Some ‘Yards were legs

Second Lieutenant Richard Gladfelter was my Executive Officer at Dak Pek. He had been at Dak Pek as an enlisted medic on a previous tour, and was a favorite of the ‘Yards in camp and in the villages in the vicinity. As in most of the A camps, SF medics were the only source of medical care available to the ‘Yards. They would travel to local villages to hold sick call. Around Dak Pek, one of the common ailments was tropical ulcers. The ulcers were an open sore that would not heal, and which were caused by the primitive level of sanitation to which the ‘Yards were accustomed. The treatment was a shot of penicillin. The ‘Yards were most grateful for the help.

But Richard had been more than just a penicillin pusher on his first tour. One of the hills on which Dak Pek was located had at one time been a French outpost. The slopes of the hill were infested with antipersonnel mines. One of the strikers had strayed off the beaten paths and stepped on one of the old mines. Richard was able to save the man’s life and get him out to a medical facility where his leg was amputated. After he healed, he was able to get around on a crutch.

The man was still there when Richard came back on his second tour after having attended Officer Candidate School and getting a commission. There was a reunion of sorts, and Richard was welcomed back.

But the crutch was not good enough for the man in Richard’s mind. He was able to persuade a medical unit to get the ‘Yard an artificial leg, which was unheard of for a ‘Yard. The poor fellow was proud as a peacock that he could now walk unassisted.

In spite of the poor to nonexistent medical facilities, some ‘Yards survived unbelievable injuries. Another man had a scar on the bridge of his nose about the size of a quarter. I learned that about two years earlier he had been captured by the Viet Cong in the jungle. Believing him to be a spy for the Americans, they decided to execute him. He was shot right between the eyes with a .45 caliber pistol and the bullet exited below his right ear. Left for dead, he was able to make his way back to his village, where the camp medic was able to patch him up. Aside from the scars, there was no indication that he had ever been injured.

Copyright 1999