My War

I guess you could call it my war. I didn't fight in Nam. But it dominated the headlines of my youth. I saw the "thousand-yard stare" up close and witnessed the symptoms of post-traumatic stress before I knew there was such a condition. I knew the lingo -- "click," "in-country," "13 & a wake-up," etc. Cronkite, Huntley, Brinkley and friends gave me body counts to chew on with supper. I thought about this when I visited the traveling Vietnam Wall Memorial in Pickerington last week. 

I gave the young soldier the name -- Capt. Riley Leroy Pitts, US Army. "A Medal-of Honor recipient!" I added as she turned the pages. But that didn't matter to her. "From Oklahoma?" she asked dryly. "Yes."

Pitts received a BA in journalism from Wichita State in 1960 & joined the Army shortly after. Pitts went to Vietnam in December of '66. Merry Christmas! Given his background, the most appropriate position for him would be "information officer," which he held until his transfer to to a combat unit. Pitts commanded Company C, 2d Battalion, 27th Regiment, 25th Division. I chose Pitts because he was a "Wolfhound." My father was a Wolfhound in another War.

The Wolfhounds were at Pearl and, according to legend, were the first unit to fire on the Japs. In Korea, they were known as the Fire Brigade. When there was a problem, they put out the fire! In Vietnam, many of their ilk were stationed in and around Cu Chi. These were the men who went blind into tunnels with only a flashlight & a .45. How can you have any sanity after that?

I visited the Wall on Veterans Day. Per my custom, I wore my father's dog tags and a 25th Division hat.

A Tropic Thunder vet saw my hat and asked "What outfit?"  I said "Wolfhounds." "Which batallion?" he countered. "I don't know," was my response. "It was my father's unit in Korea."

I thanked him for his service.

"And thank your father for his!"

I didn't tell him that Dad died on active duty with the Air Force, 31 July 1967.

Another vet was a medic. He carried a notebook with many names. He pointed one out to me. "This was the first man I treated ..." His voice tailed off.

"Thank you for your service."

"You're welcome."

Riley Pitts was on panel 28 East, line No. 105. He died 31 October 1967 at Ap Dong, a month short of going home. His MOH citation reads as follows:

"Distinguishing himself by exceptional heroism while serving as company commander during an airmobile assault. Immediately after his company landed in the area, several Viet Cong opened fire with automatic weapons. Despite the enemy fire, Capt. Pitts forcefully led an assault which overran the enemy positions. Shortly thereafter, Capt. Pitts was ordered to move his unit to the north to reinforce another company heavily engaged against a strong enemy force. As Capt. Pitts' company moved forward to engage the enemy, intense fire was received from 3 directions, including fire from 4 enemy bunkers, 2 of which were within 15 meters of Capt. Pitts' position. The severity of the incoming fire prevented Capt. Pitts from maneuvering his company. His rifle fire proving ineffective against the enemy due to the dense jungle foliage, he picked up an M-79 grenade launcher and began pinpointing the targets. Seizing a Chinese Communist grenade which had been taken from a captured Viet Cong's web gear, Capt. Pitts lobbed the grenade at a bunker to his front, but it hit the dense jungle foliage and rebounded. Without hesitation, Capt. Pitts threw himself on top of the grenade which, fortunately, failed to explode. Capt. Pitts then directed the repositioning of the company to permit friendly artillery to be fired. Upon completion of the artillery fire mission, Capt. Pitts again led his men toward the enemy positions, personally killing at least 1 more Viet Cong. The jungle growth still prevented effective fire to be placed on the enemy bunkers. Capt. Pitts, displaying complete disregard for his life and personal safety, quickly moved to a position which permitted him to place effective fire on the enemy. He maintained a continuous fire, pinpointing the enemy's fortified positions, while at the same time directing and urging his men forward, until he was mortally wounded. Capt. Pitts' conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the Armed Forces of his country."

David Fraley accompanied me to the Wall before heading back to Indiana. We talked about the battle of la Drang & more specifically the action which occured in & around LZ Albany. The 7th Cav was engaged there. It's depicted in Mel Gibson's movie based on the book "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young." This month marks the 45th anniversary of la Drang. Of the approximate 330 US soldiers engaged at LZ Albany on 17 Nov. 1965, 280 were casualties. I'm also told that the Vietnamese who live near the area today avoid it. They call it the "Valley of Screaming Souls'" You think.

I touched the name of Riley Pitts, said a small prayer and walked away. I thought of an October 1951 photo taken in the cold hell of Korea -- the other war. 10 Wolfhound grunts stand under a large sign. The sign reads:

"Thru these portals pass ... the best damn soldiers in the world."

Amen brother!!!

Mike Peters