Veteran Spotlight: Mark McMahon

A great pleasure to interview Mark McMahon for this week’s Veterans Spotlight. Mr. McMahon served his country in the United States Marine Corps., from 1968 – 1973, resigning his commission as a Captain. He grew up in Whitinsville, MA and was sent to Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Quantico, then assigned to the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC. After assignments in the Mediterranean and Language School at Fort Bragg, he arrived in Vietnam in 1971. “I landed in January in the middle of the night and it was so hot and humid, and we had our wool jackets on.” He continued. “We had a Battalion Commander whom I thought had the mindset to run in battle….made sure I stayed right behind him so that he couldn’t” he recalled with great seriousness.

Captain McMahon described Christmas as “a day like any other day. Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, we always had to be on guard…..once you’re out in the field, your head’s on a swivel. If you were outside the wire, you had to be extremely mindful of what’s going….when you’re in the field with the Viet Cong enemy, that’s the life you live…..when you’re in and out of engagement….when you hear that metallic sound, you need to be prepared to do something…..even when I walk in and out of doors now, I get that same feeling” he remembered. I asked Captain McMahon about a mentor and he didn’t hesitate; “Major John Raymond, our Deputy Regimental Advisor…..set a great example….unbelievably smart….understood that I didn’t know much……wouldn’t ask anyone to do something, he didn’t do himself” he recalled with tremendous pride” he recalled.

Captain McMahon also talked out two very important aspects of war – respecting the enemy and strong leadership; “The enemy always knew where we were…..they flowed like water….went where they wanted to…..they constantly looked for laxness…..when your guard was down….they were trying to kill us and we were trying to kill them……you had to respect the enemy.” “He continued, “Strong leadership is essential in combat…..you have to bring a sense of fearlessness….anticipate and learn from your mistakes….avoid repetition…..don’t take the same trail twice…..if you establish and pattern, the enemy will find out and you’re done” he said. Captain McMahon also shared what could have been a tragic day for him and his unit. “We got shot down…..a couple of soldiers stepped on booby traps….helicopters wouldn’t fly into combat….protocol is for the helicopters to identify the smoke on the ground from their soldiers which is based on wind direction and location…..pilot lost the smoke….came in at 50 – 100 feet at 110 knots…..we went down and landed on the bottom of the skids……NVA had anticipated and had gotten underneath the chopper…..prepared for a hasty defense….I got out of the chopper and got one injured soldier, then hustled back and got another one…..happened so fast….held them off until our gunships finally came” he remembered.

Was he ever afraid? “Oh sure, all the time…..they came at us at night…..we fired illumination rockets into an area…..always relieved to see dawn breaking” he said. His thoughts on coming home? “Nobody spit at me…..people tended to treat you like you were in a crypt….just got on with my life.”

What does service to your country mean to him? “it set the pattern for my life…..I don’t do anything half-assed….I’m always seeking a challenge…..climbed Mount Kilamanjaro 20 years ago…..ran ten marathons…you either lead, follow or get out of the way.” He received (2) Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry. Captain Mark McMahon, thank you for your service to our great country and welcome home.