Major Philip A. Seymour
US Marine Corps.
C 1/1 1ST Marine Division
Vietnam and Pentagon
1965-1995
US Marine Corps.
C 1/1 1ST Marine Division
Vietnam and Pentagon
1965-1995
Phil Seymour was born in Brookline, MA in 1947 and was an only child. In 1965 he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He was looking for adventure and did not want to attend college at that time. I asked how his mother reacted when her only son announced he was joining the military. “She knew it was coming but as I recall she was not really pleased because Vietnam was ramping up.”
Phil was sent to the Marine Corp Recruiting Depot on Parris Island for boot camp and then reported to Camp Lejeune for further combat training and a cruise of the Mediterranean. After that Phil received his orders for Vietnam and was assigned to Charlie Company which was part of the 1st Marine Division. Phil was part of a rifle company based in the Da Nang area which was very close to the North Vietnamese boarder. When he arrived his first two impressions were the smell and the heat. “It was like rotting vegetation. You get used to it. I arrived during Monsoon Season. It was hot but nothing like it would be later when it got to be 120 or 130.”
January 14, 1967 Phil was part of “The Raid” on Ban Lanh 2 in Quang Nam Province. Phil was new in country and this was his first real experience out in the field. A North Vietnamese paymaster had been killed and he was carrying documents regarding a large meeting of Viet Cong leaders. The US quickly developed a plan to kill or capture as many of the Viet Cong attending this meeting as possible. The meeting was to take place in a reinforced village with bunkers and fighting positions in each house. The US troops were dropped by helicopter into a rice paddy near the village and took very heavy enemy fire. The enemy had called for reinforcements upon seeing the US helicopters and the US was now seriously outnumbered. Phil was shot and was unable to make it into the village. “It felt like somebody very big kicked me very hard in the back of my leg. It didn’t hurt initially, probably because of the adrenaline. The pain came later.” Phil was dragged to a collection point for the killed and wounded in the rice paddy, which was approximately 100 feet from the fortified village. There were numerous raised mounds in the rice paddy where the Vietnamese villagers buried their dead relatives. The Marines used the burial mounds as cover from the shooting.
The Marines fought their way into the village, but all of the Viet Cong leaders were gone when they arrived. However, a rear guard of NVA was in the village and the Marines found themselves in close fighting and were having a hard time fighting their way out of the village. While the Marines were fighting their way out of the village, 20 to 30 VC emerged from an underground tunnel system in the rice paddy. They were armed with AK-47’s and began to shoot at Phil and the other wounded Americans. Most of the men at the collection point were seriously wounded and unable to help hold off the VC. Phil and three or four other men were able to reach their weapons, turn them to full automatic and lay down a base of heavy fire, killing all but three or four who escaped into the jungle.
The helicopters to extract the Marines arrived around 4:30 pm and were unable to land because of heavy enemy fire. They hovered just above the rice paddies while the troops were lifted into the helicopter. The concern was that they were getting all of the troops out before nightfall. They were growing short on ammo and would not be able to last the night.
They took many casualties and Charlie Company’s extraction was slowed by the number of dead and wounded they had to carry back to the LZ. Another significant concern was making sure all of the dead, wounded and living Marines were accounted for before the last helicopter left the rice paddy. At one point, Charlie Company Captain, Marshall Carter crawled under the enemy fire and dragged the body of a dead Marine back to the LZ. For that heroism he was awarded the Navy Cross. All of the US troops were accounted for and Phil was helped onto a helicopter extracting the wounded. His helicopter had been hit, lost its hydraulic systems and was unable to raise its ramp. To evade enemy fire the helicopter took off making tight spirals and Phil was hanging on to a strap and staring out of the open ramp. “The last thing I wanted was to fall back into the village.” Phil was medevacked to Da Nang and then to the hospital ship Repose.
For Phil’s action in the rice paddy he was awarded the Bronze Star.
Phil recovered from his wound and returned to duty. I asked Phil if he was ever afraid while in combat. Initially he was not, but after The Raid, Phil came to the realization that he “wasn’t going to make it through this thing alive.” “When I did that, it was really quite liberating because now I could just do what I had to do.” “You were more concerned with getting seriously wounded than killed.”
On October 11th 1967, Charlie Company was part of Operation Medina. This was an operation near the DMZ and the mission was to eliminate a North Vietnamese regimental base camp and its anti-aircraft guns on the hilltops in the Hai Lang rain forest that were responsible for numerous downed US aircraft. Charlie Company and several other Marine elements would be conducting this operation. Charlie Company would be led by Captain Bill Major and Phil’s Platoon commander was 1st LT. Jack Ruffer.
Just before noon, 14 Huey helicopters flew a zig-zag pattern at tree top level to avoid detection toward the drop zone. Charlie Company would be the point company in this operation which meant they were going to be a half a mile out front of the main force and unprotected. Once they moved out of the drop zone the Marines hacked their way through the jungle rather than travel on open paths where they would be easy targets for the enemy. The foliage was thick and created an almost blackout condition because no sunlight could get through the “triple canopy”. Progress remained slow. In order to reach a more defensible position before nightfall the decision was made to spend the night in the jungle. Sleep was hard to come by that night as they fought off land leeches.
Progress remained slow the next day and eventually the point man came upon a clear trail. The decision was made to follow the trial rather than keep hacking a path in the jungle despite the risks of being wide open to enemy attack. About a half-hour later the NVA sprung their ambush and began raining down fire on the Marines who quickly moved off the trail and sought cover from heavy enemy fire. The Marines returned fire and eventually the NVA pulled back leaving behind their dead and wounded and two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. The Marines used machetes and C-4 explosives to clear small trees and create a small LZ on a hilltop. The wounded and KIA were brought to the LZ for evacuation.
The North Vietnamese surrounded the Marines on a small landing zone and commenced a series of assaults on their perimeter. The battle raged on for hours with the US greatly outnumbered. “It was the most intense exchange I have ever experienced because both sides were firing on full automatic”. The enemy attacked in waves and US ammo was running low and casualties were depleting Marines capable of fighting. This forced the Marines to continuously contract their perimeter. “The fighting in Medina was so close it’s like nothing I ever experienced.” “We were firing at muzzle flashes because it was so dark you couldn’t see them, until a C-47 arrived above the battle and began dropping flares.” The enemy was within grenade range most of the time (about 15 feet). “I had been in a number of fire fights but you don’t usually see the enemy”.
I asked Phil what it was like to be in such close proximity to the enemy. “Normally it would have been terrifying but in this situation, everyone was doing what they had to do to stay alive for just another 5 minutes. I don’t think we had time to be scared as we were just doing what we had to do to survive.” Phil said the battle seemed to last for an interminable amount of time and “everyone was likely aware that no one was going to survive this battle.” Unknown to most of the Marines of Charlie Company, Captain Bill Major had called for reinforcements upon realizing that we were heavily outnumbered by NVA regulars. Delta Company immediately began working their way toward the fighting.
With ammo almost completely expended LT. Ruffer began organizing counterattacks. Out of ammunition, the Marines would charge down the hill carrying rifles with fixed bayonets, knives and entrenching tools and engage in hand-to-hand combat. The enemy would charge up the hill and the Marines would fight them off. The NVA were throwing fragmentation grenades up onto the LZ. “When they ran out of fragmentation grenades, they threw up bamboo-wrapped packages of dynamite and concussion grenades. The concussion grenades did little physical damage, but they blew out ear drums and created great confusion.” By the 4th hour the original 172-man Marine force was down to approximately 70 men.
With morale at a low point, LT. Ruffer began singing the Marine’s Hymn in a last-ditch effort to “rally the troops”. Phil joined in singing and soon all of Charlie Company’s Marines that were able began singing. The sound of the singing could be heard over the gun fire by US troops a half a mile away. Phil recalled that on the 4th or 5th counterattack Jack Ruffer kept on running through the enemy to the trail where Charlie Company had originally come under attack. Ruffer kept running until he found Delta Company and led them back to help Charlie Company. “Once Delta arrived, they were able to punch a hole in the enemy line and expand the US perimeter with 120 fresh Marines and the fighting quickly diminished.” The events of Operation Medina are detailed in the book, “Lions of Medina”, by author Doyle Glass.
Phil recalls many acts of heroism that day. Cpl Jimmy Leonard was the machine gunner and managed to kill multiple VC machine gun teams. Lance Cpl. Bill Perkins was the combat photographer who saw a grenade land among several Marines. He yelled “grenade” and threw himself on the grenade as it exploded. He was later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for the greatest sacrifice he could make.
Phil returned to the US in 1968 and remained in the Marine Corp. He attended Northeastern to obtain his undergraduate degree and then got his law degree, also at Northeastern. Phil went back to the JAG Corp and spent 10 years in the court room as a prosecutor handling criminal cases. In 1989 he was selected for Career Level School and earned his Master of Law degree with a focus on International Law from UVA. He took over the Law of War section in the International Law Division at the Pentagon and soon deployed to the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. When he returned to the US he was assigned to head a task force to investigated and prosecute allegations made against 20 Marines in connection with Operation Tailhook.
Phil considers this to be one of his major accomplishments. A Marine pilot had been accused of sexually molesting a female Marine. After an extensive investigation in his capacity as a prosecutor Phil recommended that the charges be dropped because there were no facts to support the charges. He feels justice was served.
In 1995 Phil retired from the Marines. He bought a sailboat and moved to New Bern, NC where he served as an assistant State attorney. He later moved to Cape Cod to care for his elderly mother and that is where he met his wife Lynne. They were married in 2001 and now reside in the mountains of North Carolina.
Phil would often tell Lynne about a little boy named Cam he had befriended while he was in Vietnam. Charlie Company was tasked with holding an island complex simply known as “The Island”. Each day they would row an aluminum boat from the mainland to the island to resupply the Maines. This daily activity brought out the local children, one of which was named Cam who became buddies with Phil. Phil received some R&R in Bangkok and asked Cam what he would like Phil to bring back for him. He pointed to Phil’s watch. A week in Bangkok did not result in a watch for Cam as Phil was preoccupied with his R&R. Ultimately Charlie Company shipped out and that was the end of Cam; or maybe not.
Phil considered letting Cam down as one of his main regrets in life. Although Phil said he would never return to Vietnam under any circumstances, Lynne had an idea. She heard that a group of their friends had planned a trip to Vietnam and convinced Phil that this was his chance to deliver the watch and put to rest all of his regrets. In February of 2007 Phil, Lynne and their group of friends headed for Vietnam. With the help of their guide Phil and Lynne were able to locate Cam who was then a carpenter. When they met Cam remembered the promise of some 40 years ago. Cam received his watch and invited Lynne and Phil to dinner with his family. Cam had 4 boys and one daughter, Vy. Vy talked about one day being able to attend college like her four brothers. That was likely not in the cards as her family was relatively poor. Lynne suggested to Phil that they consider funding Vy’s college costs. To make a four-year story short, 4 years later Phil and Lynne were back in Vietnam watching Vy graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Good thing Phil didn’t make good on his promise of the watch 40 years earlier. This is much better ending to the story.
One of the things that sticks with Phil is the random nature of war. Who survives it and who doesn’t? You can take all of the precautions and follow all of the rules of training but end up getting injured or wounded.
Phil spoke often about the bond between the Marines. “Everything you do is for the guys you’re with. You’re not thinking about patriotism or the flag. You’re trying not to let down the guys on your right and your left.”
Phil also recalls that when he was in Vietnam many of the senior men had served in WW2 and Korea. “What they went through was nothing like what we were going through. If they could do, I can do it.”
I asked Phil about his transition from combat back to the US. When it was time to leave, he boarded a helicopter to catch a plane to Okinawa. He stopped in Okinawa where he and the other men had a chance to change out of combat fatigues into other uniforms. He boarded a plane and eventually landed at Marine Air Station El Toro, CA and then was bused to Los Angeles airport where he boarded a plane to Logan Airport in Boston. He caught a cab to Brookline and arrived at his home at 2am where he had a long chat with his mother. This all took place in a period of 72 hours. The mental adjustment was difficult but Phil managed it well.
“I feel fortunate. I appreciate everyday.”
Phil, we the people of the United States feel fortunate every day to have had someone like you willing to make the sacrifices you made for our country.
Phil was sent to the Marine Corp Recruiting Depot on Parris Island for boot camp and then reported to Camp Lejeune for further combat training and a cruise of the Mediterranean. After that Phil received his orders for Vietnam and was assigned to Charlie Company which was part of the 1st Marine Division. Phil was part of a rifle company based in the Da Nang area which was very close to the North Vietnamese boarder. When he arrived his first two impressions were the smell and the heat. “It was like rotting vegetation. You get used to it. I arrived during Monsoon Season. It was hot but nothing like it would be later when it got to be 120 or 130.”
January 14, 1967 Phil was part of “The Raid” on Ban Lanh 2 in Quang Nam Province. Phil was new in country and this was his first real experience out in the field. A North Vietnamese paymaster had been killed and he was carrying documents regarding a large meeting of Viet Cong leaders. The US quickly developed a plan to kill or capture as many of the Viet Cong attending this meeting as possible. The meeting was to take place in a reinforced village with bunkers and fighting positions in each house. The US troops were dropped by helicopter into a rice paddy near the village and took very heavy enemy fire. The enemy had called for reinforcements upon seeing the US helicopters and the US was now seriously outnumbered. Phil was shot and was unable to make it into the village. “It felt like somebody very big kicked me very hard in the back of my leg. It didn’t hurt initially, probably because of the adrenaline. The pain came later.” Phil was dragged to a collection point for the killed and wounded in the rice paddy, which was approximately 100 feet from the fortified village. There were numerous raised mounds in the rice paddy where the Vietnamese villagers buried their dead relatives. The Marines used the burial mounds as cover from the shooting.
The Marines fought their way into the village, but all of the Viet Cong leaders were gone when they arrived. However, a rear guard of NVA was in the village and the Marines found themselves in close fighting and were having a hard time fighting their way out of the village. While the Marines were fighting their way out of the village, 20 to 30 VC emerged from an underground tunnel system in the rice paddy. They were armed with AK-47’s and began to shoot at Phil and the other wounded Americans. Most of the men at the collection point were seriously wounded and unable to help hold off the VC. Phil and three or four other men were able to reach their weapons, turn them to full automatic and lay down a base of heavy fire, killing all but three or four who escaped into the jungle.
The helicopters to extract the Marines arrived around 4:30 pm and were unable to land because of heavy enemy fire. They hovered just above the rice paddies while the troops were lifted into the helicopter. The concern was that they were getting all of the troops out before nightfall. They were growing short on ammo and would not be able to last the night.
They took many casualties and Charlie Company’s extraction was slowed by the number of dead and wounded they had to carry back to the LZ. Another significant concern was making sure all of the dead, wounded and living Marines were accounted for before the last helicopter left the rice paddy. At one point, Charlie Company Captain, Marshall Carter crawled under the enemy fire and dragged the body of a dead Marine back to the LZ. For that heroism he was awarded the Navy Cross. All of the US troops were accounted for and Phil was helped onto a helicopter extracting the wounded. His helicopter had been hit, lost its hydraulic systems and was unable to raise its ramp. To evade enemy fire the helicopter took off making tight spirals and Phil was hanging on to a strap and staring out of the open ramp. “The last thing I wanted was to fall back into the village.” Phil was medevacked to Da Nang and then to the hospital ship Repose.
For Phil’s action in the rice paddy he was awarded the Bronze Star.
Phil recovered from his wound and returned to duty. I asked Phil if he was ever afraid while in combat. Initially he was not, but after The Raid, Phil came to the realization that he “wasn’t going to make it through this thing alive.” “When I did that, it was really quite liberating because now I could just do what I had to do.” “You were more concerned with getting seriously wounded than killed.”
On October 11th 1967, Charlie Company was part of Operation Medina. This was an operation near the DMZ and the mission was to eliminate a North Vietnamese regimental base camp and its anti-aircraft guns on the hilltops in the Hai Lang rain forest that were responsible for numerous downed US aircraft. Charlie Company and several other Marine elements would be conducting this operation. Charlie Company would be led by Captain Bill Major and Phil’s Platoon commander was 1st LT. Jack Ruffer.
Just before noon, 14 Huey helicopters flew a zig-zag pattern at tree top level to avoid detection toward the drop zone. Charlie Company would be the point company in this operation which meant they were going to be a half a mile out front of the main force and unprotected. Once they moved out of the drop zone the Marines hacked their way through the jungle rather than travel on open paths where they would be easy targets for the enemy. The foliage was thick and created an almost blackout condition because no sunlight could get through the “triple canopy”. Progress remained slow. In order to reach a more defensible position before nightfall the decision was made to spend the night in the jungle. Sleep was hard to come by that night as they fought off land leeches.
Progress remained slow the next day and eventually the point man came upon a clear trail. The decision was made to follow the trial rather than keep hacking a path in the jungle despite the risks of being wide open to enemy attack. About a half-hour later the NVA sprung their ambush and began raining down fire on the Marines who quickly moved off the trail and sought cover from heavy enemy fire. The Marines returned fire and eventually the NVA pulled back leaving behind their dead and wounded and two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. The Marines used machetes and C-4 explosives to clear small trees and create a small LZ on a hilltop. The wounded and KIA were brought to the LZ for evacuation.
The North Vietnamese surrounded the Marines on a small landing zone and commenced a series of assaults on their perimeter. The battle raged on for hours with the US greatly outnumbered. “It was the most intense exchange I have ever experienced because both sides were firing on full automatic”. The enemy attacked in waves and US ammo was running low and casualties were depleting Marines capable of fighting. This forced the Marines to continuously contract their perimeter. “The fighting in Medina was so close it’s like nothing I ever experienced.” “We were firing at muzzle flashes because it was so dark you couldn’t see them, until a C-47 arrived above the battle and began dropping flares.” The enemy was within grenade range most of the time (about 15 feet). “I had been in a number of fire fights but you don’t usually see the enemy”.
I asked Phil what it was like to be in such close proximity to the enemy. “Normally it would have been terrifying but in this situation, everyone was doing what they had to do to stay alive for just another 5 minutes. I don’t think we had time to be scared as we were just doing what we had to do to survive.” Phil said the battle seemed to last for an interminable amount of time and “everyone was likely aware that no one was going to survive this battle.” Unknown to most of the Marines of Charlie Company, Captain Bill Major had called for reinforcements upon realizing that we were heavily outnumbered by NVA regulars. Delta Company immediately began working their way toward the fighting.
With ammo almost completely expended LT. Ruffer began organizing counterattacks. Out of ammunition, the Marines would charge down the hill carrying rifles with fixed bayonets, knives and entrenching tools and engage in hand-to-hand combat. The enemy would charge up the hill and the Marines would fight them off. The NVA were throwing fragmentation grenades up onto the LZ. “When they ran out of fragmentation grenades, they threw up bamboo-wrapped packages of dynamite and concussion grenades. The concussion grenades did little physical damage, but they blew out ear drums and created great confusion.” By the 4th hour the original 172-man Marine force was down to approximately 70 men.
With morale at a low point, LT. Ruffer began singing the Marine’s Hymn in a last-ditch effort to “rally the troops”. Phil joined in singing and soon all of Charlie Company’s Marines that were able began singing. The sound of the singing could be heard over the gun fire by US troops a half a mile away. Phil recalled that on the 4th or 5th counterattack Jack Ruffer kept on running through the enemy to the trail where Charlie Company had originally come under attack. Ruffer kept running until he found Delta Company and led them back to help Charlie Company. “Once Delta arrived, they were able to punch a hole in the enemy line and expand the US perimeter with 120 fresh Marines and the fighting quickly diminished.” The events of Operation Medina are detailed in the book, “Lions of Medina”, by author Doyle Glass.
Phil recalls many acts of heroism that day. Cpl Jimmy Leonard was the machine gunner and managed to kill multiple VC machine gun teams. Lance Cpl. Bill Perkins was the combat photographer who saw a grenade land among several Marines. He yelled “grenade” and threw himself on the grenade as it exploded. He was later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for the greatest sacrifice he could make.
Phil returned to the US in 1968 and remained in the Marine Corp. He attended Northeastern to obtain his undergraduate degree and then got his law degree, also at Northeastern. Phil went back to the JAG Corp and spent 10 years in the court room as a prosecutor handling criminal cases. In 1989 he was selected for Career Level School and earned his Master of Law degree with a focus on International Law from UVA. He took over the Law of War section in the International Law Division at the Pentagon and soon deployed to the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. When he returned to the US he was assigned to head a task force to investigated and prosecute allegations made against 20 Marines in connection with Operation Tailhook.
Phil considers this to be one of his major accomplishments. A Marine pilot had been accused of sexually molesting a female Marine. After an extensive investigation in his capacity as a prosecutor Phil recommended that the charges be dropped because there were no facts to support the charges. He feels justice was served.
In 1995 Phil retired from the Marines. He bought a sailboat and moved to New Bern, NC where he served as an assistant State attorney. He later moved to Cape Cod to care for his elderly mother and that is where he met his wife Lynne. They were married in 2001 and now reside in the mountains of North Carolina.
Phil would often tell Lynne about a little boy named Cam he had befriended while he was in Vietnam. Charlie Company was tasked with holding an island complex simply known as “The Island”. Each day they would row an aluminum boat from the mainland to the island to resupply the Maines. This daily activity brought out the local children, one of which was named Cam who became buddies with Phil. Phil received some R&R in Bangkok and asked Cam what he would like Phil to bring back for him. He pointed to Phil’s watch. A week in Bangkok did not result in a watch for Cam as Phil was preoccupied with his R&R. Ultimately Charlie Company shipped out and that was the end of Cam; or maybe not.
Phil considered letting Cam down as one of his main regrets in life. Although Phil said he would never return to Vietnam under any circumstances, Lynne had an idea. She heard that a group of their friends had planned a trip to Vietnam and convinced Phil that this was his chance to deliver the watch and put to rest all of his regrets. In February of 2007 Phil, Lynne and their group of friends headed for Vietnam. With the help of their guide Phil and Lynne were able to locate Cam who was then a carpenter. When they met Cam remembered the promise of some 40 years ago. Cam received his watch and invited Lynne and Phil to dinner with his family. Cam had 4 boys and one daughter, Vy. Vy talked about one day being able to attend college like her four brothers. That was likely not in the cards as her family was relatively poor. Lynne suggested to Phil that they consider funding Vy’s college costs. To make a four-year story short, 4 years later Phil and Lynne were back in Vietnam watching Vy graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Good thing Phil didn’t make good on his promise of the watch 40 years earlier. This is much better ending to the story.
One of the things that sticks with Phil is the random nature of war. Who survives it and who doesn’t? You can take all of the precautions and follow all of the rules of training but end up getting injured or wounded.
Phil spoke often about the bond between the Marines. “Everything you do is for the guys you’re with. You’re not thinking about patriotism or the flag. You’re trying not to let down the guys on your right and your left.”
Phil also recalls that when he was in Vietnam many of the senior men had served in WW2 and Korea. “What they went through was nothing like what we were going through. If they could do, I can do it.”
I asked Phil about his transition from combat back to the US. When it was time to leave, he boarded a helicopter to catch a plane to Okinawa. He stopped in Okinawa where he and the other men had a chance to change out of combat fatigues into other uniforms. He boarded a plane and eventually landed at Marine Air Station El Toro, CA and then was bused to Los Angeles airport where he boarded a plane to Logan Airport in Boston. He caught a cab to Brookline and arrived at his home at 2am where he had a long chat with his mother. This all took place in a period of 72 hours. The mental adjustment was difficult but Phil managed it well.
“I feel fortunate. I appreciate everyday.”
Phil, we the people of the United States feel fortunate every day to have had someone like you willing to make the sacrifices you made for our country.