This Memorial Day weekend we honor the life of Sgt. Gordon Douglas Yntema, a man so full of American courage that he took on fifteen Viet Cong soldiers with only empty rifle rather than surrender.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Yntema, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while assigned to Detachment A-431, Company D. As part of a larger force of civilian irregulars from Camp Cai Cai, he accompanied two platoons to a blocking position east of the village of Thong Binh, where they became heavily engaged in a small-arms firefight with the Viet Cong. Assuming control of the force when the Vietnamese commander was seriously wounded, he advanced his troops to within 50 meters of the enemy bunkers. After a fierce 30-minute firefight, the enemy forced Sgt. Yntema to withdraw his men to a trench in order to afford them protection and still perform their assigned blocking mission. Under cover of machine-gun fire, approximately one company of Viet Cong maneuvered into a position which pinned down the friendly platoons from three sides. A dwindling ammunition supply, coupled with a Viet Cong mortar barrage which inflicted heavy losses on the exposed friendly troops, caused many of the irregulars to withdraw. Seriously wounded and ordered to withdraw himself, Sgt. Yntema refused to leave his fallen comrades. Under withering small-arms and machine-gun fire, he carried the wounded Vietnamese commander and a mortally wounded American Special Forces adviser to a small gully 50 meters away in order to shield them from the enemy fire. Sgt. Yntema then continued to repulse the attacking Viet Cong attempting to overrun his position until, out of ammunition and surrounded, he was offered the opportunity to surrender. Refusing, Sgt. Yntema stood his ground, using his rifle as a club to fight the approximately 15 Viet Cong attempting his capture. His resistance was so fierce that the Viet Cong were forced to shoot in order to overcome him. Sgt. Yntema’s personal bravery in the face of insurmountable odds and supreme self-sacrifice were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect the utmost credit upon himself, the 1st Special Forces, and the U.S. Army.
Sgt. Yntema died January 18, 1968. The Medal of Honor was presented to his widow on November 18, 1969.
Tags: Congressional Medal of Honor, Memorial Day, Vietnam, Vietnam War
Men such as Sgt. Gordon Douglas Yntema did not surrender to the enemy, even in the face of insurmountable odds. Surrender was made by venal politicians, who fought an ill-advised war and then abandoned those who trusted them for protection.
Sgt. Yntema has earned lasting acclaim but those who sent him to fight a war they did not intend to win deserve lasting infamy.
The men who fought in Vietnam and everywhere since were betrayed by the politicians, mostly left-wing.
The big difference between then and now is that the end of Vietnam saw the military admitting they’d screwed up a lot of things, and vowing reform. Which they did.
Trouble was, when they went into an analogous situation, namely Iraq and Afghanistan, they allowed the politicians to repeat the mistake of allowing an external refuge/support area for the guerrillas. To add insult to injury, they also allowed them to pay for it… All military aid to Pakistan did was free up their internal resources to support the Taliban against the US and Afghan forces. Which we never, ever did anything about. Same with Syria, to a lesser degree… We, at least, weren’t paying for the Syrian military to protect the former regime forces in Syria. A thing that blew up on Assad, when they turned on him…
We’d be justified in putting our entire political leadership on trial for war crimes against our own troops. There’s nothing more venal and depraved than sending men off to kill and die for a cause you don’t mean to win… And, then willingly write off once it becomes politically untenable. Both the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan debacle were things the Democrats supported… Until they did not. Then, they betrayed our allies and all the people in those countries that rallied to our cause, and screwed them over.
My advice for anyone allying themselves with the US? Don’t; the minute you’re no longer flavor of the month, you’re going to be betrayed and cut off from aid. Whatever you do, do not become beholden to the US for your military training or support; if you determine to fight along American lines absent American support, you’re doomed. Do everything with your own resources, and in your own way. If you can’t, just cut your losses early and get out of the conflict or surrender to your enemies. You’ll wind up better off than the usual lot of such people, like the Montagnards who became boat people…
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