Ebudeni bohambo lwakhe olune lokuya eVietnam, uMkhosi oMkhulu uJohn J. Duffy wayedla ngokusilwa ngasemva kotshaba. Ngexesha lokusasazwa okunjalo, wasindisa ngesandla ibutho laseMzantsi Vietnam ekubulaweni kwabantu. Kwiminyaka engamashumi amahlanu kamva, uMnqamlezo weNkonzo eBalulekileyo awawufumanayo ngezi zenzo wanyuselwa waba yiMbasa yeMbeko.
UDuffy wazalwa ngo-Matshi 16, 1938 eBrooklyn, eNew York waza wangena eMkhosini ngoMatshi 1955 eneminyaka eyi-17. Ngo-1963, wanyuselwa njengegosa waza wajoyina i-5th Special Forces Unit, iGreen Berets.
Ngethuba lomsebenzi wakhe, uDuffy wathunyelwa eVietnam izihlandlo ezine: kwi-1967, 1968, 1971 kunye ne-1973. Ngethuba lenkonzo yakhe yesithathu, wafumana iMedal of Honor.
Ekuqaleni kuka-Epreli 1972, uDuffy wayengumcebisi omkhulu kwidabi elite kuMkhosi waseMzantsi Vietnam. Xa iNorth Vietnamese izama ukubamba isiseko senkxaso yomlilo kaCharlie kwiindawo eziphakamileyo zelizwe, amadoda kaDuffy ayalelwa ukuba ayeke imikhosi yebutho.
Njengoko isikhubekiso sisondela ekupheleni kweveki yesibini, umphathi waseMzantsi Vietnam osebenza noDuffy wabulawa, i-battalion command post yatshatyalaliswa, kwaye ukutya, amanzi kunye nezixhobo zazihamba phantsi. UDuffy wonzakala kabini kodwa wala ukukhutshwa.
Kwiiyure zakuqala ze-14 ku-Epreli, uDuffy wazama ngokungaphumeleli ukuseta indawo yokumisa inqwelo moya. Ukuqhubela phambili, wakwazi ukusondela kwiindawo ezichasene neenqwelo-moya zotshaba, ebangela ukubetha emoyeni. Oyena mkhulu wonzakala okwesithathu ziziqwenga zemipu, kodwa waphinda wala ukunyangwa.
Kungekudala emva koko, iNorth Vietnamese yaqala ukudubula kwe-artillery kwisiseko. UDuffy wahlala evulekile ekwalathisa iihelikopta zokuhlasela zase-US kwindawo yotshaba ukumisa uhlaselo. Xa le mpumelelo ikhokelele ekulweni, eyona nkulu yavavanya umonakalo kwisiseko kwaye yaqinisekisa ukuba amajoni aseMzantsi Vietnam awonzakeleyo afuduselwe kwindawo ekhuselekileyo. Uphinde waqinisekisa ukuba iimbumbulu eziseleyo uzisasaze kwabo basenokukwazi ukukhusela isiseko.
Kungekudala emva koko, utshaba lwaqalisa ukuhlasela kwakhona. UDaffy waqhubeka edubula kubo kwi-gunship. Ngokuhlwa, amajoni otshaba aqalisa ukuthontelana ukuya kwindawo evela macala onke. U-Duffy kwafuneka ahambe ukusuka kwindawo ukuya kwindawo ukuze alungise umlilo obuyiselweyo, achonge iithagethi zee-artillery spotters, kunye nomlilo othe ngqo ovela kwindawo yakhe yompu kwisikhundla sakhe, esasichasiwe.
Ngokuhlwa kwacaca ukuba uDuffy namadoda akhe baya koyiswa. Waqala ukuququzelela ukuhlehla, ebiza inkxaso ye-gunship phantsi komlilo we-Dusty Cyanide, kwaye wayengowokugqibela ukushiya isiseko.
Kwakusasa ngentsasa elandelayo, imikhosi yotshaba yalalela amajoni ase-Vietnamese asele ebuyile, ebangela iingxwelerha ezingakumbi kunye nokusasazeka kwamadoda awomeleleyo. UDuffy wathatha izikhundla zokuzikhusela ukuze amadoda akhe aqhubele umva utshaba. Wandula ke wabakhokelela abo baseleyo—abaninzi kubo ababengxwelerhekile kakhulu—kwindawo yokusaba, njengoko utshaba lwaluqhubeka lubasukela.
Ukufika kwindawo yokufuduka, uDuffy wayalela ihelikopta exhobileyo ukuba ivule umlilo kwakhona kutshaba kwaye iphawule indawo yokumisa inqwelomoya yokuhlangula. UDuffy wala ukukhwela enye yeehelicopter de wonke umntu wayekhwele. Ngokwengxelo yokufuduswa kweSan Diego Union-Tribune, xa uDuffy wayezinza epalini ngexesha lokufuduswa kwenqwelo-moya yakhe, wahlangula iparatrooper yaseVietnam eyayiqalise ukuwa kwinqwelo-ntaka, yambamba yambuyisela umva, emva koko wancedwa. ngumdubuli wocango lwenqwelo-ntaka, owenzakeleyo xa wayekhutshwa .
Ekuqaleni uDuffy wawongwa ngoMnqamlezo weNkonzo oBaliweyo ngenxa yezi zenzo zingentla, nangona kunjalo eli wonga lisandula ukunyuselwa ukuya kwiMbasa yeMbeko. UDuffy, oneminyaka engama-84, kunye nomntakwabo uTom, bafumene iwonga lesizwe lobuchule emkhosini kuMongameli uJoseph R. Biden kumsitho owawuseWhite House nge-5 kaJulayi, 2022.
"Kubonakala kungakholeleki ukuba malunga nama-40 abantu abangenakutya, amanzi kunye neembumbulu basaphila phakathi kwamaqela abulala utshaba," utshilo uSekela Ntloko yoMkhosi woMkhosi uJoseph M. Martin kumsitho. kuquka nekhwelo lokuba abethe kwindawo yakhe ukuze avumele ibutho lakhe ukuba lihlehle, lenze ukubaleka kube nokwenzeka. Abazalwana bakaMajor Duffy baseVietnam ... bakholelwa ukuba walisindisa iqela labo ekutshatyalalisweni ngokupheleleyo.
Ekunye noDuffy, amagosa amathathu angakumbi eVietnam, imikhosi ekhethekileyo yomkhosi, yawongwa imbasa. 5 uDennis M. Fujii, uMsebenzi woMkhosi uSgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro kunye noMkhosi Spc. 5 UDwight Birdwell.
UDuffy warhoxa ngoMeyi 1977. Ebudeni beminyaka yakhe engama-22 ekwinkonzo, wafumana amanye amabhaso angama-63 namawonga, kuquka iPurple Hearts ezisibhozo.
Emva kokuba uMajor ethathe umhlala phantsi, wafudukela eSanta Cruz, eCalifornia kwaye ekugqibeleni wadibana watshata nebhinqa eligama linguMary. Njengommi, wayengumongameli wenkampani epapashayo ngaphambi kokuba abe ngumthengisi wempahla kunye nokuseka inkampani yokuthengisa isaphulelo, eyathi ekugqibeleni yafunyanwa yiTD Ameritrade.
UDuffy naye waba yimbongi, echaza amanye amava akhe okulwa kwimibhalo yakhe, edlulisela amabali kwizizukulwana ezizayo. Uninzi lwemibongo yakhe iye yapapashwa kwi-intanethi. UMajor wabhala iincwadi ezintandathu zemibongo kwaye wonyulwa kwiBhaso lePulitzer.
Umbongo obhalwe nguDuffy onesihloko esithi "Frontline Air Traffic Controllers" ubhalwe kwisikhumbuzo eColorado Springs, eColorado ehlonipha amaxhoba abalawuli bezithuthi zomoya abaphambili. Ngokwewebhusayithi kaDuffy, naye wabhala iRequiem, eyafundwa xa kwakutyhilwa ilitye lesikhumbuzo. Kamva, iRequiem yongezwa kumbindi wesikhumbuzo sobhedu.
Owadla umhlala-phantsi uColonel William Reeder, Omnci., amagqala omkhosi wabhala incwadi ethi Extraordinary Valor: Fighting for Charlie Hill in Vietnam. Le ncwadi ichaza izinto ezenziwa nguDuffy kwiphulo lika-1972.
Ngokwewebhusayithi kaDuffy, ulilungu eliseka uMbutho weMfazwe eKhethekileyo kwaye wangeniswa kwi-OCS Infantry Hall of Fame eFort Benning, eGeorgia ngo-2013.
ISebe lezoKhuselo libonelela ngamandla omkhosi afunekayo ukuthintela imfazwe nokugcina ilizwe lethu likhuselekile.
Ixesha lokuposa: Nov-16-2022
