My next door neighbor, was a platoon commander and tunnel rat in cu chi, (67-68)... He got the dear John letter, shot by an enemy sniper, and then some. He said he went in the tunnels because he was 30, and the kids under him were 17-18. He helped me when I had tough times. His wisdom and advice helped to carry me through them, and continue to help me to this day. RIP Tommy the Tunnel rat...
@@john-nx4xn She remarried an accountant; he was angry and got into a lot of bar fights... He was wise in that he told me not to care what my soon to be x was up to, he helped me through a very bad time...
@@70stunes71 there's a time and a place for everything I guess. To me in general, a "letter"is a weak way to end a relationship. But to do it while someone is in combat. Wtmf. And when you factor the amount of soldiers coming home with PTSD. It could be down right dangerous.
I met a fellow in Boise that was a Vietnam vet and a 3 tour tunnel rat. This fella was in his 70s but he was one of the spookiest dudes I've ever met he was still a dangerous man.
Those tunnels were amazing with everything they had down there.. hospital, schools and family sections at the lower levels… unreal!!!! This man is 1 badass individual
Shame you don't talk about all the other countries that did all the hard work so Americans can claim to be bad arses even though they were the most useless soldiers there
They lost the war they spent your tax payer dollars and they lost why are you congratulating them your country wasn't under threat and still isn't so many ignorant people in your country
Thanks for your service sir. I graduated high school in 73 so I followed the war close always wondering when we were going to have to annie up. The politicians in DC so old ya’ll out and it was pathetic what was done. Thanks again.
I had Marine friend who was tunnel rat. As 2 marines, we were open with each other on experiences. He described just as you have. He survived VN okay..even being chopperd into Hue City fight for Tet 68. Thanks again for your tours.
That soldier did FOUR, BLEEPING 4 TOURS IN VIETNAM between 1964 and 1971 !! ?? I always thought that our troops in Vietnam were limited to no more than two or maybe three combat tours in Vietnam. This guy DID FOUR BLEEPING COMBAT TOURS IN VIETNAM !!!!! He was there through most of it all; the gradual build up of US troops and escalation of the war, the peak of the number of US forces in Vietnam and the fighting at its bloodiest and most intense, and finally, the gradual reduction of US military involvement in the Vietnam War. If my information is correct, the "Tunnel Rats" were not an official unit. But they created their own patch and their "unofficial" motto was on the patch written in Latin which said "Not Worth a Rat's Ass". Welcome home, Mr. La Porte and thank you for.your service to our country as a soldier in the United States Army.
This man is a true hero. Thank you for your service sir. I just couldn't imagine going through everything he went through. You see movies and hear stories but I'm sure it is never like the hell he and the rest of his troops went through. God Bless
It's quite interesting. I think it may be related to genetics, epigenetics specifically. If a person has a genetic history from peoples who glorified war and battle, such as vikings or other militaristic cultures, their DNA may have latent characteristics conditioned to enjoy fighting activated when they are exposed to combat. It would be interesting to examine the DNA ancestry of groups of folks who experience severe ptsd vs. people who seem to thrive in combat.
@@rolisreefranch How come you keep losing wars even with Australia backing you every time? You tell everybody Everyone how good you are but there really is no evidence of that when goat-herders wearing dresses can chase you out
This interview was focused on MOS and engagements, not trauma and I wouldn’t say he wasn’t profoundly affected. There were things he said like going into the annihilated LZ and seeing dead soldiers the first time. Shootout with medical staff, punji stakes in the tunnels and how he got lucky. These things visit him every day and I don’t think he’ll ever leave Vietnam.
That's certainly not what the soldiers from other countries in Vietnam would've said about the Yanks. The Australians did not like working with the Americans because it was too dangerous
I hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. They fought a brutal war against a ruthless enemy. The reason the US has EMS is because countless Vietnam Era Medics and Corpsman came and used their hard won skills to help their neighbors. Many Vietnam Era Helicopter Aviators flew civilian air ambulances after the war. We owe a large debt of gratitude to Vietnam Veterans.
@@plavml Okay I should just explain I'm Australian so not subject to all the Hollywood bullshit ,they can't win a war because they've got no idea what they're doing ,they're arrogant and didn't listen to the Australians who were very good in the jungle who were there before the Americans training the South Vietnamese. You only have to look at the movies where they have playing cards in the hat even though they're wearing camouflage . the enemy can hear and smell them coming they had no hope .When the Americans turned up the enemy would slaughter them when the Australians turned up they would run for their lives
I got to know a tunnel rat vet at the VA hospital shortly after Vietnam. He was short, barely got into the Army but served honorably as a tunnel rat his entire tour. He had PTSD pretty bad and it didn't help at all that a lot of the other vets would pick on him because of his size. They thought he would be a push-over because he was so small. I think the main reason he and I got along as well as we did was because I showed him the respect he was due and not only never put him down but would stand up for him when others did try to put him down. He had not survived his time in Vietnam by being a push over and was very capable of finding some type of equalizer to use to protect himself. One time when we were on the same unit at the VA I heard yells and the sounds of things being thrown down the hallway in the middle of the night. My first instinct was to try to barricade my door, but decided to peak out to see what was going on. I saw Adrian being pushed around by a man at least twice his size so I went out there. One of the nurses had been injured by a thrown coffee cup which had shattered on her hand, and the other one was frantically trying to call for help from security. I got Adrian to go into the day room, and asked him to please stay in there and then went back out and handed the nurse a washcloth from the linen closet to control the heavy bleeding from her hand. And then the security police got there and they put the bigger man, who was a known bully and trouble maker into the seclusion room. So I went back in the dayroom to comfort Adrian and calm him down and to make sure they did not punish him for defending himself. That was pretty much what it was like being a patient at the VA right after Vietnam. You just never knew when someone was going to go berserk and attack you or anyone around you. I know most of it was PTSD, but they only had fellow vets to attack, so it was hard on the rest of us, particularly the women patients. I honestly don't think I ever saw a guy who claimed he attacked someone because "voices told him to" who attacked anyone near their size or who had the ability to do any harm to them in return. They almost always attacked a woman, an old man, or someone significantly smaller and weaker than them.
You Sir are a Credit to your Men who were out there in Vietnam. I salute you and I do hope that you have come to terms with what you experienced Terry.
There are heroes.. And there are real heroes! And then there are some real heroes like this hero who is like no other before him! So yes, a real hero like no other! Thank you for your service Sir! Your grateful Nation will never forget your sacrifices!
I tried going into a tunnel once. I got one body length in and I thought to my self,this is ain't happening! I backed out and never did it again. Still remember the gripping phobia fear factor to this day.
How did he fit in those tunnels carrying such big balls? I can't imagine anything scarier than going into those tunnels. We appreciate and respect Mr. La Pointe for what he did!
This explained some things to me - I dear friend of mine was a tunnel rat and he was never the same when he got home. I had no idea (though my husband served with 173d ABN (the Herd)), that the tunnels were that expansive. I would like to thanks Jim for telling his story and would love to know how with his combat background he was only a SGT - (as a side not - my husband served 23 years and died of complications of Agent Orange).
I worked with an Aussie on a project in China who turned out to be an ex tunnel rat. He was a great guy but, he went up a notch in my mind as he told the team about his tour in the tunnels. Respect Axel, hope your still going strong.
Man I think this fellow has all the Vietnam experience that one could have....aviation, tunnels, grunt work....everything. I think it's fair to say that he was an exceptional soldier. He has that energy in his voice though, you can tell he was almost miserable every time he was back State Side.
Fort Benning is where my uncle Bud trained for Airborne in the 17th Airborne 194 th GIE Company B that's WW2 stuff. God Bless all Veterans these Vietnam Vets were some of our best!
As a Marine 0311 I have Big Time respect for a man that was a tunnel rat and rotated 4 times to the front line. I visualize you going into a tunnel dark,bobby trapped 🫡 mad respect soldier 🪖
I trucked with a 5 ft 2 tunnel rat for 10 yrs. We ran Fla to the NW and back as a team. Ill never forget him. . The man could smoke pot all day and drive a 18 wheeler like nobody you ever saw.. smoked the whole time in Nam and trucking. Could drive 20 hrs a day. This was in the mid 70s. I found out a couple yrs ago he passed on. Ill never forget my time with him!!!! He taught me alot about trucks and life.
Again ... there is no listing of a LaPointe, James/Jim/Jack, in the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. Why would you not register such an honorable award?
Alot of bad a__ trained at fort Benning, i went through Benning, Harmony church the old ww2 training camp , i felt privileged everyday day i was there just too have my boots on the same ground , i haven't even included airborne school, Fort Benning made warriors whoooooahhhhhh
Many years ago I placed a Marine tunnel rat my branch at the Marine base. He was a 10 point ver just released from the Jacksonville naval hospital. He was a mess. As an active duty Marine he eventually opened up to me. His stories were terrifying. Eventually God smiled on him when he met a terrific woman who straightened him out and they eventually got married.
Just two small details, but extremely important, when they were in the tunnels and fired their pistols they would damage their hearing, but they couldn't wear ear plugs, because they needed to be able to hear the enemy in front of them. Sometimes, when they needed their ankle knife they couldn't reach it because the close walls of the tunnel had their arms pinned.
How does a young 18 year old deal with lifetime memories of corpses of his friends and fellow soldiers while fighting for his own life? Our young minds are not built to absorb it. I hope professional mental experts and perhaps religious counselors can make sense for them?
Psychologist and psychiatrist have been caring for us since 1982 when PTSD was officially certified as a mental illness. Before that all Vietnam Veterans had was the priest, pastor or reverend. My brother served in Vietnam but passed away in August 1977 just 8 years after returning from the war. My father served in WWII and he passed away at 75 in 1995 but never understood how to go about claiming his compensation. My brother had tons of problems with readjusting and him and my father passed away as wounded souls because they never obtained the care they needed. I on the other hand made the VA accountable for my sacrifices in Afghanistan and Iraq. I don't have to work anymore but I keep myself positively busy doing different things and that's what we call coping skills.
The other part of my comment is what someone else said you must spirituality reach out to the holy spirit and get to know God because he knows everything.
I wrote a 25 page report about the Vietnam War in high school. I learned a few things. That war shouldn't have happened. Just a waste of lives and resources. I read the peace agreement that was signed with the north Vietnamese during WW2. The USA sent in advisors. We supplied them with weapons and training to keep Japan from invading Indochina. In exchange for their courage and cooperation. They were to be granted freedom from French control. After ww2. The French wanted their land back. Ho Chi Minh said no. The rest is history. The USA was 100% wrong in backing up the French. The gulf of Tonkin resolution was a lie. Vietnam became a peaceful sovereign nation who just wanted freedom from slavery. The French occupation of indochina was horrendous for over 500 years! Clearly there's is more to the story, but you get the gist. This report kept me from enlisting in the USA marines....
Among the many things Americans never understood about Vietnam was rice. Think about how it's grown. Everyone in the family works together to grow the seedlings. Everyone in the village cooperates to plant the seedlings. All the villages in a given area cooperate to share the water used for irrigating the rice. And harvesting the rice is also a 'communal' effort. And the Vietnamese had been growing it for thousands of years. In short, Communism is a more natural political system for Vietnam than American style capitalism.
My next door neighbor, was a platoon commander and tunnel rat in cu chi, (67-68)... He got the dear John letter, shot by an enemy sniper, and then some. He said he went in the tunnels because he was 30, and the kids under him were 17-18. He helped me when I had tough times. His wisdom and advice helped to carry me through them, and continue to help me to this day. RIP Tommy the Tunnel rat...
How cold blooded to give a DJ letter when he's in combat. I wonder how many of those subsequent relationships survived?
I hope none of them TBH 😢
@@john-nx4xn She remarried an accountant; he was angry and got into a lot of bar fights... He was wise in that he told me not to care what my soon to be x was up to, he helped me through a very bad time...
What a man....
@john-nx4xn same happened to me. Women like that, not worth having anyway. Cheaters, users, thieves. Waste of time
@@70stunes71 there's a time and a place for everything I guess. To me in general, a "letter"is a weak way to end a relationship. But to do it while someone is in combat. Wtmf. And when you factor the amount of soldiers coming home with PTSD. It could be down right dangerous.
My dad was in from 70-72. He always looked up to the tunnel rats and the chopper pilots. Balls of steel.
part time
Thank you isn’t enough Sir. Huge respect for all war veterans. God bless the peace keepers.
AMEN🙏🙏 GOD BLESS ALL VETERANS AND THIER FAMILY.TOTAL RESPECT SR. AND TO ALL VETERANS. THANK YOU TO ALL YOU HEROS
I met a fellow in Boise that was a Vietnam vet and a 3 tour tunnel rat. This fella was in his 70s but he was one of the spookiest dudes I've ever met he was still a dangerous man.
Those tunnels were amazing with everything they had down there.. hospital, schools and family sections at the lower levels… unreal!!!! This man is 1 badass individual
OMG! You survived all that, that's a miracle. Thank you so much for your service.
This dude has b@llz
You are a special breed of men. Never underestimate your enemy, especially when they're in their backyard. God bless❤
Never forget how hard you fight when they're coming in your home!!
That's why all the Americans went home dead because they wouldn't listen to the Australians who knew what they were talking about
Damn, this interview needs to be longer! Thank you sir 🇺🇸 welcome home
Shame you don't talk about all the other countries that did all the hard work so Americans can claim to be bad arses even though they were the most useless soldiers there
Welcome home,thank you so much for your service 👊🏻🇺🇸
They lost the war they spent your tax payer dollars and they lost why are you congratulating them your country wasn't under threat and still isn't so many ignorant people in your country
Thanks for your service sir. I graduated high school in 73 so I followed the war close always wondering when we were going to have to annie up. The politicians in DC so old ya’ll out and it was pathetic what was done. Thanks again.
I bet you couldn't name two other countries that were in Vietnam other than the Americans who actually did all the hard work
I had Marine friend who was tunnel rat. As 2 marines, we were open with each other on experiences. He described just as you have. He survived VN okay..even being chopperd into Hue City fight for Tet 68. Thanks again for your tours.
The Americans were too gutless to go down the tunnels when the Australians found them so they made the Aussies go down first
@@Jumbo-k4tYou need to change your call sign to Gutless The CLOWN 🤡
thank you for your service mr jim la pointe. had 2 uncles and my dad went to vietnam, all of you guys are heros.
That soldier did FOUR, BLEEPING 4 TOURS IN VIETNAM between 1964 and 1971 !! ?? I always thought that our troops in Vietnam were limited to no more than two or maybe three combat tours in Vietnam. This guy DID FOUR BLEEPING COMBAT TOURS IN VIETNAM !!!!! He was there through most of it all; the gradual build up of US troops and escalation of the war, the peak of the number of US forces in Vietnam and the fighting at its bloodiest and most intense, and finally, the gradual reduction of US military involvement in the Vietnam War. If my information is correct, the "Tunnel Rats" were not an official unit. But they created their own patch and their "unofficial" motto was on the patch written in Latin which said "Not Worth a Rat's Ass". Welcome home, Mr. La Porte and thank you for.your service to our country as a soldier in the United States Army.
I’m suspicious of this fellow.
This man is a true hero. Thank you for your service sir. I just couldn't imagine going through everything he went through. You see movies and hear stories but I'm sure it is never like the hell he and the rest of his troops went through. God Bless
He is very impressive. In some real well-known battles. Scary.
Wow, this man lived in harm's way for years. An absolute warrior.
So why did you lose the war and every other one that you've ever attempted to win
It's interesting how some people are completely traumatize by war, but a few people like him enjoy the thrill of it
I'm a former Marine, 2 tours in Iraq. These are the kind of guys you want with you.
It's quite interesting. I think it may be related to genetics, epigenetics specifically. If a person has a genetic history from peoples who glorified war and battle, such as vikings or other militaristic cultures, their DNA may have latent characteristics conditioned to enjoy fighting activated when they are exposed to combat. It would be interesting to examine the DNA ancestry of groups of folks who experience severe ptsd vs. people who seem to thrive in combat.
The Australians came back from Vietnam joking about the whole thing finding it quite amusing that the Americans Couldn't cope
@@rolisreefranch How come you keep losing wars even with Australia backing you every time? You tell everybody Everyone how good you are but there really is no evidence of that when goat-herders wearing dresses can chase you out
This interview was focused on MOS and engagements, not trauma and I wouldn’t say he wasn’t profoundly affected. There were things he said like going into the annihilated LZ and seeing dead soldiers the first time. Shootout with medical staff, punji stakes in the tunnels and how he got lucky. These things visit him every day and I don’t think he’ll ever leave Vietnam.
Never would I ever do what he did. He's a total bad ass and has nerves of steel. I salute you!
That's certainly not what the soldiers from other countries in Vietnam would've said about the Yanks. The Australians did not like working with the Americans because it was too dangerous
I hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. They fought a brutal war against a ruthless enemy.
The reason the US has EMS is because countless Vietnam Era Medics and Corpsman came and used their hard won skills to help their neighbors.
Many Vietnam Era Helicopter Aviators flew civilian air ambulances after the war.
We owe a large debt of gratitude to Vietnam Veterans.
I AGREE 1000% THESE BRAVE MEN DESERVE TO GET THE VERY BEST HELP FROM THIER GOVERMENT. AND GREAT RESPECT FROM THE PUBLIC.
Dude is a Badass!
Yeah real bad arse that's why you can't win a war LOL
@Jumbo-k4t had the us went all out, vietnam would have been wiped.
@@plavml Okay I should just explain I'm Australian so not subject to all the Hollywood bullshit ,they can't win a war because they've got no idea what they're doing ,they're arrogant and didn't listen to the Australians who were very good in the jungle who were there before the Americans training the South Vietnamese. You only have to look at the movies where they have playing cards in the hat even though they're wearing camouflage . the enemy can hear and smell them coming they had no hope .When the Americans turned up the enemy would slaughter them when the Australians turned up they would run for their lives
This guy's memories make my time in the army dull.
Another meathead fighting for our country that can't win a war
Guy’s a national treasure. An untapped and overlooked resource. I feel like the Army didn’t give him the respect he deserved. I mean … 4 tours?!
4 tours and only E5? He made the right decision when politics put our men at risk.
Unbelievable , testicles the size of Texas
I think the United States is the only one that respects soldiers that have never actually won a war by themselves and are completely useless
I got to know a tunnel rat vet at the VA hospital shortly after Vietnam. He was short, barely got into the Army but served honorably as a tunnel rat his entire tour. He had PTSD pretty bad and it didn't help at all that a lot of the other vets would pick on him because of his size. They thought he would be a push-over because he was so small. I think the main reason he and I got along as well as we did was because I showed him the respect he was due and not only never put him down but would stand up for him when others did try to put him down. He had not survived his time in Vietnam by being a push over and was very capable of finding some type of equalizer to use to protect himself. One time when we were on the same unit at the VA I heard yells and the sounds of things being thrown down the hallway in the middle of the night. My first instinct was to try to barricade my door, but decided to peak out to see what was going on. I saw Adrian being pushed around by a man at least twice his size so I went out there. One of the nurses had been injured by a thrown coffee cup which had shattered on her hand, and the other one was frantically trying to call for help from security. I got Adrian to go into the day room, and asked him to please stay in there and then went back out and handed the nurse a washcloth from the linen closet to control the heavy bleeding from her hand. And then the security police got there and they put the bigger man, who was a known bully and trouble maker into the seclusion room. So I went back in the dayroom to comfort Adrian and calm him down and to make sure they did not punish him for defending himself. That was pretty much what it was like being a patient at the VA right after Vietnam. You just never knew when someone was going to go berserk and attack you or anyone around you. I know most of it was PTSD, but they only had fellow vets to attack, so it was hard on the rest of us, particularly the women patients. I honestly don't think I ever saw a guy who claimed he attacked someone because "voices told him to" who attacked anyone near their size or who had the ability to do any harm to them in return. They almost always attacked a woman, an old man, or someone significantly smaller and weaker than them.
Your story should be written down. FOUR TOURS!...... Should be a book.
Is your keyboard broken kid?
@@modelrailwaynoob🤡👈🏻kid
@@antonibertolacci7030 As I am 60, you are a little out yank
@@modelrailwaynoob What's your problem pops. He should write a book!
Yes and I'm sure you will leave out all the people from other countries in Vietnam that did all the hard work only for the Americans to screw it up
Four tours as the 3 most dangerous occupations, that guy is an absolute legend!
Or bullshitter!
That's all beyond crazy. Your a gift to all who dare to be more than what most men could ever hope to be.Thank you for your service.
Are you serious they've never actually won a war by themselves and you congratulate them spending $800 billion of your tax payer money every year
You Sir are a Credit to your Men who were out there in Vietnam. I salute you and I do hope that you have come to terms with what you experienced Terry.
I worked with a Vietnam hero he was on the 25th.. He called it Stawberry Lightning!!!! Heroes All , Thanks for your sacrifice!!!
The accounts of the tunnels will rattle your bones. These guys have courage second to none.
My name is Jim LA Point too but no E at the end. Probably did at one time. Thank you for your service.
There are heroes.. And there are real heroes! And then there are some real heroes like this hero who is like no other before him!
So yes, a real hero like no other! Thank you for your service Sir! Your grateful Nation will never forget your sacrifices!
U have balls of steel tunnel rats were fearless ain't no way in hell I would go in the tunnel hats off to the tunnel rats?
I tried going into a tunnel once. I got one body length in and I thought to my self,this is ain't happening! I backed out and never did it again. Still remember the gripping phobia fear factor to this day.
Fearless that's why they got the Australians to go down first
How did he fit in those tunnels carrying such big balls?
I can't imagine anything scarier than going into those tunnels. We appreciate and respect Mr. La Pointe for what he did!
This explained some things to me - I dear friend of mine was a tunnel rat and he was never the same when he got home. I had no idea (though my husband served with 173d ABN (the Herd)), that the tunnels were that expansive. I would like to thanks Jim for telling his story and would love to know how with his combat background he was only a SGT - (as a side not - my husband served 23 years and died of complications of Agent Orange).
I worked with an Aussie on a project in China who turned out to be an ex tunnel rat. He was a great guy but, he went up a notch in my mind as he told the team about his tour in the tunnels. Respect Axel, hope your still going strong.
Jim lapointe thank you so much fir you're service !!
Now that's a Combat Vietnam Vet..Seen it all...Done it all..2 County Fairs n A Goat F---ing Contest..Tell it like it was. God Bless America America 🇺🇸
Thank you for your service M" Jim La Pointe.
For what your country wasn't being threatened ? this was a terrorist action in a a long list of wars that you haven't won
Thank you for your courageous service.
Man I think this fellow has all the Vietnam experience that one could have....aviation, tunnels, grunt work....everything. I think it's fair to say that he was an exceptional soldier. He has that energy in his voice though, you can tell he was almost miserable every time he was back State Side.
Yeah, comprehensive tour f’sure!
I served there 69 70 recon 101st 3rd 0f 197th Buddy Moody Poplaville Mississippi
Thank you for your service sir
Salute Brother
I was Brown Water Navy 71 - 76
Thanks for Your Service
Four tours, and still, although barely, made it out alive! Wow! An amazing dude.
Rest in Peace. Thank you for your service. ❤
Fort Benning is where my uncle Bud trained for Airborne in the 17th Airborne 194 th GIE Company B that's WW2 stuff. God Bless all Veterans these Vietnam Vets were some of our best!
My dad was in B company 194th GIR
Thank you for the history! And the hard work you put in and making it home for us!
Thank you for NOT censoring this. I'm so tired of all the BS censorship on this platform. It's getting ridiculous!
I love to hear to hear the stories of those who fought in Viet Nam they are true heroes welcome home and God Bless
Wow, you served many different functions, must have been challenging. God bless and thank you for serving!!!
🤘😎This man is a literal example of “I’m not stuck in here with you, you’re stuck in here with me.” 🇺🇸
As a Marine 0311 I have Big Time respect for a man that was a tunnel rat and rotated 4 times to the front line. I visualize you going into a tunnel dark,bobby trapped 🫡 mad respect soldier 🪖
I just your picture on a FB Vietnam Veteran page saying you were KIA. Glad to see it wasn’t true. Thank you for your service.
I trucked with a 5 ft 2 tunnel rat for 10 yrs. We ran Fla to the NW and back as a team. Ill never forget him. . The man could smoke pot all day and drive a 18 wheeler like nobody you ever saw.. smoked the whole time in Nam and trucking. Could drive 20 hrs a day. This was in the mid 70s. I found out a couple yrs ago he passed on. Ill never forget my time with him!!!! He taught me alot about trucks and life.
Those boys from Louisiana are a whole other breed ! Amazing story thank you for your service
You are a true hero sir.
Thank you for your service Sir!!
My uncle did this, he had the flashlight but said he used a cut down m2
Thank you sir for your service ❤
Wow what an amazing story of real life. This Soldier must have had a GUARDIAN ANGEL BY HIS SIDE. 👍🙏❤✌
God bless you, sir. Thank you for your service, and welcome home.
Thank you for your service, Jim. Keep well :)
Great Man great career! American Bad Ass! Thank you!
This guy Jim deserves the biggest salute for his actions. God bless you soldier.
Mr. La Pointe - thank you
🇺🇸 A National Treasure 🇺🇸 , tks Man !
Mad respect to you sir!!!🫡🫡🫡
Thanks for your story and going on 4 tours.
Warrior..... Great American, We're Grateful. 🎉WELCOME HOME Sgt. Lapointe!!!!! We Love You 🇺🇲 and THANK YOU! 👏
Incredible man period!
18 years old, shot, a body cast, signs back up, returns to fight.....sir you are a hero of mine.
Thank you sir😎
Again ... there is no listing of a LaPointe, James/Jim/Jack, in the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. Why would you not register such an honorable award?
I’d say because he made it all up.
thank you for your service, Sir ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🕶️🇺🇸
100% warrior 💪🏼❤️🇺🇸
Tunnel rats are incredible men, most people would never go into those tunnels.
I knew two brothers who were in different companies but same division that were sent into Cambodia. That was crazy for them.
Alot of bad a__ trained at fort Benning, i went through Benning, Harmony church the old ww2 training camp , i felt privileged everyday day i was there just too have my boots on the same ground , i haven't even included airborne school, Fort Benning made warriors whoooooahhhhhh
Badass! Seen it all. Respect sir!
The guy practically served through the whole war and only left because they wouldn't let him do his job and fight - incredible.
Some people are warriors and some people are warriors too 😢❤
Thank you sir
Geeze. You had an angel looking over you. Incredible experiences
Many years ago I placed a Marine tunnel rat my branch at the Marine base. He was a 10 point ver just released from the Jacksonville naval hospital. He was a mess. As an active duty Marine he eventually opened up to me. His stories were terrifying. Eventually God smiled on him when he met a terrific woman who straightened him out and they eventually got married.
WOW what a story
Thanks a ton for your service 🙏
His telling of the Ia drang battle tells a much more grim story of Americans lost in combat than depicted in the movie by Gibson.
Great story.
MATE I TAKE MY HAT OFF
TO YOU RESPECT. FROM
STEVEN & DAVID BARTON. BROS. WREXHAM WALES. 🏴🇬🇧✊✊👊
Just two small details, but extremely important, when they were in the tunnels and fired their pistols they would damage their hearing, but they couldn't wear ear plugs, because they needed to be able to hear the enemy in front of them. Sometimes, when they needed their ankle knife they couldn't reach it because the close walls of the tunnel had their arms pinned.
Welcome home Sgt. La Pointe!
Brave Soul
How does a young 18 year old deal with lifetime memories of corpses of his friends and fellow soldiers while fighting for his own life? Our young minds are not built to absorb it. I hope professional mental experts and perhaps religious counselors can make sense for them?
You get close to God he's the only one that is going to save you
You never forget those hazy eyes looking at something you can't see...
Psychologist and psychiatrist have been caring for us since 1982 when PTSD was officially certified as a mental illness. Before that all Vietnam Veterans had was the priest, pastor or reverend. My brother served in Vietnam but passed away in August 1977 just 8 years after returning from the war. My father served in WWII and he passed away at 75 in 1995 but never understood how to go about claiming his compensation. My brother had tons of problems with readjusting and him and my father passed away as wounded souls because they never obtained the care they needed. I on the other hand made the VA accountable for my sacrifices in Afghanistan and Iraq. I don't have to work anymore but I keep myself positively busy doing different things and that's what we call coping skills.
The other part of my comment is what someone else said you must spirituality reach out to the holy spirit and get to know God because he knows everything.
@@danieljorge746 Eventually if you're smart enough you will
4 Tours much respect brother
hat's off to you Sir
Very candid, strange rules holding us back from attacking the enemy. Solid portrayal
I wrote a 25 page report about the Vietnam War in high school. I learned a few things. That war shouldn't have happened. Just a waste of lives and resources. I read the peace agreement that was signed with the north Vietnamese during WW2. The USA sent in advisors. We supplied them with weapons and training to keep Japan from invading Indochina. In exchange for their courage and cooperation. They were to be granted freedom from French control. After ww2. The French wanted their land back. Ho Chi Minh said no. The rest is history. The USA was 100% wrong in backing up the French. The gulf of Tonkin resolution was a lie. Vietnam became a peaceful sovereign nation who just wanted freedom from slavery. The French occupation of indochina was horrendous for over 500 years! Clearly there's is more to the story, but you get the gist. This report kept me from enlisting in the USA marines....
Among the many things Americans never understood about Vietnam was rice. Think about how it's grown. Everyone in the family works together to grow the seedlings. Everyone in the village cooperates to plant the seedlings. All the villages in a given area cooperate to share the water used for irrigating the rice. And harvesting the rice is also a 'communal' effort. And the Vietnamese had been growing it for thousands of years. In short, Communism is a more natural political system for Vietnam than American style capitalism.
As a veteran to another sir thank you and god bless and keep you always for your service.
4 tours!!!!! Insane!!!! Think about that people!!!!!
Balls of steel 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Crazy all that to come out only E5