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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.

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Medal of Honor recipient Army COL Jack Jacobs

Episode 2797 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army COL Jack Jacobs and his Congressional Medal of Honor award. The featured story comes from The Medal of Honor Museum website  and was titled: Valor and Sacrifice Under Enemy Fire: The Story of Captain Jack Jacobs. It was submitted by an anonymous writer at the Museum.

It was reported in the story that Jack Howard Jacobs was born on August 2, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York. The son of second-generation Eastern European immigrants, he grew up with a full appreciation of their Jewish culture and the importance of education. As a child, he moved with his family to Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, a nearby suburb, where he finished high school and enrolled in Rutgers University under the ROTC program.

Jacobs proved to be a dedicated and ambitious student, earning both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree before graduating in 1966. He was initially commissioned to join the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant and wanted to deploy to Vietnam with his unit, the 82nd Airborne. Instead, he was assigned only as an advisor. When Jacobs protested, insisting he wanted to be an infantry soldier, he was told that his education made him “uniquely qualified” to advise infantry units in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

It was in this position that he would risk life and limb during an enemy ambush in Kieng Phong Province on March 9, 1968.

Jacobs was promoted to captain and was awarded his Medal of Honor by President Nixon during a grand ceremony on the White House lawn, after which he returned for a second tour in Vietnam.  Jacobs taught as a faculty member at both The U.S. Military Academy at West Point and The National War College in Washington, D.C. before retiring from the Army as a colonel in 1987.

Listen to episode 2797 and discover more about Army COL Jack Jacobs and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Medal of Honor recipient George “Bud” Day

Episode 2796 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about George “Bud” Day and his Congressional Medal of Honor award honors. The featured story comes from the taraross website  and was titled: Proud to be an American, Medal of Honor Monday: George “Bud” Day. It was submitted by Tara Ross. She is a retired lawyer and the author of several books about the Electoral College.

Ross reported that at about this time in 1925, a hero is born. George “Bud” Day served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He served as a Marine, a soldier, and an Air Force pilot. He remains one of America’s most highly decorated officers.

He is also a recipient of the Medal of Honor, awarded for his bravery as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

When Day was captured, he was a 42-year-old Air Force Major and the commander of a squadron of F-100s known as the Misty forward air controllers. A mission on August 26, 1967, would change Day’s life.

“It was a really hairy mission,” he later described, “because you spent a lot of hours, a lot of time, fairly low to the ground at high speed getting shot at. And so I lost 42 percent of my airplanes in the first six months we operated. And I was one of those, I might add.”

Day said this about service to country: “We’ve been so fortunate by the accident of birth to be Americans. And, having had that good fortune, our primary duty is to make sure that this country survives and that we stay free. That ought to be the primary objective of every American, every day, for the rest of their life.”

Listen to episode 2796 and discover more about George “Bud” Day and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Army SSG Drew Dix.

Episode 2795 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about U.S. Army SSG Drew Dix and his Congressional Medal of Honor award honors. The featured story comes from the taraross website  and was titled: Medal of Honor Monday: Drew Dix. It was submitted by Tara Ross. She is a retired lawyer and the author of several books about the Electoral College.

Ross reported that during this week in 1944, a hero is born. Drew Dennis Dix is currently one of four Medal of Honor recipients to hail from Pueblo, Colorado. The city has been called the “Home of Heroes.”

Dix’s heroism came in Vietnam on January 31, 1968, just as the Tet Offensive was beginning. He was then a Staff Sergeant coordinating intelligence gathering and working as a Special Forces advisor near the Cambodian border.

But now the provincial capital of Chau Phu had been overrun by the Viet Cong. Dix was to return to the city, along with his patrol of Vietnamese soldiers and some Navy SEALs. Together, they would assist in the defense of the city and rescue trapped civilians.

The men were in SEAL riverboats as they approached the city. The landing was difficult, “like a little Normandy,” as one of the men would later say, yet it was just the beginning of the long, grueling effort to follow.

“Once we got into the city, we could see it was a major offensive,” Dix later explained. “No help was coming, and things were really bad. They were worse than I thought. The city was totally under the control of the VC.”

One major concern was an American civilian nurse who’d been volunteering in the area. Dix went in for her, not knowing if she was still alive.

Listen to episode 2795 and discover more about U.S. Army SSG Drew Dix and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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U.S. Army SP5 James McCloughan. (Photo courtesy of James McCloughan)

Episode 2794 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about U.S. Army SP5 James McCloughan and his Congressional Medal of Honor award honors. The featured story comes from the We are the Mighty website and was titled: John C. McCloughan’s MOH was unique. Here’s why. It was submitted by Logan Nye.

Logan was an Army journalist and paratrooper in the 82nd. Now, he’s a freelance writer covering military history, culture, and technology. He has two upcoming podcasts and a Twitch channel focused on basic military literacy.

Nye reported that Specialist 5 John C. McCloughan, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a retired teacher and sports coach, received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his actions during 48 hours of combat in Vietnam from May 13-15, 1969. He was the first to receive the Medal during the Trump administration, and the first to receive the award after an movement by former President Obama enabled waivers of the five-year time limit on Medal of Honor awards.

McCloughan was part of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, in Vietnam in 1969 when Charlie Company was ordered to conduct a combat assault near Tam Ky and Nui Yon Hill.

It was one of those missions that seemingly everything went wrong from the start, as two American helicopters were shot down and there was too much incoming fire for another helicopter to rescue the downed air crews. A squad was sent to conduct the rescue and recovery instead.

The squad reached the perimeter of the crash site and McCloughan ran 100 meters across open ground raked by fire to recover a wounded soldier, moving forward even as a platoon of enemy soldiers charged in his direction. McCloughan threw the wounded man onto his shoulder and rushed back to friendly lines as rounds raced both directions past him.

Listen to episode 2794 and discover more about U.S. Army SP5 James McCloughan and his Congressional Medal of Honor award honors.

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Medal of Honor recipient Vietnam Vet U.S. Army 1st LT Brian Thacker

Episode 2793 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about U.S. Army 1st LT Brian Thacker and his Congressional Medal of Honor award honors. The featured story comes from the We are the Mighty website and was titled: This Medal of Honor recipient hid within enemy earshot for 8 days. It was submitted by Tim Kirkpatrick.

Tim 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

Evans reported that Brian Thacker was born into an Air Force family. He received his officer commission through the ROTC program before shipping out to the deadly landscape of Vietnam in the fall of 1970.

During the springtime of the following year, Thacker led a 6-man observation team from a hilltop in the in Kon Tum Province, called Firebase 6. Their mission was to support a South Vietnamese artillery unit. After weeks of little to no enemy contact, the enemy finally decided to attack.

As incoming fire rained down onto the firebase, Thacker noticed the enemy was attempting to knock out a crucial machine gun position that was holding them at bay.

The attack grew, the machine gun fell, and the firebase’s perimeter was starting to break down. Thacker realized the enemy’s objective was to obtain the South Vietnamese artillery shell supply.

As the small allied force was being overrun, Thacker organized an extraction plan and had his team dismantle the artillery shells. They were not going to give up their weaponry.

Huey helicopters came in hot to support Thacker’s team, but two were shot down due to well-placed enemy anti-aircraft weapons.

Listen to episode 2793 and discover more about U.S. Army 1st LT Brian Thacker and his Congressional Medal of Honor award honors.

CLICK HERE to hear Brian Thacker tell his story of heroism in the Central Highlands.

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Navy Vietnam Vet Raul Herrera, author of Capturing Skunk Alpha

Episode 2792 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature an interview with Navy Vietnam Vet Raul Herrera and his book Capturing Skunk Alpha.

CAPTURING SKUNK ALPHA is a first-person narrative nonfiction work that spins a unique yarn of an impressionable twenty-year-old Mexican-American sailor from San Antonio, Texas.  The story chronicles this young man’s journey that takes him from the safety of high school life and young love to perilous combat action on the high seas, at the height of the Vietnam War.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas.  Herrera shares a glimpse of barrio life in the mid-1960s. He escapes from a dysfunctional home life, volunteering to a four-year hitch in the U.S. Navy. Thirteen months into a two-year shore duty assignment in San Diego, a Navy recruiter’s promise of a drafting career turns into a questionable future when he receives orders to PCF Crew Training at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, California—he’s Vietnam War bound.

Operation Market Time strikes a devastating blow on North Vietnam’s seaborne resupply mission. A quarter past midnight on July 15, 1967, the six-man crew of Swift Boat PCF-79 led a vicious attack on a 120-foot ammo-laden trawler as it approached the Sa Ky river mouth on the Batangan Peninsula in Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam. The Viet Cong were deprived of more than 90 tons of ammunition and supplies. For their gallant action against a Communist infiltrator, the crew was personally congratulated and decorated by Premier Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and Chief of State Nguyễn Văn Thiệu.

Herrera’s prose highlights the essence of small boat combatants at the height of the Vietnam War. He masterfully invokes creative license, giving voice to the characters as he traces the real Swift Boat story in this historic military memoir.

Listen to episode 2792 and discover more about Navy Vietnam Vet Raul Herrera and his book Capturing Skunk Alpha.

Capturing Skunk Alpha Trailer