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Medal of Honor recipient Army 1SG Nicky Daniel Bacon

Episode 2807 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army 1SG Nicky Daniel Bacon and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story appeared on the Wikipedia website and was titled: Nicky Bacon. The story was submitted by an anonymous writer to Wikipedia.

Bacon was born in Caraway, Arkansas, on November 25, 1945, one of nine children. His parents, Johno and “Jean” (Meadows) Bacon, were sharecroppers on a cotton farm. In 1951, a poor farming economy prompted the family to move to Glendale, Arizona, where Johno Bacon’s parents lived. Nicky Bacon grew up driving tractors and picking cotton on the ranch where his father worked. He dropped out of Peoria High School to work full-time to support the family when his father contracted polio, although he later earned a GED.

For his actions in a battle near Tam Ky, Bacon received the Medal of Honor. The medal was formally presented to him by President Richard Nixon during a 1969 White House ceremony. For his service in Vietnam and throughout his career, he also received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Heart medals (one awarded later in 2008 due to an administrative oversight) and numerous other awards and decorations. “Did I enjoy combat? Yeah. I enjoyed the game,” Bacon said in the “Beyond Glory” interview. “I was good at it.”

After his military retirement, Bacon returned with his wife to Arizona and worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs at their Phoenix regional office. While there, he was the co-originator with Larry Mullins of the Med-Vet Healthcare Program in Phoenix and participated in John McCain’s 1986 political campaign in which McCain was first elected to the U.S. Senate. Bacon later served as town manager for the Phoenix suburb of Surprise from 1987 to 1990.

Listen to episode 2807 and discover more about Army 1SG Nicky Daniel Bacon and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Medal of Honor recipient Army PFC Lewis Albanese

Episode 2806 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army PFC Lewis Albanese and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story appeared on the History Link website and was titled: Lewis (Luigi) Albanese receives the Medal of Honor posthumously on February 16, 1968. The story was submitted by Duane Colt Denfeld, Ph.D.

Dr. Denfeld reported in his story that Lewis (Luigi) Albanese was born in Cornedo Vicentino, Vicenza, Italy. When he was 2 years old, his mother, Giannina Albanese (b. 1927), brought him to the United States. They joined Ralph Albanese (1927-2002), Lewis’s father, who owned a Seattle pizza parlor.

Lewis grew up in Seattle and attended Franklin High School. At Franklin High School he especially excelled in wood shop and volunteered to create stage sets for plays. He graduated in June 1964 and went to work at Boeing Aircraft.

He was drafted in October 1965 and took basic training at Fort Carson, Colorado. On August 2, 1966, he flew to Vietnam. His unit soon entered the battle.

Albanese had been in Vietnam for only three months when his unit, Company B, Fifth Battalion, Seventh Cavalry, First Cavalry Division, engaged in a major battle. On December 1, 1966, his platoon advanced through heavy forest to establish a blocking position, and came under withering fire. The troops had advanced into an ambush. The platoon attacked the enemy position while Private First Class Albanese covered its left flank. As he laid down covering fire, he came under new attack from a well-concealed position. This enemy position and sniper fire were to the rear of his platoon, which was moving toward another enemy location. The platoon was in danger of being trapped. Private First Class Albanese identified the enemy position, attacked the ditch, and killed the enemy there. He also shot the sniper and in hand-to-hand combat destroyed another enemy position.

Listen to episode 2806 and discover more about Army PFC Lewis Albanese and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Bernard Francis Fisher, Medal of Honor recipient

U.S. Air Force Majors Bernard F. Fisher and D.W. “Jump” Myers, in Vietnam, 10 March 1966. The photo was taken after Fisher’s rescue of Myers from the A Shau Valley Special Forces camp airfield in front of Fisher’s Douglas A-1E Skyraider (U.S. Navy BuNo 132649).

The Douglas A-1E Skyraider (U.S. Navy BuNo 132649) at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (Dayton, Ohio, USA) is the airplane flown by Maj. Bernard Fisher on 10 March 1966, when he rescued a fellow pilot shot down over South Vietnam in the midst of enemy troops.

Episode 2805 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about USAF MAJ Bernard Fisher and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story appeared on the Aviation Geek Club website and was titled: The USAF Skyraider pilot who landed his SPAD on a besieged airstrip to rescue another crash-landed A-1 pilot.

The story was submitted by Dario Leone. He is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

In his story Dario reported that: On Mar. 10, 1966, Maj. Bernard Fisher, flying A-1E S/N 52-132649, rescued a fellow pilot shot down over South Vietnam. For this deed, Fisher received the Medal of Honor.

As explained by Wayne Mutza in his book The A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam, on the morning of Mar. 10, 1966, as “Hobo Five-One,” Fisher took off on a routine bomb-and-strafe mission, with Captain Francisco “Paco” Vazquez, “Hobo Five-Two,” flying another A-1E on his wing. They had been airborne only ten minutes when they were diverted to A Shau. Reaching the cloud-covered area, Fisher found other Skyraiders looking for a hole and, once again, it was he who found it. Two Spads followed Fisher and Vazquez down to the battlefield in trail formation.

Fisher hugged the ground at about 50 feet altitude and raised the camp’s defenders on his FM radio. He said, “I’m the A-1E that just passed over. Where do you want the ordnance?” They answered calmly, “Hit the south wall. They’re coming over the south wall.”

Listen to episode 2805 and discover more about USAF MAJ Bernard Fisher and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Major William E. Adams

Episode 2804 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Major William E. Adams and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. William Edward Adams (June 16, 1939 – May 25, 1971) was a major in the United States Army who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War.

Adams was born in Casper, Wyoming. He attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri, where he graduated in 1959. Three years later, he graduated from Colorado State University as a member of the Class of 1962.

His Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:

Maj. William Adams distinguished himself on 25 May 1971 while serving as a helicopter pilot in Kontum Province in the Republic of Vietnam. On that date, Maj. William Adams volunteered to fly a lightly armed helicopter in an attempt to evacuate 3 seriously wounded soldiers from a small fire base which was under attack by a large enemy force. He made the decision with full knowledge that numerous antiaircraft weapons were positioned around the base and that the clear weather would afford the enemy gunners unobstructed view of all routes into the base. As he approached the base, the enemy gunners opened fire with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. Undaunted by the fusillade, he continued his approach determined to accomplish the mission. Displaying tremendous courage under fire, he calmly directed the attacks of supporting gunships while maintaining absolute control of the helicopter he was flying. He landed the aircraft at the fire base despite the ever-increasing enemy fire and calmly waited until the wounded soldiers were placed on board. As his aircraft departed from the fire base, it was struck and seriously damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire and began descending. Flying with exceptional skill, he immediately regained control of the crippled aircraft and attempted a controlled landing. Despite his valiant efforts, the helicopter exploded, overturned, and plummeted to earth amid the hail of enemy fire. Maj. William Adams’ conspicuous gallantry, intrepidity, and humanitarian regard for his fellow man were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of the military service and reflected utmost credit on him and the U S. Army.

Listen to episode 2804 and discover more about Army Major William E. Adams and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Episode 2803 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a discussion about the book Diplomats at War. The author Charles Trueheart, Andy Pham’s and notable author Mark Selverstone will provide an in depth review of this book about the early days of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Charles Trueheart (born September 5, 1951) is an American writer and former newspaper correspondent and non-profit executive. He was a reporter for The Washington Post from 1986 to 2000 and director of the American Library in Paris from 2007 to 2017. His book on Vietnam during the Kennedy years, Diplomats at War, was published in 2024.

Before it spread into a tragic war that defined a generation, the conflict in Vietnam smoldered as a guerrilla insurgency and a diplomatic nightmare. Into this volatile country stepped Frederick “Fritz” Nolting, the US ambassador, and his second-in-command, William “Bill” Trueheart, immortalized in David Halberstam’s landmark work The Best and the Brightest and accidental players in a pivotal juncture in modern US history.

The book embeds the reader at the US embassy and dissects the fateful rift between Nolting and Trueheart over their divergent assessments of the South Vietnamese regime under Ngo Dinh Diem, who would ultimately be assassinated in a coup backed by the United States.

Charles Trueheart retells the story of the United States’ headlong plunge into war from an entirely new vantage point—that of a son piecing together how his father and godfather participated in, and were deeply damaged by, this historic flashpoint. Their critical rupture, which also destroyed their close friendship, served as a dramatic preface to the United States’ disastrous involvement in the Vietnam conflict.

Listen to episode 2803 and discover more about the book Diplomats at War. The author Charles Trueheart , Andy Pham’s and notable author Mark Selverstone will provide an in depth review of this book about the early days of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

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Ray E. Boomhower

Episode 2802 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a discussion about the book The Ultimate Protest. The author Ray Boomhower, Andy Pham’s and notable author Charles Trueheart will provide a complete review of this book about an important aspect of the War in Vietnam..

. Ray E. Boomhower is a senior editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press. He is also the author of more than a dozen books, including The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thich Quang Duc, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World (UNM Press). Charles Trueheart is a former Washington Post reporter who grew up amid the events that traumatized two families and an entire nation.

Charles Trueheart

The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thich Quang Duc, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World examines how the most unlikely of war correspondents, Malcolm W. Browne, became the only Western reporter to capture Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc’s horrific self-immolation on June 11, 1963. Quang Duc made his ultimate sacrifice to protest the perceived anti-Buddhist policies of the Catholic-dominated administration of South Vietnam’s president Ngo Dinh Diem.

Biographer Ray E. Boomhower’s The Ultimate Protest explores the background of the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam in the spring of 1963 that led to Quang Duc’s self-sacrifice as well as the worldwide reaction to Browne’s photograph, how it affected American policy toward Diem’s government, and the role the image played in the violent coup on November 1, 1963, that deposed Diem and led to his assassination.

The book also delves into the dynamics involved in covering the Vietnam War in the early days of the American presence and the pressures placed on the journalists to stop raising doubts about how the war was going.

Listen to episode 2802 and discover more about the book The Ultimate Protest. The author Ray Boomhower, Andy Pham’s and notable author Charles Trueheart will provide a complete review of this book about an important aspect of the War in Vietnam.

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Ray E. Boomhower

Episode 2801 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Andy Pham’s interview with Ray Boomhower author of Richard Tregaskis – Reporting Under Fire from Guadalcanal to Vietnam. Ray E. Boomhower is a senior editor at the Indiana Historical Society Press. He is also the author of more than a dozen books, including The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thich Quang Duc, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World (UNM Press).

Boomhower recently published a book about Richard Tregaskis, He was a war correspondent who reported on World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Tregaskis was one of the few news correspondents who reported on the Vietnam War that believed in what we were doing there to prevent the spread of communism.

The review of the book stated: In the late summer of 1942, more than ten thousand members of the First Marine Division held a tenuous toehold on the Pacific island of Guadalcanal. As American marines battled Japanese forces for control of the island, they were joined by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis. Tregaskis was one of only two civilian reporters to land and stay with the marines, and in his notebook he captured the daily and nightly terrors faced by American forces in one of World War II’s most legendary battles—and it served as the premise for his bestselling book, Guadalcanal Diary.

One of the most distinguished combat reporters to cover World War II, Tregaskis later reported on Cold War conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. In 1964 the Overseas Press Club recognized his first-person reporting under hazardous circumstances by awarding him its George Polk Award for his book Vietnam Diary. Boomhower’s riveting book is the first to tell Tregaskis’s gripping life story, concentrating on his intrepid reporting experiences during World War II and his fascination with war and its effect on the men who fought it.

Listen to episode 2801 and discover more about Andy Pham’s interview with Ray Boomhower author of Richard Tregaskis – Reporting Under Fire from Guadalcanal to Vietnam.

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Medal of Honor recipient Green Beret Robert Howard

Episode 2800 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Green Beret Robert Howard and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The We Are The Mighty website and was titled: This Green Beret is considered one of the most decorated soldiers of all time. It was submitted by Tim Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick entered the Navy in 2007 as a Hospital Corpsman and deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines in the fall of 2010. Tim now has degrees in both Film Production and Screenwriting. tim.kirkpatrick@wearethemighty.com

Kirkpatrick reported in the story that at the age of 17, Robert Howard came from a very patriotic family. His father and four uncles all served as paratroopers and he elected to follow in their footsteps. He dnlisted in the Army in 1956. Soon after his training, Howard would be shipped off to Vietnam where would eventually complete five combat tours — all with the U.S. Army Special Forces. During one 13-month period, Howard was nominated for three Medals of Honor for three separate acts of heroism in combat.

While serving as a sergeant of an American-Vietnamese platoon, Howard embarked on a rescue mission for a missing American soldiers thought to be deep in enemy territory.

During the mission, Howard’s platoon came under massive attack by a large enemy force. As allied forces were wounded all around him, Howard managed to rally his men and continue engaging the enemy for nearly four hours.

Eventually, their efforts would pay off as they successfully fought off the aggressive enemy.

Although severely injured himself, Howard oversaw and accounted for every man before leaving the battle field due to his injuries.

Listen to episode 2800 and discover more about Army Green Beret Robert Howard and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient George Lang

Armored Troop Carrier (ATC) known as Tango boats like the one used by George Lang and his unit.

Episode 2799 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Vietnam Vet George Lang and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The We Are The Mighty website and was titled: This Medal of Honor recipient blocked out being paralyzed to finish the mission. It was submitted by Tim Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick entered the Navy in 2007 as a Hospital Corpsman and deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines in the fall of 2010. Tim now has degrees in both Film Production and Screenwriting. tim.kirkpatrick@wearethemighty.com

Kirkpatrick reported in the story that drafted into the Army in March of 1968, George Lang graduated boot camp and went right into advanced infantry training before heading off to the jungles of Vietnam.

In February of 1969, Lang was scheduled to go on leave when an intelligence officer got word of enemy movement closing in.

Lang had just spit-shined his boots when the company first sergeant updated him on his new mission. Lang put his leave on hold and geared up without hesitation. He and his squad loaded up on “tangos” (boats) and proceeded down the river toward their objective.

Lang and his men maneuvered down the canal toward Kien Hoa Province in South Vietnam, where they eventually dismounted the “tangos” and proceeded inland on foot.

After only 50-meters of patrolling, the anxious squad came in contact with a series of bunkers, linked together by communication wires.

Taking point, Lang was first to spot five armed men guarding the area — he quickly engaged. After expelling a full magazine and getting hit by enemy artillery, the squad came under attack by an additional, but unexpected force – red ants.

Listen to episode 2799 and discover more about Army Vietnam Vet George Lang and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Army MG Patrick Brady

Episode 2798 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army MG Patrick Brady and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The Medal of Honor Museum website and was titled: Acts of Courage: Patrick Brady’s Heroic Medical Mission. It was submitted by an anonymous writer at the Museum.

It was reported in the story that Doing the right thing — without letting fears of hardship or danger derail us — is a daily act of courage. It requires us to confront reality head-on, accept responsibility, and use intelligence and compassion to do what is right.

On January 6, 1968, U.S. Army Major General Patrick Brady risked his life above and beyond the call of duty to bravely rescue 51 injured soldiers in Vietnam. His brazen exposure to enemy fire and thick fog made the mission seem impossible. Strengthened by courage, Maj. Gen. Brady did the right thing.

After completing Seattle University’s ROTC program, Maj. Gen. Brady joined the U.S. Army. He attended U.S. Army flight school and earned his wings in 1963.

Shortly after, Maj. Gen. Brady received his assignment to the 57th Medical Detachment in Vietnam. He developed and practiced flying techniques to rescue wounded soldiers in bad weather conditions or when under fire.

On January 6, 1968, Maj. Gen. Brady volunteered for an impossible mission: to rescue wounded soldiers from a heavily defended enemy territory covered in dense fog. Despite the odds, he bravely and willingly entered combat.

Commanding a medevac aircraft, Brady carefully maneuvered through fog and smoke, slowly descending and hovering near a valley trail. Moving the helicopter sideways, he blew the fog away using the backwash from his rotor blades. He located the site, which yielded close-range enemy fire. He landed and successfully evacuated two critically wounded South Vietnamese soldiers.

Listen to episode 2798 and discover more about Army MG Patrick Brady and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.