Allen Lynch, bullied as a child and a poor student, enlisted in the Army in November 1964. After basic training at Fort Knox, infantry training and four weeks of OCS (before dropping out) at Fort Benning, he was sent to Germany. He re-enlisted in 1966, was posted to Berlin, got frostbite and two Article 15s, and volunteered for Vietnam. He was assigned to D 1/12th Cav, 1st Cav Division, where he eventually became a platoon radio operator (RTO). He remembers the heat, learning the care and use of the M-16, Claymore mines, and the M-79 grenade launcher, "Willy Peters" and the steam baths at An Khe. He describes circling the wagons, radio watch at the company command (CP) or observation posts, and ambushes. He discusses great leadership, terrible leadership, beer, and his love for ice-cream. And he recounts the extraordinary tale of the actions that earned the Medal of Honor at My An (2) in mid-December, 1967, which he remembers a little differently than it reads in the citation.
Key Words: enlisted, Officer and a Gentleman, Fort Knox, Kentucky, Fort Gordon, Georgia, Gelnhausen, Germany, Article 15, AWOL, 1st Cavalry Division, M16, M14, Fort Ord, California, An Khe, Claymore mines, radio telegraph operator, XM79, M209, M79 grenade launcher, thumper, HE rounds, Willy Peter, white phosphorous, CS, double-aught buck shot, RTO (radiotelephone operator), prick-25, AO, Bong Son Plain, Central Highlands, Popular Forces, Ruff Puffs, Delta Tangos, defensive targets, SITREP, situation reports, M60 machine gun, Dak To, Hill 724, Medal of Honor, My An (2), USO show, 1,000 BC, APC, armored personnel carrier, artillery, airstrikes, napalm, PTSD, EMDR, Evanston Vet Center, Tam Quan, LZ English, LZ Apache, South China Sea, friendly fire, CIDG, Montagnards, Special Forces, Koreans, taekwondo, Duster, Twin 20s, Fort Hood, Texas, VA
Key Names: Richard Gere, RTO Borges, machine gunner Heavy, Martin Luther King, Captain Donald Orsini, Raquel Welch, First Lieutenant Roy E. Southerland, Sergeant Irvin Wilhelm, Sergeant Casares, Joe Esparza, Betsy Tolstedt, Gerald R. “Gerry” Brines, William J. Gandy, Ken Burns, Mr. Galla, Mr. Sally, Pops, Rose, Terry M. Pohl, Neil Hartigan, John Schwan, Bruce Peterson, Paul Bryan