Sexo

Male

Fecha de Nacimiento

1937-11-25

Lugar de Nacimiento

Waimea, Kauai HI, U.S.A.

Inducted

, Honolulu HI

Tipo de Alistamiento

Volunteer

Afiliación Militar

Army

Tipo de servicio prestado

War

Tipo de unidad militar

Combat

Unidades a las que sirvió

Company C, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne); 1st Special Forces, Ft. Bragg, NC

Especialidad militar

051.63, Intermediate Speed Radio Operator, Special Forces Qualified

Asignado

USA - Ft. Ord, CA (Basic); Ft. Monmouth, NJ (AIT); Ft. Lewis, WA; Ft. Benning, GA (Airborne); Ft. Bragg, NC; Vietnam

Retirado

Honolulu HI

Responsabilidad en la unidad

Special Forces A-Team - provided anti-guerilla training to Vietnamese villagers and later provided surveillance along the Cambodian border in the Phouc Long Province, South Vietnam

Responsabilidad individual

Radio Operator sending and receiving reports from SF HQ-Saigon. Was also cross-trained as a medic.

Batallas principales (si sirvió en una zona de guerra)

6 month mission in South Vietnam 1963

Reconocimientos, medallas, menciones (individuales o de la unidad)

Combat Infantryman's Badge; Good Conduct Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal - Vietnam; Parachutist Badge

Condiciones de Vida

We had bamboo huts that were built by VN villagers and army cots to sleep on. Our bathing facility was two 55 gallon drums that had to be filled everyday. Meats were purchased on the VN economy and supplemented by Commissary runs to Saigon every two weeks. We played a lot of Monopoly, read books and watched movies when available. Bought a cheap Korean made ukelele in Saigon and also had a pet monkey.

Recuerdo más vívido de la experiencia militar

While driving to a meeting with a village chief our A-team Captain was killed in an ambush on 3 Oct. '63 along with two VN soldiers and a VN interpreter. There were also two A-Team members in the next truck and we presumed they were captured but later found out that they had escaped and were unhurt.

Lo que más extraño durante su tiempo en las fuerzas armadas

My family, Japanese and Hawaiian food.

¿En lo personal, qué obtuvo de su experiencia militar?

I did my job as a soldier. Didn't know too much of the politics of that era but knew that the South Vietnamese people and the Montagnards were being oppressed by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army. I felt we did our best in the areas that we were in by providing medical help as well as helping improve the sanitary and health condidtions of the Montagnards.

Información adicional

I was in Saigon when the Diem brothers were overthrown, and saw the aftermath of the destruction in Saigon. I was also in Nha Trang getting ready to leave VN when we heard that President Kennedy was assasinated - we had to delay our trip home because the air transports that were to take us back were re-routed to take dignitaries to Kennedy's funeral.