U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam War Schaumburg, IL Flight date: September, 2019
By Carla Khan, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interviews Volunteer
With the Vietnam War raging overseas, Ronald “Buzz” Hunt wanted to “be the best he could be for his country” and signed up for the U.S. Marine Corps right after he turned 18. His Dad had already set an example by his serving with the U.S. Army Air Corps in S.E. Asia during WWII; Buzz followed without any reservation. He agreed with his two best friends from high school, Donnie Rouzan and Lance Janis to register with him so that all three of them would be allowed to stay together throughout Boot Camp and Basic Training because of the “Buddy Plan.”
It worked and soon enough the three of them found themselves on a flight to the San Diego Marine Base. Boot Camp was rough but “not that hard.” Buzz was physically in good condition and handled the mental stress by telling himself that he was the one who controlled his own mind. The three friends graduated from Boot Camp and went on to the Infantry Training Regiment (ITR) at Camp Pendleton where they became proficient in handling rifles and heavier weaponry. Finally, Buzz’s training was completed when he became a Wireman for Communications set-up. His job would be to install wires for phones and telex, and work the radio.
With training completed, the friends finally received their orders and were split up. While Lance became a cook in a safe zone, Buzz and Donnie were sent to “Wes-Pac” a euphemism for the Western Pacific, in other words: Vietnam. They departed from California and traveled by troopship to Okinawa. Other than suffering from sea sickness, the voyage was ok for Buzz because he’d been assigned mess duty rather than scrubbing decks or latrines. Once they arrived in Okinawa, they left their seabags with winter uniforms in storage because those wouldn’t be needed. (Much to his amusement, when he opened his seabag some 51 years later, among various uniform parts, he also discovered a pair of shorts that had been custom made for him by a Vietnamese tailor).
After just a few days in Okinawa, they went to Phu Bai via Da Nang Harbor because Buzz had been assigned to HQ 312, the 3rd Battalion 12th Marine Regiment. This turned out to be a fairly secure area. Buzz, 19-years-old, even wondered why they needed haircuts and had to keep a clean-cut look.
This assignment was a little too slow for Buzz, and he volunteered for the Combined Action Company (CAC). Along with 12 fellow Marines and one Corpsman, they were to live at a place code named “Hotel 1,” in a small village along Highway 1. The Company was assigned to work with the Popular Forces, an equivalent of our National Guard, setting up patrols and ambushes to help keep the Viet Cong at bay.
The village was split into four zones to be safeguarded: two along the sides of Highway 1, and another two on both sides of the river. The patrols consisted of four Marines and six members of the Popular Force. Their job was to ask around the village to see what was going on, and find out if the villagers had seen anything unusual.
Although the Marines spoke very little Vietnamese, their team leader spoke the language fluently. The entire patrol squad was very well received by the local population because they didn’t want to be occupied by the Viet Cong. In fact, the Americans were so welcome that occasionally they were even invited to dinners.
At night, when no one was supposed to be out on the road or on the river, ambushes were set up using tripwires. The system worked very well and not a single incident of a security breach occurred. One night, however, when Buzz and a couple of fellow Marines were patrolling the road, upon their return they suddenly were under the Popular Force’s “friendly fire.” Buzz quickly radioed the situation in and the fire ceased before anyone was injured.
These patrols continued for ten months until one day, just three months short of completing his tour of duty, Buzz suddenly received orders to leave immediately and report to Headquarters. He caught a truck convoy that day and upon arrival at HQ was told that he had to go home immediately because his father was seriously ill.
The following morning, Buzz heard that Hotel 1 had gotten hit by the Viet Cong and as the servicemen ran out, they were ambushed by the enemy. The first fatality was the team leader, Marine Corporal Roger Lee Wilson, who was carrying the radio that Buzz had always carried. Buzz struggles with the fact that it could have been him that day. The team leader had been from Elgin, Illinois, close to Buzz’s parents’ house. Since Buzz was now on emergency leave, he waited for a couple of days before contacting Corporal Wilson’s parents, but he did attend the funeral. In spite of the difficult and sad occasion, he was grateful that he could be there to honor his fellow serviceman.
Once Buzz’s dad was on the mend, and since Buzz had completed ten months of service “in country,” he spent the final three months of his service assigned on a “Caribbean Cruise.” He had the opportunity to visit Guantanamo Bay and Puerto Rico among other destinations. When he returned, he was discharged out of Camp LeJeune. Buzz completed another four years in the Inactive Reserve. He looks forward to sharing his Honor Flight with a fellow Vietnam veteran, buddy and now also brother-in-law, Sergeant Frank LaMarca. Frank was assigned to the 125th Air Traffic Control Squadron (USAF) and worked in mobile command centers to track Army aviation aircraft in-flight.
After the service, Buzz took advantage of the GI Bill when he joined the Electricians’ Union and completed its four-year apprenticeship program. During his service time, he stayed in contact with, Julie, his high school sweetheart, and upon his return from Vietnam in 1968, they got engaged. They were married in May, 1969. Buzz and Julie just celebrated their 50th anniversary along with their two children, their spouses, and their six grandchildren. Buzz says he enjoys every day of his retirement.
When he looks back upon his service years, he realizes that being in the Marines taught him responsibility and discipline. He also counts his blessings because to this very day, his time in the service has made him appreciate how good we have it in this country.