True War Stories from the Vietnam War | Full Veteran Interview
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1966, Kenny Moore served three tours in Vietnam with the Marine Corps, earning two Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. In the video, Moore recounts several memorable events from his first tour as an infantry officer in 1967-68. After the war, Moore stayed in the military and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Silver Star Citation: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Second Lieutenant Kenneth Wayne Moore (MCSN: 0-92890), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company I, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, in connection with military operations against insurgent communist (Viet Cong) forces in the Republic of Vietnam. On 9 May 1967 during Operation UNION, Second Lieutenant Moore's company was conducting a search and clear mission in Que Son District when it discovered an extensive tunnel complex concealing an undetermined number of Viet Cong. After tear gas, smoke and a grenade failed to force the enemy to surrender, Second Lieutenant Moore courageously entered the narrow 200-meter long tunnel with a companion in an attempt to capture the enemy. Advancing deep into the tunnel, they came under heavy rifle fire from the entrenched enemy. Undaunted, he and his fellow Marine moved to within ten meters of the enemy, threw a grenade and quickly left the tunnel. Although one Viet Cong emerged and surrendered, claiming there were no others in the tunnel, Second Lieutenant Moore and his companion armed with pistols, reentered the dark passage and daringly proceeded to within two meters of the remaining group of armed Viet Cong where they came under intense rifle fire. The Marines quickly expended their ammunition and moved back through the darkness to re-arm. Entering the tunnel again carrying an M-16 rifle, they were met with a heavy volume of rifle fire from the enemy and falling dirt and debris which rendered their rifles inoperable, forcing them to leave the cave. After lighting brush fires at the entrance, Second Lieutenant Moore exhibited resolute determination by digging a passage into the rear of the tunnel where he recovered two dead Viet Cong and two rifles. Early the following morning, he and his companion fearlessly entered the tunnel for the fourth time and recovered three more dead Viet Cong, a rifle, individual equipment, a tone of rice and a case of valuable documents. His daring actions and aggressive fighting spirit inspired all who observed him and contributed significantly to the accomplishment of his unit's mission. By his dauntless courage, bold initiative and selfless devotion to duty at great personal risk, Second Lieutenant Moore upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.
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Semper Fidelis my friends.
Thank You for remembering.
We had a guy in our unit that had a real attitude and hated everyone because he was in Vietnam. He had been a PHY ED teacher and enlisted in the Air Force to avoid getting sent to Vietnam. We had a rocket attack one night and he showed up for work the next morning with a bandage on his head. We asked him what happened and he snarled he didn't want to talk about it and walked out. A few minutes later two co-workers came in and asked if we had heard what had happened to this guy in the attack. We said no. They said he had been in the latrine when the attack started and when a rocket exploded near by, he had jumped up from the toilet and the toilet roll dispenser hanging on the wall, he had hit it and busted his head open and knocked him out. These guys had found him and carried him down to the aid station. They fixed his wound and made sure he received a purple heart for being wounded in action. Wounded by a toilet roll dispenser.
Them TRD were always giving someone a rash of shit... lol
I think he was my phys ed teacher a real jerk haha
Iraq 2010, a "can't get right" got a purple heart for tripping on his own foot while going to a bunker during IDF. He busted his head and got a purple heart even though the mortar hit on the other side of the FOB
HaHaHaHaHa ohhh, you be shittin' us, right? lol. Many thanks for your service. o7😅❤
I spent 67 there thanks for your service and everyone please remember the ones that didn’t make it back home!,
Sure you did Gary . . . 😂
That's what you get for killing innocent people.. hope you remember nothing but your sins the day you pass..
Amen brother, thank you! Your still a hero to me!
@@Bigworms97😂 he was born in 85 lol
Welcome home Sir. Thank you for your service and unbelievable sacrifice.
My dad was there 67/68. We lived in a community that was probably 99% military, so many children that we played with were hoping their father would make it back.
that was me when my pops went to afghan and iraq
Sent chills down my spine.
Damn that's sad
My father retired after 23 years in the Corps got out as a gunny and over his career he had done 4 combat deployments as 0311 and went to sniper school and did one more deployment I have old tapes of him and Carlos shooting at Cherry point in competitions he died at the age of 73 years old and after retiring from the Corps he went on and worked 22 years at the sheriff's department as a correction's officer, this man is and will forever be the coldest most done to earth person I've ever met and I'm blessed to call him my father the story's he had ones he decided to tell me you couldn't make the shit up the amount of respect the Vietnam vets deserve is undescribable they set the standard for the meaning of 0311 grunts.
God bless America
Respect and RIP to your old man
To the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airman who served…God bless you.
To the politicians who ran it…God damn you.
Best comment
Say it louder for the ones in the back
Their doing same shit now
Amen to that
Nice words my man
When I was a child, my father and his buddy would talk for hours about Nam. My brothers and I were in awe of the stories. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
I bet that was amazing to hear their stories. God bless them all.
00⁰⁰❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤p😊00
My dad told me a story of his time in Vietnam in '68. (I'll try to explain it the best I can remember). Him and his buddy drove the jeep into a town getting supplies, when 2 children were running towards him from farther away. (It was very common for the VC to arm children with explosives and have them run up to soldiers to try to give them hugs.)
They both stopped and got out of the jeep and, knew it was a real possibility of something bad happening. So, his buddy grabbed his rifle and un-alived them within 20 seconds. After it happened, they walked up to them, and realized they had candy in their hand, I guess to give to them.
My dad just said, he cried and cried when he got back to base. There are other stories he has told me that were pretty bad. (Mostly just witnessing other things that other soldiers did, for no apparent reason, or for no obvious threat)
I do believe it was common though, considering they really couldn't trust anyone of them. He really struggled everyday with the things he had to do, on a day-to-day basis. He passed a few years ago so; I hope he is finally at peace.
Very sad 😞 shed tears reading it
I hope he found some peace before he passed.
War is satanic.
My grandfather was in from 66,67,68 he was a tunnel rat. He doesn’t talk about that at all sometimes a quick remark but very rare.
3 years of vietnam and making it out alive crazy
I get that he doesn’t like talking about it, but damn, it really makes me curious about his experience. I’d hate to see the horrors of war be forgotten by future generations because of people not talking about their experiences. God bless your grandfather.
3 years of being a tunnel rat is absolutely I mean absolutely crazy your grandfather had to actually be smart as hell to avoid all the traps and just to get his way around respect and rip ❤️❤️
My uncle also almost never talked about his experience in Battle of the Bulge. 2 years in the VA hospital he didn't know his own name. Lived to 93. Every time Patton was mentioned he'd say "our blood his guts" bitterly.
Your Grandfather?! Yo I'm 33 and I feel old now.
This is amazing, these stories about Vietnam are the only way to preserve the truth of Vietnam. The future generations should know about what happened there.
Thank you, for your service, sir! Thank you, to all those who have served and are serving. We owe a huge debt of gratitude. ❤
I had a high school teacher who did three tours in Marines Infantry in Vietnam and was in a submarine right on the coast of Cuba during the Cuban Missile crises. I tried to get as many stories out of him as I could. He died from a heart attack the next year Jay Johnson.
Could you share some stories please ?
THIS Man makes me PROUD to call myself an American.
Why? The fuck did you ever do
Thank you to All the Vets who gave some. On this Memorial Day.
The humor reminds me of my uncles who fought in Vietnam. Its the same humor and brought me to tears laughing when I was little. They were Marines too. Just a tough, fun bunch. You make me proud to be an American, Colonel. Thanks.
I salute every Vietnam Veteran I see, much respect and welcome home brother...72 yo Navy Veteran, never in country
God bless you Mr Moore........thank you so much for your service to our country.
🇺🇸I was , .... Cu Chi Basecamp 1971, m/ 60, thump gun, broken arrow many times, always watching my buddies and my six, shot, fragged we had beehive artillery rounds, claymore mines on the wire, I hated the enemy ! Watched friends annihilated(God bless the Marines, air force, Navy, I was Army, we're all brothers ! God bless you sir and your story
I can't believe there's no comments. Thanks for your service Ken, from Canada 🇨🇦
Hi Colonel: Thank you very much for your recolections. I served in 1/5 Delta and H&S as a young Navy Corpsman in 67 and was hurt during Operation Swift.
It is important I think that those who were in leadership positions, like yourself, recount their combat experinences. Hopefully in the future (given America's Military Historical Record) Vietnam will be a much more complete chapter of how men, in leadership at the ground level will explain their personel combat experiences, observations and states of mind.
Even the small things that most Americans have never experienced.
For example, in the video, you tilted your head briefly when explaining how low you had to position your body when taking cover behind a rice patty dyke most times in muck and water. Or worse the heat and humidity. While explaining keeping command and control of the situation to direct and protect your men. It was an example of infantry combat experiences, like WWII Pacific theather events, but unique to Vietnam ground combat given our commumications technology at the time (unlike today) that many infantry enlisted Veterans experieince and remember their Officers, like you and their NCO's doing.
Today over 50 years later it is so much different. Thank you for doing this report. It is much appreciated.
Col. Hilgarder was our Batallion CO. Bill Pittman, HM3/USN
Member: Miitary Order of the Purple Heart of the USA
My heart goes out to all veterans and past soldiers. Wish we had more war story accounts, but I couldn’t imagine the trauma it brings
My paw paw has never told any stories from nam.... Hes told me a few from Parris Island but thats as far as he'll go. I love you guys. I love you paw paw. I'm sorry.
I was born in 81 but I thank you all who served, my love to you who lost love ones, and thank yall generation for being strong as nails, giving us love, music, and passion. Upmost respect until Im gone
Sir, thank you and every man who fought in Vietnam. I was born in 72' so i was not even a thought at that time. But you and everyone who served are heros for making the best out of, as ive read, an impossible situation. Marines are a different breed. I am renting to a fellow and his family who served in Iraq and took heavy damage from an IED. He doesn't talk alot about it. But what he does say is up beat and portrays his time in a positive, much like you have here. I've two great nephews in the Marines and their father who retired 20 years Air Force. I've worked with many exceptional men from all branches over the years. Service time makes them different from others I've worked with. Dedication to a task is amazing to quietly witness. Thank you to anyone reading this who has served. God bless and i wish i could buy you all a drink. 🥃
Very interesting Story..this Old Soldier..has great recall..very lucid..Welcome back to the World.."Sir"!!
This Marine. Thank You. So much. Semper Fidelis.
Thank You SIR......for everything.
I'm a marine infantry veteran of oif, and I have a history degree so you know I love this stuff, and I'm here to say that I have NEVER heard of the nva or vc humanely burying Americans or treating the wounded and leaving them . I have no reason to doubt this gentleman I know he's telling the truth, it's just my mind is kinda blown
I served in the centrail highlands Ple-mie and pleiku m-60 tanks and apc takeing out V.C club houses and arms caches , the farther west you go on ql-19 the more nva enemy you would encounter. 69th armor 4t div.
Incredible story and personality. Much respect. You're a true hero.
3rd Batt. 7th Marines ChuLai,RVN 10/65-11/66
"I" co, 3/7, '67, semper fi and welcome home.
@@billyfier1326 Thank You and back at you
Thank you.
Welcome home 🌹
My dads name was David (Dave)Kenneth Muller. He was a radio operator. He passed a few years ago... Please if you knew him leave a comment.
Pretty amazing his platoon lost only two guys. As always in combat, a combination of smarts/skills and good luck.
Very well articulated. You did a great job with your men and keeping them alive. Thank you for your service and God bless those that gave all.
Thank you for your story and your service. We should have been there for you and I'm sorry we weren't! 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇸
Father cuoc cuoc chiến vn quân nhan đông minh viên chinh úc. Usa han quốc ? Sức mạnh vô địch thu nhưng Father tại sao chấp nhận thua lệnh ruat quân để quốc mỹ cùng nguy quan để lai bao nhiêu dau thương mất mắc của một huhuhu đề quốc mỹ Father im sorry your sơn mike huỳnh tx now kính chào quì vj9
No you really shouldn’t have been there, neither should have the Americans. Beautiful country Vietnam, and Americans should be ashamed of their government for sending those brave young men over there. They died for nothing.
Why should have Britain been in a war that even the USA has admitted was a mistake? How thick are you?
This Soldiers sense of humour. 😊
Spent 66-67 as a corpsman at the NASH unit in Da Nang.
Welcome home, brothers.
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your stories. You tell one hell of a story LT. I lost track of time and everything when I was listening to you I could almost see it in my mind. That was intense. I never served in Vietnam but i served Beirut in 1983 and 84. It was sporadic when I was there. You never knew what was going to happen though. We were strictly a defensive posture. He tried to stay out of it as much as possible but the kept shooting on us from time to time with artillery and small arms. It wasn't nothing like you went through my goodness no. It was just a little taste of a combat zone. Very sporadic. Engage with extremely quiet and other days and was not.
Semper Fi sir!!
You gentleman have bigger balls than most individuals have heads lol. Thank you for your service sir!
Imagine going in a tunnel and having a fire fight then go get more ammo exc. And then go back in knowing they know your there.
To you Sir…Welcome Home from a Marine Nam Vet, Chu Lai 68-69 1st MAW.
I would die for more interviews with this gentleman. He has an amazing way of telling stories.
Great man. God Bless. It hurts me that our country is upside down and men like these are fewer and far between.
Great interview. How he remembers all the military acronyms bewildered me. I’ve been out 15 years and can’t remember hardly anything
served 68 to 71. I had completely blocked any knowledge of the military out of my mind until a new guy that knew we served at the same time started talking. Took a long time to slowly come back.
They should have you tell this story in our schools.
Semper Fi brother and welcome home.
Richard SCOGGINS step dad was a corpsman in that POOP SHOW, awesome man!! Love ya DAD
Those yellow shades are bad ass
Thank you all for your service.
Thank you for your service and for keeping your men safe
Well, Spellbinding...Sir .
One of the very best
Storytellers ,ever...
I would’ve loved to meet you and talk to you about your stories. I aspire to become a marine and to hear you talk is so inspiring and interesting. Thank you for your service.
What stories y’all have. Thank you sir. You’re an American hero.
I wish my uncle Bill Hyde would tell his time in NAM. he has never talked about it. I'm 48 and have never heard him talk about it. He lives in Detroit Michigan
That quote from Jarhead: "Welcome to the suck."
Sir, thank you for your service. And God bless the United States Marines.
Lt did a great job here. What a recount of events
God Bless. Watching this while recovering from the flu. I can't imagine what it would be like getting the flu over there, out in the field. Thank You for Your Service.
Thank you for your service 🇺🇸👍
Thanks Colonel Moore, you're a true American hero.
Hello Mr. Moore, many thanks for sharing your experiences with us 👍
Thank you sir for your take and stories. I could sit at ur feet and listen to you for hours. Hope ur well.
Thank you for your stories and service.
What a gripping story! You’re an awesome man. A brave patriot! Thank you for your service!
Thank u for this video and thank u to all who served in Vietnam war
Thankyou for your service God Bless you Sir ❤️🙏🌹🌻
Great voice and great story teller!🫡🇺🇸
Thank you sir.
Thank you for your service glad to hear your story and that you made it home oorah
God bless you sir!!!
Semper Gumby...." ALWAYS FLEXIBLE" ....82-85 1st Mar Div.
This man is sharp as a tack, I can only imagine what a stud he was as a young buck in the field. Very admirable
Also those yellow tinted shades are hard af 😂
Shooter glasses I would guess.
@@cozmo1266dudes a jungle crawler 🐈⬛
@@girthyrichar6947 nah ...he’s a government aid seeking m’fer , there’s plenty of them ..private or corporal rolls a 55gallon drum out to the dock then 20 years later,he’s incapacitated...after he’s seen the VA experts he’s 80% disabled. “Whooraaaw “...next time you see him ,he’s got a hemi pulling a bass boat and got a brand new FEMA cottage😘😘😆😆🤣🤣✌🏼✌🏼
Wow, what a great history lesson.😊
I was 3/5 marine OEF Afghanistan mad respect for this salt dog
Story about the sniper and the CPT is bada$$.He looks like papa Smurf, but what a man
Funny. My pops came back with one totally white eyebrow. This is the first time ive heard mention that happening on an even bigger scale. Very interesting. I wonder what the science ,if an, there is to explain that. So weird dark hair zero grey but one all white eyebrow. Thanks for the story.
Thanks for your service
Would love to hear about the rest of that first tour. Great interview
" his hair had turned gray overnight, funny things like that happened all the time" WTF! different breed of men, no doubt about it!!! Lol
Listening to this guy talk, he seems to be very light-hearted about these stories. I wonder if telling them in a way where they sound "funny" to him help him cope with how horrible those experiences actually were.
I served 67 68 with Delta company 227 at Anke Chi lai and Lz dog to my Brother's who made it home glad that you made it back to those families of those that didn't always keep their memories live much love to all God bless you
thanks for your service,, I would need a novel to tell my Navy stories... 😎
God Bless you sir
38:57 Cpt Stackpole became a two-star general. Lived in Hawaii. But died in 2020.
My grandpa was a special Force recon in the Vietnam war. He has one purpleheart and other metals that I do not know. I just learned that he was part of a special force unit. I thought he would just jump out of planes of the recon never thought he was a no special force.
These men are absolute killing machines, they versed the nees you’d have respect for this man.
What the boys and nurses went wow thanks for your services
Thanks for your service welcome home. Great stories good American warrior with great sense of humor. I could fallow him into combat.
God bless you and thank you for your service and sacrifice Sir.
Thank you for your service Sir !!!!
Semper Fi !!!!
That opening welcome from the OIC was wild 😅
Read a door gunner's memoir of those days. "One February Morning". February. '68 to May '69.
Thank you for your story
Everyone should listen
loved when they say look to your right and look to your left -- those guys will not finish nor graduate with you....
Really amazing to hear all these from a well experienced veteran officer.
Those Vietnamese had been fighting occupiers for generations. Chinese, French, Japanese, before the US arrived. Unreal how our government sent our precious soldiers over there, and turned their backs on them when they came home.
Gulf of Tonkin.
Fuckin Love this guy. He's hilarious and tells great stories. Would love to meet him someday
My cousin Gary was KIA in May 1968 in Gia Dinh, a little North of Saigon
I have a family member who went to Vietnam, and was told there was a snake called the two step you get bit by that snake into steps you will be dead when he landed on the airfield in Vietnam for duty. It was over ran. Everybody was killed when he woke up, he was stripped down to his underwear and the only thing he had left was his beret and a hole in his neck that was his tour in Vietnam