Vietnam Veteran Survived Four Combat Tours | Full Interview 

🎤 The podcast version of this interview is now available: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vietnam-experience/id1732962685?i=1000647871859 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5W77Nz33WPpjpmcRKV6VtV?si=TjYl-nvST3uL-798RS_iRw

That’s my Uncle Bob! Thank you for doing this interview with him. It was very interesting to hear stories that I’ve never heard before. Truly an amazing guy.

Hello Bob, I am Christopher A Kotz, 2nd Platoon.( M79) Worked on the .50 and was also pinned down in the creek bed. I remember you then buddy. Boot to Boot. Happy your still kickin' Thank you for all you did for our country. Mike Gregory, also with us, published "Shiney Bayonet" many years ago. Wish we had your input. Thanksgiving day I became RTO for Quigiley and Kline alternately until I left with Kline in July. Over.

I worked as a nurse with mainly WWII and Korean War soldiers, but a few Vietnam vets were just coming in to long term care. One thing that will never leave me are the stories that they told me and the fact that they *always* go back to war, as their bodies and minds begin leaving. I literally had a patient dying a very slow death from cancer. He looked at me one morning and said, "i can't go on patrol today". I told him "at ease and you're relieved of duty". He was gone within an hour. Men relived specific battles. Women relived having babies. Fascinating and heartbreaking.

As someone who served in the Marines in the late 2000s and early 2010s , I can’t imagine serving in Vietnam . This dude is hardcore . What a story !

Thanks for your service. I was in Nam too in 1970 infantry. Saw a lot of combat and have a shirt with 83 names embordered on the back for guys that died in my company. Doing pretty good now and blessed to be married to the mother of Miss USA 1998. Everybody thought they were sisters. Everybody thought I was stupid and ugly and lucky to get Coni.

To get these men to speak of their experiences is truly amazing. Men like Bob should mentor young men today.

Loved the line: "Dying ain't much of a living either!" This was a fantastic interview. After his first tour I'd have said I've done my bit. But he was right to rejoin as he is a soldier through and through.

All of his laughter during this interview is definitely covering up a lot of emotions. Wow, what a soldier! 1st Team!

Hello Sgt. Martin, having been a USAF Nurse at Tachikawa, Japan 67-69 so I met hundreds of overflow ( Zama) Army men , Naval & Marine wounded. A lot of men talked & since I've heard stories but your interview was incredibly informative, emotional 4 me & caused me a great eye wash. I was a compassionate rock then but now am a mushy old lady. The greatest honor of my life was being a Flight Nurse bringing our guys home to our world at DOVER AFB 70-71. Thank you for all you gave representing the best of US..

The best Vietnam interview I have ever seen. Give this interviewer medal for not cutting him off.

This man’s story was incredible. He must have had an guardian angel with him, to survive not just 1 but 4 tours in Vietnam. What a hero! Thank you Sir🙏😇

4 tours in Vietnam! That’s absolutely incredible I mean just imagine 1 tour in Vietnam (not taking away from other vets or other wars) but 4 tours in Vietnam is crazy to even try comprehending! Definitely going to watch this whole interview!

Perhaps the only guy ever to utter~ “I’ve got some real funny stories from the burn unit’. Bob Martin is an Honest to God Role Model for the modern man. When you think you can’t handle life’s struggles, watch this and note his attitude. He has a great attitude because he’s endured everything and realizes it doesn’t mean shit. He was twisted, torn up, burned up and abandoned. Enduring is the thing and emerging to life again. It’s what it’s all about. Thanks for the video and thanks Bob Martin for your exemplary example.

Update: The book Bob Martin mentioned has unfortunately not been published yet. Once it's available, I will post an update and link with purchase details. Bob's Silver Star citation reads: "For gallantry in action: Private Martin distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous action on 12 October, 1965, while serving as a member of an airborne cavalry point squad in a military operation in Binh Dinh Province, Republic of Vietnam. The majority of men in the point squad, which was moving into an attack along a creek bed, were wounded by a substantial volume of fire from a Viet Cong .50 caliber machine gun position and several other automatic weapons. With complete disregard for his own personal safety, Private Martin stayed with the wounded and administered first aid. He was constantly within rifle range of the hostile positions and exposed to their fire. When Private Martin became cut off from the rest of the platoon, he provided protective fire for the wounded until he ran out of ammunition. He then covered the injured men with his own body and was able to care for and protect his fellow squad members until help could reach them. The courageous and unselfish actions of Private Martin were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army."

When older vets share their stories, you can tell they're re-immersing themselves in those experiences and they greatly enjoy telling the stories and sharing what they've gone through in a respectful manner that allows it. It's not only retrospective, but I'm sure it's a kind of therapy too.

Wow. I hadn’t planned on spending the last two hours listening to him, but I couldn’t help myself. It was riveting listening to him. He did such a great job of telling the full story, including action along with the human experience of it all. It’s just amazing that he survived. Not just one tour, but four!

wow - if you going to be in such an awful position as having to go into combat this man is the type of person you want next to you - what a man. Total Respect.

You can see him reliving it all through his eyes and mannerisms. One of the most engaging interviews that I've watched.

I did 4 deployments to the middle east 2005, 2007,2009, 2012, and i feel like a little bitch. Hats off to u sir!

I hope and pray future generations find this video and cherish this hero for the man he is and for his great acts. Thank you sir for your service

I looked at his picture behind him he is a 1St Sergeant in it with the 1St Cav on his combat sleeve the right arm. What a Warrior!!!. He speaks so accurately about his experiences. The fact he was so open to talk about it openly. He is so jovial. God Bless you & Thank you for you’re service. Welcome Home, you also became a Chicago Police Officer which is another dangerous profession. God Bless you always 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🪖🪖🪖

My father (alive and well) was a LRRP in Vietnam 67-68 173rd airborne / 74th infantry detachment. Much respect to all Vietnam veterans, thank you for your sacrifices.

I was born decades after this conflict and this made me cry. Thank you for your service and for being a warrior when the country needed you.

God bless him. My uncle survived three tours, Special Forces. Watching his Special Forces buddies laying a Green Beret on him at his funeral decades later made a mess of me. I had cousins there too. All those who were there are special to me.

I came upon this Video today by accident. I could not stop watching it. I cant believe all that this man endured. I salute you Sir. Very enlightening. I served 68/69 with the Marine Corps . I was a Machine gunner as well as a squad leader assigned to Charlie Co 1/1. I can attest to your pain having been Shot after 9 months in Country. I was lucky to survive my wounds and spent several months in a variety of Hospitals before being discharged. God Bless you.

My dad did two tours , last one was 68-69 with the 5th SFG .project delta. I lost him in 1972 a motorcycle accident in Panama canal zone . Coming home from Ft. sherman . I still miss him, I was 12yrs old my world was gone. I'm 63 now.

This has got to be one of the most vivid veteran experiences i have heard. Fascinating and really emotional and i laughed plenty of times throughout. This man is a legend

This is the greatest war story I've ever heard! what an honor to hear

Don't know if you'll see this, but I truly deeply appreciate the Valor you displayed with your story. You are amazing and I can't be more grateful for men like Bob.

These guys deserve all the respect in the world.

This is probably the best vet interview I’ve ever seen. His recollection detail is amazing.

This man is my hero. I went through nothing so horrific with my time in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I hope someday to be able to tell my stories with the ease he does. Welcome home.

My neighbour about ten years older than myself was in the Mike Force in Vietnam, his nose was disfigured and he had shrapnel still in his forearm, and like Mr Martin would get injured and re enlist multiple times when i asked him why after getting shot and cheating death why would he go back he told me he missed the adreneline rush of the bullets whizzing by his head and cheating death. After his third tour and being injured again they would not allow him to re enlist and sent him home. For years and he drank heavily and did drugs in his words to try and re capture the high of combat and the adreniline rush of being shot at as he described it . He was sober by the time i met him he told me a few things about his time in Vietnam but never really opened up and i didnt press him. I had a good friend i grew up with who was in The Army special forces active duty and he came to visit when i he was on leave, i introduced him to my neighbour, my neighbour then went and got his medals and record of service and those two talked for hours and these are things he never shared with me. Eventually my neighbour moved out to California and he volunteered to undergo deep psychological testing as it applied to PTSD at one of the big universities in California the program lasted 2 months and provided much needed information about PTSD . I lost track of him as the years passed and found out one day he had died. Rest in peace Richard Paland i valued our friendship and thank you for your service

I really loved hearing your story. My Father was FORCE RECON served three tours. He has passed away now but listening to you took me back to the days of my childhood listing to him and his buddies telling their stories. They would meet at the Alibi bar off hwy 24 between Jacksonville and Swansboro. I would play pinball while these types of stories was being told as the beers came the emotions would get deep. I thank you for your service and your dedcation to your fellow warrior. I cant wait to read your book. STAY PROUD

This man is one of the best story tellers I’ve ever heard, what an amazing interview. Thank you for your service

This is an amazing historical record. Kudos to Bob Martin for telling his story so well, and for those who recorded it for posterity.

Quite simply one of the best vet interviews I have heard. What a sequence of experiences. A true soldier and genuine hero. Quietly spoken but his words thunder across the years. From across the Atlantic, from one Vet to another, I salute you. It is upon your service and the service of many like you that we enjoy the privilege of our freedom and society.

I haven't ever seen or heard someone who made me laugh and cry hearing his stories of Vietnam he's definitely my hero thank you for sharing your life with all of us.

Hollywood should make a movie about you sir. What a story. Ultimate respect

I've watched less than half of this so far, and this is the most compelling interview about the Vietnam war I've ever heard.

Bob Martin is a great man. I could listen to him all day, everyday. They should make a movie too. Love the stories and the laughter from him. Made me smile, but I know he is hiding the pain. I was just a kid during Vietnam, but remember the news footage on tv. I admire the Vietnam Vets. Welcome Home.

What an amazing guy ... Best soldier interview I have seen in a long time... Captivating ... Thank you for bringing this story to us.

This guy should have been a general. I never heard somebody laugh so much while remembering the War in Vietnam. It's a prime example about how to look at life

I listened this over a few days, amazing story and to be fair, 4 tours, You have my respect. You earned it!!!!! I hope your doing well Bob.

So interesting to watch him talk about his fondest memories and most horrific memories at almost the same time. One second he’s on the verge of tears, next second enveloped with laughter and love.

I thank this man for reliving the horrors of war so that I may never forget what they gave.

When he first spoke of operation shiny bayonet and then had to stop, I immediately had to Google what this campaign was. Wow is all I can say

To have lived through a nightmare, he's a pretty positive fella. Amazing story teller and incredible story.

After the nightmares and the PTSD following his second tour, Mr Martin returned to Vietnam. There is a type of courage few of us will ever understand.

Priceless. I couldn’t stop watching this good man talk about his experiences. A real hero.

NOTHING but respect for this man and ALL veterans, especially ones who saw combat. Thank you ALL.

I appreciate this so much. I can see in the cuts he was crying. God speed.

I laughed and teared up throughout the interview. I spent 22 years in Navy. I was never in country but made several tours off shore bombardment in support of mostly US Marine and ROC units. His connection with buddies brought back my own memories….thank you!

You should consider uploading just the audio of these to a podcast platform, they’re amazing interviews and I think a lot of people would listen while they are doing things.I really enjoy listening to these stories while i’m tinkering with things at homes

Loved the comment about boys growing up. Street lights came on too soon and you arrived home ragged and exhausted. Great time to grow up

Mr Martin is a riveting story teller. He combines the precision of an after action report with a descriptive ability, humanity and authenticity that can not be faked. He brings you right back there with him. Thank you again.

4 tours and he’s still intact. Wow. This man is something else. A very special warrior indeed.

Wow, I wasn’t in any military service, but I did grow up during the Vietnam war. I had friends that were drafted and served there. Wrote a lot of letters at that time. THANK YOU for your bravery and dedication to our Country. You are a Veteran that I will always remember, your story was amazing and I’m real grateful and thankful you made it home to share your experiences in a war, I think we still to this day understand. God Bless you Bob.

Bob, I too became a cop after I was finally released from the hospital from my wounds. After 28 years as a Cop in NY, I found out that a lot of the guys whom I worked with for all these years, were also Vietnam Vets, all those years with all of us keeping this secret to ourselves, a secret,it was just something that we never talked about. By then we were joining the Vietnam Veterans of America and after a few meetings I was surprised to see so many guys I worked with all those years that were brother vets that I never knew about. What a damn waste!!!

This is one of the best Vietnam stories I have ever heard

I work with senior citizens as a nurse. I mean this with love: the one patient that ever startled me was a Vietnam veteran who served as Green Berret. He had dementia unfortunately and once thought I was the enemy. Those gentlemen meant business. God bless

This Man is a HERO

The Vietnam veterans are my superheroes and I can't believe the way they were treated ! Those brave warrior's carved out what is special operations today

They don't make men like Martin anymore,..... he's a well appreciated dinosaur with more moxie than anybody's got a right to have. Nothing but respect for you Sarge.

I feel like a 55 year old fan boy, this man is impressive on multiple levels. Not just his courage and sense of duty but his attitude and humanity is above and beyond. Salute X 100 Just an amazing human being.

His laughter has mixed feelings. Some good memory laughs some horrific memory laughing. It’s good he can talk about those times 🙌👏

Thank you for sharing these stories. I'm a homeschooling mother, and I enjoy learning history straight from our war heroes. I can see in this man's eyes that he has seen more than we could imagine.

His description of the PTSD sleepwalking was exactly what happened to a neighbor of mine named John when he returned home from Vietnam. I was around the age of 12 or 13, and this guy was a friend of my older brother. Out in the field behind his family home yelling about Charlie everywhere. Anyone who attempted to wake him was in danger. Eventually a police officer experienced this, and the arrest shook John into getting help. He got counseling, quit drinking and returned to being the guy I remembered. A big thank you to all veterans for serving and fighting for these United States of America.

Best veteran story teller ive ever seen. A well humoured, everyday guy forced to become an absolute warrior. This guy only got a silver star? That first engagement was him green! Wow.

Many of us 70’s and 80’s kid’s grew up similar in many ways to the general way his generation did. Why? Because our dads were Vietnam vets. Looking back you can also tell whose parents were more the hippie variety, no thank you. I’m truly grateful to my parents and how they raised us. It was truly a great time to grow up and I miss it every day.

A true hero. As a teenager in the early 70s we constantly heard horror stories of the war. It seemed the people at the top didn't care much about the combat soldiers. Perhaps even being incompetent. Many brave men were sent on meaningless suicide missions. We were the first graduating class after the end of the war. This man fought so we didn't have to. He has my respect and gratitude.

My deepest respect to him and all Vietnam vets

When you watch these videos you'll see these old guys pause and take a breath because their minds have just taken them back 50 or 60 years in the blink of an eye. This is really important history.

I listen to this over and over again, and Bob, like many American veterans is a hero. His story in particular is riveting, and the bravery is outstanding. I wish there were more men like this today. I love the fact that he tells his story from an innocent, 18-year-old being thrust into this harsh warfare, and in his first combat how well he did to control the situation and do his best. What a hero.! I share this video a lot because I believe that people need to see these American heroes really exist.. ( and we all know how the Vietnam vets were treated 😞) Bob if you’re still around, you are a hero to me as well. Thank you!

Great story. 4 tours im sure you saved countless lives with your knowledge and courage. Thank you for your service.

The burn center at Ft. Sam Houston is still on the cutting edge and quite well-known worldwide for its treatment of burns for military and civilians. This was the best Viet Nam era interview I have ever heard. The memories, pain, and emotion were evident in his voice and eyes. I will be looking for his book. Thank you for sharing this warrior's story.

I’ve had that moment near death myself and it stuck me when Bob talked about his. Just memories flooding back is all. I never had a divine moment I just remember having a definite choice. I remember thinking when presented with this that there was no choice here. Shortly after I heard the EMTs in the ambulance talking about having to take me to another hospital that was further as they kept finding new things wrong with me. The guy over me said something like “he might now make it that far.” I told him with more determination than I’ve ever had in my life “dying is not something that I do.” Then I yelled up to the driver to “step on it!” Then I went back to the falling sensation that I had been in and out of. I don’t know what it is about me that can’t help but talk shit when it hits the fan and I’m hurt badly but that’s what I do. When the doc was relocating my fingers that had been shoved straight back and on the back side of my hand he pulled but stopped when I yelled out. I asked why he stopped and he said I was yelling. I said “that’s part of the process now put your purse down and yank these fingers back out.” I had someone hold on to my arm so it would stay out and we got them back in place. My hand was like a grapefruit. Tore the palm open from the violence of it. It was a rough few days putting me back together. I had a broken spine with my T5 splayed and the spinal cord was out, collapsed lungs, cracked neck vertebra, broken leg, broken wrist, severe concussion(I sometimes type words backwards now and my memory sucks) bunch of broken ribs and those fingers but I’m still here and was back to work in 3 months and 9 days. Thanks Bob for sharing your story. I didn’t expect to connect with a part of it like I did but I’m glad for it.

Incredibly brave man. I have read many books about this undeclared war, but this veteran's tale in person is astonishing. My dad disembarked in the D-Day invasion of France in a U.S. built, modified "swimming" M4 Sherman in the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards. His tank was later hit by German fire and all of the crew except my father were killed. His was the first armoured unit to cross the Seine.

Great interview. 4 tours. Now that’s freaking hardcore.

I just wanted this interview to go on forever. I could not turn away even for one moment, i was hooked from the get go. Here am i sitting comfortably watching and listening and at the very end of the interview i just fall apart. It got to me, this guy is real life, a real hero to me now and a better man than i will ever be.

Salute to you sir. Love u. My dad was also in the Vietnam war. Fighting against communist. I am also in the US Army from 2002 to 2011. You are a true hero

I guess there are many types of experiences about the war in Vietnam. I for one had one of best period of my life as a GI in Vietnam. I arrived by commercial airline landing in Pleiku Vietnam in 1967 and everything that I had heard seemed true as the plane circled for landing I looked out the window and saw mountains and jungle. Upon landing a jeep with a big sign on the back said FOLLOW ME behind the sign was a GI behind a 50 caliber machine gun guided the plane on the runway. The camp where I first stayed was hot with rumors of an attack at any time but none happened. I was sent back to the airport since was was going to be assigned to a signal battalion at Tan Son Nhut in Saigon. I had been drafted and by the grace of god and my artistic talents was given the MOS as an technical Illustrator. I was to fly by a C130 but while I was waiting a helicopter landed and General West Moreland walked out by himself. He made small talk then I was called to board by flight. My fist night in Tan Son Nhut was the beginning of almost a fantasy, as I was trying to get to sleep I kept hearing the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, it was a band playing at a EM club next to my hutch, and the Rolling Stones and Beatles turned out to be a band from the Philippines that sounded just like them. When I reported to the First Sargent the next morning he welcomed me and showed me where the pass box was and told me that after hours I could come in and sign the pass book and go into Saigon. He also showed me a plastic basket besides the pass box full of condoms and told me they were free and take as many as I wanted. I had my first of many Vietnamese girls that afternoon. I had a ball during my year in Vietnam. The only thing that told me that there was a war was the flares they dropped at night around the airport that kept the place lit up and the far away booms of artillery. The second week I was there our company had a barbeque on an island in the middle of the Saigon River and I was waterskiing on the river wearing a flack jacket. When the 68 tet offensive hit just by luck I was in Australia on R&R. When I got back to Saigon I met a man named Ken Sams he asked me to help him put together a magazine called GRUNT, I did the front cover, all the illustrations for the stories and laid out the magazine while Ken typed the stories on his IBM type writer . That was the 3rd issue and I left Vietnam and was discharged from the Army 12 hours after I arrive at Oakland Army Terminal. That experience had a profound positive effect on my life, I came back to Thailand a year later with a back pack and traveled through Laos and Cambodia along with Thailand for a year before returning to the U.S. getting my degree from LSU on my GI Bill $165. a month. Graduating and getting a job with an oil company that had a construction project in New Guinea. Flying every morning out into the jungle on a Huey to build pipelines through the jungle was pretty heady stuff for a 26 year old man . I kept working international construction for over 40 years before retiring and buying a home in Thailand. Have not been back to the States in 13 years and from I am seeing on the news don't plan to either.

As a Nam Vet myself…Chu Lai 68-69 1st MAW MAG 12…I salute you Sir with all the respect I can. WELCOME HOME Brother!!!

I also served in the scout platoon 2/327, 101st Airborne, 1991 to 94'. My hat is off to you sir! Thank you for your service!

Red Nose = WC Fields. I'm speechless. What an incredible man, veteran and story teller. Thank you for your incredibly brave service.

This man is a national treasure. Some people are just special and this man is.

Absolutely incredible to listen to him describe his combat experiences as if it were yesterday.

I was the XO of the Transient Company in Oakland 1968-69. Wild times. Ended up in the 1st Cav 1969.

This guy is an incredible speaker with a great sense of humor. I like him already and I’ve never even met him

Firm Handshakes all around! Definition of a Real Life HERO

You are one is the realest man I ever had the privilege of listening to, My uncle was in Vietnam he was a tunnel rat and told me some insane stories. I have nothing but love and respect for you. God bless our military personnel. And the men who fought in Vietnam need to know they’re not forgotten

May the rest of his life be filled with and enriched with healing laughter . You endured and sacrificed for us . No more pain is my wish for you Robert .

I did 2 tours in nam 69 - 71 brown water Navy. Thanks for your service,brother 2:20

What an incredible story! I have the utmost respect for our Vietnam Vets!

Serious respect to this guy Bob Martin and all who served in that nightmare that was Vietnam. I served with the Brit Mil from 1978 -1981 using the US MGM-52 Lance system. There were many Vietnam vets that I worked with at the time (I was only 17 at the time). These guys were seriously traumatised and would just wander off into the forrest in West Germany. I had no idea of what they had gone through but I did note that they were very good with me as I was just a lad at that time..

Gifted storyteller as well as a master at warcraft. I get the sense from this man that as traumatic and harrowing as his time in service no doubt was to him, his brothers and us hearing it, he found peace and oneness when he was in the field, totally in the zone, joy and belonging found in the constant uncertainty and risk from day to day. People find that in different areas of work, leisure- where they find an equilibrium in something enjoyed. This guy was born for battle.

Respect for this gentleman who experienced and witnessed the terrifying atrocities of the Vietnam war. The way he is able to look back and have a sense of humor about some of it is incredible. He seems to be in a rather positive spirit considering he's seen things that would suck the soul out of some men.

I am deeply impressed with this warrior, this great warrior who uses his humor to vent the many agonies of his experiences. Combat humor is a venting process intended to offer some semblance of control in a situation which is not only surreal but out of control for those who are caught up in the moment. Warrior Martin has a great memory and does serious honoring of those with whom he fought, with those who were injured and those who died. I understand him completely and would more than enjoy some time sharing stories. I like this man, I respect this man, I honor this man with my tears of knowing a fellow combat vet from Viet Nam!

When he describes the dead, it really brings things home.