A Larger Than Life Hero, And The Most Decorated Veteran Of The Vietnam War

My squad in Ranger School was finishing up prep for an ambush patrol that night in the mountain camp. The instructors rotated so that the one who took you through the prep phase handed it over to a new RI for the actual patrol. As the new RI approached, I noticed he was a major, which was unusual. RIs were mostly senior NCOs and sometimes CPTs. As the MAJ got closer, another member of my squad said "oh, fuck...it's Howard".

I asked who he was, and the soldier from the ranger battalion said he was a MOH winner and then something about how he had killed hundreds of enemy in VN during ambushes. Our patrol was going to be an ambush patrol. He said that Howard chews up students on ambush patrols.

MAJ Howard was as serious as any RI had been. There was something just different about him. He immediately chewed our asses for the quality of our cammo job on our faces, which admittedly has some uncovered areas due to it being freezing and the camo sticks hard as rocks. Howard told one soldier his camo was unsat, and the guy tried to say it was OK. Howard said"does it look like mine?" That's when I looked and noticed that his camo looked like it had been tattooed on his face. It was perfectly blended, and not a fractionof aninch of exposed skin was uncovered. But you could tell it was the standard issue light green and loam stick used, not some fancy makeup kit type camo.

Howard was tougher than any RI by miles. He carried a big walking stick that he hit you with if he thought you were going to slow. He blasted us for being soft and making too much noise while moving through a cross cut area of land that was covered with downed trees forming an obstacle course. Two students broke their legs climbing over the trees when they fell and the 70 lb ruck carried their body sideways while their leg was stuck between two downed trees. Howard didnt seem to careat all. It was just medevac and keep moving.

When he paused to chew our ass, he had us squat down with our feet flat onthe ground and our butts justoff the ground, as you often see Asian workers in the fields squat. But he had us leave our heavy rucks on, so within a minute or two our knees and thighs were on fire with pain. Howard just said "you think you are tough? This is the position your enemy RESTS in!"

It's impossible to describe all the knowledge he passed onto us in that one short patrol, and do justice to how tough a man he was. I never encountered someone like that again. It was an honor and a privilege to have been taughtfor just one night by the ultimate soldier and leader of a generation.

This is just astonishing. And as it says if it was an "action movie" no one would believe it but it's true.
Great share.
SMSgt Lawrence McCarter LT Brad McInnis PO3 Bob McCord CW3 Dick McManus SGT John " Mac " McConnell CWO3 Dennis M. MSgt Stephen Council LTC (Join to see) LTC Stephan PorterLTC Stephen C. LTC Greg Henning SGT Gregory Lawritson Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. SGT Jim Arnold Maj Robert Thornton SFC Francisco Rosario LTC (Join to see) Sgt Deborah Cornatzer Col Carl Whicker

My first hero SSG Robert Mark Odom Had me thing of the Army at 15!