Nov-Dec

Mike Bodnar
13010 N. Lakeforest Dr.
Sun City, AZ 85351-3250
(623) 972-4395
MBodnar27@Gmail.Com

In the last column I wrote about being contacted in 2018 by the late Richard Schroder, (MSGT, Ret, USA) RVN, 1969- 1970. His contact was because of my then previous column in the Jul/Aug 2018 Saber, which Richard responded to. He was reacting to a discussion I mentioned I had with ‘70-’71 MEDEVAC pilot Ron Huether who is the webmaster for the 15th Med Assn website and tries to post all of my Saber columns on that website. So, he is likely to read them as well. Ron says he is not a member of the 1st Cavalry Division Assn, for his own reasons. So, he doesn’t get the Saber. Though, he apparently got into the habit of obtaining a copy of each column from the 1st Cav Assn website, to keep the 15th Med Assn members informed. That would be informed of what I write, thinking it is pertinent to the 15th Med Assn, and membership, many of whom are 1st Cav Assn members. I can safely say are all Veterans of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Even though Ron Huether is not a member of the 1st Cav Assn-for his own reasons-you have to ask him, why-and prefers the 15th Med Assn for his time and energy, my thoughts are; I am thankful that he did all that he did for the 1st Cav grunts in Vietnam, as a MEDEVAC pilot.

In one of my past columns, I wrote about Ron being inducted into the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame . You can go to their website and read why all the pilots were inducted. DUSTOFF was the first Vietnam War U.S. Army Aeromedical Evacuation call sign, owned and used by the 44th Medical Brigade, which ran all the U.S Army hospitals in Vietnam, and had their own helicopter ambulances as mentioned. MEDEVAC was the call sign of the 1st Cavalry Division’s Air Ambulance Platoon, in HHC 15th Medical Battalion. 1st Cav MEDEVAC helicopters used mounted M-60 machine guns, DUSTOFF helicopters did not. That was one notable difference; as well as MEDEVAC was exclusive to the 1st Cavalry Division, and units they worked with. I forever mention the out-of-print GPO book, which is a free downloadable PDF: Dust Off - Army Aeromedical Evacuation in Vietnam; Authors: Peter Dorland, James Nanney. Run a search on your favorite browser and it easily opens right up, free at if you want to know the full story. It takes up less room on your hard drive than you think it would.

Nevertheless, others also thought Ron was a worthy pilot. I never flew with Ron. He came to MEDEVAC sometime around the Cambodian Incursion, which ended just before I DEROSed from my six-month extension, in July ‘70. I flew with many he flew with-and wouldn’t fly with. I didn’t know he could pick and choose, but he says he did. But our paths never crossed, to my knowledge.

I recently contacted MEDEVAC medic Robert “Tom” Campbell ‘69-’70, whom I knew during my six months in MEDEVAC. I saw photos of him on the 15th Med Assn website and it looks like he has a sewn on CMB. I asked him if he was an infantry medic, but he said no, he said he was in the 1st Cav, and the Air Ambulance Platoon preferred infantry experienced medics, but they couldn’t always get what they wanted, were desperate, so made the exception with him and some others I knew. Tom said he thought it was better than humping in the jungle, so took advantage.

Not everyone thought it would beat the bush. I always thought that it was, “Out of the fire, and into the frying pan.” MEDEVAC medic Dale McGuff ‘69-’70 was a platoon medic in 2-5 Cav. In his book, So That Others May Live, he said he thought it was, “Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.” But I didn’t get shot up as much as he described he did. I asked Tom Campbell if he ever flew with Ron Huether, and he said, yeah. He said Ron was a good pilot and had his stuff together.

Another MEDEVAC pilot, I did fly with a lot, then was 1LT Henry Hank “Okie” Tuell, is also in the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame. I recently spoke to MEDEVAC pilot Greg Simpson, whom I flew with, and Henry Tuell, together. Greg mentioned wanting to go to a 1st Cav Assn Reunion but has not yet. Greg said he never, if ever, sees Henry Tuell at the 15th Med Assn Reunions, that he hangs out with DUSTOFF. If true, I find that unique. I flew hot, precision pickups with LT Tuell on MEDEVAC in Cambodia, and DUSTOFF helicopters were nowhere in sight.

With Ron Huether and Henry Tuell hanging out where they want, my thoughts are, to each his own. In the interest of freedom, my thinking is, whatever gets you off, knock yourself out.

Now that the background information is out of the way, I will get to what I intended. Ron, not being a member of the 1st Cav Assn cannot get archived copies of the Saber, only the recent one available to the public. He does take advantage of being the website editor. If he doesn’t like what I’ve written, I’ve noticed he will leave things out, if not the whole column. I do my best effort.

But, one person I know, who appreciates the Saber columns on the 15th Med Assn site is, ME! I have every one of my Saber copies from day one; and copies of my own submissions; and complete access to archived copies on the 1st Cav Assn website; but it’s easiest for me to glance at for reference, what Ron posts, if anything. Then, I go to the other sources.

What Ron communicated to me in an email, and I had mentioned in the 2018 Jul/Aug Saber, was that he had a bone to pick with me because I told the following story in the May/Jun 2018 Saber. This is an excerpt, with embellishments in brackets: “...on 18 Jun 69 we (C 2-7 Cav) had combat assaulted into a large field (XT415801) which I have marked on the map (I own). That was four clicks from where they put LZ Becky (XT373810), just south of Bo Tuc-on then Route 246, which Route 244 ran perpendicular to with, LZ Jamie ten clicks south. We had received 120 mm incoming on the 18th when we landed, and a burst in the tree line wounded our then RTO Joel Smith. When I got to him his spleen was sticking out, so I had to put it back in as best I could. Our battalion surgeon was on the Command-and-Control helicopter with the battalion commander, so he jumped off to take over, and earned his Combat Medical Badge. The NVA also had anti-aircraft pits dug like reverse donuts using an ant hill in the center for their gun, just on the other side of the wood line (I saw only one when leaving that area). One of our machine gunners yelled (that) they were firing at the Cobras but, not for long (the Cobras fired back). We didn’t even wait on MEDEVAC and sent Joel out with the battalion surgeon on a slick ship, under good (his MD) care. MEDEVAC apparently picked him up at Jamie.”

While I was communicating with Ron, in an email, he mentioned he had a bone to pick with me because I had said our 2-7 Cav battalion surgeon had earned his Combat Medical Badge when he jumped off the Charlie Charlie bird to take over assisting us with our wounded. Ron said he thought a CMB could only be earned by a Combat Medic assigned to an infantry unit for thirty days and under fire.

What Ron thought is incorrect. There is no timeframe mentioned in the CMB AR. It doesn’t say anything like, you have to hump the bush with the grunts for thirty days. The CMB AR states: the qualified AMEDD 0-6 and below must be assigned or attached to the medical detachment of an Infantry (Recently amended to all combat arms units) TO& E, regiment, or below. They must accompany the unit members into battle and render medical care under fire. What I see, and read is, it could be just one time, like my battalion surgeon, I mentioned, performed.

The 2-7 Cavalry was like all the other dismounted infantry battalions in the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam. They all had four companies, and a fifth E recon/ mortars company. I do not know if my 2-7 Cav Battalion Surgeon ever had to do that same type of action with the other 2-7 Cav companies. Just that one time coming to assist us-his battalion, rendering medical care, under fire, was being a combat medic, meeting the requirements stated in the CMB AR. I saw him on LZ Jamie in the aid station caring for wounded when Jamie took incoming fire. He was there with his Infantry TO&E battalion and cared for the artillery, and other wounded brought to him, under fire.

Ron went on to say in 2018, “I guess I’m blind, because I could swear there was a thirty-day time on it. I say this because we had an awards-crazy platoon leader in MEDEVAC that set up a few foxholes on the wire at Phuoc Vinh and had orders cut on the officers for thirty days saying we were attached to the infantry in the Perimeter Defense Squad. All so he could meet the requirements for the CMB.”

I do not know if that is true. We’ll have to take Ron’s word for it. It was a good reason for making me get defensive about a genuine combat medic deserving the CMB.

I do not know how Ron can claim that thirty-day wording he mentions. I do not see anything like that in the AR. If someone sees anything like that, send me the paragraph, line number, etc. Everyone can read the AR themselves if they want proof.

The following link is a downloadable pdf of the complete AR 600-8-22 Personnel-General-Military Awards: . You can search for it on your browser. The CMB AR is Chapter 8, page 108.

Ron also said to me back in 2018, “I know most of my DUSTOFF pilot friends wear the CMB but over the years I’ve never had one that could produce orders.” I’m sure they could not, unless they were qualified as the AR states. What Ron told me in 2018 sounds like some kind of Catch-22 corruption scheme.

The intention of the column this time was to explain why Richard Schroder had initially contacted me. I found I needed to get a copy of the CMB AR and study it when I started seeing 15th Medical Battalion Commanders claiming on their obituaries that they earned the CMB. When, they were never in Infantry TO&E units, and so many genuine combat medics who were, suffered for it, with the men they served

FIRST TEAM! Garryowen
Mike Bodnar 2\7 '69
MEDEVAC 1-7\70
SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE