lessonslearned Easy Way Out I
A fi rst lieutenant in Korea takes the path of least resistance out of a personnel problem — and he pays the price for his compromise several years later, while under fi re in Vietnam.
In 1961, I was a first lieutenant, com- manding an infantry company in Korea. We were short in lieutenants, and while the platoon sergeants did well, we needed some added help. Out of nowhere, we got 2nd Lt. Joe X — not well-favored, a bit heavyset, but willing. After several weeks, however, it was clear he wasn’t the man for the job. Despite counseling, he still often was lost, was none too savvy, and couldn’t hack the rough hillside climbs. To get him out of the service, though, needed more time and eff ort than I could muster, and the battle group didn’t want him. Joe solved the problem: He had taken and passed a fl ight physical and worked up an application for immediate trans- fer to fl ight training. All I had to do was sign off . I agonized over this — but not for long — and got him gone. By 1965, I was senior advisor in the Mekong Delta with the 32nd Ranger Battalion of the Army of the Re- public of Vietnam, as professional as any line unit in the U.S. Army. The Rangers were used as a strike force and fi re bri- gade, usually moving by chopper into the area of operations.
tical air was unavailable, but I called for helicopter gunship support. A Maverick element we’d used before came on-station and laid down punishing fi re on the north bank. They returned to their base to rearm/refuel and were replaced by a new gunship element I’ll call “Bangalore.” I briefed Bangalore lead on the situa-
consequences
tion, asked for fi re on the north bank, and popped smoke to mark our position. He gave me a Roger and rolled in for his fi rst pass. Then I heard rockets and machine gun rounds coming on our side of the canal. I shoved my radio telephone operator into a ditch and jumped into another. He took two rounds, knocking both him and our radio out. I ran to another set and managed to call Bangalore off and ask them to hit the north bank.
We fi nally got an element across the
One morning found us inserted near the Plain of Reeds, on the south side of a large canal, taking fi re from a sizeable Vietcong unit on the opposite bank. We were well out of range of friendly artillery, and tac-
80 MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2016
canal, fl anked the Vietcong, and took them under eff ective fi re, and they with- drew. When things cooled down, I called in Dustoff to evacuate our wounded; I then invited Bangalore lead to land for a private discussion. Naturally, it was Joe X.
MO
— Michael J. McNamara is a retired Army colonel in Springfi eld, Va. He is a Life Member of MOAA. For submission information, see page 6.
Tell Your Story Submit your lessons learned by email to
profseries@moaa.org or by mail to MOAA Professional Series, 201 N. Washington St., Al- exandria, VA 22314. All submissions will be con- sidered for publication.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92