|
A RIPCORD LEGEND
CROSSES OVER TO THE HIGH GROUND
On November 8, 2011 our good
friend, a steadfast and loyal comrade, and an unsurpassed American
patriot and warrior passed from our ranks. Cpt. Dave Rich, whose
courage, fortitude, and soldierly skill during the Battle of Ripcord as
the Battery Commander of B/2-319th Field Artillery were legendary,
died as a result of injuries sustained in a fall at his home in Maine.
We shared a common experience that was forged in combat fighting the
enemies of our country; an unshakable faith in the American soldier and
an enduring belief in his courage, commitment, and competence; and an
abiding love of our country and all those who choose to defend her. On
receiving the news of his death, my mind was filled with many thoughts
concerning this most unusual and remarkable man.
The first thought that came
into my mind was “undaunted courage in battle”. As we all know, Dave was
the most decorated soldier in the Ripcord battle as he received the
Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, multiple bronze stars, and
seven purple hearts during the fight .Dave was the master of “ counter
battery fire”. When enemy mortar rounds would hit Ripcord, Dave, at
great risk to his life, would immediately rush to the incoming mortar
impact area and conduct a “crater analysis”. Upon reaching the bomb
crater, Dave would get down on his hands and knees with a level and
Aiming Circle to determine the azimuth and angle from which the enemy
round was fired, then he would calculate the range and compute the
necessary data to immediately place counter battery fire on the enemy
mortar positions, which reduced or in many instances ceased the incoming
enemy fire on Ripcord. Dave was a soldier who defied the enemy, and
his unparalleled courage and leadership was an inspiration to every
soldier who fought in the battle.
The second thought that came
into my mind was “dedication to victory”. Dave was not typical of the
soldier of the era. He was different in the way he viewed the Vietnam
War and his role in it. He fervently believed that when you went to war,
you should remain in the war zone until the war was over and victory had
been achieved. As a result of that belief, Dave served continuously in
Vietnam for the better part of four years and reluctantly returned to
the States after his request to extend his tour for another year was
denied. I don’t believe Dave ever came to grips with how the Vietnam War
ended in light of all the sacrifice he had seen during his time in
Vietnam and his view that winning the war was essential to the nation.
Dave left all of himself on the battlefield.
The third thought that came
into my mind was “master of his craft”. I don’t know that there was a
junior officer in Vietnam that knew more about the use of artillery in
battle than Dave. Dave’s knowledge of artillery was “dug out of the
dirt” as in his early tours he was an enlisted man (prior to obtaining a
battlefield commission) who learned the craft from the bottom up. Dave
not only mastered the technical procedures that relate to the effective
use of artillery, he also mastered the tactical techniques that enabled
him to put rounds on the ground “on time” and “on target” in such a
manner that would best support the soldiers in the field. Dave fully
understood that with his expertise and experience he could save the
lives of the embattled soldiers in the bush who needed his help over and
over again. History will not record how many lives Dave saved with his
actions, but I can assure you that every infantry leader in the Battle
of Ripcord will agree with me that the losses incurred would have been
significantly greater had it not been for Dave Rich and those
magnificent soldiers that served under him in his battery.
The fourth thought that came
into my mind was “casualty of war”. I don’t know that there was a
soldier that survived the Ripcord battle that suffered mentally from his
Vietnam experiences more so than Dave. Although Dave remained in the
Army for a number of years after the Ripcord battle before he was
medically discharged, he had great difficulties assuming what we would
call a “normal life.” Dave was unable to replicate in peace the strong
“relational” bonds that he had fashioned in war. He devoted most of his
later life to educating himself by taking numerous courses offered by a
university in Maine near where he lived. He eventually decided that he
would master the Russian language and after doing so he traveled to
Russia for additional studies and at the same time taught English to
Russian students. He very much enjoyed this role late in his life as it
gave him a sense of fulfillment that he had not experienced for a long
time. I believe he was as happy as he could be in this environment, and
it helped relieve the torment he suffered every day of his life from his
war time experiences.
The final thoughts that came
into my mind relate to my own personal experiences with Dave. Although I
only knew Dave in passing in Vietnam, having exchanged a short couple
of conversations with him on Ripcord and during the standdown before the
siege of Ripcord, Dave and I became friends after meeting back up at the
Savannah reunion. I cannot recall Dave either in Vietnam or in the
number of times we were together afterwards ever being without a
cigarette dangling from his mouth. Dave was a “free spirit” and could
regale you with endless dialogue on a variety of subjects, but when the
conversation turned to the war, he would become intense and you could
see the torment and pain in his eyes. He once stopped in to visit me
down here in God’s country and we spent a day and a night in a secluded
cabin deep in the piney woods of East Texas. Throughout a night of
chain smoking and sipping on a little Kentucky whiskey, the depth of the
man was revealed in all of his complexity. I learned or perhaps
relearned that at his essence Dave Rich was a Soldier and his essential
qualities were courage and obedience. Under a resplendent Texas sky, as
old soldiers are apt to do, we spoke of former comrades and past
battles. We spoke of missions accomplished, obstacles overcome, and
duties performed. We spoke of those things that are understandable only
to Soldiers. We also spoke of the indomitable spirit and enduring
nobility of the American Soldier. Lastly we spoke of the immense honor
and privilege it was to lead American Soldiers. Throughout I was moved
by the abiding passion that this remarkable man had for Soldiers and
Soldiering. When he got ready to leave, I walked him to his car and told
him “Dave, you are one of a kind and an awesome warrior whose courage in
battle inspires us all. I love ya man” as I embraced him with a hug. He
broke down and started crying and you could see the excruciating pain in
his eyes. It was the pain and suffering that knows no peace in this
life. My friend Dave has finally found that peace as he now rests in
that special section of heaven reserved for warriors who left it all on
the battlefield. God bless you my friend.
Currahee,
Jim Campbell
|
