In the spring of 1969, I arrived in Vietnam as a sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) after completing a small unit leadership training program at Fort Benning, Georgia. Even though I was an untested infantry squad leader, I was put in charge of a dozen men who had been in-country four, five or six months. Since my men had previous combat experience and I had none, the pressure I faced when taking control was enormous.
I did not have to wait long for the opportunity to prove myself because my company had just been ordered to take part in the famous battle for Hamburger Hill, May 10-20 in the A Shau Valley of northern South Vietnam.
The Peaches
Upon entering the assault staging area, we were instructed to leave all nonessential gear behind and to only take weapons, ammunition and a single canteen of water. However, I decided to bring along a small C-ration can of sliced peaches in case I got hungry along the way.
On Hamburger Hill Sgt. Arthur Wiknik Jr., went from selfish to selfless.
As we slowly moved into our assault position, the formidable jungle terrain and thick vegetation caused significant delays. Other U.S. military units ran into the same problem, causing the assault to be postponed until the next day. That meant we had to spend the night at the base of the contested mountain.
No Food For You….
When morning arrived, everyone was hungry. It had been nearly 24 hours since we last ate. Assuming my fellow soldiers had also brought food, I casually opened my can of peaches and started eating. Immediately, some of the guys began staring at me. They all wanted peaches. Since the tiny can could not realistically feed a dozen men, I decided to get it over with and quickly ate the rest of the fruit.
No one said anything, but their cold stares confirmed that I had made a mistake. Instead of acting like a leader, I had disappointed them by only thinking of myself.
A short time later, we were given the order to assault the mountain. The moment we moved into the battle area we immediately came under heavy fire. As enemy bullets pinned down our skirmish line, I looked for a way to escape. To my left was a small ridge that had enough vegetation to provide cover.
No Support from the Men
I immediately leapt to my feet and ran to the ridge yelling to my squad: “Follow me! We’re going up this way!” I charged up that ridge like a madman, pushing branches aside, jumping over abandoned enemy positions and ignoring bullets nipping at my feet. When I reached the crest of the hill, I realized it was the perfect location to set up a defensive position.
But when I turned around to inform my squad, I was alone! They had let me run up the hill by myself.
About 30 minutes later the fighting subsided. My guys finally made their way to my position. As they gathered, I scolded them: “Why the hell didn’t you guys follow me?! That ridge had plenty of cover! If we all came up together, we might’ve made a difference!”
Before an assault up Hamburger Hill, Wiknik ate a can of peaches while the sergeant’s men looked at him disappointedly.
No one answered. The men sheepishly looked at each other, knowing full well that they should never have let a fellow soldier charge the enemy alone.
Then one of the men broke the silence. “We didn’t follow you because you didn’t share your peaches.”
Everyone burst out laughing, including me.
I learned an important lesson that day. In a dangerous place like a combat zone, refusing to share something as simple as peaches can get a guy killed. To prevent that from happening again, I needed to find a way to atone for my selfishness.
Making Up For It
Before long, I found the solution. One of the most welcome diversions from the Vietnam War came in “care packages” from home filled with cookies, fruitcakes, seasonings, powdered juices and a variety of canned goods. One package from my mother contained a 7-ounce can of apple juice from a New Hampshire cannery. It was the first real thirst quencher I had in over two months. It was so refreshing that I wrote a thank-you letter to the company.
In the letter, I briefly described how miserable infantry life in Vietnam was, explaining how the juice was such a welcome change from drinking water out of rice paddies and rubber bladders. I also wrote that I wanted to purchase a case of the apple juice to share with my squad.
About two weeks later, I received a complimentary carton of 20 4-ounce cans with a letter from the cannery stating that the gift was its way of showing support for the troops. What a fantastic surprise!
Infantrymen often feel unappreciated in wartime, so something as simple as a free can of apple juice was a real treat. It not only revitalized our taste buds but also restored our long-lost faith in the folks back home.
Then I got an idea. If I write the same kind of letter to other food suppliers, maybe we would be able to get more free items. I secretly sifted through discarded containers from other soldiers’ care packages for additional supplier addresses and began sending requests at two-week intervals.
‘Operator’
It did not take long for the goodies to start rolling in. In the coming months I received large quantities of peanuts, pretzels, fruit nectar, canned berries, sardines, steak sauce and more. As a joke, I even asked a tobacco distributor for cigar prices, and I was sent a free box. My letter writing campaign was working so well that I had to maintain a chart to keep from contacting a company a second time.
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My squad members began calling me “Operator” because I reminded them of the “Sgt. J.J. Sefton” character portrayed by William Holden (who won a best actor Oscar for the role) in the 1953 movie Stalag 17.
However, unlike Sefton, who as a prisoner of war was somehow able to live comfortably while his POW comrades suffered, I shared everything that came my way to help make the situation a little more bearable for all of us.
Naturally, my squad was curious about how I obtained cases of hard-to-get provisions. I simply told them I had an uncle who worked in a food distribution warehouse. I was afraid that if the guys knew the truth they might try the same thing and the suppliers would catch on and stop sending the freebies!
Later, I wondered if I had taken advantage of some very generous people, but I quickly dismissed such thoughts. The combat infantryman suffered under so many unforgiving conditions that we were basically at the bottom of the food chain. One of a soldier’s biggest fears is to be forgotten. I should not have had to go to such trouble to remind so many people that there was a war going on. However, in doing so, the free food was a huge benefit because it not only lifted our spirits but also taught me a valuable lesson in sharing.
Arthur Wiknik Jr. is the author of Nam Sense: Surviving Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. Wiknik has appeared on the History Channel show Vietnam in HD and was a featured guest on the Military Channel (now American Heroes Channel) show An Officer and a Movie. He lives in Higganum, Connecticut.
this article first appeared in vietnam magazine
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Vietnam War at the start?
The North Vietnamese Army (NVA) had more men, better equipment, and superior training as the war began. However, American soldiers had greater firepower and air support as well as artillery.
The NVA also enjoyed an enormous advantage in manpower. They had nearly twice the number of Communist troops to fight them than U.S. soldiers.
Two years of continuous combat saw the United States army force grow stronger, while its enemy became less powerful. By 1969, the number of Americans killed in action exceeded those lost during World War II.
The introduction of new weapon systems and tactics was the reason for this change in momentum. The introduction of helicopter gunships, and aircraft carriers enabled commanders from the United States to strike deep into enemy territory.
The conflict became less popular, particularly among young people. According to a poll, less than half the college students supported the war effort. The U.S. and South Vietnam used chemical warfare against Viet Cong during this period. Students for a Democratic Society protested this tactic.
Who were the first people to use guns in warfare?
Humans have used guns for thousands years.
They were initially only used by the wealthy and powerful. However, over time, more commoners started to use them.
For example, in China, the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-2206 BC) introduced the first gunpowder guns.
Also, the Mongols used bows and arrows until 1406, when they adopted firearms.
In 1522, King Francis I of France issued a decree stating that everyone must own a musket.
Henry VIII, finally, ordered that all men aged between 18-59 learn how to use a firearm.
When was the United States' first army created?
The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) saw the creation of the First Army. The Continental Congress voted in favor of an army consisting of 20,000 men, under the command of George Washington.
The army was created from the existing militia units. Its mission: to defend the colonies in the face of British invasion. The army had little training or supplies and was poorly equipped.
On June 14, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The document declared thirteen states independent from Great Britain and urged them to "secure their rights" for themselves and their descendants. The Continental Congress passed a resolution on July 4th calling for the creation a continental army.
Initially, the newly created army was composed mainly of untrained militiamen. Washington took command of the army, in August 1777. Washington started recruiting from the local militias. He also enlisted foreign soldiers. By early 1778, his force numbered nearly 10,000 men.
The army won its first major battle at Saratoga, New York in March 1779. Although the Americans lost that battle, it marked a turning point in the war. General Burgoyne was defeated and the British army surrendered.
After the war ended, the Continental Congress disbanded it. However there would be brief attempts to create permanent national military organizations.
Who was Douglas MacArthur?
He was an American soldier, general, diplomat, author and historian. He was also an explorer.
He was born in Missouri in 1880, United States. When he was just a child, his father passed away. He had to drop out of school to support his family. He joined the army at age 16 and quickly rose through the ranks. He fought in Cuba during Spanish-American War. He received two medals. After the war, he became involved in politics and helped create the Philippine Army.
Jean Faircloth (who he had met in Japan) was his first wife. Arthur Jr., Robert and Mary would be their three children. He led the successful invasion of northern Luzon, World War I's first major wartime invasion, while serving as the commander of The Philippine Division. In 1935, he was discharged from active duty and returned home to the Philippines. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he served as Chief of Staff of the Allied Expeditionary Force.
MacArthur is best remembered for leading the Allied Forces, during World War II, to victory over the Japanese Imperial Forces in Pacific Theatre of Operations. When the Allies invaded Leyte Island in 1944, MacArthur ordered the landing site to be shifted southward due to poor weather conditions, resulting in heavy casualties among the troops. This decision led to the defeat of the initial operations in Leyte. However, after returning to Australia, MacArthur successfully planned the Battle of Okinawa, which resulted in the island's capture. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.
Upon his return to the US, MacArthur continued serving as a Congress member. He was elected president the United States in 1952, 1954. He was in charge of the Korean Armistice Agreement as well as the supervision of the US troop withdrawal from South Korea.
MacArthur also wrote many books during his retirement years. He founded the Military History Institute of California and published his autobiography, Years of MacArthur (1966). He died on April 5th, 1964.
General Douglas MacArthur, one of the most famous soldiers of history, has been inducted into numerous halls of fame.
Statistics
- Of all services, the U.S. Army has paid the heaviest price since 911, with almost 42,000 active, guard, and reserve soldiers killed or wounded while serving overseas, according to Department of Defense figures. (militaryhistoryonline.com)
- According to Peter Fraser Purton, the best evidence of the earliest gun in Europe is the Loshult gun, dated to the fourteenth century. (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
history.army.mil
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- Documenting Shock and Awe: Researching Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom
- HELLAS:NET - Warfare
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- JSTOR: The Beleaguered Future of Academic Military History
- Teetering on the Brink of Respectability on JSTOR
How To
Why was Vietnam war so unpopular
Vietnam was an unpopular conflict for two reasons. The first was that the Americans opposed the war; the second was that it was fought in the name of civilians.
The United States faced domestic problems which discouraged them from supporting war. Aside from the fact that North Vietnamese soldiers could easily outnumber American troops, the American public considered the war unwinnable.
General William Westmoreland asked for more men and equipment but was only granted limited resources. He also failed to communicate his strategy to the public effectively.
The general became distrustful of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson finally ordered him to withdraw South Vietnam.
Although the majority of media coverage was negative about the war, there were some exceptions. Some journalists sympathized and supported the war effort, while others sympathized with Viet Cong guerillas.
