Vietnam Veteran News

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Medal of Honor recipient Army Spc. 4th Class Daniel Fernandez.

Episode 2741 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Spec. Daniel Fernandez 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. Daniel Fernandez. It was submitted by Katie Lange, the outstanding writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that of the more than 260 service members who received the Medal of Honor for actions taken in Vietnam, not many volunteered for their tour of duty in Vietnam.

Army Spec. 4th Class Daniel Fernandez volunteered for his second stint there. It was a choice that led to his death, but the soldiers he saved will never forget his sacrifice.

Lange added this about Daniel Fernandez, he was born on June 30, 1944, and grew up on a farm with an orchard in Los Lunas, New Mexico, just south of Albuquerque. He was the oldest of four children and loved to ride horses.

Fernandez was part of Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, when he joined the Army in 1962, before the conflict in Vietnam intensified. But his family said he believed in the cause so much that he volunteered for a second tour of duty.

On Feb. 18, 1966, Fernandez was about eight months into that second tour when his patrol was ambushed by Viet Cong forces near Cu Chi, a suburb of Saigon. The area was famous for the underground tunnels the Viet Cong dug there and used as their headquarters.

During the ambush, Fernandez’s patrol was forced out of its location by intense enemy fire before they could evacuate a wounded soldier.

Listen to episode 2741 and discover more about Army Spec. Daniel Fernandez and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno.

Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno conducts a field prayer service for the men of A Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines.

Episode 2740 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno 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 Lt. Vincent Capodanno. It was submitted by Katie Lange, the outstanding writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that Chaplains aren’t just religious advocates for service members. They’re also relied upon for moral and spiritual well-being, with an ability to be calm in the most harrowing of circumstances.

Only a handful of chaplains have earned the Medal of Honor. Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno, whose bravery and selflessness were exemplified during the Vietnam War, is one of them.

Lange added this about Vincent Capodanno, he was born on Staten Island, New York, in February 1929. He was the youngest of nine siblings and loved to volunteer throughout his community. He went to college for a year after high school, but eventually decided that his true calling was to serve others through God.

Capodanno quit school and joined the seminary. He was ordained as a priest in 1957. During the next eight years of his life, he would travel to Taiwan as a missionary, then to Hong Kong to teach disadvantaged children.

By the mid-1960s, America’s involvement in Vietnam had grown so much that Capodanno felt the urge to serve. So, in December 1965, he volunteered to become a commissioned officer in the Navy to work as a chaplain. In April 1966, Capodanno was sent to Vietnam to serve with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment 1st Marine Division.

On Sept. 4, 1967, a 38-year-old Capodanno was with his Marines in South Vietnam’s Quang Tin province when his unit learned that another platoon was in danger of being overrun by enemy forces.

Listen to episode 2740 and discover more about Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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Retired Army Maj. Ed Freeman wears his Medal of Honor.

Episode 2739 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Army Captain Ed Freeman 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 Captain Ed Freeman. It was submitted by Katie Lange, the outstanding writer for DOD News.

Lange, in her story, reported that Heroes are often people who volunteer for missions they know might be their last. During the Vietnam War, despite having reached retirement age while managing to survive two wars, Army Capt. Ed Freeman volunteered for just such a mission.

Lange added this about Ed Freeman, Freeman was born on Nov. 20, 1927, into a big family who lived on a farm in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He never finished high school. He later said he just wanted to get out of his hometown, so in 1944, he joined the Navy and served on an oiler that provided petroleum to combat ships in the Pacific during World War II.

He went back to finish school after the war ended, then enlisted in the Army, where he served in Korea and received a battlefield commission in 1953.

Freeman’s tour in Korea made him want to be a pilot, so as soon as he returned to the states, he applied for flight school. At first he didn’t qualify because at 6 feet, 4 inches, he was too tall. But he eventually got in and became a pilot. For the next decade, he flew around the world mapping countries, first in fixed-wing aircraft before switching to helicopters.

Freeman was close to retirement when war broke out in Vietnam. He was assigned to the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, which took part in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley.

Listen to episode 2739 and discover more about Army Captain Ed Freeman and his Congressional Medal of Honor award.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.