Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ron Mosbaugh
Episode 3259 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature combat experience in Vietnam with
This powerful firsthand account captures the brutal transformation of a young American thrust into the chaos of the Vietnam War. Arriving in 1966 as a naïve nineteen-year-old, the narrator is rapidly stripped of innocence by the harsh realities of combat. What follows is not just a story of battle, but a lifelong testament to the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans.
During a harrowing mission near Da Nang, his Marine unit walks into a deadly Vietcong ambush in a graveyard at Vinh Hoa. Amid point-blank gunfire, explosions, and hand-to-hand combat, he risks his life repeatedly as a corpsman, running through open rice paddies under heavy fire to reach wounded Marines. Despite exhaustion, terror, and dwindling supplies, he continues treating the injured, embodying selflessness under unimaginable pressure.
In one surreal moment, he locks eyes with a Vietcong soldier who could kill him instantly. Instead, a silent understanding passes between them, and the enemy spares his life. This encounter reveals the shared humanity even between enemies and becomes one of the most profound memories of his service.
The emotional toll of that day—and many others—never fades. For over fifty years, he has endured PTSD, reliving the trauma through relentless nightmares. Yet through it all, his faith in God and belief in divine protection sustain him.
This story underscores the greatness of Vietnam veterans—ordinary young men who performed extraordinary acts of bravery, compassion, and sacrifice. They faced unimaginable horrors, yet upheld duty, brotherhood, and love for one another in the darkest of circumstances.
Listen to Episode 3260 and discover more about the combat experience in Vietnam with Ron Mosbaugh’s story Nightmares in the Rice Paddy
