Why This Soldier Had a $1,500 Bounty on His Head During the Vietnam War | LRRP Veteran Interview
Вставка
- Опубліковано 23 бер 2023
- After enlisting in the Army in 1968, Eric Dalke volunteered for Long-Range Reconnaissance and served with Company K (Ranger)/75th Infantry in Vietnam. He survived 33 missions behind enemy lines with LRRP and received a Bronze Star with “V” device for valor.
🌎 Support the mission: www.patreon.com/TheVietnamExp...
🎤 Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
📸 Get behind the scenes content on Instagram: thevietname...
Welcome to the largest UA-cam channel exclusively dedicated to the Vietnam War. We strive to build a better future by learning from the past. All participants - and their military citations - have been vetted. For the sake of privacy, we do not share veteran contact information.
Do you know a Vietnam veteran, survivor or witness that should be interviewed? Send us an email at the address below.
Thevnexperience@gmail.com - Розваги
Listen to our podcast 🎤: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vietnam-experience/id1732962685
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4eqfizVsgTbhLgeSepUelV?si=iitSaosmSFObXr7jfCG0Pg
You can see the pain in his face, the way he speaks, and there’s no bravado. Thank you for your service sir
I was thinking the same thing. His eyes. As he talked it was like a movie replaying in his mind.
Love bless you you remind me of a friend of mine Orville one of my wife's brothers he loved Jesus and life his wife and beautiful daughter Leah
As a Marine Combat Veteran my favorite people are NEVER actors, athletes worthless individuals, it’s the Combat Vets from times past. The Vietnam Vets, Korea, WWII and on. Greatest people to walk this Earth.
Thank you for your service brother, I have a lot of respect for our vets, I come from a military family, my grandfathers were in WWII, one of them was at Pearl Harbor and my uncles were in Vietnam. Hope you are doing well brother!
Im from the UK but all you service personnel who served in Vietnam, get my upmost respect.
You were all heros.
let me get your comment correct. you respect people for going to a country kill people for no reason, they have no business being involved in only are there for money and you respect that?
That's perhaps the best veteran interview I've watched - made me laugh at loud, be wide eyed with respect, and hushed in Remembrance too. 33 LRRP missions is incredible - I take my hat off to Mr Dalke
And the interviewer , he knows the right questions to ask !
"Well, I did get wounded one time. I was in my barracks..." I had to laugh out loud, right after my jaw dropped when he described blowing the claymores and running THROUGH the enemy!
@@Jonno2summit We had a rocket attack one night and a guy came into our building the next morning with a bandage on his head. We asked what had happened and he snapped "I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT !" He left and a few minutes later a couple of his buddies came in and were laughing. We asked what was going on and they said when the attack started the guy who had been wounded was in the latrine. When the first5 rocket hit he jumped up and hit his head on the toilet roll dispenser. Busted his head open and knocked him out. His two buddies found him and carried him to the aid station, where they treated his injury and put him in for a purple heart. Wounded in Vietnam by a toilet. We never let him live it down.
@@rondodson5736 LMFAO! Thank you, Sir for that, and for your service of course. Damn that's funny. Worst latrine duty ever. Crappy situation.
@@sheepsfoot2 And he stayed out of the way. Good job there.
Hunter killer missions,dude is hardcore.The way his voice trails,off and looks to the right . Such a legend
I lost all my friends to Vietnam in 1968 that I had grown up with. I was in a motorcycle accident 2 days before I was to be drafted. In 1973 I met an Individual who was a LURP and he told me the story of his life while in Country. Our Soldiers are the Very Best in the World
You did what you had to do, have no remorse glad you made it back.
No, they invaded a country that was asking for its independence and killed thousands of civilians, including women and children, and dropped agent orange all over the south of the country, a poison that still does damage today. And Vietnam is still communist, people live well there and the country has good relations with the United States, so NO, it only served to sow misfortune, in their own families and those of many Vietnamese. Nothing more.
Welcome home
Much respect to this gentleman…my two uncles fought over there
He is 100% right about “ after the firefight “ when your mind kicks in. Being busy in the fight overshadows other things especially if your buddies are getting hit.
Exactly 💯
Theres a special place in my heart for these Vietnam vets! No prior time in history had our young men come home and been so mistreated by anti-American traitors. Edit: youve earned a new subscriber
Non anti American, just anti unjustified war.
To all the Nam vets on here,,,I truly thank you for the sacrifice and the service you did over there. To me you are all American Hero's...
it is not NAM! it is Vietnam.
@@bwana-ma-coo-bah425 Just curious...Have you ever been in the military and if so have you ever been "in country" (South East Asia)??? So what if someone says "Nam" instead of "Vietnam"? I am a Vietnam veteran and I (along with others) have no problem with it. You need to chill-out and don't get so picky over something so trivial.
@@AFmedic You Americans call it Nam because it makes you feel tough. Did 2 years in Vietnam. Conscripted not drafted, big difference. Sent mates home in body bags, saw heaps of US soldiers turn up with a kill kill attitude and watched them cry themselves to sleep. On our last day my mate took a dump on the US flag and then wiped his ass with it and I pissed all over it.
We returned, he ended up crucifying himself on a needle full of heroin, for him the torture never stopped. Just like every other war the US has decided to get involved in you walked away in defeat with your tail between your legs. If there is after life, my mate is looking for LBJ and he means business. If you beat me to the after life, look for LBJ I have unsettled business too!
So as you can tell I am the real deal.
@@AFmedic I too am a Nam vet served in 1969-70 12th Security Police Sq. 483 Combat Support Wing. Nam vet 😊
@@1949LA-ARCH I'll forgive you for being Security Police ROFL
I was with the 375th AeroMed Evac. Sq. 1968-1971
Reminded me of my Dad so much. He would tell a story and he would stop it was as if had gone somewhere in his mind .Then continue.The best interview I have ever seen
Yeah. He did go back momentarily and then come back to present. Still see the alertness in his eyes.
I spent 4 years in the infantry starting in 1981. I can relate to the maneuvers and tactics. I am so intrigued over these Vietnam stories. Both my drill instructor's were Vietnam veterans whom got very much respect from the whole platoon. Love these biographies. And respect every veteran out there
Thank You for your service to our great nation
Your account was riveting. Respect to you, and thank you for your service
We could have used a man with an attitude like yours. 101st I Corp 2 tours, because it was bad.
He was being very kind of being in Nam, it very much sucked from the time you arrive till hopefully you return home on two feet.
Thanks for your sacrifice... Time is everything.😉
I love hearing stories from real American Men.
Humble. Brave. Their lives are worth so much
Sadly with the direction our govt is heading to day, i feel our efforts seem to be in vain.
Brilliant account. So vivid in this man’s mind . Much like all the veterans of all conflicts, burned into their memories. Respect to this gentleman and thousands others . ❤️🇮🇪☘️
Very likeable and genuine sort of bloke.
So tired of being scared I wasn't scared anymore ......priceless I thank you for your service and may god bless you and all that served with you
My sister recently married a guy who was born and grew up until 15 in Cambodia. His father was involved in the Vietnam war for the U.S.A. side and that is why his family got out in 1976. He’s a good guy.
As a USMC helo pilot (‘66-67 ) I can identify with some of his thoughts. A courageous guy and lucky, as I was. I still think of the guys we lost and what would have become of them if things had gone different. Being outnumbered in the jungle was not a good situation. The Marines who did that were called Recon. Tough survivors.
Wether we were Recon or regular, we were almost always outnumbered.
Were you at DaNang or PhuBai?
Our AO was west and south of Da Nang, Americal Division, 196th, 198th, 11th Brigade.
What a sweet kind and gentle soul! I am so sorry for how he was treated in that one town and by his Cousin. Sharp hurtful words from relatives cut deeper than any knife wound, I know that all too well. But I am glad he found support in his home town, and eventually was able to get the ranch he always dreamed of. I would love to sit around the campfire with a cup of hot chocolate on a crisp Fall night with this guy... What a treasure! Sir, if by chance you ever read this, THANK YOU for your service and this wonderful interview. And welcome home! I know you haven't heard that near enough. Stay safe hun!
Well I don't know about that educated cousin of yours but I was hanging on every word you had to say. I really think guys like this should be an integral part of training the new soldiers in this generation. Their testimonies should be required for all new recruits.
That cousin sounds like an educated fool who probably wears camouflage but has never served a day.
Their experiences have filtered down through the years, the Rangers have a detachment now that was started in 1984 that most people have never heard of that's harder to get into than Delta and more elite, they were called the Rangers Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment (RRD) but sometime down the line changed their name to the Rangers Regimental Reconnaissance Company (RRC) although some inside of the Rangers still refer to them as the RRD.
They are the US military's premier direct action unit and are used to train Green Berets and Navy Seals in direct action tactics.
It was Army Rangers who went in and found Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell after his team had been wiped out during Operation Red Wings, made famous by the Mark Wahlberg movie Lone Survivor, but what people don't know is before those Rangers even slid down their ropes on the mission to locate Luttrell the RRD guy's had already been there and tracked down and killed the Taliban members who'd ambushed Luttrell's team, not only that but they'd set up an ambush for reinforcements they knew would be coming to their aid and completely wiped them out also.
Any time that Green Beret ODA teams or Navy Seal team's go on a mission all the intelligence they have on maps that mark enemy positions, strength numbers, and anything else all the way down to enemy electronic monitoring devices all comes from an RRD team whose already been there, they're JSOC's super secret ninja's and everything about them that got started in 1984 when they were formed was a result of ex Vietnam War LRRP's who were still in the Army that set up their program, and from there they've just kept getting better and better at what they do to the point where now they go into cities in civilian attire and set up electronic monitoring devices including hidden cameras so that when special operations team's do their missions they can open a laptop and see up and down city streets before they even enter a city.
I've only found one podcast with an ex RRD member, I can't remember his name but his podcast was on the channel from The Team House, he talks about the insanely brutal qualifications they have to pass to get on the team and how selection is a matter of current team members making their choices for who they want, if you enter "The Team House, Rangers RRD Team" that should get you to the podcast with the guy, Wikipedia has a page on them under the title "Army Rangers RRD Teams" I believe but there's not too much on it about them and their missions because it's like even Wikipedia points out they're so secretive it's extremely difficult to find out anything about them, even in this day and age where every other guy whose been in Delta and DEVGRU talks about it in podcasts and writes books about their experiences the guy's who've been in the RRD just don't talk about it.
Thanks for the update on RRD.
What an amazing American. How lucky are we to have people like this man to have served our country. I'm grateful to have seen him speak.
82d from 77-81 and my platoon sgt. was Sky Soldier/LRRP/Ranger. Mentored me well. Told stories as this for our benefit,not relishing or bragging. Sgt Feller,Michael D. was always in my head(and heart) all the while I served. Close my eyes and think…still see and hear him. Thanks to all the Vets that did the dirty work ahead of us
The emotion at times was so real. This was an amazing interview.
😮that was in the strike zone real situation.
Eric, Not sure you’ll ever read this but thank you for your service . Semper Fi
It seems like a life time ago. These guys came home with out a welcome back. My friend thank you for your service and welcome home. You did your nation proud. This is a great channel for first hand history.
This is a good example of a veteran who knows what he has been through AND still has his s*** together >>> >>> well done!!!
Thank you for what you did in VietNam. God Bless you.
The Vets should be treated as hero's... respect to those that served their country. God bless them.
When I was 6 my grandmother I would pray for all those in Vietnam.. She would say just before bed come on let’s pray for those young boys fighting this war.. I served 20 years in a tank unit and a lot of my unit were Vietnam vets and I took everything they said to heart while training.. I’ve seen a few break down and cry when they would be telling us some of the things that happened..
He goes back time and again...we can see it in that lost look
It's been 48 years since I got out and I still have bad dreams every now and then. Some worse than others.
Same with my dad. He never really talked about his suffering much, he preferred to share the good times he had. 25 or so years ago, he did admit he had he had a dream where he's back on his first tour, on point. He can hear and SMELL everything again. He's hit by a sniper, on the ground, and all alone. He's waiting for the next shot. I asked him if he's ever had that dream before. He sheepishly said "all the time."
thank you
@@bthorn5035 The Power of Terror !
Same here. It's been 52 yrs for me. I was Air Force 375th Aeromedical Evac. Sq.
Thank you for your service. I was you tubing all the tunnels they had. They would be everywhere and nowhere in a second. The booby traps were insane. The house I bought was where Joe Smith was living when he was drafted. He was the first man from Evans County Georgia to loose his life in Vietnam. When something weird happens I just figure Joe is messing with me.
That claymore story at 14:00 is incredible and so crazy to do - simply incredible.
I was a LRRP team leader with Co D Ranger 75th Inf in III Corp and worked the catchers mitt and the parrots beak.. I was showing my wife this video and pointing out that this veteran was back in country sharing his story.. I know I was listening to it.,, I. Was a 20 year old Sgt talking to aloft aircraft, calling in 155 artillery and airstrikes.. What a time we lived in and responsibility we carried as youngsters.. I am now 74 years old and remember my missions as though they were just last week..
For me, when I was assigned to F 2/3 as a forward observer for 81mm mortars, working the hills around Khe Sahn, I accepted my imminent demise.I no longer feared death, so I could do my job and I did it well. Semper Fidelis
Welcome home Marine . Semper FI USMC 84-96 .
Semper Fi..H2/9-70-72
Take care my Brother!!
@@davidbrewster1994 Long live the Third Marine Division
Yep. And reading all the Government Reports (which the average American has never bothered to access) it’s screamingly apparent it takes about 6 month for the average combat vet to accept the reality of their imminent death.
Once they got there, they’re fine combatants. They have learned to live in anomie.
The way he goes back to that guy snoring and laugh makes me wonder if the reason why he talked about him was that he COULD laugh😢😢❤ I thank you so much for your Service and I Salute you!!!! 🫡 🇱🇷
God Bless you all who served!! Thank you for everything!!
God loves killers
A friend was in the LRRP we'd set in local Duncan Donuts shoot the breeze with 5-6 guys over coffee. After several months when it was just him and me I asked him if he was a LRRP and he said yes . Because of what he'd say about being in Vietnam. We don't see each other very often but when we do it's in a store in town and talk for 15-20 mins.
Thank you for your service! One would not think that being a LRRP would be advantageous, but compared to infantry it did have its benefits. Trying to avoid conflicts was evidently better than direct assaults or in mass looking for the enemy. You survived and got your ranch and are happy you are alive is reward enough, with minimal PTSD.
Thank you so much for your service. Words cannot express my gratitude. God bless America 🇺🇸.
Well said….
This was the most down to earth interview I have ever seen, I would have watched it for 2 or 3 hours! I'm glad he was a lucky one that wasn't wounded to a point that he couldn't do anything he wanted to do. Thanks for sharing this.
I agree with your comment, he downplayed everything, but of course if captured alive. You can imagine you definitely would’ve been tortured and then killed once they’ve got the information from you and of course these four-man teams knew that. 🇬🇧🏴🇺🇸
My farther was a Vietnam Veteran, he retired out of the Mountain Ranger Camp, Dahlonega, Ga. He was a Purple Heart recipient. The strange thing was that he never talked about his tours in Vietnam with his family unti I returned from my first assignment in the USAF, Raimstein Germany, 82-84 86 Tac Fighter Wing, and had a beer with him? He told me many stories and almost always ended with "but I made it"!
I have a lot of respect for this man.
I remember reading a story about a sniper who would snail their way into position so slowly it was crazy. They'd get their kill shot and have to manage to vacate before being found. Crazy stuff they went through!
For all who served then and now Thank you for your service.
Thank you for your service, Mr. Dalke.
Great interview. Freaking awesome watching him remember those times.
1st person history rocks.
Thank y'all for sharing this with us.
When i came home from Vietnam, i warned everyone to never walk up behind me suddenly. I had screaming nightmares for the first six months, could not stand in line at a supermarket for first two years, and took about six years for me to adjust back to reality. To this day when i go out to a restaurant, i look for a table where i can sit with my back to the wall.
But i still feel i was one of the lucky ones. So many didn't come home alive or complete. Welcome home.@@sammiedog4
Not a negative, a positive attribute in this society. ☆
@@fjb4932exactly
Same same brother. Adjusting was a bitch
Inability to sleep and nightmares cost me my first marriage
Thank God things eventually improved
God bless you all.
My heart breaks for these gentlemen every time I listen to their stories. God bless from Glasgow Scotland 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Great man and love your motives and awesome service.
Damn straight - you nailed it, mate. Thumbs up from Canada. I remember Glasgow, my hometown. 👍
This is where America's military misadventures in S.E Asia becomes personal. Youngsters conscripted to kill Vietnamese and be killed by them. A wicked time in US history and for what? US objectives not obtained, civil disruption back home.
@@robertwguthrie3935 Govan I’m from sir.
@@Rswipes83 Govan? That's just a walk across the Clyde from my dad's White Inch. He said that area was badly bombed in '40 by Goering's mob. Some of his neighbours were killed by bombs but by that time my dad was in the far east in the RN. My mum, from Netherlee, was serving in the RAF, horrified by the other choice of working in a munitions factory. Mum had it in for the Jerries, having seen so many of "the boys" fallen in the RAF, one of them her boyfriend, a Spitfire pilot killed in combat over France in '42. She met Tin Legs Bader and Guy Gibson. Bader and his colleagues gave the Jerries a good bloody nose in '40, sending them back across the Channel where they could turn left at Luxembourg to find their fatherland and tell Adolph to find a new hobby. I came to Canada with the folks long ago because Glasgow was bombed to the point of housing being problematic. Cheers. mate.
Thank you Eric for sharing your story. You enlightened so many of us who have not served.
Super interesting. Total respect. The American people need to hear these stories.
In 1980 in basic training we was still getting c rations from the 40's
And we had a veitnam vet go through basic with us !!! And he out ranked our DI 😊😊
We had the same thing in the late 1980s and 1990s with our rations in Australia, at least ten years out of date, expiring back to the late 1970s and early 1980s. I best remember the buscuits being so old they were soft and bendable and the very expired Lifesaver (lollies/ candy) were so old they had turned back into powdered sugar. Thank you for entertaining and sharing.
Outstanding Semper fi. I to was treated badly I’ve never got over that. Fifty two years later
Thank you for your service, from Sgt /usa, 87 to 95 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you, sir, for your service and sacrifices.
The way some people treated soldiers from Vietnam is a fricking disgrace to our country and all servicemen and women.
My hats off to these guys. I served, but in the states with the Navy. My cousin was with the Marines in country. My dad was a combat vet in WWII. He also spent a year in Nam from 74-75 as a contractor with Lockheed doing training and was air lifted from the Embassy when Saigon fell. He carried a 45 side arm. He said you never knew when you would need it.
What movie have you been watching to call it Nam?
@@bwana-ma-coo-bah425 vets I served with who did tours in- country... Prior to and during Tet. What would you call it?
@@bwana-ma-coo-bah425 ...looking at your replies and what you did, you call it what you want. We lost alot of men and woman because of LBJ and Macnamara...lying to keep a promise that he would protect Vietnam. And look what we got for it.
@@cmichaelanthonyimages2197 I call it Vietnam. I did 2 years in Vietnam. How many did you do?
@@cmichaelanthonyimages2197 Nothing! Just like Iraq and Afghanistan. Can you see the common denominator?
I read a couple of books about the LRRPs, written by former LRRPs. You guys did things over there that I'm not sure I could have done. You will always have my adoration and respect.
I was a lurp with f company 51st infantry...67-68...he's spot on with everything,
Thanks sir for your service. My late father SFC retired led radio relay teams for the SF LRRP teams during his last two tours over there. His first was as an RTO plt leader with the 173rd ABN Bde.
I'm looking for Mike Majors,out of the Florida Keys.
Thanks to the Vet for his service and thank you for creating the channel. Newly subscribed and cant get enough of these warriors stories.
Welcome home. Thank you for your service warrior.
watch his eyes he was reliving all this
Pretty down to earth interview. 👍👍 Too many get over dramatic .This guy was fun to listen to. I have had people question my stories as well. Over time my memories have weakened but still there
This guy is so down to earth and glad he shared his experience, including after with Spokane. Funny how people you know, or family can turn on someone just like that without even trying to understand the person and what they went through. You can hear the hurt when he described that experience.
They aren’t “stories,” my friend. They’re your lived experience.
You owe no one any kind of explanation. You know intimately what combat means, what it means to confront the reality of your own death very painfully and then, the wonder of being alive and the freakin’ guilt.
Take care.
People need to show these guys women donut dollys an dog some serious respect.
Educated ignorance.u guys deserve SERIOUS RESPECT
A very decent man I am glad he has his ranch.
What a likable guy and someone everyone should aspire to be like. The end of the interview disgusted me as people can be so demeaning. Anyone who served and fought in that war (esp that one) demands upmost respect whether you agree with the politics or not.
I knew some 75th guys, including some LRRP team members (XVIII Abn here); tough sob's. Listening to this guy (a few years before me) and looking at his eyes and expressions...there appears to have been a LOT you guys left off the table that he could have talked about but didn't. I'm going to guess he had his reasons. Central Highlands? Well, if you weren't flying around in choppers, was a very, very Bad place to play soldier. I smiled (as did he:) at what he said about the Claymores though, those things made for SERIOUS "Pacifiers".
Also laughed my ass off at the guy snoring. One time we thought we had encircled a sleeping VC in a stand of bamboo, making a strange snoring /huffing sound. Our point guy, a fellow named Rodriguez, snuck in on him quiet as a mouse, muzzle ready, and then soiled his pants when the formerly deep dreaming TIGER exploded out past him knocking him 'assholes and elbows' LOL. I swear over the next two/three days, periodically we spontaneously burst out in laughter over that one:) Only truly 'funny' memory I have from there.
Thanks for serving sir. My pa was there.
Same dirt different AO. Glad we both made it home Brother!
Thank all of you veterans for youre service.
R.I.P. Joe Thompson . 101 Airborne LRRP ✊ G. Speight
This guy is incredible much respect so much wisdom could be my brother I was a 11 in 68 learning to lurp in the woods of South Louisiana donkey your the Man
During my six years in the US army I was lucky to serve with ww11and Korean veterans, I had so much respect for these men. As my father was 100% disabled veteran from ww11 and my uncle was a 100,% veteran of Korea. Before ever joining I already had years of some understanding of what they went through at normany landing and a German prison camp and the battle on pork chop hill in Korea. I had heroes long before my own service.
😮
In Their Honor...
''For none are closer to the very Author of pain, & sacrifice Himself.
Than Those who choose to perform it for the sake, & safety of others.
How much more then; Those Living Sacrifices who continue to bear Their scars of our
POW, PTS, TBI, & Their handicapped Tattoos; Who's still performing them both night, & day ?''
-Former U.S. Paratrooper Sgt. 82nd Abn. Div. 1/504 back in '74.
If you are disabled then you have to learn to be undisabled
@@gregjones3660
Going from thinking I can't.
To thinking how can I ?
@@soldtobediers I dont know. Just look at all the people that were told they would never walk again. Some of them walk again. I cant tell you what will heal you. If you look at Steven Hawking if thats the best a person can do then thats what they should do. But nobody will argue with you except you about what your best is. And that is who you have to answer too...
@@gregjones3660 ''In the heart of the heart, in the tiniest part, lives the will to survive.
I have a lot of respect for our soldiers, but LRRPS always hold a special place on my heart, I was a history major in college and have read many books about a lot of wars but I've read so many memoirs from different LRRPS and they are always so good. Thank you for your service Eric!
Salute to Eric Dalke and other vets. Praise God for you.
When doing long range reconnaissance, the claimore mine played an important part. These antipersonnel mines offered great perimeter protection for recon teams when they remained dug in over night in the jungle.
I finished my first enlistment and came home. I had enlisted when i was 17 right out of high school. Three weeks after i got home i received my draft notice in the mail.
Great story
And thanks for
Serving
The country
Welcome home soldier
Phoenominal Vietnam audiobooks :(gave me a new appreciation of what these guys went through)... across the fence, chicken Hawk, dead center, eyes behind the line, the eyes of the eagle, flying from the black hole, good to go, guts n gunship, hill 488, the hunter killers, legend, the killing zone, men in green faces, nam sense, etc etc
Thank each and everyone who served there. It’s a personal matter for me .
As this solider was thinking about it you can see him going back...Bless him
This guy looks great ! I bet he did his job really well . To be LRRP. You had to be special . The men with the painted faces . They were highly skilled .
Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans! Semper Fidelis
An American HERO. Humble and did his duty.
Thank you for your service. Respect!
From one Vet to another!!! Thank you for your service.
I can feel tour emotion and see the conflict in your eyes…. I truly appreciate what you went through, I salute your efforts and praise your service
I'm glad you came thru good as you did. I ve known a few who came back and like you said about rocks on the roof, the right noise and they'd come out a dead sleep jumping looking for the danger. I'm also glad things seemed to work out for you to the good afterwards. Atleast from what little I saw in this video. Thanks for doing it
God bless all that have served and thank you
A big thank you to all veterans who served. These men and women stepped up when this great nation called. They killed and died for even those citizens that spat on them. God bless you sir and all of those who paid the ultimate price for us.
I'm glad you came back ok sir.
Truly a great man to listen to. The way in which he spoke of his tour as a LRRP. Men like this definetly had a tough job to do.💪🙏🏻✨
Thanks for your service, hero..
Now this right here is a real man! Really enjoyed hearing your stories. Wanted to send some good vibes back your direction wishing you and your family good vibes good health and a long life.
Thank you for your service
I could listen to this soldier talk about it all day. Great interview. I Appreciate it.
Anyone who has experience trauma gets this. You've suffered so much. Your humble experience is beyond measure. I see through the pain and wish you peace and rest.
Donkey... thank you for your service. Even though in 3rd grade at the time I , too, loved watching the Glen Campbell show. It's men like you who provided the life and safety and liberty here in the U S , to make it possible.
Proud of you sir! Thank you. Barely missed the draft in 1971, we were leaving by then thank god. I already decided if drafted I would go in.
I got drafted and was made a Drill Sargent in Ft lewis Washington Thank U for your service
It was not an AR15, it was an XM177E1 or it’s later models sometimes called a CAR15. It was capable of automatic or semiautomatic and was primarily issued to MACV SOG teams and other recon teams. I carried one during my thirty months in country.
That's OK! he was a little rattled, you would would be to if we had had his job. It was a CAR-15, I carried one as a recovery weapon if I got shot down. I was a crew chief/scout in the OH-6 little bird with F/8 Air Cav, Blue Ghost. I don't think I could sit down and talk about those days as he did. My only war story I will talk about was the last time I was shot down is a testimony to our God. I had a NDE when I crashed on top of a NVA platoon and nearly taken POW. I went into the light of the Lord, and was shown my life's review, then sent back to my body that was trapped from the helo when it rolled over on my side and on my leg.
Our Cobra Gun Ships swooped in and put fire nearly on top of me and my pilot. When our friendly's got on the ground and push the fight back from us and got me medevacked the found thirteen dead NVA around my helo, and told me we crashed on one. You may ask me what did God look like? His Light I was in was like being inside of a cotton ball...very peaceful.
My VA disability is 90%, they said 30% of it is PTSD, it's more, I just didn't tell them what's really hidden inside, and you could see by his expressions that he was holding back.
God bless Eric and all of us, for Jesus is coming soon.
I'm glad to see someone else noticed that mistake he said the AK and M16 used the same round. No. 5.56mm and 7.72 mm very different but i just chalk it up to age and years. Still a good story
@@odinosiris8951 7.62 mm
Came here to say the same thing!
@@odinosiris8951 just glad to see he got out alive and still has a normal functioning life after all that crap he went through. So many couldn't and still can't who have been in wars. He can get the C's etc wrong for all I care. A geniune hero!