Vietnam War veteran Lynn Walker talks about his experiences. Walker served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1972. He was a "LRRP," or long-range reconnaissance patrol. He graduated from Bozeman High (Montana) in 1969.
Buddy mine just graduated from jump school was at bennin and Polk now in Alaska base their sad that these guys aren’t getting the respect they deserve fully supported here and thank you
My dad was a door gunner on a 1st Air Cav Huey gunship Oct 67-68. Mr Walker talked about being really close to the enemy and it reminded me of a story dad had told me. Dad said they were out one night and picked up a communication from LRRP operator. They were looking for an extraction after they were going to set off an explosion. Dad said the whole time he was in radio contact with the LRRP operator the guy was whispering. Dad asked him… How close are they? A few seconds of silence and the guy whispered back… Hang on I’ll put on. Now that’s close….REALLY close. If you read this comment Mr. Walker… thank you for your service, and Welcome Home!
Very humble interview. My late Father was a Green Beret in the 5th Special Forces Group in the Central Highlands. He respected the LRRPs. They had similar missions. My Father served in the Republic of South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and North Vietnam from 1967-1969.
@@GingerMoose-oy6ip No, he was what is called a LRP (long range patrol) later referred to as (LRRP) when they became more reconnaissance focused then they or folded into the 75th Rangers. My father was a LRP in 68. They worked on 6 man teams deep within enemy territory with no outside support most of the time. They were used very similarly to the Green Berets. They were tasked with seek and destroy missions, enemy harassment missions, reconnaissance missions, prisoner snatches along with prisoner of war rescue missions.
I was in the Americal division 1968 during the My Lai massacre. I was also in Chu Lai as a base camp, but flown to Duc Pho as Recon. Lots of respect for you Lynn.
Thank you for your service. I was born in 1950. I stayed in school and out of Vietnam. I opposed the war but not the warriors. I enjoyed and appreciate your story. Please be well.
I have seen about 20 of these so far, you learn so much more about the war coming straight from the guys, I was 16 when the war stopped thank god. Much respect for all these men
Then....you ought to be thanking and respecting people like myself that resisted the Vietnam war, some at a high price, and helped bring it to an end....or it probably would have gone long enough to get you too. Forget these guys...they allowed themselves to be sacrificial lambs....with a "story"
A high school teacher of mine served in Vietnam towards the end. He talked about how is mom would always say, "good thing Johnny is only 13 so he doesn't have to fight this war". Or however old he was. Then the war dragged on and on, and of course, he was drafted.
I have a friend that was infantry, Huey door gunner, and did bomb damage assessment after Arc Light Bombing raids. I asked him if his time in Vietnam Nam bothered him. He said that he knows that he was afraid, and he saw some horrible sights. He also said that he was young and it was the most fun he ever had. He said that he was on guard duty one night in the bush and a Bengal tiger walked right through their Claymore kill zone. Amazing stories.
I love all of these interviews, some just stand out a bit more, because they illustrate the human side. Which each and every one experienced and endured. I'm currently living in Hue VN. I swear I binged all of these before I went, to help get a real feel. "Tell me about when you first landed". " Heat and humidity" and " Oh, the smells". Yup.
Courageous doesn't even begin to describe this guy, but it is the best I can do. He was courageous during his tour, and courageous assessing his injuries and achieving an education in civilian life.
Calm,cool,and collected an eazy going hero . Not many men share his bravery . A true survivor, nothing could stop his will. I stand in awe of him. May God bless you and your family.
I joined the US Navy just out of high school and was on active duty for 6 year I was stationed on a destroyer escort the USS LANG (DE 1060) and made two West Pax cruises to the South China Sea and Vietnam. It's not something I would want to do for vacation but compared to all those guys that had boots on land, I was a lucky man. I think they are being truthful when they say they weren't paralyzed with fear during the battles. Each one of them had a job to do and they quickly realized that by doing that job to the best of their ability, they could do a pretty fair job of keeping the guy on either side of them alive and both of those those guys were trying to keep him alive. No matter what branch of the military you are in, it's the same. They call it teamwork but in the middle of the battle, it becomes much more personal. Their deep dark fear raises into their chests as a horrible anxiety, a severe panic attack that lasts for hours or even days. They were all in a state of shock and suffered from so many negative events, that is PTSD and it grows in you consuming logic, common sense and everything else you need to survive in society, to interact with the individuals that you encounter everyday. All this is magnified many times over as they withdraw from their families and friends. Both husband and wife are afraid, wondering what happened to the person they married. At that point, both the husband and wife are suffering from PTSD. Without the right kind of help families fragment and people suffer and the Vietnam Vet is clean headed enough to understand that he is the cause of all this because he came home. To a country that really didn't want him in the first place. Eight out of every 10 military members that survived the war are gone now and soon my whole generation will fade away along with the memories and the lessons we should have learned. To any Vietnam Veteran that reads this, I salute you, may you have calm seas and following winds.
Went out with a Viet Nam vet. Even in 2007, even someone a bit close such as I was, couldn't walk up to his bedside at night--he very fiercely kicked in his sleep. Not small kicks, but big combat kicks--even sleeping, 36 years later, he felt trepidated as to Viet Cong.
Thank You Lynn and all Vietnam combat Vets for all your dedication and service to our country . Job well done.......much , much Respect !! Welcome Home Sir !!
This man is truly a hero. He gave his ALL for us.....Sir Thank you for your service to our country....We are so proud of you guys. May God Bless you and your family . We will never forget you all !
Mad respect Sir. Great interview. Thanks for contributing your life story. At 20 years old, you accomplished a lot. But, it didn't end at age 20. You've kept plowing along. And that's awesome. 🤟👍👌✌️🙃🤗
Wow this guy is amazing. I can see him as a young man out there surviving in the jungle. Funny I thought he was a quiet man at the beginning of interview. His military service seems to fit his personality. What a hero and so humble. Thank you sir.
A lot of vets are like that. My dad fought in a war in his home country not for the American military. He had been wounded over 4 times bullets and shrapnel. But you'd never guess it now.
Mr. Walker, your Words are ENTIRELY Inspiring! Thank You for your most courageous and self-sacrificing commitment! ONLY because of men like you does America Endure! God Bless You and your Comrades! We Thank God You survived!!!!
Much respect for this man : I remember reading a book about Vietnam and I remember reading about LRRP however to hear him explain how they functioned is amazing he is so cool and calm
Holy cow man, you have nerves of steel and you had them at age 18! I was only 8 and these stories really help me understand what was going on over there. I live in Olympia Washington, near Fort Lewis, now Joint Base Lewis McChord. My dad was also there either on his way or coming home from WWII, I think to the old hospital there. I didn't realize so many came here as their first stop. Thanks for sharing your personal experience and thanks for coming home.
He may have had "nerves of steel" as you say....but he didn't have "brains of steel" to keep himself out of an illegal and immoral war that had absolutely no bearing on American security and freedom....win or lose. A war that the US never declared against Vietnam. He had no legitimate right to be there. "Nerves" aren't everything.
I've been watching a lot of these interviews. This one is my favorite by far. Always been fascinated by the Vietnam war, was lucky enough to have not turned 18 till 1975.
Taciturn. Tougher than nails. Wanted to hear so much more even though so much was conveyed. Sounded like the interviewer (for once in this series) got, and stayed, off balance by this man’s economized responses. Great series.
Yes, but he could improve a lot by waiting a bit before asking the next question. If you come with the next question as soon as he answered your last question the interviewee has no time to elaborate or add something their answer.
My parents recall the Fall of Saigon which they watched (almost live) on French TV from our Paris flat in 1975, I was only 2 and a toddler but they did feel much pain for Americans. Vietnam was traumatic for the US, especially for veterans and how they were treated back at home. The 1970s were terrible. Price oil shocks, recession. So gloomy....
He has dealt with his actions during the war very well, or appears to have. I see no PTSD, but I am no shrink. This guy talks of losing men from Mcguire rig, with no emotion at all. He is cool as a cucumber. McGuire rig is no fun. Nor is losing teammates. It takes a special breed to be a LRRP, and this gentleman is just that. Hats off to him. RLTW!!!
It sounds like he was with "SOG." This is astonishing and harrowing. I wish him the best. Would it be possible to do another interview with this remarkable man?
Thank you for these interviews. Great job preserving history, told by the soldiers themselves. I have watched many of your interviews. One question I would like to ask is what made the enemy so effective in Vietnam? Again, great job!
We never really knew who they were. They were mixed with the civilian population. They were all around us but didn't know who was good guys and who wasn't.
