Page 32 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2020- Online Magazine
P. 32
Pete Rosser Three Purple Hearts
in Four Months
as told to Jane Bromley
relieved the boat captain. It was and upper extremities and then
about 2:00 am. Our front gun flown to Vung Tao for medical
mount, with three crewmen treatment. I returned to duty
inside, was hit by a rocket. about a week later.
It exploded and set off more
ammo. I received chest wounds “On June 16, 1968, during
and was knocked away from operations with the Vietnamese
the helm. It was total chaos Marines in the Caidai River,
because everyone on the boat we were ambushed. Our gun
was trying to return fire and mount was hit by a rocket
apply first aid to the crewmen which sprayed shrapnel all
who were injured. The Dust- over my legs. I was treated by
Off (ambulance helicopter) was a Navy corpsman on our boat,
called for the critically injured. and we continued on patrol.
" enlisted in the Navy after We continued our patrol until On the way out of the river,
we were ambushed again. A
getting my draft notice at the the next day and then went to
I age of 18. I was trained as the USS Benewah few days after
the operation,
a radio operator and assigned for medical I was informed
to the Mobile Riverine Force in treatment and that I would be
Vietnam.” [Ed. Note: The MRF boat repair. After receiving my third
was a joint Army and Navy force the operation, I Purple Heart. I
that comprised a substantial part of received my first was given the
the brown-water navy. Each river Purple Heart in a option of staying
assault group consisted mostly small ceremony on the boat or
of ATCs or "tangos" (Armored held on a floating serving stateside.
Troop Carriers), gunboats called dock that several I chose stateside.
"monitors", and Assault Support boats tied up to. Later, I learned that during April
Patrol Boats (ASPBs).]
“On the afternoon of May 18, and May 1968, River Assault
“I was on a monitor in the 1968, we were conducting an Squadron Nine accumulated 97
Mekong Delta. We escorted the operation on the Kinh Hoa Purple Hearts.
Army who were on tangos. We Canal when we were viciously “After 30 days leave, I was
would go into rivers, canals, attacked by rocket fire, machine- eventually assigned to duty
and small streams. Some of gun fire and small arms fire. A station in Charleston, SC on a
these waterways were only 30 rocket hit the flagstaff above minesweeper. I spent the last
feet wide. The monitor was like my gun mount. Within seconds, year of active duty on goodwill
a battleship with a large gun my gun took a direct hit. Our cruises to Guantánamo Bay, the
mount forward and machine boat took three more hits. The Panama Canal, and Colombia,
guns in the midsection. The helicopter gunships, other boats where we performed operations
helm was higher up with and the ninth infantry were all with the Colombian Navy.”
machine guns on both sides, under fire and firing back. A
and behind it was a raised gun helicopter landed on one of the After Petty Officer 2nd Class
mount with a 20 mm cannon in tangos, and I was airlifted with Durwood “Pete” Rosser retired
it. When I was not working the other wounded. We were taken from the Navy in 1972, the
radio, I would be in the helm or to the USS Tom Greene County Midland native worked for
in the gun mount. which was anchored in the Southwestern Bell Telephone
Mekong River. I was treated for
“On February 19, 1968, I had shrapnel wounds to my head for 32 years, and, among other
things, he has worked as a
32 Senior Link
