Pa maulendo anayi opita ku Vietnam, Mkulu wa Gulu Lankhondo John J. Duffy nthawi zambiri ankamenya nkhondo kumbuyo kwa adani. Panthawi ina yotereyi, adapulumutsa yekha gulu lankhondo laku South Vietnamese kuti asaphedwe. Zaka makumi asanu pambuyo pake, Distinguished Service Cross yomwe adalandira chifukwa cha izi idakwezedwa kukhala Medal of Honor.
Duffy anabadwa pa March 16, 1938 ku Brooklyn, New York ndipo analowa usilikali mu March 1955 ali ndi zaka 17. Pofika m’chaka cha 1963, anakwezedwa udindo wa mkulu wa asilikali ndipo analowa m’gulu la asilikali la 5 lapadera, la Green Berets.
Pa ntchito yake, Duffy anatumizidwa ku Vietnam maulendo anayi: mu 1967, 1968, 1971 ndi 1973. Pautumiki wake wachitatu, adalandira Medal of Honor.
Kumayambiriro kwa Epulo 1972, Duffy anali mlangizi wamkulu wa gulu lankhondo la anthu osankhika ku South Vietnamese Army. Pamene North Vietnamese anayesa kulanda malo othandizira moto a Charlie kumapiri apakati a dzikolo, amuna a Duffy adalamulidwa kuti ayimitse gulu lankhondo.
Pamene zonyansazo zikuyandikira kumapeto kwa sabata yachiwiri, mkulu wa ku South Vietnam yemwe amagwira ntchito ndi Duffy anaphedwa, malo olamulira a asilikali anawonongedwa, ndipo chakudya, madzi, ndi zida zinali kuchepa. Duffy anavulazidwa kawiri koma anakana kuti asamutsidwe.
Kumayambiriro kwa 14 Epulo, a Duffy adayesetsa kuti akhazikitse malo oti azitha kubwerezeranso ndege sizinaphule kanthu. Kupitilira, adakwanitsa kufika pafupi ndi malo odana ndi ndege, zomwe zidapangitsa kuti ndegeyo iwonongeke. Mkuluyo anavulazidwa kachitatu ndi zidutswa za mfuti, koma anakananso chithandizo chamankhwala.
Posakhalitsa, North Vietnamese adayamba kuphulitsa zida zankhondo pamalopo. Duffy adakhalabe poyera kuti atsogolere ma helikoputala aku US kupita kumalo a adani kuti aletse kuwukirako. Pamene kupambana kumeneku kunachititsa kuti nkhondoyi iwonongeke, akuluakulu adayesa kuwonongeka kwa mazikowo ndikuwonetsetsa kuti asilikali ovulala aku South Vietnamese adasamutsidwa kupita kumalo otetezeka. Anaonetsetsanso kuti agawira zida zotsalazo kwa omwe akanatha kuteteza mazikowo.
Pasanapite nthawi, adaniwo anayambanso kuukira. Daffy anapitiriza kuwawombera kuchokera pamfuti. Pofika madzulo, asilikali a adani anayamba kukhamukira m’munsi kuchokera kumbali zonse. Duffy amayenera kusuntha kuchoka kumalo kupita kumalo kuti awongolere moto wobwerera, kuzindikira zolinga za owombera mfuti, komanso ngakhale moto wolunjika kuchokera ku mfuti pamalo ake omwe, omwe adasokonezedwa.
Pofika usiku zinali zoonekeratu kuti Duffy ndi anyamata ake adzagonjetsedwa. Anayamba kukonza zobwerera, kuyitanitsa thandizo la mfuti pansi pamoto wa Dusty Cyanide, ndipo anali womaliza kuchoka pamalopo.
M'mamawa kutacha, asilikali a adani anabisala asilikali a ku South Vietnam omwe anali kubwerera, zomwe zinachititsa kuti anthu ambiri awonongeke komanso kubalalika kwa amuna amphamvu. Duffy adatenga malo odzitchinjiriza kuti amuna ake athe kubweza mdani. Kenako anatsogolera otsalawo—ambiri a iwo ovulazidwa kwambiri—kumalo othaŵirako, ngakhale pamene adani anapitiriza kuwathamangitsa.
Atafika pamalo othawirako, Duffy adalamula helikopita yomwe ili ndi zida kuti iyambitsenso moto kwa adani ndikuyika malo omwe adatsikirako helikopita yopulumutsa. Duffy anakana kukwera imodzi mwa helikoputala mpaka wina aliyense atakwera. Malinga ndi lipoti la San Diego Union-Tribune evacuation lipoti, Duffy atayima pamtengo pothamangitsa helikopita yake, adapulumutsa msilikali wina waku South Vietnam yemwe adayamba kugwa mu helikopita, adamugwira ndikumukokera kumbuyo, kenako adathandizidwa. ndi wowombera pachitseko cha helikopita, yemwe adavulala pakusamutsidwa.
Duffy poyambilira adapatsidwa Distinguished Service Cross pazochita pamwambapa, komabe mphothoyi yasinthidwa posachedwa kukhala Mendulo ya Ulemu. Duffy, wazaka 84, limodzi ndi mchimwene wake Tom, adalandira mphotho yayikulu kwambiri mdziko lonse chifukwa champhamvu zankhondo kuchokera kwa Purezidenti Joseph R. Biden pamwambo ku White House pa Julayi 5, 2022.
"Zikuwoneka ngati zodabwitsa kuti anthu pafupifupi 40 opanda chakudya, madzi ndi zida akadali ndi moyo pakati pa magulu opha adani," Wachiwiri kwa Chief Army of Staff Army General Joseph M. Martin adatero pamwambowo. kuphatikizapo kuyitanidwa kuti akanthe pa udindo wake kuti alole gulu lake lankhondo kubwerera, zinapangitsa kuti kuthawa kutheke. Abale a Major Duffy aku Vietnamese ...
Pamodzi ndi Duffy, asilikali ena atatu aku Vietnamese, asilikali apadera, adalandira mendulo. 5 Dennis M. Fujii, Army Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro ndi Army Spc. 5 Dwight Birdwell.
Duffy anapuma pantchito mu May 1977. M’zaka zake 22 zautumiki, analandira mphoto zina 63 ndi maudindo, kuphatikizapo asanu ndi atatu a Purple Hearts.
Major atapuma pantchito, adasamukira ku Santa Cruz, California ndipo pamapeto pake adakumana ndikukwatira mkazi wotchedwa Mary. Monga wamba, anali purezidenti wa kampani yosindikiza asanakhale wogulitsa masheya ndikuyambitsa kampani yochotsera, yomwe pamapeto pake idapezedwa ndi TD Ameritrade.
Duffy adakhalanso wolemba ndakatulo, akufotokozera zina mwazomwe adakumana nazo pankhondo m'malemba ake, ndikufalitsa nkhani ku mibadwo yamtsogolo. Ndakatulo zake zambiri zidasindikizidwa pa intaneti. Major adalemba mabuku asanu ndi limodzi a ndakatulo ndipo adasankhidwa kukhala Mphotho ya Pulitzer.
Ndakatulo yolembedwa ndi a Duffy yotchedwa "Frontline Air Traffic Controllers" idalembedwa pachipilala ku Colorado Springs, Colorado kulemekeza omwe adazunzidwa ndi oyang'anira magalimoto apatsogolo. Malinga ndi tsamba la a Duffy, adalembanso Requiem, yomwe idawerengedwa pakuvumbulutsidwa kwa chipilalacho. Pambuyo pake, Chofunikiracho chinawonjezedwa pakatikati pa chipilala cha bronze.
Msilikali wamkulu wa Retired Army William Reeder, Jr., asilikali ankhondo akale analemba buku lakuti Extraordinary Valor: Fighting for Charlie Hill in Vietnam. Bukuli limafotokoza zomwe Duffy adachita mu kampeni ya 1972.
Malinga ndi tsamba la Duffy, iye ndi membala woyambitsa wa Special Warfare Association ndipo adalowetsedwa mu OCS Infantry Hall of Fame ku Fort Benning, Georgia mu 2013.
Dipatimenti ya Chitetezo imapereka mphamvu zankhondo zofunika kuti tipewe nkhondo ndikuteteza dziko lathu.
Nthawi yotumiza: Nov-16-2022
