SOG Medic by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / United States
Publisher: Casemate Publishers (Ignition)
Published: 2018-10-05T00:00:00+00:00

Another significant incident in which I was not involved took place on October 14, 1968. Rodd had previously picked up Tho as the interpreter for team Florida after RT Ohio disbanded upon returning from Ho Ngoc Tao. On the 14th, he was putting together an improvised team consisting of Sfc. William L. Kendall as One-One, and acting One-Two Sgt. Larry Briggs, for a bomb damage assessment mission into Laos after a B-52 arc light. Kendall and Briggs were strap hanging to gain recon experience, and Worthley did not accompany Florida on this mission.

The team was checking out some tunnels in the arc lighted area when Tho jumped into the entrance of one of the tunnels and picked up a wire. Both Rodd and Kendall yelled and tried to stop him but it was too late and an explosion blew off Tho’s right foot. They administered morphine and called for an immediate medevac. After approximately two hours they were extracted and Tho went to the hospital for treatment and rehabilitation.

I didn’t learn of the incident until 1969 when Rodd brought Tho into the dispensary inquiring about getting an artificial leg for him. For the most part, the Americans on recon were very concerned with the well-being of their indigenous teammates and Rodd was no exception.

(Tho lived in Kontum not far from the FOB after the war. He passed away from cancer in January 2016. I talked to him on the phone on a couple of occasions prior to his passing.)

Nguyen Phung Tho was hired as interpreter of RT Florida after RT Ohio disbanded upon returning from Ho Ngoc Tao. (Robert Kotin photo)

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