The Untold Stories of Vietnam

Written by: Corporal Sarah E. Kamber

Why Vietnam?

Unlike World War II, where military members were praised for coming home to their families, those coming home from Vietnam did not receive the same treatment. This is one of the most protested wars in American history causing the American people to take out on their anger on the military. My Uncle John, whose story is shared below, sparked my whole idea. I wanted to include his story and any other Marines I could find to pass down history firsthand.

How it all Began

History likes to repeat itself. World War I caused World War II, just like how World War II started the conflicts that led to the Vietnam War. Vietnam was originally a colony ran by France. However, in 1945 the country gained its independence. The United States and the Soviet Union began competing for influence over Vietnam. Due to the constant chatter of who would take up Vietnam, the 1954 Geneva Accords Conference was held. This conference discussed the split of Vietnam and eventually came to the verdict in July of 1954. It was decided the country would divide at the mark known as the 17th parallel. The division eventually led to the start of the war in 1955. (Vietnam War Timeline, History.com)

America At War

The U.S. wanted to get involved in Vietnam but did not have a real motive until August 2nd 1964. The U.S.S. Maddox had been hit by three Soviet-built North Vietnamese torpedoes in the Gulf of Tonkin. The U.S. Forces aboard the U.S.S. Maddox fired warning shots causing the Vietnamese to launch another torpedo and multiple accounts of machine gunfire. Two days later the U.S.S. Maddox reported that they had been ambushed as well as another U.S. Ship, the Turner Joy. In less than two days, the House and the Senate passed permission for President Johnson to officially enter the Vietnam War (Vietnam War Timeline, History.com). 2,700,000 military personnel, 500,000 of which were Marines, and these are their stories.

Untold Story One: Sergeant Stuart

Sergeant Stuart joined the Marine Corps on February 18th 1965. He was stationed in Washington D.C. at Naval Security Station. He spent two years there as a 0311. Sergeant Stuart was trying to transfer to Vietnam, but it kept getting denied because of his job. They refused his wishes the first two times, but three times is a charm, and on his third try, they had no choice but to accept. He arrived in Vietnam in May of 1967 as a Corporal. His battalion was 3/1 Lima. When He arrived at the battalion it was stationed outside of Da Nang. During this time, Corporal Stuart (at the time) fought in seven major operations and a lot of small firefights. In November of 1967, he and his battalion were sent back to the Philippines to regroup and train new recruits, then they went back by ship to Vietnam and became the “Float Battalion”. Most of Corporal Stuart’s operations were DMZ (Demilitarized zone), but the operation he will never forget is Badger Tooth. The U.S. lost 48 Marines killed in combat from his battalion, and 86 were wounded in action. They fought two more battles, and Corporal Stuart was shot on Operation Saline. He sustained wounds in the head, arms, chest, abdomen, and legs. They medevacked him to the Valley Forge (their flag ship that was a helicopter carrier) and then sent him to the Repose, the hospital on ship. Corporal Stuart then received a battlefield promotion to Sergeant on the battle of Badger Tooth. Sergeant Stuart left Vietnam in February of 1968 and was sent home in August later that year. He was temporarily placed on the retirement list. On April 1st 1972, the United States Marine Corps gave Sergeant Stuart full retirement. His words exactly almost 50 years later were “Three years and seven months of active duty and full retirement, to this day I do not know why”.

Untold Story Two: A Story from Lance Corporal Hill

Tom Hill did his time with Golf Company 2/4 in 1968, until March of 1969. He then volunteered for CAP (Combined Action Platoons) and spent the rest of his time with 1st CAG CAP 127 around Chu Lai Ly Tin Province. During this time, he had shrapnel cut the top of his boot and another bounce off his helmet. He said, “The only thing that got me was after I got home Malaria almost put me down. I will never forget Ronnie Lee Eckenroad, Kia March 19th 1969, during Operation Purple Martin. Will stick with me until the day we meet the gates! I can remember every detail of what I did and felt that day”.

Untold Story Three: The Story of Lance Corporal John Whitaker

Lance Corporal Whitaker enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in July of 1966 and went off to boot camp on October 3rd of that same year. He enlisted as a 0311, but at the end of his ATI training, he became very ill with meningitis. The rest of the 0311 had been sent to Vietnam. Since he was sick, he was not able to go. However, Lance Corporal Whitaker shot expert and was encouraged to go recon since they needed more in Vietnam, so he went for it. He started as Volunteer Recon and then transferred into Force Recon since he met the requirements. Lance Corporal Whitaker flew to Okinawa, Japan, and from there, he deployed to Da Nang, Vietnam. When he got off the plane, he thought it smelled terrible and he looked over and saw a woman taking a dump in the middle of the airport. He was sent to a holding barracks and was later assigned to the Force Recon Company 3rd Marines Division on Camp Carol. He was later moved to Dang Ha since they were building a new camp, and they decided to send him there to Camp Quan Tree. They spent a lot of time patrolling, but when they were not patrolling, they would throw a baseball around, write letters, and listen to music. On their patrols, the gear they had to carry included M16s, M79s, frags, grenades, more water than food, and a rocket launcher. He described the climate as hot, humid, and wet. The rookies, or in other words, the newbies in Vietnam, had to take 55 gallon drums and shove them underneath the toilet seats. They opened up from the back, and they had to pour kerosene in it burn what came out of the Marines when they used the bathroom. He mentioned that if you were in Vietnam for more than six months, you were granted R&R for 4-5 days which meant you could go anywhere you want, from Thailand to Hawaii. Day to day life went on like this until January 31st 1968, the day the Battle of Chaos began.

3,100 rockets and B-40s came in from the North Vietnamese with only 7,500 Marines ready to rumble. This went on for 71 days! They shelled them at a constant rate resulting in the loss of about 230 Marines, and 1,200-1,300 were left wounded. The Air Force finally came and, in Lance Corporal Whitaker's words, “basically blew the enemy back into North Vietnam”. Just two weeks later, while he was patrolling in a 46 helicopter, two shots were fired, sending the Marine next to him rolling. One of the shots left a hole in the helicopter the size of a half-dollar, thankfully just missing the transmission. They landed on top of a hill to transfer into a new helicopter just to get ambushed. Lance Corporal Whitaker was thrown forward into a tree. He felt very hot and could feel something warm running down his arm; it was blood! He had been shot in the back of the left arm, and the bullet came out of the front of his arm, completely ripping out his nerve system. Lance Corporal Whitaker was left-handed, key word "was". He was medevacked to Tokyo, Japan, and stayed in the Air Force Hospital until he was later transferred to the VA hospital in San Francisco, California. Due to his time in Vietnam, he was awarded the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Purple Heart. Lance Corporal Whitaker was medically separated in June of 1968 and is paralyzed in his left arm to this day. This life changing injury caused him to have to learn how to write and do other tasks with his non dominant hand.

Untold Story Four: Memories of Vietnam from Lance Corporal of Marines (Mike)

Lance Corporal Mike enlisted and deployed to Vietnam when he was only 17 years old. Before reaching Vietnam, his unit, 3rd Battalion 5th Marines, stopped in Okinawa, Japan. The command standard practice was if you are 17 you will stay in Okinawa, but he did not hear that part and proceeded to enter Vietnam in 1970. The first three weeks there got hit by mortars and rockets maybe twice a day between 12-and 2 and around 10 am, which he described as "clockwork". His worst memory was watching a 4-year-old child step on an IED. “I do not know if they lived or died,” he stated. Lance Corporal Mike turned 18 just three months after entering Vietnam. He was a radio operator and went wherever his fellow Marines needed a radio. Days after arriving, he took part in Operation Imperial Valley. C46s and 53s flew around hills 387 and 381. His division was trying to move supplies to the south. During the firefight Lance Corporal Mike was hit in the back by strap ball, which is the metal released as a bomb blows up. Mortar rounds got stuck in his back, but he kept quiet because he did not want to be sent home. He wanted to stay in Vietnam with his friends. Nearly 40 years later, he received treatment at a VA Hospital and finally got the metals removed from his back! Vietnam, for him, was not constantly a warzone. He got to celebrate the Marine Corps Birthday, and since he was the youngest Marine, he received the second piece of cake in the annual Cake Cutting Ceremony. He also earned the rank of Lance Corporal that day. The would USO put on music shows for the Marines. Lance Corporal Mike and a Sergeant he worked with even hitchhiked to Da Nang just to drink some beers. They were approaching a village, but fortunately a truck came and picked the Marines up. His favorite part of the whole thing was flying in helicopters looking at the ground and the land there. “The Vietnamese women were pretty too, I liked them,” He said. He described Vietnam as having weeks of boredom and hours of intense adrenaline. Next thing you know you are being hit. Bored to death and then wound up with adrenaline.

A Message to Marines

These stories are first-hand experiences from the Marines of Vietnam themselves. This is what will go down in not only in U.S. history, but world history! It is up to the present day Marines to tell their stories while these veterans are still here on Earth. To the Marines from Vietnam: thank you for your time, your service, and your sacrifice. Your Stories will not be forgotten!

Work Cited

History.com Editors. (2017, September 13). Vietnam War timeline. History.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-timeline