The 10,000-Day War
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Corporal Ronald Lee Crooks USMCR
Corporal Ronald Lee Crooks
Weapons Platoon,1st Battalion
26th Marines,3rd Division
KIA: 7 June 1967 Quang Tri,SVN
Birth: 4 October 1945 Hickory,North Carolina
I just picked up this North Carolina USMC group to Corporal Ronald Lee
Crooks and I am very proud to be able to Honor and keep his Memory with us.As
you will read the Brave acts this Citizen-Soldier did at the very cost of his
life to cover everyone else.He could have remained down after his first wounding
maybe been around today,but he was too concerned for his buddies and returned to
rain fire on the enemy.RIP Corporal Crooks.
Weapons Platoon,1st Battalion
26th Marines,3rd Division
KIA: 7 June 1967 Quang Tri,SVN
Birth: 4 October 1945 Hickory,North Carolina
I just picked up this North Carolina USMC group to Corporal Ronald Lee
Crooks and I am very proud to be able to Honor and keep his Memory with us.As
you will read the Brave acts this Citizen-Soldier did at the very cost of his
life to cover everyone else.He could have remained down after his first wounding
maybe been around today,but he was too concerned for his buddies and returned to
rain fire on the enemy.RIP Corporal Crooks.
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Pfc.Claude D.Pullen
Co.C,3rdBn.,21st inf.,196th Inf.Bde.,Americal Div.
KIA:14 May,1969 Vietnam
Awarded:Bronze Star and Purple Heart
From:Statesville,North Carolina
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The 35th Infantry Regiment Association salutes our fallen brother, SGT Derris Brown, who died in the service of his country on September 27th, 1968 in Quang Duc Province, Vietnam. The cause of death was listed as Small Arms/AW. At the time of his death Derris was 28 years of age. He was from Bladenboro, North Carolina. Derris is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Panel 42W, Line 26.
The decorations earned by SGT Derris Brown include: the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation.
Buried in the Poone Cemetery in Abbottsburg,NC
Vietnam veteran seeks family of comrade
By Jefferson Weaver of the Bladen Journal, Elizabethtown, NC. (reprinted with permission)
One section of our newspaper's website which I regularly check is called the guestbook.
Like a real, hardbound guestbook in which one actually uses a pen to scribble a signature and a greeting, ours is a record of folks who visit our website.
Most times, people leave little notes, asking about old friends, how are things in their hometown, or sometimes thanking us for running one story or another.
There are even some who use the guestbook to snap and snarl at us, and others who use us for free advertising.
Some notes are brief and clear. Many of the messages are in the computer shorthand that may take a moment or two to decipher.
But the message from David Kemple needed no deciphering.
"Sgt. Derris Brown lost his life in the Republic of Vietnam," the message read. "I want to tell his family what happened. If you know his family please pass this on." The message was followed by Kemple's email address.
I pondered over Kemple's message for a while, then I am ashamed to admit, it went by the wayside as shinier or noisier projects demanded attention.
But the other night, for some reason, I checked the guestbook again, and there was David Kemple's message, waiting patiently.
I must admit-much of what I remember about the Vietnam Era comes from fuzzy TV footage half-remembered from my childhood, stories at church brotherhood dinners, and other, grittier stories told at the barbershop or at funerals.
I vaguely recall being home sick from school and watching the evacuation of Saigon.
We had and have a handful of Vietnam veterans in our family. Those of you who know me even in passing can guess where we stood on that war.
In college, I found myself facing professors who had either served and become jaded, or had dodged and were determined that the sixties hadn't died.
Neither an ex-Army Ranger political science instructor, nor either of my left-wing English professors, could provide the answers many of us sought.
David Kemple doesn't know if Derris Brown's family has any questions about Brown's bravery, but he has some answers.
But before I describe Derris Brown the hero, let me tell you about Derris Brown the soldier.
Kemple said Brown was already a professional soldier when the Army instituted a program to create more non-commissioned officers. Brown had earned his sergeant's stripes well before Kemple was handed his own.
But Brown took Kemple under his wing; rather than resenting the newly created sergeant, he set about turning him into a leader of men.
Other such relationships between senior sergeants and new bucks were not so friendly, but Brown and Kemple became fast friends and comrades.
Their primary mission as sergeants was to make sure none of their men became names on a slab of stone in Washington, or in the front yard of the Elizabethtown National Guard Armory.
That friendship and Brown's training would become important to the survival of a handful of young men trapped in the jungle.
In one of the thousands of engagements that made up the Vietnam War, the five men were pinned down and in need of help on Sept. 27, 1968.
Derris Brown, David Kemple and a squad of warriors of Alpha Co., 2nd. Battalion of the 35th Infantry Regiment went to help. They did not know they were going up against a reinforced company of North Vietnamese regular troops rather than Viet Cong guerillas.
If you aren't familiar with how the military counts people, a company is generally composed of four platoons, which are in turn composed of four squads each.
In short, Kemple, Brown and their boys were badly outnumbered.
The Alpha Company squad ran into heavy fire, and almost immediately began taking casualties. The NVA began moving around the squad's flank, trying to surround the men of Alpha Company.
In the way peculiar to American soldiers-and truth be told, peculiar to many who answer any country's call to service-Derris Brown moved out from under cover and began redirecting some of the company's firepower.
He couldn't see the enemy from his relatively safe position, so he moved out and began calling commands to his men, marking himself as a target but guiding their fire, too.
Alpha Company responded, and was able to drive off the enemy, losing nine of their own.
Including Derris Brown.
David Kemple told me all he knew at first was that Derris Brown hailed from Bladenboro.
That's why he posted his note on our website-like so many warriors of that generation they had little idea of their comrades' worlds outside their own little camp thousands of miles from home.
He has since made contact with Derris Brown's sister, but would be happy to correspond with any other members of the family who are interested.
That a resident of our county gave his life for others 10,000 miles from home is not surprising, given our county's history of sacrifice. If you doubt that record, go check the local memorials, and count the number of Bladenites who have fought and died for their country.
I am sure there is no monument to that day's actions; I am equally sure that it has likely gotten neither more nor less recognition than many of the times men fought in Vietnam.
Those battles and skirmishes and firefights are too numerous, and historians too few, to record every single one, although they should be recorded.
If they were, maybe we could understand why we sometimes have to send Americans fight and die far from home.
One thing I know David Kemple wants to tell Derris Brown's family, and everyone who knew him-Brown was a hero, one of the many who went 10,000 miles from home because their country said it was the thing to do.
He fought for his country, but he gave his life for his friends and his men
The decorations earned by SGT Derris Brown include: the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation.
Buried in the Poone Cemetery in Abbottsburg,NC
Vietnam veteran seeks family of comrade
By Jefferson Weaver of the Bladen Journal, Elizabethtown, NC. (reprinted with permission)
One section of our newspaper's website which I regularly check is called the guestbook.
Like a real, hardbound guestbook in which one actually uses a pen to scribble a signature and a greeting, ours is a record of folks who visit our website.
Most times, people leave little notes, asking about old friends, how are things in their hometown, or sometimes thanking us for running one story or another.
There are even some who use the guestbook to snap and snarl at us, and others who use us for free advertising.
Some notes are brief and clear. Many of the messages are in the computer shorthand that may take a moment or two to decipher.
But the message from David Kemple needed no deciphering.
"Sgt. Derris Brown lost his life in the Republic of Vietnam," the message read. "I want to tell his family what happened. If you know his family please pass this on." The message was followed by Kemple's email address.
I pondered over Kemple's message for a while, then I am ashamed to admit, it went by the wayside as shinier or noisier projects demanded attention.
But the other night, for some reason, I checked the guestbook again, and there was David Kemple's message, waiting patiently.
I must admit-much of what I remember about the Vietnam Era comes from fuzzy TV footage half-remembered from my childhood, stories at church brotherhood dinners, and other, grittier stories told at the barbershop or at funerals.
I vaguely recall being home sick from school and watching the evacuation of Saigon.
We had and have a handful of Vietnam veterans in our family. Those of you who know me even in passing can guess where we stood on that war.
In college, I found myself facing professors who had either served and become jaded, or had dodged and were determined that the sixties hadn't died.
Neither an ex-Army Ranger political science instructor, nor either of my left-wing English professors, could provide the answers many of us sought.
David Kemple doesn't know if Derris Brown's family has any questions about Brown's bravery, but he has some answers.
But before I describe Derris Brown the hero, let me tell you about Derris Brown the soldier.
Kemple said Brown was already a professional soldier when the Army instituted a program to create more non-commissioned officers. Brown had earned his sergeant's stripes well before Kemple was handed his own.
But Brown took Kemple under his wing; rather than resenting the newly created sergeant, he set about turning him into a leader of men.
Other such relationships between senior sergeants and new bucks were not so friendly, but Brown and Kemple became fast friends and comrades.
Their primary mission as sergeants was to make sure none of their men became names on a slab of stone in Washington, or in the front yard of the Elizabethtown National Guard Armory.
That friendship and Brown's training would become important to the survival of a handful of young men trapped in the jungle.
In one of the thousands of engagements that made up the Vietnam War, the five men were pinned down and in need of help on Sept. 27, 1968.
Derris Brown, David Kemple and a squad of warriors of Alpha Co., 2nd. Battalion of the 35th Infantry Regiment went to help. They did not know they were going up against a reinforced company of North Vietnamese regular troops rather than Viet Cong guerillas.
If you aren't familiar with how the military counts people, a company is generally composed of four platoons, which are in turn composed of four squads each.
In short, Kemple, Brown and their boys were badly outnumbered.
The Alpha Company squad ran into heavy fire, and almost immediately began taking casualties. The NVA began moving around the squad's flank, trying to surround the men of Alpha Company.
In the way peculiar to American soldiers-and truth be told, peculiar to many who answer any country's call to service-Derris Brown moved out from under cover and began redirecting some of the company's firepower.
He couldn't see the enemy from his relatively safe position, so he moved out and began calling commands to his men, marking himself as a target but guiding their fire, too.
Alpha Company responded, and was able to drive off the enemy, losing nine of their own.
Including Derris Brown.
David Kemple told me all he knew at first was that Derris Brown hailed from Bladenboro.
That's why he posted his note on our website-like so many warriors of that generation they had little idea of their comrades' worlds outside their own little camp thousands of miles from home.
He has since made contact with Derris Brown's sister, but would be happy to correspond with any other members of the family who are interested.
That a resident of our county gave his life for others 10,000 miles from home is not surprising, given our county's history of sacrifice. If you doubt that record, go check the local memorials, and count the number of Bladenites who have fought and died for their country.
I am sure there is no monument to that day's actions; I am equally sure that it has likely gotten neither more nor less recognition than many of the times men fought in Vietnam.
Those battles and skirmishes and firefights are too numerous, and historians too few, to record every single one, although they should be recorded.
If they were, maybe we could understand why we sometimes have to send Americans fight and die far from home.
One thing I know David Kemple wants to tell Derris Brown's family, and everyone who knew him-Brown was a hero, one of the many who went 10,000 miles from home because their country said it was the thing to do.
He fought for his country, but he gave his life for his friends and his men
Birth: 14 January 1940
Bladenboro North Carolina
KIA: 27 September 1968
Quang Duc south of Duc Lap
A Co 2nd Battalion 35th Infantry Regiment
4th Infantry Division
Bladenboro North Carolina
KIA: 27 September 1968
Quang Duc south of Duc Lap
A Co 2nd Battalion 35th Infantry Regiment
4th Infantry Division
Sgt Derris Brown
Cpl.Samuel S.Linville
Cpl.Samuel S.Linville
1st.Plt.Co.A,1stBn,5th Inf.
25th Inf.Div.
Birth:22 Nov.1946 Greensboro,North Carolina
An Armored Personnel Carrier blew up from an
accidental internal explosion killing three
KIA:9 May 1968 Gia Dinh,Vietnam
1st.Plt.Co.A,1stBn,5th Inf.
25th Inf.Div.
Birth:22 Nov.1946 Greensboro,North Carolina
An Armored Personnel Carrier blew up from an
accidental internal explosion killing three
KIA:9 May 1968 Gia Dinh,Vietnam
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S/Sgt.Richard L.Sarvis
S/Sgt.Richard L.Sarvis
Co.B,1stBn,11th Inf.
5th Inf.Div.
KIA:22 Feb.1971 Quang Tri Province Vietnam
Shot by sniper at Battle of Quang Tri City
From:Durham,North Carolina
Co.B,1stBn,11th Inf.
5th Inf.Div.
KIA:22 Feb.1971 Quang Tri Province Vietnam
Shot by sniper at Battle of Quang Tri City
From:Durham,North Carolina
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Cpl.Milton E.Flowers
Cpl.Milton E.Flowers
Co.E,1stBn,12th inf.regt.
4th Inf.Div.
DOB:1 July 1947 High Point,North Carolina
KIA: 29 May 1968 Kontum Vietnam
Co.E,1stBn,12th inf.regt.
4th Inf.Div.
DOB:1 July 1947 High Point,North Carolina
KIA: 29 May 1968 Kontum Vietnam
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Captain Robert A.Stubberfield (later Lt.Col.)
Captain Robert A.Stubberfield
Pilot RF-101C Voodoo
45th Tac Recon Sqdn 6250th CBT SPT Group
39th AirDiv 13th Air Force
KIA-MIA 6 May 1965 shot down west of Vinh Linh North Vietnam on
Reconnaissance mission,Stubberfields beeper was heard to go off indicating that he successfully ejected and probably reached the ground.Search and Rescue efforts were unsuccessful.
Died while Missing Declared KIA 24 Sept.1973
Born: 30 Nov.1929 Richmond,North Carolina
Purple Heart location unknown
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Corporal Larry C.Wrenn USMC
Corporal Larry Curtis Wrenn USMC
Ser#239788035
MOS: 0331 Machine Gunner
Unit: CAP 3-2-5,CACO 3-2,3rd CAG,III MAF
Birth: 5 July 1948 Fayetteville,North Carolina
KIA:26th September 1969 Corporal Wrenn and Pfc.William M.Johnson members of the Combined Action Plt.3-2-5 were lost to Rocket propelled grenades 5 kilometers southeast of Phu Loc District.
Corporal Wrenn's group includes his medals- frame mounted and his Purple Heart which is un-named as it should be.The grouping includes his Platoon graduation book,Purple Heart certificate and USMC Honorable Service Death accolade.Larry Wrenn was a local Fayetteville boy and this group came straight from the family.
Ser#239788035
MOS: 0331 Machine Gunner
Unit: CAP 3-2-5,CACO 3-2,3rd CAG,III MAF
Birth: 5 July 1948 Fayetteville,North Carolina
KIA:26th September 1969 Corporal Wrenn and Pfc.William M.Johnson members of the Combined Action Plt.3-2-5 were lost to Rocket propelled grenades 5 kilometers southeast of Phu Loc District.
Corporal Wrenn's group includes his medals- frame mounted and his Purple Heart which is un-named as it should be.The grouping includes his Platoon graduation book,Purple Heart certificate and USMC Honorable Service Death accolade.Larry Wrenn was a local Fayetteville boy and this group came straight from the family.
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Corporal Thomas McCray
Cpl.Thomas McCray
C Co.,1st BN,502nd Inf,101st ABN Division
DOB:18 Oct.1938 Kenly,North Carolina
KIA:4 Jan.1968 Binh Duong
Province,Vietnam
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Spec 4 Paul D Williamson
Spec 4 Paul D Williamson
Birth 17 April 1948
Greensboro North Carolina
KIA 31 May 1967 Tay Ninh
Co A 1st BN 18th inf regt
1st Inf Division
Birth 17 April 1948
Greensboro North Carolina
KIA 31 May 1967 Tay Ninh
Co A 1st BN 18th inf regt
1st Inf Division
Sgt Claude E Elmore
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Sgt Claude E Elmore
service# 244689393 Birth: 1 Feb 1944 Bessemer City, NC Co a 1st Bn 27th inf regt 25th Inf Div KIA 12 July 1967 Hau Nghia Vietnam |
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SGT Furman Lee Johnson
Sgt.Furman Lee Johnson from Delway, North Carolina was a Sgt in the 101st Airborne. He died 2 January 1968 while a participant in operation "Klamath Falls "..."If ye break faith with us who die, We shall not sleep "
Birth: 28 July 1942...Delway, North Carolina
2nd Plt. Co.C 3rd Bn
506th Inf 101st Airborne
KIA: 2 January 1968 Bao Loc...Lam Dong
Operation "Klamath Falls" ... "Battle of the Knoll"
2nd Plt. Co.C 3rd Bn
506th Inf 101st Airborne
KIA: 2 January 1968 Bao Loc...Lam Dong
Operation "Klamath Falls" ... "Battle of the Knoll"
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HM3c Ronald G Hembree
HM3c Ronald G Hembree
United States Navy
Birth: Andrews,North Carolina
'Fair Winds and Following Seas "
"Here to the land of the long leaf pine,the sunny land where the sun doth shine"..."where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great"
"Here is to down home...the old North state".
United States Navy
Birth: Andrews,North Carolina
'Fair Winds and Following Seas "
"Here to the land of the long leaf pine,the sunny land where the sun doth shine"..."where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great"
"Here is to down home...the old North state".
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Allen S Stroud
Allen Sheffield Stroud
Corporal
3RD PLT, C CO,
4TH BN, 503RD INFANTRY,
173RD ABN BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
Birth: 18 June 1947
Garner, North Carolina
Length of service 0 years
His tour began on Apr 13, 1968
Casualty was on Jun 17, 1968
In LAM DONG, SOUTH VIETNAM
MULTIPLE FRAGMENTATION WOUNDS
Allen Sheffield Stroud
Corporal
3RD PLT, C CO,
4TH BN, 503RD INFANTRY,
173RD ABN BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
Birth: 18 June 1947
Garner, North Carolina
Length of service 0 years
His tour began on Apr 13, 1968
Casualty was on Jun 17, 1968
In LAM DONG, SOUTH VIETNAM
MULTIPLE FRAGMENTATION WOUNDS
Sgt Sammy Ray Morrison |
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Sammy Ray Morrison
DOB...2 May 1949...Grover, North Carolina
Sgt. C Co. 1st Battalion
7th Cavalry...1st Cavalry Division
Killed in Action...24 May 1970 Cambodia
DOB...2 May 1949...Grover, North Carolina
Sgt. C Co. 1st Battalion
7th Cavalry...1st Cavalry Division
Killed in Action...24 May 1970 Cambodia
Captain Griffin Eli Scarborough
"If ye break faith with us who die...we shall not sleep"
Another Tar Heel comes home...
Capt Griffin Eli Scarborough
Birth: 25 Mar 1927 Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina, USA
Death: 12 May 1968 (aged 41) Quang Ngai, Quảng Ngãi, Vietnam
Burial: Greenmount Cemetery, Wendell, Wake County, North Carolina, USA
Memorial #: 14303518
Bio: US Air Force Capt Griffin Eli Scarborough, World War II Veteran, Korean War Veteran, Vietnam Veteran, Native of Greenville, NC.US Air Force Captain Griffin Eli Scarborough was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Air Force Reserve, CPT Scarborough served our country until May 12th, 1968 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. He was 41 years old and was not married. It was reported that Griffin died when his plane crashed. His body was recovered. Griffin was born on March 25th, 1927 in Greenville, North Carolina. CPT Scarborough is on panel 59E, line 015 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 23 years. Vietnam Veteran-Air Force Pilot, WWII, Korea and Vietnam FAC Hero: Captain Scarborough served during WWII and in Korea. He enlisted at age 18 on 16 April 1945. Captain Griffin Eli Scarborough was a Helix Forward Air Controller assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group, 7th Air Force at Da Nang AB. His tour began on 31 July 1967. He was flying an O-2A with First Lieutenant Omar David Jones (U.S. Army) supporting the 82nd Airborne Division, controlling an air strike near Ngoc Tavak five miles south of Kham Duc. His aircraft was hit by ground fire as he dove the aircraft to fire a marking rocket. Neither survived as the aircraft crashed in flames. Roy Spencer.
He served as a Captain with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group, 7th Air Force.He was awarded The Silver Star Medal for Bravery, The Distinguished Flying Cross with One Oak Leaf Cluster, The Bronze Star Medal, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Army Expeditionary Medal, The World War II Occupation Medal, The World War II Victory Medal, The Korean Service Medal, The Korean Defense Medal, The Korean War Defense Medal, The United Nations Service Medal, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal(s), The Air Medal with 14 Oak Leaf Clusters and Army Aviator Wings.
Another Tar Heel comes home...
Capt Griffin Eli Scarborough
Birth: 25 Mar 1927 Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina, USA
Death: 12 May 1968 (aged 41) Quang Ngai, Quảng Ngãi, Vietnam
Burial: Greenmount Cemetery, Wendell, Wake County, North Carolina, USA
Memorial #: 14303518
Bio: US Air Force Capt Griffin Eli Scarborough, World War II Veteran, Korean War Veteran, Vietnam Veteran, Native of Greenville, NC.US Air Force Captain Griffin Eli Scarborough was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Air Force Reserve, CPT Scarborough served our country until May 12th, 1968 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. He was 41 years old and was not married. It was reported that Griffin died when his plane crashed. His body was recovered. Griffin was born on March 25th, 1927 in Greenville, North Carolina. CPT Scarborough is on panel 59E, line 015 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 23 years. Vietnam Veteran-Air Force Pilot, WWII, Korea and Vietnam FAC Hero: Captain Scarborough served during WWII and in Korea. He enlisted at age 18 on 16 April 1945. Captain Griffin Eli Scarborough was a Helix Forward Air Controller assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group, 7th Air Force at Da Nang AB. His tour began on 31 July 1967. He was flying an O-2A with First Lieutenant Omar David Jones (U.S. Army) supporting the 82nd Airborne Division, controlling an air strike near Ngoc Tavak five miles south of Kham Duc. His aircraft was hit by ground fire as he dove the aircraft to fire a marking rocket. Neither survived as the aircraft crashed in flames. Roy Spencer.
He served as a Captain with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group, 7th Air Force.He was awarded The Silver Star Medal for Bravery, The Distinguished Flying Cross with One Oak Leaf Cluster, The Bronze Star Medal, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Army Expeditionary Medal, The World War II Occupation Medal, The World War II Victory Medal, The Korean Service Medal, The Korean Defense Medal, The Korean War Defense Medal, The United Nations Service Medal, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal(s), The Air Medal with 14 Oak Leaf Clusters and Army Aviator Wings.
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SSgt David Gaddie Jr
SSgt David Gaddie
Birth...Hope Mills, North Carolina
31 December 1941
Killed in Action...Kon Tum Vietnam
4 October 1970
Birth...Hope Mills, North Carolina
31 December 1941
Killed in Action...Kon Tum Vietnam
4 October 1970
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E-4 Jimmy Sampson
Jimmy Sampson
Birth- Clinton,North Carolina
2st Battalion (ABN)
8th CAVALRY
1ST CAVALRY Division (Airmobile)
Wounded in Action- 21 May 1966
OPERATION CRAZY HORSE...AN KHE
A account of S-4 Jimmy Sampson who was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Jimmy took out a Snipers nest that had his fellow soldiers trapped below. He managed this all the while suffering from several gunshot wounds.
The Battle of Crazy Horse took place over several days in late May 1966. It was the most intense of my experiences over there, with my services needed many times through the night and the next day. The second person I tended to was Sp/4 David Jolley. When I responded to the call for medic, I found him by himself. Jolley was a machine gunner with my platoon, and was really well-liked by the men. That day he was providing cover for the charge up the ridge. When I got to him, I saw he had been shot just under the neck, probably from above as he was moving uphill; the wound was through the front of his neck and came through him at an angle where it exited through his lower back. I dressed the wounds as best I could. There wasn’t much else I could do. At that point, there was a third call for medic. I told the RTO to stay with Jolley. I paused for a moment realizing I had to drop my web gear in order to “get light for flight” and to avoid getting caught on a “wait-a-minute vine”. So, I left my web gear with the RTO, took just my M-16 with a magazine and my M-5 aid bag, and headed out to the next person, Sp/4 Jimmie Sampson, leaving Jolley with the RTO. Looking back, I think maybe I should have stayed and tried to do more for Jolley, but if I did that, then Sampson might still be on that hill. These were the kind of difficult decisions we medics had to make during combat. Sampson was the fireteam leader in our platoon. When I got to him, his left arm was shattered and he was covering himself with leaves to hide from the enemy. Thinking they were further up the hill, I asked him, “Where is everyone?” He said, “They’re down the hill.” I realized I had to get us out of there, so I dragged him 25 yards back down the hill and found Sergeant Belcher and other members of the platoon. I started working on Sampson’s wound and within minutes, I heard voices shouting, “Medic!” It was dark at that point and raining. I reached for my weapon before responding to the call and suddenly realized it wasn’t there. I left my M-16 up on the hill! I mumbled something under my breath and Sampson said, “What’s wrong, Doc?” I said, “I think I left my weapon up on the hill!” Sampson said, “I grabbed it, Doc. I dragged both weapons down.” He had it right there in his hand! I couldn’t believe it; despite his wounds and the chaos of battle, he had the forethought to grab my weapon. I could’ve kissed him!
Birth- Clinton,North Carolina
2st Battalion (ABN)
8th CAVALRY
1ST CAVALRY Division (Airmobile)
Wounded in Action- 21 May 1966
OPERATION CRAZY HORSE...AN KHE
A account of S-4 Jimmy Sampson who was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Jimmy took out a Snipers nest that had his fellow soldiers trapped below. He managed this all the while suffering from several gunshot wounds.
The Battle of Crazy Horse took place over several days in late May 1966. It was the most intense of my experiences over there, with my services needed many times through the night and the next day. The second person I tended to was Sp/4 David Jolley. When I responded to the call for medic, I found him by himself. Jolley was a machine gunner with my platoon, and was really well-liked by the men. That day he was providing cover for the charge up the ridge. When I got to him, I saw he had been shot just under the neck, probably from above as he was moving uphill; the wound was through the front of his neck and came through him at an angle where it exited through his lower back. I dressed the wounds as best I could. There wasn’t much else I could do. At that point, there was a third call for medic. I told the RTO to stay with Jolley. I paused for a moment realizing I had to drop my web gear in order to “get light for flight” and to avoid getting caught on a “wait-a-minute vine”. So, I left my web gear with the RTO, took just my M-16 with a magazine and my M-5 aid bag, and headed out to the next person, Sp/4 Jimmie Sampson, leaving Jolley with the RTO. Looking back, I think maybe I should have stayed and tried to do more for Jolley, but if I did that, then Sampson might still be on that hill. These were the kind of difficult decisions we medics had to make during combat. Sampson was the fireteam leader in our platoon. When I got to him, his left arm was shattered and he was covering himself with leaves to hide from the enemy. Thinking they were further up the hill, I asked him, “Where is everyone?” He said, “They’re down the hill.” I realized I had to get us out of there, so I dragged him 25 yards back down the hill and found Sergeant Belcher and other members of the platoon. I started working on Sampson’s wound and within minutes, I heard voices shouting, “Medic!” It was dark at that point and raining. I reached for my weapon before responding to the call and suddenly realized it wasn’t there. I left my M-16 up on the hill! I mumbled something under my breath and Sampson said, “What’s wrong, Doc?” I said, “I think I left my weapon up on the hill!” Sampson said, “I grabbed it, Doc. I dragged both weapons down.” He had it right there in his hand! I couldn’t believe it; despite his wounds and the chaos of battle, he had the forethought to grab my weapon. I could’ve kissed him!
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Sp4 Jerry L Hall
Sp4 Jerry L Hall
Greensboro North Carolina
Wounded in Action
1st Brigade
5th Inf Regiment
9th Infantry Division
Greensboro North Carolina
Wounded in Action
1st Brigade
5th Inf Regiment
9th Infantry Division
LCDR Donald V Davis
LCDR Donald V Davis
Salisbury North Carolina
USS Oriskany
7th Flight
KIA...25 July 1967 North Vietnam
SHOT DOWN IN COMBAT
Salisbury North Carolina
USS Oriskany
7th Flight
KIA...25 July 1967 North Vietnam
SHOT DOWN IN COMBAT
