Episode 2738 – Medal of Honor tribute to Army PFC Leslie Bellrichard

Army PFC Leslie Bellrichard, Medal of Honor Recipient , vietnam veteran news, mack payne

Army PFC Leslie Bellrichard, Medal of Honor Recipient

Episode 2738 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army PFC Leslie Bellrichard 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 PFC Leslie Bellrichard. It was submitted by Katie Lange, then outstanding writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that selfless sacrifice is a common theme among Medal of Honor recipients, as many of them give their own lives to save their fellow comrades during war. Army Pfc. Leslie Bellrichard was no exception.

Bellrichard was born in Janesville, Wisconsin, on Dec. 4, 1941 — three days before America was thrust into World War II — and his life was a struggle almost from the start. His father died in a truck-train collision when he was only 11 months old. A year later, a similar collision killed one of his brothers and severely injured another brother. Their mother, who had been driving them that day, fell into a depression afterward, and eventually county officials took the children away from her.Hooper was born Aug. 8, 1938, in Piedmont, South Carolina, but he grew up in Washington State. He enlisted in the Navy at 17, serving until his honorable discharge in 1959. He later decided to join the Army.

Bellrichard and one of his brothers bounced around the foster system for years after that. They eventually landed in a good home, but it didn’t last. Bellrichard had a breakdown when he was about 12, so he was moved to a children’s home, where he remained until he dropped out of high school and moved to California to be closer to his birth mother, who had relocated there.

Newspaper clippings show that Bellrichard got his GED, taught Sunday school and worked for Lockheed Aviation in San Jose for five years before being drafted into the Army in 1966.

Listen to episode 2738 and discover more about Army PFC Leslie Bellrichard and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

mack payne

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Episode 2737 – Medal of Honor tribute to Army SGT Joe Ronnie Hooper

Army SGT Joe Ronnie Hooper, Medal of Honor Recipient , vietnam veteran news, mack payne

Army SGT Joe Ronnie Hooper, Medal of Honor Recipient

Episode 2737 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army SGT Joe Ronnie Hooper 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 SGT Joe Ronnie Hooper. It was submitted by Katie Lange, an outstanding writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that several Medal of Honor recipients earn the honor for a moment of action. But for Army Sgt. Joe Ronnie Hooper, his moment lasted more than seven hours — fitting, considering he’s one of the most decorated soldiers of the Vietnam War.

Hooper was born Aug. 8, 1938, in Piedmont, South Carolina, but he grew up in Washington State. He enlisted in the Navy at 17, serving until his honorable discharge in 1959. He later decided to join the Army.

Hooper was on his second tour of duty in Vietnam during 1968’s Tet Offensive. He was a 29-year-old sergeant in Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, when he earned his Medal of Honor.

On Feb. 21, 1968, Hooper’s squad was northwest of Hue City, South Vietnam. They were attacking a heavily defended enemy position near a 20-foot-wide stream when a hail of gunfire and rockets came down on them from the Viet Cong — guerrilla allies of the North Vietnamese from the south.

Most of the company was pinned down by the gunfire, but Hooper and five other paratroopers weren’t, so he led them across the stream and into the heart of enemy fire, overtaking five enemy bunkers on the opposite shore. Shortly after, the rest of his company saw what they’d done and joined the fight.

Listen to episode 2737 and discover more Army SGT Joe Ronnie Hooper and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

mack payne

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Episode 2736 – Medal of Honor tribute to Army Spec. Leslie Sabo Jr.

Army Spec. Leslie Sabo Jr., Medal of Honor recipient, vietnam veteran news, mack payneArmy Spec. Leslie Sabo Jr., Medal of Honor recipient.

Army Spec. Leslie Sabo Jr., Medal of Honor recipient.

Episode 2736 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Spec. Leslie Sabo 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: Army Spec. Leslie Sabo Jr. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that A lot of U.S. service members may not have been born in America, but they’re just as willing to die for our ideals. Army Spec. Leslie Sabo Jr. is a shining example of those who were willing to fight for their adopted country. His efforts to save his fellow soldiers during the Vietnam War earned him the Medal of Honor decades after his death.

Sabo was born in Kufstein, Austria, on Feb. 23, 1948, only a few years after World War II ended. His family fled to the United States when he was 2 to escape the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe. They moved to Ellwood City in western Pennsylvania, where Sabo grew up. Lange added this about Oscar Austin; he was born in Nacogdoches, Texas. His family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, when he was very young. He grew up there and graduated high school in 1967 before enlisting in the Marine Corps on April 22, 1968. A few months later, in October 1968, the newly promoted private first class was sent to Vietnam, where he served as an assistant machine gunner.

Sabo was known to many as being kindhearted, hardworking and dependable. He was working at a steel mill when he was drafted into the Army in 1969. After a few months of training, the 22-year-old was sent to Vietnam on Nov. 14, 1969, as part of the 506th Infantry in the famed 101st Airborne Division.

Listen to episode 2736 and discover more about Army Spec. Leslie Sabo Jr. and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

mack payne

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Episode 2735 – Medal of Honor tribute to Marine Corps Pfc. Oscar Austin

Marine Corps Pfc. Oscar Austin, Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient., vietnam veteran news, mack payne

Marine Corps Pfc. Oscar Austin, Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient.

Episode 2735 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Marine Corps Pfc. Oscar Austin 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. Oscar Austin. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that sacrificing yourself for another is one of the most valiant things a person could do. Its how 21-year-old Marine Corps Pfc. Oscar Austin earned his Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.

Lange added this about Oscar Austin; he was born in Nacogdoches, Texas. His family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, when he was very young. He grew up there and graduated high school in 1967 before enlisting in the Marine Corps on April 22, 1968. A few months later, in October 1968, the newly promoted private first class was sent to Vietnam, where he served as an assistant machine gunner.

By early 1969, the North Vietnamese kicked off another offensive similar to the massive Tet Offensive of 1968. By February, they had launched simultaneous attacks on more than 100 towns, cities and villages across South Vietnam. On Feb. 23, 1969, Austin was at a Marine base just west of Danang when that enemy offensive came to them.

Early that morning, Austin and his friend, 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Douglas Payne, were on duty at an observation post when the enemy attacked, spraying the Marines with gunfire, grenades and explosives.

Austin found himself protected from the assault in a dugout, but he quickly noticed that Payne was lying injured several dozen yards away. Without considering his own safety, Austin ran from his hole across the open terrain to help drag Payne back to safety.

Listen to episode 2735 and discover more about Marine Corps Pfc. Oscar Austin  and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

mack payne

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Episode 2734 – Medal of Honor tribute to Navy Vice Adm. James Stockdale

Navy Rear Adm. James B. Stockdale, vietnam veteran news, mack payne

Navy Rear Adm. James B. Stockdale poses for a photograph in full dress white uniform. He is one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the Navy and wears 26 personal combat decorations.

Episode 2734 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Navy Vice Adm. James Stockdale 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: Navy Vice Adm. James Stockdale. It was submitted by Katie Lange, a writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that Nearly 600 U.S. prisoners of war returned from Vietnam during Operation Homecoming in early 1973. Many had endured the longest wartime captivity of any group of U.S. POWs in the nation’s history.

One of those repatriated was Navy Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, who was a truly great American and an iconic Naval aviator who remains the only three-star admiral to have worn both aviator wings and the Medal of Honor.

Lange added this about Stockdale; he was born Dec. 23, 1923, in Abingdon, Illinois. He briefly went to Monmouth College in his home state before attending the U.S. Naval Academy. After graduating in 1947, he became a pilot by 1950. Over the next 15 years, he worked his way up the ranks and was sent by the Navy to earn his master’s degree in international relations at Stanford University. But he preferred flying over academics, so he went back to that when the Vietnam War began.

By late summer of 1965, Stockdale had already flown nearly 200 combat missions in his career. On Sept. 9, the pilot was on his third tour of duty, commanding Carrier Air Group 16 on a mission over North Vietnam. On his flight back from the target, Stockdale’s A-4 Skyhawk was shot down. He ejected over a small village and was captured.

Listen to episode 2734 and discover more about Navy Vice Adm. James Stockdale and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

mack payne

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Episode 2733 – Medal of Honor tribute to Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John Bobo

Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, Medal of Honor recipient. , vietnam veteran news, mack payne

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

2nd Lt. John P. Bobo, vietnam veteran news, mack payne

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.

mack payne

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Episode 2732 – Medal of Honor tribute to Army Maj. Alfred Rascon

Army Maj. Alfred Rascon , vietnam veteran news, mack payne

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.

mack payne

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Episode 2731 – Medal of Honor tribute to Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson. , vietnam veteran news, mack payne

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard A. Anderson relaxes during some down time while deployed in Vietnam. , vietnam veteran news, mack payne

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.

mack payne

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Episode 2730 – Medal of Honor tribute to Marine Lance Cpl. Jedh Barker

Marine Corps Pfc. Jedh Barker.

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.

mack payne

 

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Episode 2729 – Medal of Honor tribute to Army Lt. Col. Bruce Crandall

Army Maj. Bruce Crandall, vietnam vetertan news, mack payne

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.

mack payne

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