Veteran Response
Editor's Note: The folowing is in response to an article by Michael Connelly, "I Have Never Met a War Hero." You can see the article on this site posted on 8-24-2015:
Dear Mr. Connelly,
You, Sir, are indeed an American Patriot and
invaluable promoter, advocate and defender of our
Constitution and our rights as citizens. Your
military service and that of your father is much
appreciated by us your fellow veterans, for whom you
make great efforts in support of our interests, for
which we thank you.
Regarding the subject of your article, I agree with
your observation. On a personal involvement
and participation basis, I was among 17 American
Special Forces soldiers engaged in the battle at our
Special Forces Camp Ashau in Vietnam on 9 -12 March
1966. I commanded the 17 SF soldiers with a
Vietnamese mostly irregular force with a strength of
about 400 in defense of the camp against a
reinforced North Vietnamese infantry regiment
supported by its division's weapons and resources.
It was a horrendous and costly battle for both
sides, we having 188 survivors among our irregulars
and us SF, we having 5 of us SF KIA and the other 12
WIA. The NVA/VC had many more in losses than we did.
After two days of battle we were ordered to fight
our way out, which we did, some of our soldiers and
most severely wounded SF being extracted
successfully by helicopters, but none of the mobile
SF getting on helicopters, but rather leading the
irregulars who could not get on a helicopter in the
following two days of evasion.
When it was all over, of the SF soldiers, 1 received
a Medal of Honor (delayed for 48 years in award
presentation),6 received Distinguished Service
Crosses, 4 received Silver Stars, and the others,
most KIA or incapacitated WIA early in the battle
received Bronze Stars and, of course, all 17
received Purple Hearts. I doubt that there is
another battle in which so few ground combatants
received so many high decorations for valor.
The SF soldiers with whom I was privileged to serve
and fight are diminishing as age takes its toll on
us, currently only 7 of us left. CSM Bennie
Adkins is our MOH recipient and as "duty requires"
travels a lot (too much for an 80 year old) in
making officially requested public appearances.
Three of our DSC recipients remain, two of our
Silver Star recipients, one Bronze Star still alive.
I know from personal experiences and knowing my
comrades in the battle that none of us tell much to
others about our own experiences in the combat and
not of our awards, other than my dear friend and
battle mate Bennie Adkins, who because of his
deserved celebrity is used by the Army for
publicizing our Army image. (Bennie
would likely forego the "duty" obligation, if he
could.)
Didn't mean to tell a war story, but rather to
reinforce what you titled your article! We all
consider ourselves soldiers who did what was
required and expected of them, and the circumstances
under which we were embattled with such violence
could well happen to any combatants, and how they
would fight is likely just as my Special Forces
comrades and I fought at Ashau. We are not
"heros!" We are American warriors: Army,
Marines, Air Force and Navy. We are sworn to
support and defend our Constitution against all
enemies, foreign and domestic, and we strive
mightily to do so, and give what we have when the
times come for us to honor our oaths and meet our
commitments. We are not heroes but rather
Constitution and Nation loving patriots!
De Oppresso Liber
John D. "Dave" Blair IV
Colonel, Special Forces
US Army (Retired)