Vietnam 2nd battalion
Richard Rodrigues
A Company 1968
Well, anyway here goes the best I can do, I’m getting old and my memory well you know (smile).
I arrived in country on the 25th of Feb. ’68, I was med-evaced on the 26th of May ’68.
My time in A Co. 2/327, I kind of alternated between Plat. Sgt. and Ldr. of the 2nd Platoon. My attempts at memory loss, seem to consist of names places and I never knew what day it was. I just tried to do the very best I could every day. We had too many people KIA or WIA, and I couldn’t remember their names then, much less now.
I remember Sgt. DeVana as we were together in the US at Bragg. There was also a Sp4 Henderson who was killed 2 days before his DEROS, he was a machine gunner who was killed and died in my arms. He wanted to walk point 1 more time. I tried to talk him out of it, but the Plat Ldr. let him do it. I’ve never really gotten over that one. We were on our way out of Bastogne after escorting the 175’s up there. We were headed to the Ashau Valley. We set up on this little finger and had been there too long, 3 days. The CO told me to take my Platoon up the hill and set up a night position, well I heard that there was an NVA Regiment on the hill and they had to call an ARC Light on it.
I’m now retired E-7, since Jan 1 ’75. Went to College after retirement. Came to Columbus, OH, to go to Grad School at Ohio State, I am also a retried Probation Officer. Now I’m just a happy retired 68 year old. Married 22 years to Dolores.
