1 00:00:17,101 --> 00:00:17,581 Speaker 1: Pushkin. 2 00:00:24,820 --> 00:00:28,301 Speaker 2: A recruiter was scanning a crowd of young men. They 3 00:00:28,301 --> 00:00:31,221 Speaker 2: were at boot camp for the Marine Corps Reserve. You know, 4 00:00:31,821 --> 00:00:33,981 Speaker 2: just a bunch of guys with buzz cuts at the 5 00:00:34,021 --> 00:00:38,181 Speaker 2: start of their training. It was nineteen sixty five and 6 00:00:38,260 --> 00:00:41,381 Speaker 2: the war in Vietnam was starting to heat up. Nobody 7 00:00:41,461 --> 00:00:43,700 Speaker 2: knew how long it would last, but they knew they 8 00:00:43,741 --> 00:00:47,540 Speaker 2: needed troops on the ground. So the recruiter looked out 9 00:00:47,540 --> 00:00:50,661 Speaker 2: at these guys and he asked if anyone wanted to. 10 00:00:50,581 --> 00:00:51,141 Speaker 1: Go to war. 11 00:00:52,101 --> 00:00:54,261 Speaker 3: I think it was the second or third week we 12 00:00:54,301 --> 00:00:55,941 Speaker 3: were there. They called us. Set us, all setting in 13 00:00:55,941 --> 00:00:58,100 Speaker 3: a room, sitting down on it, and they said, everyone who 14 00:00:58,141 --> 00:01:00,541 Speaker 3: would want to be a regular marine, raise your hand. 15 00:01:01,501 --> 00:01:05,581 Speaker 2: Richard Pittman had been waiting for this exact moment. He 16 00:01:05,621 --> 00:01:08,301 Speaker 2: had been told, all you have to do is put 17 00:01:08,301 --> 00:01:11,301 Speaker 2: your pinky in the air, and they'll take you out 18 00:01:11,301 --> 00:01:13,221 Speaker 2: of the reserves and end too battle. 19 00:01:13,861 --> 00:01:16,780 Speaker 3: You know, so I stuck my little pinky in air. 20 00:01:17,780 --> 00:01:20,581 Speaker 1: Pittman was twenty tall and strong. 21 00:01:20,941 --> 00:01:23,181 Speaker 2: His friends called him Rick, and he was one of 22 00:01:23,181 --> 00:01:26,060 Speaker 2: those guys who played a million sports in high school. 23 00:01:26,700 --> 00:01:30,901 Speaker 2: Thick head of hair, rosy cheeks. Rick was determined to 24 00:01:30,941 --> 00:01:32,021 Speaker 2: serve on the front lines. 25 00:01:33,021 --> 00:01:36,901 Speaker 3: Because of my scores, I've qualified for seven different fields, 26 00:01:37,621 --> 00:01:41,140 Speaker 3: engineering or communications and some other things. But I said 27 00:01:41,140 --> 00:01:43,741 Speaker 3: I wanted to be in the infantry. I remember one 28 00:01:43,780 --> 00:01:47,741 Speaker 3: of my child instructors said, you're a strange individual. You 29 00:01:47,781 --> 00:01:49,661 Speaker 3: know where you're going. I said, yes, I do know 30 00:01:49,661 --> 00:01:52,061 Speaker 3: where I'm going, and infantry is what I want to do. 31 00:01:52,901 --> 00:01:53,861 Speaker 3: And so that's what I did. 32 00:01:55,101 --> 00:01:58,621 Speaker 2: Rick Pittman was heading to Vietnam, but he shouldn't have 33 00:01:58,701 --> 00:02:00,701 Speaker 2: even been allowed to raise his hand. 34 00:02:01,781 --> 00:02:09,180 Speaker 1: He shouldn't have gone to war at all. I'm Jr. 35 00:02:09,261 --> 00:02:13,901 Speaker 2: Martinez and this is the Medal of Honor Stories of Courage. 36 00:02:13,941 --> 00:02:14,981 Speaker 1: The Medal of Honor. 37 00:02:14,821 --> 00:02:18,300 Speaker 2: Is the highest military decoration in the United States. It's 38 00:02:18,341 --> 00:02:21,781 Speaker 2: awarded for gallantree and bravery and combat at the risk 39 00:02:21,861 --> 00:02:25,541 Speaker 2: of life, above and beyond the call of duty. Each 40 00:02:25,621 --> 00:02:28,101 Speaker 2: candidate must be approved all the way up the chain 41 00:02:28,101 --> 00:02:30,781 Speaker 2: of command, from the supervisory officer. 42 00:02:30,421 --> 00:02:32,061 Speaker 1: In the field to the White House. 43 00:02:33,021 --> 00:02:36,341 Speaker 2: This show is about those heroes, what they did, what 44 00:02:36,421 --> 00:02:38,941 Speaker 2: it meant, and what their stories tell us about the 45 00:02:39,021 --> 00:02:44,141 Speaker 2: nature of courage and sacrifice. Rick Pittman didn't just go 46 00:02:44,181 --> 00:02:48,781 Speaker 2: to Vietnam. He did something so brave it sounds more 47 00:02:48,941 --> 00:02:52,381 Speaker 2: like a movie like Rambo, but this. 48 00:02:52,381 --> 00:02:53,861 Speaker 1: Is real life. 49 00:02:53,981 --> 00:02:57,181 Speaker 2: But like I said earlier, he shouldn't have even been there. 50 00:02:58,061 --> 00:03:03,221 Speaker 2: According to military rules. He should have been disqualified because 51 00:03:03,301 --> 00:03:07,661 Speaker 2: Rick Pittman was blind in one eye. But this isn't 52 00:03:07,661 --> 00:03:10,541 Speaker 2: a story about his eye. It's about a man who 53 00:03:10,581 --> 00:03:13,541 Speaker 2: felt it was his duty, not just as a Marine, 54 00:03:14,221 --> 00:03:19,501 Speaker 2: but as a person to act and nothing, I mean 55 00:03:19,701 --> 00:03:33,941 Speaker 2: nothing was going to hold him back. When Rick Pittman 56 00:03:33,981 --> 00:03:36,901 Speaker 2: got to Vietnam in the summer of nineteen sixty six, 57 00:03:37,221 --> 00:03:39,661 Speaker 2: the war was picking up. He was part of the 58 00:03:39,701 --> 00:03:43,021 Speaker 2: fifth Marines that trained in California, and when they shipped out, 59 00:03:43,341 --> 00:03:44,981 Speaker 2: reporters were there to watch them go. 60 00:03:46,061 --> 00:03:49,781 Speaker 4: Sixty six was a year of new beginnings. This March 61 00:03:49,821 --> 00:03:52,861 Speaker 4: in the Sun had its beginning ten thousand miles away 62 00:03:53,261 --> 00:03:57,061 Speaker 4: at Camp Pendleton, California, where the fifth Marine Division came 63 00:03:57,141 --> 00:03:59,501 Speaker 4: back into being for the first time since. 64 00:03:59,261 --> 00:04:00,021 Speaker 5: World War Two. 65 00:04:01,021 --> 00:04:03,861 Speaker 4: After a few weeks of intensive training, it would soon 66 00:04:03,941 --> 00:04:06,821 Speaker 4: be on its way to Vietnam to support our total 67 00:04:06,861 --> 00:04:07,701 Speaker 4: military effort. 68 00:04:08,781 --> 00:04:12,661 Speaker 2: Everyone was still so optimistic about this wore Rick loved 69 00:04:12,661 --> 00:04:16,181 Speaker 2: the training. He was just happy to be in the service. 70 00:04:17,021 --> 00:04:19,981 Speaker 2: Here he is talking about it years later, I. 71 00:04:19,940 --> 00:04:23,301 Speaker 3: Mean through survival school and jungle training in the Philippines 72 00:04:23,341 --> 00:04:25,260 Speaker 3: and in Okinawa and all that, it was fun. 73 00:04:26,421 --> 00:04:29,061 Speaker 2: Oh and by the way, that creaky noise you hear, 74 00:04:29,621 --> 00:04:34,941 Speaker 2: that's his leather jacket covered in military patches even decades later. 75 00:04:35,341 --> 00:04:41,581 Speaker 2: This man is a badass. So training was fun, as 76 00:04:41,581 --> 00:04:44,621 Speaker 2: he says. But when the Marines of Company I came 77 00:04:44,661 --> 00:04:47,941 Speaker 2: ashore in Vietnam, Rick felt things shift. 78 00:04:48,461 --> 00:04:51,541 Speaker 3: Just something hit you. This wasn't fun anymore. I mean, 79 00:04:51,581 --> 00:04:53,541 Speaker 3: you were about to go up against an enemy, but 80 00:04:54,541 --> 00:04:58,021 Speaker 3: you couldn't quite comprehend the seriousness of it. But when 81 00:04:58,021 --> 00:05:02,421 Speaker 3: you hit that beach and it ramp drops, it's all business. 82 00:05:02,741 --> 00:05:06,061 Speaker 3: That was the moment that I knew all the fun 83 00:05:06,061 --> 00:05:08,221 Speaker 3: and games, so to speak, was over. 84 00:05:09,221 --> 00:05:12,981 Speaker 2: The man had landed close to the DMZ, the demilitarized 85 00:05:13,061 --> 00:05:17,981 Speaker 2: zone that separated North Vietnam from South Vietnam. The North 86 00:05:18,061 --> 00:05:22,981 Speaker 2: Vietnamese Army or NVA were pushing south, trying to grab 87 00:05:23,061 --> 00:05:26,141 Speaker 2: more territory. The Marines were going to be part of 88 00:05:26,141 --> 00:05:29,061 Speaker 2: something called Operation Hastings. 89 00:05:29,621 --> 00:05:33,781 Speaker 6: Back in May, it became evident that the North Vietnamese 90 00:05:33,821 --> 00:05:37,181 Speaker 6: were building up in this area to the south, to 91 00:05:37,221 --> 00:05:37,941 Speaker 6: the DMZ. 92 00:05:38,821 --> 00:05:42,301 Speaker 2: That's a Major General Lowell, English, who was leading the fight. 93 00:05:42,901 --> 00:05:45,221 Speaker 6: We had reason to believe that there was a division 94 00:05:45,301 --> 00:05:48,781 Speaker 6: command post in this area, and our purpose was to 95 00:05:48,821 --> 00:05:50,741 Speaker 6: find it and to destroy it. 96 00:05:52,061 --> 00:05:55,541 Speaker 2: But the mission to locate the NVA command post wasn't easy. 97 00:05:56,381 --> 00:05:59,661 Speaker 2: On July twenty second, just a few days after they landed, 98 00:06:00,021 --> 00:06:02,541 Speaker 2: Company I faced the enemy in the creek bed. 99 00:06:03,261 --> 00:06:04,421 Speaker 1: Eight marines died. 100 00:06:05,461 --> 00:06:09,141 Speaker 3: We weren't prepared for the consequences of war. It shocked 101 00:06:09,181 --> 00:06:13,421 Speaker 3: me the firsties that we took, and it was like 102 00:06:13,621 --> 00:06:17,301 Speaker 3: the hammer dropping, you know, and people were dying. That 103 00:06:17,501 --> 00:06:19,221 Speaker 3: changes your life from that time forward. 104 00:06:20,221 --> 00:06:23,021 Speaker 2: But Rick still wanted to be there. He felt he 105 00:06:23,061 --> 00:06:28,181 Speaker 2: had no choice morally. That's because of two things. The 106 00:06:28,221 --> 00:06:32,181 Speaker 2: first was John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in nineteen sixty one. 107 00:06:32,861 --> 00:06:34,021 Speaker 1: I'm sure you've heard of it. 108 00:06:34,661 --> 00:06:39,741 Speaker 5: The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to 109 00:06:39,821 --> 00:06:44,181 Speaker 5: this endeavor, we'll light our country and all who serve it, 110 00:06:45,301 --> 00:06:49,541 Speaker 5: and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. 111 00:06:50,701 --> 00:06:56,501 Speaker 5: And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country 112 00:06:56,541 --> 00:06:59,661 Speaker 5: can do for you, Ask what you can do for 113 00:06:59,741 --> 00:07:01,021 Speaker 5: your country. 114 00:07:01,861 --> 00:07:03,581 Speaker 3: And I heard him say that, ask not what your 115 00:07:03,621 --> 00:07:05,341 Speaker 3: country can do for you, But what you can do 116 00:07:05,381 --> 00:07:08,581 Speaker 3: for your country. That was motivating to me because it 117 00:07:08,661 --> 00:07:11,741 Speaker 3: made sense. That's why I try to join the service, 118 00:07:11,781 --> 00:07:15,141 Speaker 3: because I was doing something for my country. 119 00:07:16,381 --> 00:07:19,381 Speaker 2: Rick had grown up in a housing project in Stockton, California. 120 00:07:19,941 --> 00:07:22,901 Speaker 2: He was the oldest of four kids. His dad left 121 00:07:22,901 --> 00:07:25,701 Speaker 2: the family when Rick was little, and his mom worked 122 00:07:25,781 --> 00:07:30,461 Speaker 2: multiple jobs, barely scraping by. There wasn't any money for 123 00:07:30,581 --> 00:07:33,821 Speaker 2: Rick to go to college. Regardless, he wanted to serve, 124 00:07:34,421 --> 00:07:37,741 Speaker 2: so when he graduated high school in nineteen sixty three, 125 00:07:37,981 --> 00:07:42,501 Speaker 2: he decided, I'll become a Green Beret and he went 126 00:07:42,581 --> 00:07:44,421 Speaker 2: straight to the Army recruiting center. 127 00:07:45,261 --> 00:07:47,741 Speaker 7: Army was the first physical I had taken, and they said, 128 00:07:47,821 --> 00:07:48,421 Speaker 7: you're out of here. 129 00:07:48,461 --> 00:07:50,821 Speaker 3: You can't to see how you're right. I was kind 130 00:07:50,821 --> 00:07:51,341 Speaker 3: of shocked. 131 00:07:52,101 --> 00:07:52,901 Speaker 1: This kills me. 132 00:07:53,501 --> 00:07:57,861 Speaker 2: I mean, Rick was totally blindsided, no pun intended by 133 00:07:57,901 --> 00:07:59,861 Speaker 2: the news that he couldn't see out of his right eye. 134 00:08:00,581 --> 00:08:03,781 Speaker 2: Why because it never stopped him from doing anything. 135 00:08:04,541 --> 00:08:06,461 Speaker 3: I don't know if I ever knew that I was blind, 136 00:08:06,461 --> 00:08:10,741 Speaker 3: because I did everything I wanted to do. I played baseball, basketball, football, everything, 137 00:08:11,421 --> 00:08:13,821 Speaker 3: and my mother never said, you know, don't do this 138 00:08:14,061 --> 00:08:16,061 Speaker 3: because you're blinding on so I was shocked. 139 00:08:17,501 --> 00:08:20,501 Speaker 2: Okay, so the green Berets were out. So he went 140 00:08:20,541 --> 00:08:24,381 Speaker 2: to the Navy, same deal, then the Air Force, then 141 00:08:24,421 --> 00:08:29,101 Speaker 2: the Marines. Nobody would take him. So now I'm going 142 00:08:29,181 --> 00:08:31,781 Speaker 2: to tell you the second reason Rick was so desperate 143 00:08:31,781 --> 00:08:35,381 Speaker 2: to join the military. He had a brother, Robert, who 144 00:08:35,420 --> 00:08:39,141 Speaker 2: was two years younger than him. They were tight and 145 00:08:39,581 --> 00:08:43,821 Speaker 2: they were super competitive, you know, typical brothers. And in 146 00:08:43,901 --> 00:08:47,940 Speaker 2: nineteen sixty five, when Robert graduated, he joined the Marines. 147 00:08:48,741 --> 00:08:50,860 Speaker 3: I said, well, that's it. Because the way I was raised, 148 00:08:50,940 --> 00:08:53,741 Speaker 3: it was my responsibility. I was the older brother. I 149 00:08:53,780 --> 00:08:56,261 Speaker 3: should have been in the service in sixty three, two 150 00:08:56,341 --> 00:08:58,540 Speaker 3: years before him, or a year before him. 151 00:08:58,540 --> 00:09:02,221 Speaker 2: Anyway, Rick wasn't about to let his little brother beat 152 00:09:02,261 --> 00:09:04,581 Speaker 2: him to the punch. So we went back to the 153 00:09:04,621 --> 00:09:08,220 Speaker 2: Marines again and again, and. 154 00:09:08,261 --> 00:09:10,901 Speaker 3: I went to the Marine Corps recruiter so many times. 155 00:09:10,981 --> 00:09:12,620 Speaker 3: The guy just you know, I think he tried to 156 00:09:12,621 --> 00:09:14,981 Speaker 3: get rid of me. He just told me in nineteen 157 00:09:14,981 --> 00:09:18,021 Speaker 3: sixty five, he said, let's try the reserve. Sometimes the 158 00:09:18,101 --> 00:09:22,100 Speaker 3: reserves will lower the qualifications during the time of the 159 00:09:22,101 --> 00:09:25,621 Speaker 3: war and you can get in maybe serving a reserve capacity. 160 00:09:26,180 --> 00:09:30,381 Speaker 3: So I said, okay, the recruiter I had also told me. 161 00:09:30,381 --> 00:09:32,220 Speaker 3: He says, well, you know, when you get the boot camp, 162 00:09:32,420 --> 00:09:35,381 Speaker 3: they ask all the reserves who wants to be a 163 00:09:35,621 --> 00:09:39,741 Speaker 3: regular marine, And he says, if you're really set on 164 00:09:39,901 --> 00:09:42,381 Speaker 3: being a regular, you raise your little pinky and you're 165 00:09:42,420 --> 00:09:43,021 Speaker 3: down the road. 166 00:09:43,940 --> 00:09:47,141 Speaker 2: Now Rick had a plan, and then he upped his 167 00:09:47,221 --> 00:09:49,180 Speaker 2: odds just a little bit more. 168 00:09:49,901 --> 00:09:52,300 Speaker 1: He told this story once to a live audience. 169 00:09:52,981 --> 00:09:55,740 Speaker 7: The final test in those days, before you went into 170 00:09:55,780 --> 00:09:59,021 Speaker 7: the enlistment room was to take an eye test. So 171 00:09:59,221 --> 00:10:01,981 Speaker 7: the examiner told me to cover my right eye and 172 00:10:02,101 --> 00:10:04,580 Speaker 7: read the chart, and they gave you a little paper 173 00:10:04,621 --> 00:10:07,221 Speaker 7: towel you had to cover your eye with. So I 174 00:10:07,341 --> 00:10:10,341 Speaker 7: covered my right eye read the chart, and he said, okay, 175 00:10:10,420 --> 00:10:12,501 Speaker 7: very good, I'll cover the other eye and. 176 00:10:12,381 --> 00:10:13,221 Speaker 3: Read the chart. 177 00:10:13,460 --> 00:10:16,701 Speaker 7: And so I changed hands with the napkin and covered 178 00:10:16,700 --> 00:10:19,901 Speaker 7: my right eye with my left hand. 179 00:10:19,221 --> 00:10:25,501 Speaker 2: And clever Rick made it into the reserves. And then 180 00:10:25,540 --> 00:10:28,221 Speaker 2: he raised his little pinky and got into the core. 181 00:10:29,141 --> 00:10:30,901 Speaker 2: Oh and one of the first things he did when 182 00:10:30,901 --> 00:10:33,901 Speaker 2: he got to Vietnam he figured out where Robert was. 183 00:10:34,741 --> 00:10:37,541 Speaker 2: Turns out he was stationed close by, so Rick went 184 00:10:37,660 --> 00:10:39,420 Speaker 2: and paid him a brotherly visit. 185 00:10:40,060 --> 00:10:41,501 Speaker 1: When I went back to my Company. 186 00:10:42,021 --> 00:10:44,381 Speaker 7: I asked my first ardant about I had heard about 187 00:10:44,381 --> 00:10:46,580 Speaker 7: an old law that two brothers couldn't be in the 188 00:10:46,621 --> 00:10:50,060 Speaker 7: same combat area at the same time, and he checked 189 00:10:50,060 --> 00:10:51,941 Speaker 7: it out and he got me the information. He wanted 190 00:10:51,940 --> 00:10:53,261 Speaker 7: to know why, and I said, go to my brother's 191 00:10:53,341 --> 00:10:57,141 Speaker 7: back at July and the first Arten basically said not anymore. 192 00:10:58,420 --> 00:11:02,221 Speaker 2: Rick got his brother sent back to the States. He 193 00:11:02,300 --> 00:11:05,581 Speaker 2: wanted to serve and he wanted to do it first. 194 00:11:07,221 --> 00:11:11,060 Speaker 2: JFK had asked what Rick could do for his country. Wow, 195 00:11:11,180 --> 00:11:15,660 Speaker 2: he was finally doing something. And on July twenty fourth, 196 00:11:15,940 --> 00:11:20,141 Speaker 2: Rick was a part of Operation Hastings, going into the wilderness, 197 00:11:20,621 --> 00:11:24,341 Speaker 2: finding the enemy and learning what it really meant to 198 00:11:24,420 --> 00:11:46,381 Speaker 2: take action. On July twenty fourth, nineteen sixty six, Rick 199 00:11:46,420 --> 00:11:48,941 Speaker 2: Pittman and the rest of Company I woke up in 200 00:11:48,981 --> 00:11:52,381 Speaker 2: the Jungles of Vietnam with a new set of orders. 201 00:11:52,741 --> 00:11:54,341 Speaker 7: We were told were moving up to set up a 202 00:11:54,420 --> 00:11:57,420 Speaker 7: radio relay point for the whole operation because the area 203 00:11:57,460 --> 00:12:00,741 Speaker 7: that wream was mountainous area with several valleys in between, 204 00:12:00,780 --> 00:12:04,621 Speaker 7: and they need a unit to become a radio relay point. 205 00:12:05,621 --> 00:12:08,501 Speaker 2: In other words, they would be setting up communications deep 206 00:12:08,540 --> 00:12:11,861 Speaker 2: and territory that the NVA had been whole for weeks. 207 00:12:12,901 --> 00:12:16,221 Speaker 2: It was summer and it was hot as they set 208 00:12:16,261 --> 00:12:19,301 Speaker 2: out that morning. Their first challenge was climbing a steep 209 00:12:19,381 --> 00:12:22,621 Speaker 2: hill that led into the wilderness. It was tough going, 210 00:12:23,141 --> 00:12:27,261 Speaker 2: guys scrambling up single file, sometimes on their hands and knees. 211 00:12:27,981 --> 00:12:30,940 Speaker 3: We were supposed to move up this hill to establish 212 00:12:30,981 --> 00:12:35,660 Speaker 3: the radio relay point, and we were just moving up 213 00:12:35,700 --> 00:12:39,261 Speaker 3: a trail. I was the last one in the column. 214 00:12:39,341 --> 00:12:41,581 Speaker 3: I was what they called tailoring Charlie from my squad, 215 00:12:41,741 --> 00:12:44,141 Speaker 3: and I was the last one in the company. 216 00:12:45,700 --> 00:12:47,341 Speaker 1: Rick's job was to guard the rear. 217 00:12:48,021 --> 00:12:51,861 Speaker 2: Yet a sense that NVA soldiers were all around watching 218 00:12:51,940 --> 00:12:55,220 Speaker 2: them make their way into the jungle. Then his squad 219 00:12:55,300 --> 00:12:57,101 Speaker 2: came face to face with three of them. 220 00:12:57,901 --> 00:13:01,220 Speaker 3: We killed one and wounded one and captured one, and 221 00:13:01,341 --> 00:13:04,061 Speaker 3: we reported that, and we just were told to keep 222 00:13:04,221 --> 00:13:06,741 Speaker 3: moving to the front, so we took them with us. 223 00:13:07,420 --> 00:13:09,060 Speaker 1: At the top of the hill was a clearing. 224 00:13:09,660 --> 00:13:11,980 Speaker 2: Below it, on the far side was a jungle trail 225 00:13:12,261 --> 00:13:16,821 Speaker 2: weaving through tall bushes. One by one, the line of 226 00:13:16,901 --> 00:13:23,821 Speaker 2: marines jumped down to follow that path deeper into enemy territory. Suddenly, 227 00:13:23,861 --> 00:13:27,341 Speaker 2: the sound of gunfire echoed through the trees. The front 228 00:13:27,341 --> 00:13:30,621 Speaker 2: of the line had hit an ambush. Dozens of enemy 229 00:13:30,660 --> 00:13:32,741 Speaker 2: soldiers had been hiding and waiting. 230 00:13:33,420 --> 00:13:35,660 Speaker 1: The Marines raced forward to help their brothers. 231 00:13:36,460 --> 00:13:39,901 Speaker 3: Everybody took off to the front, and so I, you know, 232 00:13:40,261 --> 00:13:43,060 Speaker 3: only smoked and took off after him. They were kind 233 00:13:43,101 --> 00:13:45,741 Speaker 3: of jumping off the trail that we were on to 234 00:13:45,780 --> 00:13:46,581 Speaker 3: a lower level. 235 00:13:47,540 --> 00:13:49,981 Speaker 2: Rick got to the jump off point ready to follow. 236 00:13:50,501 --> 00:13:51,981 Speaker 2: Then someone caught his eye. 237 00:13:52,501 --> 00:13:54,621 Speaker 3: There was a guy sitting there with the machine gun 238 00:13:54,940 --> 00:13:58,420 Speaker 3: and some ammunition, and I could hear, you know, marines 239 00:13:58,460 --> 00:14:01,181 Speaker 3: calling for more firepower and help. 240 00:14:02,381 --> 00:14:05,420 Speaker 2: That marine with the machine gun wasn't moving, even though 241 00:14:05,460 --> 00:14:07,180 Speaker 2: the guys down the trail needed help. 242 00:14:07,940 --> 00:14:08,981 Speaker 1: Rick couldn't believe it. 243 00:14:09,580 --> 00:14:10,861 Speaker 3: I guess. I asked him if he was going to 244 00:14:10,981 --> 00:14:12,861 Speaker 3: use it or whatever. He didn't give me an answer, 245 00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:15,780 Speaker 3: So I just took the machine gun from him and 246 00:14:15,820 --> 00:14:18,861 Speaker 3: some ammunition, and then me and a corman started off 247 00:14:18,940 --> 00:14:21,021 Speaker 3: after the rest of their company. 248 00:14:21,101 --> 00:14:24,461 Speaker 2: The two men raced toward the gunfire. A corman is 249 00:14:24,460 --> 00:14:26,821 Speaker 2: a medic, so the guy has called him Doc. 250 00:14:27,541 --> 00:14:31,901 Speaker 3: I told Doc not to move unless I moved first. 251 00:14:32,580 --> 00:14:35,061 Speaker 3: I'm going to go. I'm going to fire, then you 252 00:14:35,181 --> 00:14:39,981 Speaker 3: come up. I don't know exactly what happened. The next 253 00:14:39,981 --> 00:14:43,101 Speaker 3: thing I knew, Doc is over me. He jumped over me, 254 00:14:43,141 --> 00:14:45,901 Speaker 3: and he's going down the trail and he he gets 255 00:14:45,941 --> 00:14:52,061 Speaker 3: hit and he was killed. I took those positions under 256 00:14:52,061 --> 00:14:55,101 Speaker 3: fire that killed him and was able to destroy them, 257 00:14:55,501 --> 00:14:58,501 Speaker 3: and then continued farther on towards the front of the company. 258 00:14:59,141 --> 00:15:01,901 Speaker 3: And when I got up to where the I guess 259 00:15:01,941 --> 00:15:05,501 Speaker 3: the main elements werever just casualties everywhere, wounded and killed, 260 00:15:06,741 --> 00:15:10,301 Speaker 3: and I was firing wherever the fire was coming from. 261 00:15:11,781 --> 00:15:16,421 Speaker 3: I just continued to go forward and marines everywhere. They're 262 00:15:16,421 --> 00:15:18,740 Speaker 3: in a prone position, but some of them firing with 263 00:15:18,781 --> 00:15:21,621 Speaker 3: one arm, some of them laying on their sides even 264 00:15:21,661 --> 00:15:26,261 Speaker 3: though they're wounded, and some seriously they're still continuing to fire. 265 00:15:27,341 --> 00:15:29,461 Speaker 1: Rick couldn't stop to help any of them. 266 00:15:30,141 --> 00:15:32,461 Speaker 2: He had to keep pushing to the front where the 267 00:15:32,580 --> 00:15:34,341 Speaker 2: NVA soldiers were concentrated. 268 00:15:35,181 --> 00:15:39,701 Speaker 3: Actually, remember somebody screaming, we need more firepower, and it 269 00:15:39,741 --> 00:15:42,181 Speaker 3: turns out I had the last functioning machine gun. 270 00:15:42,901 --> 00:15:46,541 Speaker 2: He kept shooting and moving forward. Gunfire was coming at 271 00:15:46,621 --> 00:15:47,741 Speaker 2: him from three sides. 272 00:15:48,460 --> 00:15:50,421 Speaker 3: When I got to the where I thought was the 273 00:15:50,460 --> 00:15:53,781 Speaker 3: front of the unit, my gun ran on ammunition. I 274 00:15:53,941 --> 00:15:56,740 Speaker 3: just opened the gun, refed a new belt in it, 275 00:15:57,261 --> 00:16:01,141 Speaker 3: closed it. In my mind at that time, it was 276 00:16:01,181 --> 00:16:05,061 Speaker 3: like the war had just stopped. I don't recall any 277 00:16:05,101 --> 00:16:08,301 Speaker 3: conscious thing. I don't recall any noises, I don't recall 278 00:16:08,341 --> 00:16:11,301 Speaker 3: anything at that time. When I was changing the belt 279 00:16:11,341 --> 00:16:14,261 Speaker 3: in the gun and then I loaded it, I looked 280 00:16:14,301 --> 00:16:16,701 Speaker 3: up and there were North Vietnamese coming right at me. 281 00:16:16,821 --> 00:16:19,581 Speaker 3: I mean, I don't even know how many, thirty to 282 00:16:19,661 --> 00:16:22,901 Speaker 3: forty whatever, I know there was a lot. And it 283 00:16:22,941 --> 00:16:27,141 Speaker 3: was like the best way I can explain this, it 284 00:16:27,181 --> 00:16:30,821 Speaker 3: was like we surprised each other. Turns out the lull 285 00:16:30,941 --> 00:16:33,381 Speaker 3: and the fighting was is that. I guess they had 286 00:16:33,501 --> 00:16:36,781 Speaker 3: thought they had either killed or wounded everyone, and they 287 00:16:36,781 --> 00:16:38,741 Speaker 3: were just waiting to see if there was any more 288 00:16:38,861 --> 00:16:42,941 Speaker 3: fire coming, if anybody was moving, or you know, I 289 00:16:42,941 --> 00:16:46,021 Speaker 3: don't know what, but they sent maybe a platoon up 290 00:16:46,181 --> 00:16:48,101 Speaker 3: to find out what the hell's going on, you know, 291 00:16:48,221 --> 00:16:52,501 Speaker 3: and then it just boom, I'm there and they're there, 292 00:16:53,301 --> 00:16:55,781 Speaker 3: and so you know, it just started shooting. 293 00:16:56,421 --> 00:16:58,980 Speaker 2: It was like the sounds of war instantly went from 294 00:16:59,061 --> 00:17:03,141 Speaker 2: mute to deafening. Shouts and bullets ripped the air. As 295 00:17:03,221 --> 00:17:05,021 Speaker 2: Rick tried to hold off the enemy. 296 00:17:06,061 --> 00:17:08,941 Speaker 3: My machine gun took a couple of rounds and quit fire, 297 00:17:08,981 --> 00:17:11,821 Speaker 3: and I thought that was it. I checked it, and 298 00:17:11,861 --> 00:17:13,661 Speaker 3: I looked up and there was the Vietnamese and I 299 00:17:13,701 --> 00:17:17,061 Speaker 3: didn't have a gun, and right almost at my feet 300 00:17:17,181 --> 00:17:20,181 Speaker 3: was an AK forty seven. So I just assumed that 301 00:17:20,221 --> 00:17:22,941 Speaker 3: it was ready to fire, and luckily for me, it was. 302 00:17:23,021 --> 00:17:26,021 Speaker 3: And so I kept firing with the AK forty seven 303 00:17:26,101 --> 00:17:29,301 Speaker 3: until it ran out of ammo. And then I had 304 00:17:29,301 --> 00:17:31,941 Speaker 3: a forty five from somewhere, and I kept shooting the 305 00:17:31,981 --> 00:17:35,421 Speaker 3: forty five and then I was out of ammo. 306 00:17:36,461 --> 00:17:39,261 Speaker 2: Just in case you weren't following along, he shot a 307 00:17:39,301 --> 00:17:43,261 Speaker 2: thirty pound machine gun, then an AK forty seven, then 308 00:17:43,301 --> 00:17:46,661 Speaker 2: a pistol, all while standing in the jungle at the 309 00:17:46,701 --> 00:17:52,101 Speaker 2: front of the line alone, until Rick ran out of ammunition. 310 00:17:53,301 --> 00:17:55,221 Speaker 3: It was an old, damn, what I'm going to do 311 00:17:55,301 --> 00:17:56,461 Speaker 3: now kind of thoughts, you know. 312 00:17:57,181 --> 00:18:00,101 Speaker 1: But he wasn't about to stop, not Rick. 313 00:18:00,821 --> 00:18:06,340 Speaker 3: I had a grenade, and after the explosion, they just left. 314 00:18:06,701 --> 00:18:09,701 Speaker 3: I don't know whether they pulled back I killed them 315 00:18:09,701 --> 00:18:13,221 Speaker 3: all or I don't know, you know, they just slept. 316 00:18:14,421 --> 00:18:17,781 Speaker 2: The jungle got a little quieter, and in that silence, 317 00:18:18,221 --> 00:18:19,381 Speaker 2: Rick looked around him. 318 00:18:20,221 --> 00:18:22,021 Speaker 3: Seemed like there were casualties everywhere. 319 00:18:23,981 --> 00:18:27,421 Speaker 2: It was a miracle he was still alive. During the firefight, 320 00:18:27,781 --> 00:18:31,340 Speaker 2: his helmet was shot off. The survivors started the grim 321 00:18:31,381 --> 00:18:34,541 Speaker 2: work of dragging the wounded up the trail they needed 322 00:18:34,541 --> 00:18:36,580 Speaker 2: to get them to the top of the hill. It 323 00:18:36,661 --> 00:18:38,781 Speaker 2: was the only place with enough of a clearing for 324 00:18:38,821 --> 00:18:42,941 Speaker 2: a helicopter to land, their only chance to metavac out. 325 00:18:43,221 --> 00:18:45,301 Speaker 3: I tried to help wound you guys and get some 326 00:18:45,341 --> 00:18:48,741 Speaker 3: guys out. Our radio man was wounded severely, but he 327 00:18:49,301 --> 00:18:51,541 Speaker 3: begged me not to move him, so I just pulled 328 00:18:51,621 --> 00:18:53,340 Speaker 3: him off the side of the trail and covered him 329 00:18:53,421 --> 00:18:54,100 Speaker 3: up with brush. 330 00:18:55,741 --> 00:18:58,661 Speaker 2: When the helicopters came, they took fire from the NBA. 331 00:18:59,461 --> 00:19:02,381 Speaker 2: The choppers couldn't land, so the men dug trenches and 332 00:19:02,541 --> 00:19:06,381 Speaker 2: settled in for the night. It was pouring rain, and 333 00:19:06,421 --> 00:19:09,341 Speaker 2: then suddenly a mortarshell hit the crest of the hill, 334 00:19:09,901 --> 00:19:15,461 Speaker 2: dropping among them wounded. Some got injured, even more others died. 335 00:19:17,141 --> 00:19:20,461 Speaker 2: Dawn came and the choppers tried again. They were able 336 00:19:20,501 --> 00:19:23,661 Speaker 2: to lower cormen to help the wounded. They also dropped 337 00:19:23,741 --> 00:19:27,301 Speaker 2: chainsaws so the survivors could clear space for them. To land, 338 00:19:28,101 --> 00:19:31,461 Speaker 2: and amazingly there was a camera crew recording the rescue. 339 00:19:33,061 --> 00:19:34,701 Speaker 8: Anyway, helicopters it again. 340 00:19:35,421 --> 00:19:37,421 Speaker 3: This time we're on our white side. 341 00:19:38,781 --> 00:19:39,821 Speaker 9: A lot of hell's up here. 342 00:19:41,301 --> 00:19:42,501 Speaker 8: Drop off rout. 343 00:19:46,541 --> 00:19:49,501 Speaker 7: The next day was probably the hardest day because we 344 00:19:49,621 --> 00:19:53,061 Speaker 7: actually were treating our wounded and recovering our dead marines, 345 00:19:53,101 --> 00:19:56,861 Speaker 7: and to see the body bags was. 346 00:19:58,981 --> 00:19:59,741 Speaker 3: The hardest thing. 347 00:20:01,621 --> 00:20:05,340 Speaker 2: And then the survivors settled in for another night they 348 00:20:05,381 --> 00:20:06,461 Speaker 2: would hike back out. 349 00:20:06,501 --> 00:20:07,901 Speaker 1: On July twenty sixth. 350 00:20:08,661 --> 00:20:14,501 Speaker 3: When we walked out, there wasn't There wasn't many of us. 351 00:20:15,741 --> 00:20:18,261 Speaker 2: Two hundred and thirty Marines had gone up that hill 352 00:20:18,381 --> 00:20:24,421 Speaker 2: two days earlier, only seventy six return. Rick had acted 353 00:20:24,461 --> 00:20:29,781 Speaker 2: with undeniable bravery, but he would never stop wondering if 354 00:20:29,781 --> 00:20:51,141 Speaker 2: he had done enough. Rick finished out his tour in Vietnam. 355 00:20:51,941 --> 00:20:54,580 Speaker 2: He wanted to stay in the Marines, make a career 356 00:20:54,621 --> 00:20:57,781 Speaker 2: out of it, but there was his bad right eye 357 00:20:58,221 --> 00:20:59,701 Speaker 2: getting in the way again. 358 00:21:00,701 --> 00:21:03,061 Speaker 3: I got an eye infection from a parasite that I 359 00:21:03,061 --> 00:21:07,301 Speaker 3: had brought home from Vietnam, and when the ophtalmologist saw 360 00:21:07,341 --> 00:21:10,261 Speaker 3: my bright eye, he went what we called the Marine 361 00:21:10,301 --> 00:21:14,341 Speaker 3: Corps high and right. Man. I want to know what 362 00:21:14,421 --> 00:21:16,141 Speaker 3: I was doing how long I had been in the 363 00:21:16,141 --> 00:21:18,461 Speaker 3: Marine Corps, where I had been, how long did I 364 00:21:18,501 --> 00:21:21,781 Speaker 3: have left on my enlistment, and that I should have 365 00:21:21,861 --> 00:21:24,741 Speaker 3: never been in the Marine Corps. Well, that was on 366 00:21:25,061 --> 00:21:26,501 Speaker 3: deaf fears, because I knew that. 367 00:21:27,541 --> 00:21:30,981 Speaker 2: I mean, obviously, Rick knew he was blind in one eye. 368 00:21:31,461 --> 00:21:34,501 Speaker 2: It was even in his official paperwork. By then, he'd 369 00:21:34,541 --> 00:21:39,061 Speaker 2: been promoted, done all the right things. But in the military, 370 00:21:39,381 --> 00:21:42,701 Speaker 2: a rule is a rule, even for a guy who 371 00:21:42,821 --> 00:21:45,541 Speaker 2: stood in the middle of a jungle trail and fought 372 00:21:45,581 --> 00:21:47,381 Speaker 2: to the last bullet. 373 00:21:47,621 --> 00:21:49,501 Speaker 3: They medically discharged me for. 374 00:21:51,341 --> 00:21:56,381 Speaker 7: Being disqualified didn't meet the eye requirement, And so I 375 00:21:56,461 --> 00:22:00,661 Speaker 7: was a tad perturbed by that, and I had some 376 00:22:00,781 --> 00:22:02,621 Speaker 7: choice words with the review board. 377 00:22:03,901 --> 00:22:08,301 Speaker 2: Nothing he said made any difference. By then, Rick was 378 00:22:08,341 --> 00:22:11,860 Speaker 2: married to a young woman named Jerry Burke. He had 379 00:22:11,941 --> 00:22:13,941 Speaker 2: met her years before, back when she was still in 380 00:22:13,981 --> 00:22:17,701 Speaker 2: Pigtails hanging out with his sister. They moved his Stockton 381 00:22:17,901 --> 00:22:20,341 Speaker 2: and Rick looked for a new job, but he wasn't 382 00:22:20,381 --> 00:22:25,621 Speaker 2: having any luck. Then one day he noticed his car 383 00:22:25,741 --> 00:22:26,580 Speaker 2: was being tailed. 384 00:22:27,301 --> 00:22:29,541 Speaker 3: One afternoon, I was on my way back home and 385 00:22:29,141 --> 00:22:33,821 Speaker 3: I noticed this Marine Corps sedan behind me, And when 386 00:22:33,861 --> 00:22:36,181 Speaker 3: I would turn, it would turn. You know. As I 387 00:22:36,261 --> 00:22:39,181 Speaker 3: was going back to my apartment, I thought, holy socks, 388 00:22:39,741 --> 00:22:42,061 Speaker 3: and this is sixty eight. You know, a lot of 389 00:22:42,061 --> 00:22:45,101 Speaker 3: guys going to Canada. I thought, oh my god, these 390 00:22:45,101 --> 00:22:46,261 Speaker 3: people think I'm a deserter. 391 00:22:47,221 --> 00:22:47,461 Speaker 1: You know. 392 00:22:48,341 --> 00:22:49,781 Speaker 3: I went all the way home and I went in 393 00:22:49,781 --> 00:22:53,461 Speaker 3: my apartment, and that probably wasn't this fast, but I remember, 394 00:22:53,501 --> 00:22:55,181 Speaker 3: I think my hand was still on the doorknob and 395 00:22:55,221 --> 00:22:56,221 Speaker 3: there was a knock on the door. 396 00:22:57,221 --> 00:23:00,621 Speaker 2: It was three men in uniform. Rick was a polite guy, 397 00:23:01,061 --> 00:23:02,261 Speaker 2: so he invited them in. 398 00:23:02,981 --> 00:23:06,381 Speaker 3: I said, well, what is this about? And they said, 399 00:23:06,381 --> 00:23:08,181 Speaker 3: we're going to tell you something that you can tell 400 00:23:08,301 --> 00:23:11,941 Speaker 3: no one else except your wife obviously. And then they 401 00:23:11,941 --> 00:23:14,221 Speaker 3: said we're going to be flying you to Washington, Deceit 402 00:23:14,301 --> 00:23:18,181 Speaker 3: to receive the Metal honor. And I mean, I couldn't 403 00:23:18,181 --> 00:23:23,221 Speaker 3: comprehend for what, you know, I didn't, I had no clue. 404 00:23:24,261 --> 00:23:26,461 Speaker 1: They asked if he wanted them to read the citation 405 00:23:27,021 --> 00:23:28,981 Speaker 1: as proof. He did. 406 00:23:29,741 --> 00:23:31,501 Speaker 3: At first, I had a hard time remember what the 407 00:23:31,501 --> 00:23:33,141 Speaker 3: hell a they talking about. I didn't know if they 408 00:23:33,141 --> 00:23:36,101 Speaker 3: were talking about me or they were talking about somebody else. 409 00:23:37,141 --> 00:23:39,100 Speaker 3: But yeah, it turns out it was me. 410 00:23:40,461 --> 00:23:43,620 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it was him. He didn't think he had 411 00:23:43,661 --> 00:23:44,541 Speaker 1: been all that brave. 412 00:23:45,461 --> 00:23:51,101 Speaker 3: Things happened so fast that your training just took over. 413 00:23:51,141 --> 00:23:53,341 Speaker 3: You just, you know, you just react. I just reacted. 414 00:23:54,421 --> 00:23:57,181 Speaker 2: Soon he and Jerry were heading to Washington, d C. 415 00:23:58,021 --> 00:24:02,141 Speaker 2: His mom and his siblings went to even his little brother, Robert, 416 00:24:02,301 --> 00:24:04,901 Speaker 2: who was still in the Marines. Would you have to 417 00:24:04,981 --> 00:24:10,501 Speaker 2: imagine made Rick crazy. President Lyndon B. Johnson welcomed them 418 00:24:10,501 --> 00:24:14,421 Speaker 2: to the White House. The ceremony took place on May fourteenth, 419 00:24:14,661 --> 00:24:15,941 Speaker 2: nineteen sixty eight. 420 00:24:16,621 --> 00:24:20,261 Speaker 8: Sergeant Pittman quickly exchanged his rifle for a machine gun 421 00:24:20,581 --> 00:24:24,541 Speaker 8: and several belts of ammunition, left the relative safety of 422 00:24:24,541 --> 00:24:29,221 Speaker 8: his position, and unhesitatingly rushed forward to aid his comrades. 423 00:24:31,261 --> 00:24:33,821 Speaker 3: The whole time, I just couldn't I couldn't believe it 424 00:24:33,861 --> 00:24:37,661 Speaker 3: was me. I mean, it's you know, their poor kid 425 00:24:37,661 --> 00:24:39,781 Speaker 3: from stock in California stand in front of the President 426 00:24:39,821 --> 00:24:42,661 Speaker 3: of the United States. I guess I was stuttering, you know, 427 00:24:42,741 --> 00:24:45,861 Speaker 3: and he just said, just relax on, this won't take long. 428 00:24:46,581 --> 00:24:50,701 Speaker 9: They will place their names now in a new Hall 429 00:24:50,941 --> 00:24:55,781 Speaker 9: of Heroes as a memorial to all who have earned 430 00:24:55,821 --> 00:25:01,301 Speaker 9: their country's high stowed for courage in combat. 431 00:25:02,941 --> 00:25:05,621 Speaker 3: And then we came back to Stockton, unemployed and back 432 00:25:05,661 --> 00:25:06,301 Speaker 3: to reality. 433 00:25:06,901 --> 00:25:10,901 Speaker 1: After that, he tried to become a police officer. 434 00:25:11,541 --> 00:25:15,021 Speaker 2: That had been another childhood dream, just a different way 435 00:25:15,101 --> 00:25:18,381 Speaker 2: to do something for his country, but he was turned down. 436 00:25:19,181 --> 00:25:23,421 Speaker 2: Why the eye. He was working as a truck driver 437 00:25:23,541 --> 00:25:26,141 Speaker 2: when two other Medal of Honor recipients came knocking on 438 00:25:26,221 --> 00:25:26,661 Speaker 2: his door. 439 00:25:27,341 --> 00:25:31,821 Speaker 7: Colonel Van Winkle and First Stardant Howard Jimmy Hard came 440 00:25:31,861 --> 00:25:34,381 Speaker 7: to my home and said, we heard you'd like to 441 00:25:34,421 --> 00:25:35,861 Speaker 7: go back in the Marine Corps, back. 442 00:25:35,701 --> 00:25:36,461 Speaker 3: On active duty. 443 00:25:37,021 --> 00:25:39,580 Speaker 7: I said, no, I can't because of the eye requirements, 444 00:25:39,621 --> 00:25:43,141 Speaker 7: and they said, well that can change. A month or 445 00:25:43,141 --> 00:25:45,301 Speaker 7: so later, the Commandant of the Marine Corps waved the 446 00:25:45,341 --> 00:25:48,581 Speaker 7: eye requirements for me and I was able to reenlist 447 00:25:48,661 --> 00:25:51,781 Speaker 7: and stay in until October nineteen eighty eight when I retired. 448 00:25:52,741 --> 00:25:53,981 Speaker 1: You mean that's all it took. 449 00:25:56,101 --> 00:25:58,580 Speaker 2: Back in the Marines, he worked as a recruiter and 450 00:25:58,621 --> 00:26:02,580 Speaker 2: a military policeman. It's worth noting that very few Medal 451 00:26:02,581 --> 00:26:06,421 Speaker 2: of Honor recipients re enlist, but the Marines felt like 452 00:26:06,581 --> 00:26:07,341 Speaker 2: home to Rick. 453 00:26:08,061 --> 00:26:11,821 Speaker 3: To me, there's nothing better to have done a job 454 00:26:11,901 --> 00:26:14,741 Speaker 3: and to have done it well. The Marine Corps only 455 00:26:14,861 --> 00:26:17,701 Speaker 3: enhanced that. The Marine Corps. They tell you to do something, 456 00:26:17,741 --> 00:26:21,901 Speaker 3: even if it's wrong, but do something. Don't just sit there. 457 00:26:21,941 --> 00:26:24,941 Speaker 3: You can't. To me, you might as well bellinum sighting 458 00:26:24,981 --> 00:26:25,501 Speaker 3: on the house. 459 00:26:27,141 --> 00:26:30,141 Speaker 1: Don't just sit there. It's kind of Rick's motto. 460 00:26:31,381 --> 00:26:34,821 Speaker 2: Despite his medal, he never thought of himself any differently, 461 00:26:35,501 --> 00:26:36,741 Speaker 2: certainly not as a hero. 462 00:26:37,701 --> 00:26:43,021 Speaker 3: There's nothing special about a Medal of Honor recipient. We're 463 00:26:43,141 --> 00:26:45,421 Speaker 3: just Joe Blow, so to speak. We just a guy 464 00:26:45,461 --> 00:26:49,941 Speaker 3: at that sat on the bench during high school, you know, 465 00:26:50,101 --> 00:26:52,701 Speaker 3: never got to start a game, or a guy that 466 00:26:52,821 --> 00:26:55,981 Speaker 3: carried towels, the guy that just sat there in class 467 00:26:55,981 --> 00:26:59,581 Speaker 3: and never voiced an opinion or raised his hand. I'm 468 00:26:59,621 --> 00:27:01,381 Speaker 3: just a guy who has a medal, and that's that's 469 00:27:01,381 --> 00:27:05,501 Speaker 3: all I am. 470 00:27:05,621 --> 00:27:08,581 Speaker 2: In the fall of nineteen eighty two, the Vietnam War 471 00:27:08,661 --> 00:27:12,661 Speaker 2: Memorial was erected in Washington, DC. Rick Pittman went to 472 00:27:12,701 --> 00:27:16,381 Speaker 2: see it, and that's when he finally realized how many 473 00:27:16,501 --> 00:27:18,421 Speaker 2: men had died in that ambush. 474 00:27:18,941 --> 00:27:20,781 Speaker 3: I didn't want to find out until I went to 475 00:27:20,821 --> 00:27:30,101 Speaker 3: the Vietnam Memorial to the wall, and when I saw 476 00:27:30,141 --> 00:27:33,100 Speaker 3: a couple of names that I knew, and they were 477 00:27:33,101 --> 00:27:36,781 Speaker 3: in my squad, and then the day of the action, 478 00:27:37,101 --> 00:27:39,141 Speaker 3: and then all the names that were right there together 479 00:27:43,141 --> 00:27:50,261 Speaker 3: differentult helped it shocked, just because we were all buddies, 480 00:27:50,301 --> 00:27:57,181 Speaker 3: you know, we were all close, and there was a lot, 481 00:27:57,581 --> 00:28:01,621 Speaker 3: just a lot of cash. 482 00:28:01,701 --> 00:28:05,021 Speaker 2: He was haunted by the feeling that he hadn't done enough, 483 00:28:06,301 --> 00:28:09,181 Speaker 2: but then something happened that helped him see the value 484 00:28:09,221 --> 00:28:13,741 Speaker 2: in what he had been able to do. A friend 485 00:28:13,741 --> 00:28:15,341 Speaker 2: called him and told him to look at the most 486 00:28:15,381 --> 00:28:18,261 Speaker 2: recent issue of leather Neck magazine and. 487 00:28:18,621 --> 00:28:19,701 Speaker 1: A marine from company. 488 00:28:19,701 --> 00:28:22,501 Speaker 2: I talked about how Rick had saved his life on 489 00:28:22,541 --> 00:28:24,861 Speaker 2: that jungle trail in nineteen sixty six. 490 00:28:25,581 --> 00:28:27,581 Speaker 3: I always wondered, I have a metal, but did it 491 00:28:27,701 --> 00:28:30,941 Speaker 3: do any good? You know, especially after I saw the 492 00:28:31,301 --> 00:28:33,261 Speaker 3: number of people who had been killed the mound that 493 00:28:33,341 --> 00:28:37,221 Speaker 3: I just always said, you know, what was it worth? 494 00:28:37,741 --> 00:28:40,941 Speaker 3: And then you find out that you know, it was 495 00:28:41,061 --> 00:28:42,621 Speaker 3: worth a lot. A lot of people wouldn't be here, 496 00:28:42,621 --> 00:28:45,661 Speaker 3: a lot of families wouldn't be here if not for 497 00:28:45,901 --> 00:28:49,341 Speaker 3: my contribution. So I feel good about that, but it's 498 00:28:49,381 --> 00:28:52,901 Speaker 3: still painful to hear the citation. 499 00:28:54,541 --> 00:28:59,821 Speaker 2: He finally started to feel not exactly worthy, but useful, 500 00:29:00,061 --> 00:29:03,461 Speaker 2: and being useful had always been the point. I mean, 501 00:29:03,821 --> 00:29:06,781 Speaker 2: he sure wasn't going to sit there like aluminum sighting. 502 00:29:08,341 --> 00:29:11,701 Speaker 2: Rick had four daughters and a lot of grandkids, and 503 00:29:11,741 --> 00:29:15,541 Speaker 2: they were all absolutely devoted to each other. His girl 504 00:29:15,581 --> 00:29:18,821 Speaker 2: saw him as ten feet tall and bulletproof. He was 505 00:29:18,901 --> 00:29:24,141 Speaker 2: their personal hero. He passed away in twenty sixteen at 506 00:29:24,181 --> 00:29:28,301 Speaker 2: the age of seventy one. Rick Pittman believed that you 507 00:29:28,341 --> 00:29:31,101 Speaker 2: couldn't just sit there and do nothing, not on the 508 00:29:31,181 --> 00:29:35,061 Speaker 2: battlefield and not in life, no matter what people tell 509 00:29:35,101 --> 00:29:37,781 Speaker 2: you about your abilities, no matter if they think you 510 00:29:37,901 --> 00:29:42,941 Speaker 2: can or not. Rick believed in defending freedom the way 511 00:29:43,061 --> 00:29:46,741 Speaker 2: JFK had envisioned it back in nineteen sixty one. How 512 00:29:46,781 --> 00:29:50,101 Speaker 2: the glow from that fire could truly light the world. 513 00:29:50,701 --> 00:29:54,221 Speaker 3: When you're preserving someone else's freedoms, I think you're preserving 514 00:29:54,261 --> 00:29:56,221 Speaker 3: your own. You're helping to preserve your own. 515 00:29:57,101 --> 00:29:59,581 Speaker 1: To him, it was the point of America. 516 00:30:00,381 --> 00:30:04,741 Speaker 3: The whole thing about this country is freedom. The very 517 00:30:04,781 --> 00:30:08,701 Speaker 3: basic rights that human beings have is what this country's 518 00:30:08,741 --> 00:30:12,501 Speaker 3: all about. I mean, it's so basically we even wrote 519 00:30:12,541 --> 00:30:16,421 Speaker 3: it down in our constitution and in our laws and everything. 520 00:30:16,461 --> 00:30:19,501 Speaker 3: It's there. Freedom of the piss, freedom of speech, freedom 521 00:30:19,541 --> 00:30:22,981 Speaker 3: to the symbol freedom. Break down the line, and you know, 522 00:30:23,141 --> 00:30:24,621 Speaker 3: if we're not careful, we could lose that. 523 00:30:26,381 --> 00:30:29,301 Speaker 2: Don't just sit there, he would tell you protect it. 524 00:31:02,541 --> 00:31:06,301 Speaker 2: Thank you all for listening and supporting our show. Over 525 00:31:06,341 --> 00:31:08,861 Speaker 2: the past year, we've gotten emails from some of you 526 00:31:08,981 --> 00:31:12,541 Speaker 2: sharing great stories of courage. We want to shout out 527 00:31:12,781 --> 00:31:19,301 Speaker 2: Lisa Cavalari's great uncle, Marine John Joseph Kelly. Kelly received 528 00:31:19,301 --> 00:31:22,661 Speaker 2: the Army and Navy Medal of Honor for his actions 529 00:31:22,661 --> 00:31:26,301 Speaker 2: in nineteen eighteen during World War One. He was one 530 00:31:26,341 --> 00:31:29,541 Speaker 2: of seven Kelly brothers, some of whom also served in 531 00:31:29,661 --> 00:31:34,061 Speaker 2: World War One. Thank you for sharing, Lisa. If you 532 00:31:34,181 --> 00:31:37,461 Speaker 2: have stories or people you'd like to highlight, email us 533 00:31:37,501 --> 00:31:43,501 Speaker 2: at Medal of Honor at pushkin dot fm. Your participation 534 00:31:43,581 --> 00:31:46,941 Speaker 2: helps us make great episodes, so please follow the show, 535 00:31:47,501 --> 00:31:51,021 Speaker 2: share it with a friend, or leave a review. These 536 00:31:51,061 --> 00:31:55,501 Speaker 2: are all zero cost ways to support us. Find us 537 00:31:55,541 --> 00:32:00,981 Speaker 2: on social media at pushkin pots or find me at IMJR. 538 00:32:01,101 --> 00:32:04,021 Speaker 1: Martinez Medal of Honor. 539 00:32:04,101 --> 00:32:07,981 Speaker 2: Stories of Courage is written by Meredith Rollins and produced 540 00:32:08,021 --> 00:32:11,661 Speaker 2: by Meredith Rollins and Ryan Schwiker. Our editor is Lydia 541 00:32:11,741 --> 00:32:16,141 Speaker 2: jen Kott. Sound design by Jake Gorski. Our executive producer 542 00:32:16,261 --> 00:32:21,301 Speaker 2: is Constanza Gayaddo. Fact checking by Arthur Gomperts, original music 543 00:32:21,301 --> 00:32:25,061 Speaker 2: by Eric Phillips. Special thanks to the Congressional Medal of 544 00:32:25,061 --> 00:32:28,701 Speaker 2: Honor Society and the Pritsker Military Museum. They have a 545 00:32:28,781 --> 00:32:32,221 Speaker 2: series of interviews with Medal of Honor recipients on their website. 546 00:32:32,501 --> 00:32:37,261 Speaker 2: Just visit Pritzker Military Museum dot org. That link is 547 00:32:37,261 --> 00:32:40,261 Speaker 2: in our show notes, where we also list other resources 548 00:32:40,261 --> 00:32:45,701 Speaker 2: we use to put this episode together. I'm your host, JR. Martinez. 549 00:33:00,141 --> 00:33:02,421 Speaker 2: We hear you. You want to listen to the episode, 550 00:33:02,741 --> 00:33:05,981 Speaker 2: not the ads. 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