Wounded Sniper Plays Dead as Enemies Approach [Vietnam War Veteran] 🇺🇸 

Eerily similar to my grandfathers experience in Vietnam. Purple heart recipient, took a 7.62 to the back of the ear and out of his face, got knocked almost unconscious from it and heard most of his platoon get slaughtered by VC. They passed him over thinking he was dead already from his face being blown out. One of the greatest men ive ever known. Thank you to all the vets out there.

What a class act. I hope he knows how much people appreciate what he went thru. I really appreciate him sharing his story.

Such a calm and gently spoken man, I really enjoyed hearing about his life. Thank you

The object of war is to survive. Any way you can survive is OK. This man is a Hero! God bless You! Thank you for your service.

His body language tells it all. He`s endured a lot. Thank you for serving sir.

Reminds me of my father who served in vietnam during TET. Character forged by fire produced amazing strength. Thank you for telling your story. I greatly respect you and all who served.

My late older brother was drafted and served in Vietnam the same year as RJ 1966-68 my brother was in the US Army rank PVT-SP4 and served his whole tour, thank you and God bless all soldiers who served in Vietnam.

This man is truly a gentleman. I’m so happy he has a relationship with Christ! Thank you Josh for letting us hear just a little bit of what RJ experienced. God Bless

This man saved a lot of American lives. God Bless him!!!

Always a Marine, thank you for serving.

Great interview. We really haven't done enough for our wounded warriors. Thank you RJ for your service and devotion to your country.

Big shout out to all our Vietnam veterans still out there I'm very sorry the way you all were treated when you all came back home i also wish to thank you all for your service i salute ya all my uncle gary was a marine in Vietnam but sadly he was kia in Vietnam along with other marine's when his chopper got shot down while heading out on a mission god bless our veterans out there

I served in Viet Nam as a Marine and came back to a United States I didn't recognize. So many people treated servicemen like trash on our return from war. At that time, I was bitter, but seeing how soldiers were treated coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan makes me feel better about the patriotic attitude of civilian Americans, and that's a good thing. I like it when someone says, "Thank you for your service", but I really appreciate it when someone says............"Welcome Home". Those are the words I never heard on my return, and it helps a lot to hear it now.

I could listen to RJ speak for days. I am so thankful for his service and am glad he made it home to make an impact in so many ways. A true patriot.

You can tell he's reliving his anxiety from back then during this interview from his body movements. I have anxiety and I tend to do similar movements when I'm sitting still.

It's so interesting to hear soldiers experiences. It takes a lot of guts to be in situations where you can die any minute. Amazing how well the training changes young men into professional warriors. Recently a Vietnam Vet who was also a sniper told me how he was sleeping one night on his abdomen in a river. The enemy walked over/around him middle of the night. They thought he was dead. Lucky guy!

Great interview, my father is also a disabled Vietnam combat Marine. Listening to RJ is like hearing my father tell his time during Tet and the 2nd and 3rd phase’s……. Crazy stuff these men seen, done, and been through no 19 year old should ever have to.

My brother was born in 1947 and I came later in 1961. He enlisted in the US Air Force and somewhere after basic training he was having pains in his leg which led to them finding osteogenic sarcoma cancer of the bone marrow. His leg was amputated past halfway up his thigh. Then they realized that the cancer had spread. With the money he got from his honorary discharge he bought a brand new beautiful medium blue 1968 Plymouth GTX 440 ci/727 Torquefite auto and had his friend's brother, Kenny Duttweiler, build it to race at Lions Drag Strip where it ran it's best at 11.9 second quarter mile. My dad who was a World War II Army Vet raced it for him and won the trophies to bring him in the hospital. In 1969 when I was 7 years old we went to the Los Angeles Veterans Hospital. I noticed my brother wasn't breathing anymore and I woke my dad up who had fallen asleep in a chair then ran out into the hallway yelling for nurses or doctors to help my brother. He passed on and later in life I realized at least we had him for those two years and he wasn't MIA, POW, KIA,etc. I thank God people are willing to stand up to serve others in our beloved country the good old USA. God bless you my brother and remember you are loved. I also I'm a Christian and been a minister for the Lord Jesus Christ for about 40 years. And I will see you when we get there. ✝️☝️👏🙏🕊️😇❤️🇺🇸👍

Thank you for your service,sir. A real man with balls of steel.

What a beautiful man! My uncle served in Vietnam (Army) in 1967 and I remember it like it was yesterday….

He did all that and kept his head on straight. So thankful he was able to lead a life that he chose after getting out of the Marines. I feel a kinship, like I know him, he is so open and friendly. My dad was a Marine and served in Korea and Vietnam. He didn't fare so well, having become addicted to pain medicines after being wounded in Nam, but he was able to go to college and get his degree after he got out in 71. Just couldn't hold a job for long after that. Lots of vets with similar stories, which is why it makes me feel so good that some wounded warriors, like RJ, were able to succeed. I served 80-85, no combat.

I have the utmost respect for anyone who has been put in harms way while defending our nation. Thank you, R.J. Jackson, for your service and your sacrifice!

A great interview of an amazing man. We put young men and women in harms way and they always show the bravery and brotherhood to each other in battle. Their stories are all amazing. God bless all our Military members. Thank you for making these interviews.

Incredible interview. This really shed some light on my dad's personal story. I wish I could still ask him about it, or that I would have asked him more about it, before he died. RIP dad (USMC '67-'71).

Thank you for taking the fight to the enemy and your sacrifice. 🙏🏻❤️🇺🇸

My Father was a Green Beret in Vietnam 65-72 4 tours he loved the Hmong people a DS at Tigerland FT POLK Louisiana and was a unbelievably gifted marksman and he was a incredible coach who got me to my pinnacle as 1st Alternate USA Olympic Team and 13 time Distinguished Expert in my home State of Mississippi

Thank you for your service RJ. You kind of remind me of my Uncle JIm. He served in Vietnam, he was extremely intelligent, very quiet, stoic and he kept himself very busy with his work, projects and taking care of his wife. He never really talked about his time in Vietnam because I think he had a lot of the same experiences that you went through upon your return. Unfortunately my Uncle passed away a couple of years ago from cancer.

Thank you for your service. Your story meant a lot to me

May God Bless You 🌞 Thank you for your service!! 🇺🇸 You make America proud!!🇺🇸

Thank you for sharing this vital oral history. We walk by Viet Nam veterans every day, and I see a number of them at the bowling alley almost every day. I am unable to adequately express my appreciation for their service and sacrifice.

Lost my paternal father in 1970 a week before I was born, I was orphaned in Detroit. Vietnam has always been a part of my life even though I never served. I'm 52 now and do anything I can for Vietnam Veterans still to this day. These guys went through so much shit its sad. God Bless all you guys !

It is with much respect that I give thanks to R.J. Jackson........my Dad was a Korean war veteran and my son served in the Marines.......because of you guys I get to live this Cushy life of a musician/Piano teacher............it's guys like this that enabled the rest of us to have freedom and easy lives without a scratch on us...............you are not forgotten......thanks for sharing and for giving your all for the rest of us.....job well done..............

Although I’ve NEVER been in combat (will never say that I know what that is like) but I do understand PTSD from something else and the individual triggers are real and there real side effects! It’s how one takes care of oneself and deals with it that makes the difference between a shitty life and a good life and it appears that he’s done a great job at dealing with his issues. All the thanks in the world to him and the women & men that served in that war!

wow, this man just exudes a total solid act, thank you for your service

Good interview. That interview is the longest amount of time I have sat and thought about Vietnam since getting out in 74. I’ve never seen a VN movie or read a book in fact my first wife never even knew I served. Like the gentleman said - success is just being alive today.

Im a 3rd Generation Marine I grew up outside Camp Lejune with WWII Vets, Korean Vets and Veitnam vets I was alive for first desert storm. I love this channel it reminds me of eating dinner or going over to the neighbors houses and listing to the stories, usually never about battle but about the every day things, funny stories and such. I wish I had the sense to record some of the stories now most of them have passed. One of the guys I cut grass for was a Korean war vet, he could not hear for shit and drank 1 beer and smoked 1 lucky strike on saturdays his name is William "Bill" Whaley he is 94 years old.

"What was it called?" Shows how young the interviewer is. Every American knew what the Tet Offensive was back then.

I grew up during the Vietnam war, and I have a special place in my heart for those who served. May God bless you and the other men and women who served 💙

Thank you endlessly for your service and may God bless you always!!!!! ✝️🇺🇲✝️

The toll on him was enormous. I hope he is still alive and doing well.

SEMPER FI, MARINE! WELL DONE! I also spent 13 months in 'Nam, USAF. It took a long time or me to settle into civilian life. I don't recall hearing of any VA or other organizations that might have offered help in 1971.

Fascinating interview. Wasnt even looking for this subject tonight but once I started it, I just couldn't stop watching.

I'm amazed by the similarities. I was drafted Oct. 6. My base camp was Chu Lai. Main difference, I was assigned to 1/14th artillery. We went over as a brigade on three troop ships. Arrived at Chu Lai and had to unload to LST's to get to shore. I was there during the TET. I had been transferred to the 3/16 artillery. We fired our 155mm howitzer for 72 hours non-stop. We got not one wink of sleep the whole time. Took turns grabbing a can of Crations and running to the toilet. Several times I shouted CEASE FIRE when I saw the blinking lights of a helicopter out in front of the direction we were shooting. After we had official cease fire, the sarge tried to light a cigarette on the barrel. It was really hot but would not quiet make it red. I saw a wee bit of smoke come off the cigarette but it would not quite turn red and burn. The barrel slides back when fired and springs return it to firing position. There is a grease groove between the barrel and carriage where we are supposed to add grease on a daily basis for maintenance. The grease was dripping out and we had to add grease after every 4th or 5th shot. We almost ran out of grease. There was a muddy, greasy mess under the gun. We ended up digging it out and putting down fresh dirt. I remember the lousy rain at Christmas. Helicopters brought out those big green containers with all the Christmas food which was great, but we had to go to the chow hut and walk back to our hootch to eat it. The wind blew water into my tray, half the food was wet and got cold but it was still better then Crats and it made me feel good that someone at battalion cared enough to do that for us. To this day, I know I was lucky to be in artillery. No stomping through rice paddies and watching for booby traps. No ambush to worry about. I did have to deal with those lousy mortars and rockets. Those were scary. had to be ready at every moment to find a place to shelter when you heard them coming in. The trouble with being artillery is Charlie always knew where you were. I got lots of cuts and gouges from building bunkers for the ammo and other projects but was never wounded by the enemy, so no purple heart for me.

Jesus christ what a life this man had, and still seems like a great and kind man. Unbelievable story

I was USAF based at Udorn, Thialand Aug 71- 72. Completely different experience. Much easer, flew 12 to 13 hour missions over the southern PDJ. I was a Airborne Command and Control flight. We communicated ground forces, mostly indigence and directed fire support to units inbound. We also controlled units inbound to the north. We flew about 12 or so days per month. or about 1200 hours per year. Never got shot at or put in danger. It was a cake walk...compared to others. Had an O'club $5 bucks for call whiskies bottles and maybe 50 cent beers. Strippers three for four night a week and 24 hour bar. Had many Navy guys off the ship who could not handle the life style. Our gain their loss.

God bless you RJ, thank you for sharing. Amazing story, take care of yourself.....

1 million salutes to you sir....what a great fellow... a real warrior Godbless

So proud of my Marine! Awesome interview Josh! Years of keeping quiet - now a time to share. My Dad was a pilot in WWII and Korean War. I never heard any stories. I wish there had been someone like you to encourage and record his stories. God bless you!

Thanks for your interview. I appreciate it. You aren't alone.

I really enjoyed this video along with others. His story reminds me of my dad's service in Vietnam; those guys were getting at it. I can relate more to the Iraq/Afghanistan wars because I was there. Great video, looking forward to more

Thank you for that wonderful interview

Great interview; besides the Guinness world record for the number of times saying “wow” in a single interview. I’m wowed out for lifetime haha

Good job with the interview with a great Marine brother. I was a Marine in Vietnam at the same time, and at Camp Carroll (aka Artillery Plateau) during TET. I would love to be part of his Marine vets group, in fact I’ll be in Dana Point tomorrow. A good friend of mine was a San Diego cop at the same time he was with SDPD, and they may know each other. Small world. God bless you both.

Sweet interview Mr. RJ Jackson. I knew a guy who was a marine sniper in Viet Nam, the *realist* military vet I have ever met in my life. Everything I did or said even playful salutes were scrutinized ("Let me show you how to salute correctly!" 😆) and he put me wise about kill zones and military jargon and people who falsely claimed to have served in whatever capacity in the military (especially one guy I talked of who claimed he was a spec op). He was in my opinion as real as they came like you. Thank you both for serving.

Great story from a good guy, and a lovely tribute to your work as well!

awesome interview what a honour to know and talk to this man R J

Thank you sir for all you have done for US. My uncle was KIA in Hue on February 15 1968 he was a Navy corpsman,

Thank you so much for your service, welcome home.👊🏻🇺🇸

Amazing story. RJ is an hero.

God Bless you RJ and thank you Sir for your service. May I add, thank you Urban Valor for this interview. You made RJ feel at ease and you asked all the right questions.

We can never thank you enough for your sacrifice, physically and emotionally. Your personal account in Vietnam is amazing. God bless America and its protectors.

Flown out by the CIA with shrapnel in his leg. What a legend 👏. I love hearing history from those that were there .

Thank you RJ for your incredible service

Such a great interview and story from RJ. My dad was a Vietnam vet and I didn't get to hear much of his stories or experiences. He only talked about his time in Bangkok and partying in Thailand (which a lot of us know what that means lol).

"All warfare is based on deception." - Sun Tzu Smart man. Great interview, thanks for creating and sharing.

Wow, I was a ScoutSniper with the 5th Marines 1968/69. First I was a 0311 Grunt Rifleman with Hotel-c 2/5 and after being wounded twice I was transfer to Hq-co, 5th Marines, ScoutSniper Plt in 1969. Served as a spotter with the great Chuck Mawhinney near the end of his tour. He was the best sniper I ever served with. I grew up in the West San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles county, California.

Thank you for your service Sir! Very inspirational for men who have lost hope after serving.

Thank you for your service, and thank you for the outstanding narration.

What an articulate and brave man! Oh behalf of those students who put up the effigy of a soldier, I offer profound apology, sir. God bless you and your family, in the name of Jesus. Thank you for carrying the weight for us during your tour. You are a hero.

He seems a gentle person and very genuine.

Semper Fi Brother! Great recollection of your time in Vietnam! Thank you for your Service to this Country! All my drill instructors were surviving Marines from Vietnam when I went to MCRD San Diego 1974.

My father was a marine in Vietnam from 68 to 70. He told me many stories.

The best Marine sniper in Vietnam was Carlos Hathcock this guy was unbelievable he went behind enemy lines to get an NVA General he had nerves of steel.

a fascinating interview with a great American.

God bless you and every soldier who ever goes behind enemy lines.....

I am very proud of him.

Thank you for your service Sir. Much Gratitude to you and All military personnel 🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏

Heart and Soul. A great American!!!

What a stand up guy, amazing God Bless him.

Rj what an aswesome man!! thank you for your service!!!

When the Interview asked what he does now to help with his emotional condition. When he says "And im and Christian, And I have God" that was pretty cool! Thank you for your service sir!

These guys are what made this country great.

Thank you for your service man 🙏🏽🙏🏽appreciate you man

What these men and women endured overseas and then at home, rips me apart. Thank you sir. Your a national treasure

RJ still carries the scars of his time in Vetnam . Honour & Respect . Lest we forget .

What a hero! How blessed we are to have Veterans of this quality.

Im honestly thankful my grandpa fidnt get drafted and didnt end up serving he married my grandma young she was 15 he was 17 she passed 2 years ago they was married the whole time never once separated hes still with us and healthy as can be and definitely the best man ive ever had the privilege to meet i couldn't imagine the man id be today if he wasnt around my whole life to guide me I feel for all the young men who lost their grandfather's to this bloody war a lot of great men gone I feel lucky ive gotten to spend 30 great years with him and hopefully many more great years to come! Welcome home everyone that served!

In 1968/69 I went through the same kinda experience in the USMC. Shot a high expert on the Rifle range, selected for ScoutSniper school while in advance infantry training. In Vietnam I was assigned to a Rifle company Hotel-Co 2/5 Marines, were I was a basic Rifleman Grunt for 6 months, wounded twice two purple 💜 💜s. When I came back from 1st Med hospital in Da Nang, to the 5th Marine combat base An Hoa. I was transferred to Hq-co ScoutSniper Platoon. As a ScoutSniper I was primarily assigned to E-co, or F-co 2/5, or I-co, M-co 3/5, and near the end of my year tour I work with a CAP unit outside of Hill 65.

This brave soldiers body movements, shows you that he has been thru hell!! sincere respect to you sir!

Thank you Marine!

Excellent. Clear headed, sound, and A Christian. Thanks RJ Jackson.

Thank you for your service RJ. Hutch, COL, INF U.S. Army (RET)

Thank you for your service.

RJ’s testimony, thank you for your service, hope your medication helps you. With your nerve damage. I myself have nerve damage for seven years now on going I have no medication I live with it now

Thank you sir and welcome home! God bless

Thank you for your service,a true patriot.GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ❤️💪🙏☝️❤️

Perfect definition of a real an true human being thank you for your service

A really humble man,and a very engrossing interview,i cannot even imagine what these guys went through,many at such a young age!!,the bravest of the brave.as an ex british soldier( 9 years) joining at 16 years of age ,a few of my friends had p.t.s.d,myself anger issues which i have now got under control to a certain extent.what i find very interesting about this interview, is not only of this brave veterans service,but the awful suicde rate among veterans,WHO take there lives for feeling the guilt of there friends who took part in combat and one way or another were left out,and the guilt!!.something i never considered before.

A true man of character. Thank you for your service!

Thank you for sharing, thank you for your service Semper Fi