"… when you think back on those things, it's not like a movie or a video. It's more like a deck of cards. It has snapshots, and you take that deck and if you shuffle it over the years, and it gets all confused as to, well, where were we on that day?"
Description of Interview:
Mike Sprayberry describes his experiences as a young officer in Vietnam during some of the hardest fighting of the war. He tells of stepping on a punji stick and being hospitalized in Japan before returning to his troops to lead them through several dangerous operations. He relates the story of two of his men dueling with grenades over a can of apricots. “They were great guys … it was just one of those things to illustrate how tense, minor, and insignificant things can become major issues in that environment.” He also tells of MIAs and clerical mistakes that have kept them lost for all these years. His story is full of fascinating reflections on the nature of memory, and leadership, and life lessons.
Key Words: Big Red One, Garryowen, LZ Colt, An Lo, LZ Evans, A Shau Valley, MIA, Loach, Tiger Mountain
Unit:
5th Battalion, 7th Calvary Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
Service Location:
I Corps, A Shau Valley, LZ Evans
Read the Complete Transcript of this Interview.