported to Robertson Barracks and the Royal Australian Air Force’s Base Darwin, March 31, 2014.

Episode 2733 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John Bobo and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John Bobo. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that although many men were drafted into the military during the Vietnam War, some, like Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John Bobo, volunteered. Bobo never came home from the war, but his sacrifice saved several members of his company. For that, he earned the Medal of Honor.

Lange added this about Bobo; Bobo was born Feb. 14, 1943, in Niagara Falls, New York. He went to nearby Niagara University after high school and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve while there, according to the Niagara Gazette. Bobo graduated with a degree in history in June 1965 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

Bobo spent nearly another year in training before being assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. In June 1966, his unit was on its way to Vietnam.

On March 30, 1967, the 24-year-old weapons platoon commander was on a routine patrol south of a Marine base that was only a few miles below the North Vietnam border. His company settled into a defensive position on a hill for the night. Several rifle platoons were sent out to patrol for ambushes.

His 1st Sgt. Raymond G. Rogers recalled this about Bobo in a later interview.“I saw him kill at least five North Vietnamese soldiers although he had been seriously wounded,”

Listen to episode 2733 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John Bobo and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Army Maj. Alfred Rascon wears the Medal of Honor.

Episode 2732 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Maj. Alfred Rascon and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Army Maj. Alfred Rascon. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that when you join the military, you don’t always get the job of your choice. Army Spc. 4th Class Alfred Rascon didn’t choose to be a medic when he joined the Army. But he did as he was assigned, and he did so with such distinction in Vietnam that, after a years-long push by fellow platoon members, he earned the Medal of Honor.

Lange added this about Rascon; he was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1945, but his parents emigrated to Oxnard, California, when he was 2 or 3. The family of three lived in an area with bars that service members were known to frequent. Rascon said some of those service members would give him their hand-me-downs or he would buy them for cheap at a nearby second-hand store.

This exchange led to his early fascination with the military. In fact, according to a Library of Congress interview, Rascon was so enthralled by the idea of becoming a paratrooper that he made his own parachute when he was 7, jumped off his roof and broke his wrist.

So, it was no major surprise when he enlisted in the Army right out of high school. His parents had to sign a waiver because he was only 17.

In late 1963, Rascon was assigned as a medic to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade stationed in Okinawa. In May 1965, The 173rd Brigade moved to Vietnam. Rascon said he learned quickly how medics had to depend on their wits, their skills and each other to aid the wounded during battle.

Listen to episode 2732 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Army Maj. Alfred Rascon and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson relaxes during some down time while deployed in Vietnam.

Episode 2731 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that during a fierce firefight in Vietnam, 21-year-old Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson watched as a grenade landed near his injured legs. Without hesitation, he made the decision to save the Marine helping him instead of himself. For that, he earned the Medal of Honor.

Lange added this about Anderson; he was born April 16, 1948, in Washington, D.C., but his family moved to Houston when he was young. He liked to play football and compete in track and field before graduating from high school in May 1966. Anderson remained in the area to attend San Jacinto Junior College for about a year and a half.

By then, the war in Vietnam was raging, so Anderson left college. On April 8, 1968 — a week before he turned 20 — he joined the Marine Corps. He received training in Southern California and was shipped to Vietnam that fall.

Anderson was reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division shortly after he got there. He started as a rifleman and worked his way up to be assistant team leader of Company E of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion. He was promoted to lance corporal on June 1, 1969.

Less than three months later, Anderson would be put to the ultimate test. During the early morning hours of Aug. 24, 1969, Anderson’s recon team was patrolling near Vandegrift Combat Base in the Quang Tri province.

Listen to episode 2731 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Marine Corps Pfc. Jedh Barker. Barker was promoted to lance corporal after he died in Vietnam saving the lives of his comrades. His actions earned him the Medal of Honor.

Episode 2730 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Lance Cpl. Jedh Barker and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Lance Cpl. Jedh Barker. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jedh Colby Barker left behind a promising college career to join the service during the Vietnam War. He never came home, but the lives he saved through his heroic actions earned him the Medal of Honor.

Lange added this about Barker; Barker was born on June 20, 1945, in Franklin, New Hampshire, just as World War II was ending. When he was six, his parents moved him and his five siblings to Park Ridge, New Jersey.

Barker was a natural-born athlete. He was the captain of Park Ridge High School’s football and baseball teams. According to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation, he was also on the school’s track and basketball teams and belonged to the choir.

After high school, Barker went to Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey before transferring to Northeast Missouri State Teachers College (now called Truman State University) in Kirksville, Missouri, to play football.

By the spring of 1966, the war in Vietnam was escalating, so on June 20, Barker enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve.

In June 1967, Pfc. Barker was sent to Vietnam and reassigned as a machine gunner with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division.

A few months later, the young Marine would be put to the ultimate test.

Listen to episode 2730 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Marine Lance Cpl. Jedh Barker and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Army Maj. Bruce Crandall earned the Medal of Honor in 2007 for actions he took to save dozens of soldiers’ lives in Vietnam in 1965.

Episode 2729 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Army Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that Army Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall led more than 900 combat missions during two tours in Vietnam. His heroics were numerous, but it was his quick thinking during an aborted mission in 1965 that led him to save the lives of dozens of soldiers — something for which, four decades later, he earned the Medal of Honor.

Lange added this about Crandall; he was born on Feb. 17, 1933, in Olympia, Washington. He grew up like many boys his age, enjoying the game of baseball, and playing it well enough to become a high school All-American.

Crandall had dreams of being drafted by the New York Yankees, but instead, he was drafted by the Army in 1953. He went to aviation school and received his commission as an officer a year later.

For roughly the first decade of his military career, Crandall’s job was mapping. He flew fixed-wing aircraft for topographical studies in Alaska, then headed to Libya, his first overseas assignment, for two years to help map the desert as an instructor and unit test pilot.

In 1963, Crandall reported to Fort Benning, Georgia, to help lead a new air cavalry unit. He was the liaison for the 18th Airborne Corps in the Dominican Republic Expeditionary Force in early 1965 before he left to be a commanding officer on his first deployment to Vietnam.

Listen to episode 2729 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Army Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Marine Corps Cpl. Larry E. Smedley, Medal of Honor recipient.

Episode 2728 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Corps Cpl. Larry Smedley and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Cpl. Larry Smedley. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that on the 106th anniversary of Congress authorizing the Medal of Honor for sailors and Marines, young Marine Corps Cpl. Larry Smedley earned it by giving his life to protect his comrades in Vietnam.

Lange added this about Smedley; Smedley was born on March 4, 1949, in Front Royal, Virginia. When he was young, his family moved him and his two siblings to Georgia before settling in Union Park, Florida, just outside of Orlando. Smedley’s family said he was really interested in the military, so, in 1966, the 17-year-old dropped out of high school and joined the Marine Corps.

Smedley first served as a rifleman and fire team leader with the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. By July 1967, he was in Vietnam. Two months into his deployment, Smedley was promoted to corporal and served as a rifleman and squad radioman with Company D, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

On the evening of Dec. 21, 1967, Smedley led a six-man squad to an ambush site at the mouth of an area known as Happy Valley near Phuoc Ninh, west of the vital Da Nang military complex. During the night, they noticed about 100 enemy fighters carrying 122-mm rocket launchers and mortars toward a hill that was within range of the complex.

Listen to episode 2728 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Marine Corps Cpl. Larry Smedley and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Marine Corps Private 1st Class Robert H. Jenkins Jr., Medal of Honor recipient.

Episode 2727 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Corps Pfc. Robert Jenkins Jr. and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Pfc. Robert Jenkins Jr. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that many of the service members who gave their lives in service to our country barely had a chance to begin their own. Marine Corps Private 1st Class Robert Jenkins Jr. falls into that category. What he lacked in age, he more than made up for in courage, commitment and dedication. For that, he earned the Medal of Honor.

Lange added this about Jenkins; he was born June 1, 1948, in Interlachen, Florida, just east of Gainesville. He had a brother and three sisters and graduated from Palatka Central Academy in 1967.

Jenkins’ family and friends said he was a nice teen who got good grades, had a lot of friends and worked hard for his family, according to the Florida Department of Military Affairs. He had a talent for masonry and woodworking, but he was also looking forward to a career in the Marine Corps. His mother said during a 1996 Tampa Tribune interview that he wanted to volunteer instead of being drafted.

Jenkins enlisted on Feb. 2, 1968, as the war in Vietnam was raging. Within five months, he was deployed to the Southeast Asian country. Attached to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Jenkins initially served as a scout and driver.

Early on the morning of March 5, 1969, Jenkins’ 12-man reconnaissance team was prepared to defend Fire Support Base Argonne, just south of the DMZ, from an impending attack. When it came, a North Vietnamese Army platoon started bombarding them with fire from automatic weapons, mortars and grenades.

Listen to episode 2727 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Marine Corps Pfc. Robert Jenkins Jr. and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Marine Lance Cpl. Lester W. Weber, Medal of Honor recipient, poses for a photograph in his dress uniform.

Episode 2726 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lester Weber and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lester Weber. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that Courage under fire is something we would all hope to have, but you never actually know until you’re tested. When 22-year-old Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lester W. Weber was tested in Vietnam, he proved his courage — and then some — by taking out several enemy soldiers to keep his fellow Marines safe. Weber never got to come home, but his valor during the hardest of times earned him the Medal of Honor.

Weber was born July 30, 1948, in Aurora, Illinois, to George and Elsie Weber. He had two brothers, including George Jr., who also became a Marine.  He attended Hinsdale Central High School for two years before he dropped out to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve in September 1966. By then, the war in Vietnam was escalating. So, about four months later, on Jan. 23, 1967, Weber enlisted in the regular Marine Corps.

On Feb. 23, 1969, Weber was leading his Marines during a search and clear operation in the Bo Ban area of the Hieu Duc district in Quang Nam Province. They were sent to help a squad from another platoon, which was in the middle of a fierce firefight with a well-entrenched enemy battalion.

As Weber’s platoon moved through a rice paddy, they were suddenly attacked by enemy soldiers hiding in the paddy’s tall grass. Weber quickly dove into one patch of grass and took down an enemy soldier before forcing 11 others to break their contact with his fellow Marines. He then overwhelmed another North Vietnamese Army soldier in hand-to-hand combat.

Listen to episode 2726 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lester Weber and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Marine Corps Pfc. Daniel D. Bruce, Medal of Honor recipient, poses in his dress uniform.

Episode 2725 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Corps Pfc. Daniel D. Bruce and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Pfc. Daniel D. Bruce. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that Marine Corps Pfc. Daniel D. Bruce was just a teenager when he gave his life to save others during the Vietnam War. His selfless actions kept him from returning home, but they also earned him the Medal of Honor and a legacy that’s made his family proud.

Bruce was born May 18, 1950, in Michigan City, Indiana, about an hour east of Chicago. He had three brothers and a sister and was the eldest of the group, which could be why helping others seemed to be in his nature.

 Lange added this about Bruce; he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. The Vietnam War was in full swing, so, on July 17, 1968, he transferred to the active-duty Marines.

After months of training, Bruce was promoted to private first class on Jan. 1, 1969, and ordered to Vietnam later that month. Before he left, he married his high school sweetheart, Carol.

Upon arrival to Southeast Asia, Bruce was assigned the role of anti-tank assaultman with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

On March 1, 1969, Bruce and another Marine were on a late-night watch in a set position at Fire Support Base Tomahawk when Bruce heard movement in some nearby woods. A bundle of explosives was then heaved in their direction.

Listen to episode 2725 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Marine Corps Pfc. Daniel D. Bruce and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Army Command Sgt. Major Gary Littrell, Medal of Honor recipient.

Episode 2724 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The U.S. Department of Defense website and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell’s more than two decades in service can likely be summed up by his leadership during a precarious situation in Vietnam, where he earned the Medal of Honor. The skilled Ranger was advising a small battalion of soldiers when they got trapped on a hillside by an enemy 10 times their size..

 Lange added this about Littrell; he was born Oct. 26, 1944, in Henderson, Kentucky. His mother died when he was 5, and his dad wasn’t around, so he ended up moving in with his grandparents on their farm.

When he was 9, Littrell’s uncle drove him about 90 miles to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to watch as soldiers demonstrated parachute jumps. Then and there, the young Kentuckian decided he wanted to be one of them. So, in 1961, one day after his 17th birthday, he joined the Army.

Littrell was deployed in 1962 to Okinawa to join the newly converted 173rd Airborne Brigade. While he was there, he married a local woman named Mitsue. They had two boys.

In 1965, Littrell was reassigned to the 82nd Airborne and sent back to the U.S. two days before the 173rd was ordered to Vietnam. Instead, he deployed with the 82nd to the Dominican Republic before returning home to attend Ranger School, graduating in 1966. Littrell remained an instructor there until 1969, when his orders to Vietnam came through.

Listen to episode 2724 and discover more about Vietnam Vet Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Littrell and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.