Found My Dad in a Vietnam Photo That Was Published Nationally in the 60's

My dad was in Nam (drafted) and never talked about it. He got drafted after high-school and was from a very small southern town.

After he died I got his DD-214 and researched his company and where they were on what dates. My search took me to Bong Son (Binh Dinh) province where the 1st Cav was conducting Operation Pershing in early 1967. The 1st Cav committed the whole division to that area (which was the only time this happened). They were on a "search and destroy" mission to take out a large NVA battalion.

After my dad died, I read all of the letters he wrote home. In one letter, he says that a FRENCH FEMALE photojournalist was embedded with his platoon and was taking a lot of photos. He said she took a photo of him "in a creek" and it was published in a national newspaper. He said every guy in the platoon got a copy. My dad never mentioned this to me or anyone else (only in the letter to his mom). And he did not keep a copy of the photo anywhere.

I researched who the French female journalist was and she was easy to find because she was the only French female journalist embedded in a combat platoon in Vietnam. And what do you know? Her bio says she was with the 1st Cav (in my dad's exact company) in 1967 in Bong Son. (She also did time with the 173rd Airborne, various Infantry units, and the Marine Corps).

Here's the photo. My dad is the guy behind the VC prisoner.



Here's a caption of the photo from a 1967 Associated Press article:

quote:

---

TAKING THE ENEMY IN TOW -- U.S. soldiers drag a Viet Cong prisoner from his hiding place in a stream near Bong Son, 300 miles northeast of Saigon. This capture last week during Operation Pershing came after these men of the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division had undergone the strain of three months in the jungles and paddies, the frustration of fighting an enemy that hit them then vanished into the shadows."

---

My dad's Lieutenant (platoon leader) was killed just a few days before this photo was taken. He won the Silver Star for his actions. The Lieutenant was everyone's friend and I can imagine the platoon was upset.

Also, here's the French woman who took the photo. She jumped with the 173rd airborne during Vietnam. Here she is before the jump: