You are a very good man , an a credit to the 101st Ann. I was a replacement at Rip Cord. I came from C med to the 2/506 an went to the fire base some time in July. Bravo Co was there then an I never knew what was going on. After Rip Cord I went to Eco Co an worked with Delta team recon. Delta team replaced C- team bc the whole team was lost during Rip Cord so out of respect we didn't have a C. team. We had Alfa , Bravo , an Delta teams. I stayed with Delta team until I was wounded the next Feb of 71. The 2/506 was the best unit in Nam. And I very proud to have served with them Currahee!
My uncle was in the 2/506th, D company i think. His name was Bill Edmister. I wondered if you might have known him? He was wounded at Ripcord on July 22, 1970
5:55 - JESUS. CHRIST. I thought I had heard everything that could go wrong on the battlefield, from the Civil War to Afghanistan, but THAT JUST TOPPED EVERYTHING I’ve ever heard. My jaw dropped. That is the most SENSELESSLY HORRIFIC thing I have ever heard. Those poor bastards!!! And to think one of their heads flew and knocked the guy off the fucking hill. JESUS. That takes the cake. I have watched and read so much about the Vietnam War. That war is still shocking me with unheard horrors. Thank you so much for having this interview. We needed to welcome home the troops back then and take care of them!!! They went through literal hell on earth, if they were lucky enough to survive.
I have heard about you guys from someone that was there. He was hit with an RPG. He was directing fire with the 105 howitzers that were there. He is an unbelievable man from Lobelville, Tennessee.
now just as then, we should always respect and sopport the service men and women that serve. you do not have to support the war/battle. but as a citizen of this country you absolutely must support the service men and women.
Wayne sinks greeneville TN , was separated from his unit and wounded in this battle, no Purple Heart nothing but copd and agent orange, he was separated during a helicopter crash, deserves something before he's gone. Ty
Why did they mute it when he started to describe how many NVA had been killed? Pretty sad after all the years that have passed since that war, & peoples stories are being suppressed!
Welcome home frank..thank you for your service as a Vietnam combat infantryman 25th infantry division 68/69 wounded two times many close calls..it must have been extremely difficult to be one of the last American soldiers left there during the pullout it sounds like you just didn’t have enough boots on the ground…it had to been terrible…welcome home brother….glad you made it back home…
I read a really good book about Firebase Ripcord written by Keith W. Nolan. If I remember right the NVA held the higher hills and were constantly shooting down on Ripcord. The NVA pretty much chased them off that Firebase, but they paid a heavy price for it.
I would like to know if he knew my grandfather Joe Lopez. My grandpa doesn't talk touch about it and I would like to know how he received the bronze star. He was 101st at fire base ripcord. Thank you for your service.
Thank you Frank I arrived on July 14th 1970 in the camp eagle and we have a lot of guys return from ripcord that was there and I had my own stuff while I was there I was a pole climber field wireman etc etc etc I am from California now I live in Texas my heart goes out to you brother welcome back and keep talking okay that's what I do and there's some really good Brothers here and sisters and arms and God be with you Steve
Thank you so much for sharing. My dad was with the H&H 3rd Bgd. helicopters (door gunner) that evacuated Firebase Ripcord and went there after it was over for recovery. I have been doing alot of research to try to get info to petition for his air medals that he never got.
Good to hear a story that is accurate...I was with the 2/501st Delta Raiders and we were called in to assist the 106th and I was on hill 805 in view of ripcord from July 9th to the 15th and we suffered huge casualties in nightly attacks ....was a horrible battle and huge american losses
"In an interview with Maj Gen Chu Phong Doi, Commander of the 324B Division in 2004 in Cao Bang, Vietnam, he admitted to then Maj Gen (Ret) Harrison(Col. 3rd Brigade) that he had suffered the loss of eight of his nine infantry battalions. Thousands of his support troops were also lost.["
But THEY won...and the US did not. They are running their country and appearing to do well. US veterans go on regular Vietnam reunions crying over their buddies and battlefields and spending a sh*tload of money contributing to the Communist economy there. Those are the bottom lines that matter.
@@topgeardelMy quoted comment said "loss", this story and my comment made no mention of who won or lost. There are no winners in war, no one in human history has ever won at war. I feel sad for you
@@RGVNC Lol. Save your "sadness" for something or someone else. I would imagine you can appreciate that I was a Vietnam/Draft resistor. You said "there are no winners in war, no one in human history was ever won at war". If that's the case, as you say, a real man follows his conscience and resists participating in it. Please save your sadness that you have for me and keep it for the 58000 Americans (and their families) who lost their lives and futures for a war that had absolutely NO effect on American safety, security and freedom.
@@topgeardel Are you just stuck on stupid today? The video and comment were about the facts of a particular battle, you're on here trying to make some sort of moral argument about the war it's self; about what "matters" when you don't even know what you're talking about.
@@RGVNC Me, stuck on stupid...? Your initial comment was a fact based one on the NVAs casualties of the Ripcord fire base battle...correct? You're pointing out that the Vietnamese lost many men. But I know how guy's like to point to the US "winning" a battle b/c the enemy lost many more casualties. It's clear to me that the US "won" a lot of battles while clearly minimizing it really got its own ass kicked in the process. Another of many examples...the la Drang battle. The US "won" b/c the enemy took twice as many casualties and withdrew from the battlefield. In reality...it was a moral victory for the Vietnamese early in the war and a sign of things to come for the US. So in conclusion, the NVA took a big hit at Ripcord...as you pointed out. But the "fact" is they were the one's left standing at the end. Outcomes and the endgame are important how you view battles.
My father was a door gunner with the 158th Aviation Battalion-Ghostriders. Heard a lot of crazy stories growing up. He fought at Ripcord. Good bless all of the Americans that fought there. There are the best of there generation!
I was from C btry 2/320 arty and was sent and arrived the morning, day before the evacuation to help prepare for replacement 105 howitzers. But were unable to do anything because of enemy incoming, only to be evacuated at 1:30pm the next day.
Heros. What they did What they went through An what they still live with today. Thanks for serving an welcome hme. U guys girls and dogs didnt get the recognition ,or help u all so deserved.🥇👏👏👏👏
Frank welcome home my family wasn't like that. My mom would of made you your favorite meal and my dad would had a case beer. Our society fabric of ww2 was all supportive with Vietnam some weren't so supportive wasn't us. But great story man welcome Home myman.
After the battle we had a memorial for the 4 troops lost on the hill A btry 2/11 FA and also an awards ceremony for those wounded in the action. We all started laughing when one troop walked onto the stage to recieve his Purple Heart because we knew that he got hit in the ass.
MACV sent the 101st into the A Shau to set up Forward Support Base Ripcord amid 25000 enemy troops and were ordered to take no casualties. Only in Vietnam did stupid out-rank common sense.
Thank you for another reason to add to my long list of reasons for being a Vietnam/Draft resistor. I didn't miss anything...and going there wouldn't have proved anything.
I was in the 101st, though not at Ripcord. And, I didn't know anything about the operation... no one did. The public sure as hell didn't know. I think I first ran across the name a couple of decades after the war... I was looking at a book with an image of a barechested GI holding his rifle over his shoulder by the barrel. The caption said something about a "Firebase Ripcord." I remember thinking, "never heard tell of that one." Why no one knew is a mystery, but I have an idea... there were no news reporters around. The media had all been down south covering the Cambodia invasion. I think there was just no one to tell the tale at the time.
The news media was completely kept in the dark and away from FSB Ripcord. The overall public lack of knowledge of this battle remains pervasive to this day, as opposed to the so-called battle of "Hamburger Hill" in 1969. If anyone really wants to understand what went on there the best way is to read Keith Nolan's book, "Ripcord." I think the paperback is still available on Amazon, though Nolan died of cancer a while ago.
Incredible story, I read "Ripcord", excellent book but to hear it from you was chilling. I know all those patrols were fighting for their lives fighting NVA regs. The 101 made a beautiful tactical withdrawal under fire, these were part of Gen. Abrams tactic of hitting supply lines, which Ripcord was smack dab in the middle. RIP Norris and all the men. By 1970 moral was at a low , but the 101st fought to the last day they were there and generally didnt have the issues other units had.
Wayne sinks greeneville TN , was separated from his unit and wounded in this battle, no Purple Heart nothing but copd and agent orange, he was separated during a helicopter crash, deserves something before he's gone. Ty
![Young Nudy - John Wayne (feat. Metro Boomin) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NY8HnYYo2fo/mqdefault.jpg)
You are a very good man , an a credit to the 101st Ann. I was a replacement at Rip Cord. I came from C med to the 2/506 an went to the fire base some time in July. Bravo Co was there then an I never knew what was going on. After Rip Cord I went to Eco Co an worked with Delta team recon. Delta team replaced C- team bc the whole team was lost during Rip Cord so out of respect we didn't have a C. team. We had Alfa , Bravo , an Delta teams. I stayed with Delta team until I was wounded the next Feb of 71. The 2/506 was the best unit in Nam. And I very proud to have served with them Currahee!
My uncle was in the 2/506th, D company i think. His name was Bill Edmister. I wondered if you might have known him? He was wounded at Ripcord on July 22, 1970
5:55 - JESUS. CHRIST.
I thought I had heard everything that could go wrong on the battlefield, from the Civil War to Afghanistan, but THAT JUST TOPPED EVERYTHING I’ve ever heard. My jaw dropped. That is the most SENSELESSLY HORRIFIC thing I have ever heard.
Those poor bastards!!! And to think one of their heads flew and knocked the guy off the fucking hill. JESUS.
That takes the cake. I have watched and read so much about the Vietnam War. That war is still shocking me with unheard horrors.
Thank you so much for having this interview. We needed to welcome home the troops back then and take care of them!!! They went through literal hell on earth, if they were lucky enough to survive.
I have heard about you guys from someone that was there. He was hit with an RPG. He was directing fire with the 105 howitzers that were there. He is an unbelievable man from Lobelville, Tennessee.
now just as then, we should always respect and sopport the service men and women that serve. you do not have to support the war/battle. but as a citizen of this country you absolutely must support the service men and women.
Thank you for your service to our Nation Frank.
Thank You Frank for your Sacrifice and Dedication to our Country !!........Job well done Sir !!........Welcome Home !!........You are a Patriot !!
Wayne sinks greeneville TN , was separated from his unit and wounded in this battle, no Purple Heart nothing but copd and agent orange, he was separated during a helicopter crash, deserves something before he's gone. Ty
Why did they mute it when he started to describe how many NVA had been killed? Pretty sad after all the years that have passed since that war, & peoples stories are being suppressed!
I had a second look at that and I think he said they walked through a lot of dead bodies.
Welcome home frank..thank you for your service as a Vietnam combat infantryman 25th infantry division 68/69 wounded two times many close calls..it must have been extremely difficult to be one of the last American soldiers left there during the pullout it sounds like you just didn’t have enough boots on the ground…it had to been terrible…welcome home brother….glad you made it back home…
Just to let you know I was in the 1/83 field artillery battalion based at Camp Eagle 70-71
I read a really good book about Firebase Ripcord written by Keith W. Nolan. If I remember right the NVA held the higher hills and were constantly shooting down on Ripcord. The NVA pretty much chased them off that Firebase, but they paid a heavy price for it.
ZZBUDZZ - I read that book as well. The horrors of being overrun are portrayed, & it's spine-chilling stuff. The 101st really suffered a lot there.
I would like to know if he knew my grandfather Joe Lopez. My grandpa doesn't talk touch about it and I would like to know how he received the bronze star. He was 101st at fire base ripcord. Thank you for your service.
Thank you Frank I arrived on July 14th 1970 in the camp eagle and we have a lot of guys return from ripcord that was there and I had my own stuff while I was there I was a pole climber field wireman etc etc etc I am from California now I live in Texas my heart goes out to you brother welcome back and keep talking okay that's what I do and there's some really good Brothers here and sisters and arms and God be with you Steve
What a brave soul, salute from Denver Co
Frank Marshall thank you for your service.
Thank you so much for sharing. My dad was with the H&H 3rd Bgd. helicopters (door gunner) that evacuated Firebase Ripcord and went there after it was over for recovery. I have been doing alot of research to try to get info to petition for his air medals that he never got.
Good to hear a story that is accurate...I was with the 2/501st Delta Raiders and we were called in to assist the 106th and I was on hill 805 in view of ripcord from July 9th to the 15th and we suffered huge casualties in nightly attacks ....was a horrible battle and huge american losses
"In an interview with Maj Gen Chu Phong Doi, Commander of the 324B Division in 2004 in Cao Bang, Vietnam, he admitted to then Maj Gen (Ret) Harrison(Col. 3rd Brigade) that he had suffered the loss of eight of his nine infantry battalions. Thousands of his support troops were also lost.["
But THEY won...and the US did not. They are running their country and appearing to do well. US veterans go on regular Vietnam reunions crying over their buddies and battlefields and spending a sh*tload of money contributing to the Communist economy there. Those are the bottom lines that matter.
@@topgeardelMy quoted comment said "loss", this story and my comment made no mention of who won or lost. There are no winners in war, no one in human history has ever won at war. I feel sad for you
@@RGVNC Lol. Save your "sadness" for something or someone else. I would imagine you can appreciate that I was a Vietnam/Draft resistor. You said "there are no winners in war, no one in human history was ever won at war". If that's the case, as you say, a real man follows his conscience and resists participating in it. Please save your sadness that you have for me and keep it for the 58000 Americans (and their families) who lost their lives and futures for a war that had absolutely NO effect on American safety, security and freedom.
@@topgeardel Are you just stuck on stupid today? The video and comment were about the facts of a particular battle, you're on here trying to make some sort of moral argument about the war it's self; about what "matters" when you don't even know what you're talking about.
@@RGVNC Me, stuck on stupid...? Your initial comment was a fact based one on the NVAs casualties of the Ripcord fire base battle...correct? You're pointing out that the Vietnamese lost many men. But I know how guy's like to point to the US "winning" a battle b/c the enemy lost many more casualties. It's clear to me that the US "won" a lot of battles while clearly minimizing it really got its own ass kicked in the process. Another of many examples...the la Drang battle. The US "won" b/c the enemy took twice as many casualties and withdrew from the battlefield. In reality...it was a moral victory for the Vietnamese early in the war and a sign of things to come for the US.
So in conclusion, the NVA took a big hit at Ripcord...as you pointed out. But the "fact" is they were the one's left standing at the end. Outcomes and the endgame are important how you view battles.
My father was a door gunner with the 158th Aviation Battalion-Ghostriders. Heard a lot of crazy stories growing up. He fought at Ripcord. Good bless all of the Americans that fought there. There are the best of there generation!
I was from C btry 2/320 arty and was sent and arrived the morning, day before the evacuation to help prepare for replacement 105 howitzers. But were unable to do anything because of enemy incoming, only to be evacuated at 1:30pm the next day.
Thanks for your service! Everyone please remember the ones that didn’t make it back home! Thanks
Thank you for your service.
Are you completely stupid?! These kids were brainwashed by the us government and participated in a shameful war. Try reading a book!
@@markandaimeelou YOU ARE A POS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was in and out of the valley in 1969. 3/5 cav BlackKnights. I came home in March 1970. I was ready to get out of there.
Never landed the on RipCord but hell walked up to it in 68 69 along with all the other fire bases in the Ashau Valley.
Heros.
What they did
What they went through
An what they still live with today.
Thanks for serving an welcome hme.
U guys girls and dogs didnt get the recognition ,or help u all so deserved.🥇👏👏👏👏
Welcome home indeed....Thank You Soldier !
American citizens ......I never forgave them
Frank welcome home my family wasn't like that. My mom would of made you your favorite meal and my dad would had a case beer. Our society fabric of ww2 was all supportive with Vietnam some weren't so supportive wasn't us. But great story man welcome Home myman.
After the battle we had a memorial for the 4 troops lost on the hill A btry 2/11 FA and also an awards ceremony for those wounded in the action. We all started laughing when one troop walked onto the stage to recieve his Purple Heart because we knew that he got hit in the ass.
MACV sent the 101st into the A Shau to set up Forward Support Base Ripcord amid 25000 enemy troops and were ordered to take no casualties. Only in Vietnam did stupid out-rank common sense.
I was there and I will testify under oath to that fact. We all remember the "Five O'clock Follies".
Thank you for another reason to add to my long list of reasons for being a Vietnam/Draft resistor. I didn't miss anything...and going there wouldn't have proved anything.
Wow!
RIP "Black Spade " Ltd. Andre Lucas, MOH. Ripcord.
I was in the 101st, though not at Ripcord. And, I didn't know anything about the operation... no one did. The public sure as hell didn't know. I think I first ran across the name a couple of decades after the war... I was looking at a book with an image of a barechested GI holding his rifle over his shoulder by the barrel. The caption said something about a "Firebase Ripcord." I remember thinking, "never heard tell of that one." Why no one knew is a mystery, but I have an idea... there were no news reporters around. The media had all been down south covering the Cambodia invasion. I think there was just no one to tell the tale at the time.
The news media was completely kept in the dark and away from FSB Ripcord. The overall public lack of knowledge of this battle remains pervasive to this day, as opposed to the so-called battle of "Hamburger Hill" in 1969. If anyone really wants to understand what went on there the best way is to read Keith Nolan's book, "Ripcord." I think the paperback is still available on Amazon, though Nolan died of cancer a while ago.
THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR SERVICE...69 YO NAVY VETERAN
Whos they
Wow
We knew nothing of this at the time in III Corps.
Sgt Shultz was in charge of media relations....
Ps im from uk
Get you facts correct see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fire_Support_Base_Ripcord
Not Bull Shit,, I was At Camp Eagle when Ripcord was Over Run,,,, Not Many made it Off ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Battle of Ripcord
Could have been a good story with a better interviewer .
Bullshit. I was A 2501 in July 1970 and took pictures of the siege from FSB Rakkasan. Most survived but a few were KIA.
Thomas Hook what are u calling bs.
Thomas Hook this isn't about that though right?
You Are A Fucking Asswipe Dummy!
Same thing I was thinking
You must have been there in your dreams, your the bullshitter!
Bull shit. I didn't hear a unit. Most people survived.
Clearly not the sharpest pencil in the box but typical of and American soldier.......even today.
Incredible story, I read "Ripcord", excellent book but to hear it from you was chilling. I know all those patrols were fighting for their lives fighting NVA regs. The 101 made a beautiful tactical withdrawal under fire, these were part of Gen. Abrams tactic of hitting supply lines, which Ripcord was smack dab in the middle. RIP Norris and all the men. By 1970 moral was at a low , but the 101st fought to the last day they were there and generally didnt have the issues other units had.
Wayne sinks greeneville TN , was separated from his unit and wounded in this battle, no Purple Heart nothing but copd and agent orange, he was separated during a helicopter crash, deserves something before he's gone. Ty