In this episode, discover the extraordinary stories of Medal of Honor recipients who have shaped the legacy of liberty and courage. Kim Munson hosts Drew Dix, who recounts his experiences in Vietnam and his ongoing commitment to educating the youth at the Center for American Values. Explore the essence of work ethic, leadership, and patriotism through heartfelt discussions that highlight the sacrifices made by countless veterans in securing America’s freedom.
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World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and our other wars and conflicts. America’s fighting men and women strapped on their boots and picked up their guns to fight tyranny and stand for liberty. We must never forget them. Welcome to America’s veteran stories with Kim Munson. These stories will touch your heart, inspire you and give you courage. We stand on the shoulders of giants. Here’s Kim Munson.
SPEAKER 07 :
And welcome to America’s Veterans Stories with Kim Munson. Be sure and check out our website. That is AmericasVeteranStories.com. And the show comes to you because of a trip that I took in 2016 with a group that accompanied four D-Day veterans to Normandy, France for the 72nd anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings. And I returned stateside realizing we need to record these stories and hear these stories and broadcast them and archive them. So hence, America’s Veterans Stories. And I’ve been blessed through this whole experience to meet amazing people. And we have one of those folks on the line with us right now, and that is Drew Dix. He is a Medal of Honor recipient for actions that he took during the Vietnam War. And he has done so much for our country to make sure that we honor our Medal of Honor recipients and that we pass on these values of honor, integrity, and patriotism to the next generation. He’s one of the co-founders with Brad Padula of the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo, Colorado. And it really should be on your bucket list to take the family down and visit the center. It will truly change your life. Drew Dix, welcome.
SPEAKER 03 :
Jim, it’s good to be here. It always is. And thank you for what you do and giving us a chance to talk about the center and the other great things that we do to support our country.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, you grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, and we’re going to talk about three other gentlemen that grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, here in the show. Because Pueblo, Colorado, had four Medal of Honor recipients from Pueblo, which is pretty amazing. And so we’ll talk about them, but let’s talk first of all about the Center. And I have to tell you, Drew, I have come to love Pueblo. And I think it’s because I’ve come to know the people at the center and all the great work that you’re doing there. But I have a big soft spot in my heart for Pueblo, Colorado.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Kim, Pueblo is a great little town and it’s a hardworking town. People, that’s why I think when I look back at my childhood, I remember that so much that it was, you know, a steel town and a lot of people worked there and at the depot and just hardworking people. And I grew up working. At 12 years old, I got my Social Security card. They gave it when you started working in those days. And, you know, you felt like you wanted to be a part of it.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I grew up in Western Kansas, the same kind of thing. I said I grew up in Western Kansas where we work as a hobby. I think that I got my first job. I’d worked on the farm and babysat and whatever, but I got my first job at the age of 14. And it’s really served me well, though, that work ethic. has served me well, and I think it’s really important that we instill that work ethic into our next generation as well. And I see, I’m very hopeful with many of these young people. And you interact on a regular basis, Drew Dix, with young people, and it’s really heartwarming to see these young people just want to hear your story and learn more about it. It’s just great the way you interact with young people.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Kim, I find it easy to talk with young people because they really know what’s right. And they know they need to be doing something. And they know that they have responsibility. And it’s somewhat of an identity crisis because what’s happening is we’re not allowing those people to know that they can think. And that’s what the center does. We don’t tell young people what to think, but how to think and that they can. And when they hear stories about our generation and working hard to contribute to the family or to the community, their eyes kind of blink. lighten up and hope that every time we talk to a group that there’s those that go out there and spread the word that we need to get out there and work hard because you can’t make enough money in a country to give everybody everything they want. They’ve got to contribute to it.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, and there’s also something about the dignity of work. And, Drew, there certainly are people out there that really do need help, and a small percentage for their whole life. But I think it was attributed to Lincoln, something along the line of, you shouldn’t do for people what they can do for themselves. And it takes away the dignity of… Of work, of value. To give somebody something that can work, to just give it to them, in a way, you’re degrading them because you’re saying you don’t have anything of value that we’re going to trade. And there’s that dignity in trading value for value, which is the inherent value. The principle of capitalism is trading value for value in a free exchange. And I was talking to somebody the other day and I said, I think that, oh, I know what it was. I had a friend of mine who is a little concerned because the company he works for. is telegraphing that they’re going to be laying people off right here before Thanksgiving. And he said, and we have so much work that we’re doing. And they have plenty of work. And I said, huh. And I said, I think that one of the most compassionate things that one man can give to another is is a job. And I don’t think that we have upheld our job creators the way we should in America. I think that in some ways we’ve demonized them. But I do think one of the most compassionate things to do is to be able to give another person a job because you’re creating things, you’re building things. And I think that, again, is foundational in the American idea.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I agree. And the generosity of these wealthy people that have made money through hard work, I find it very offensive sometimes where they criticize their wealth. And they’re giving jobs for, you know, in many cases, thousands of people jobs. And the other point that is really tough that I don’t know how to address it, but I like to emphasize the fact that that young people need to start at the bottom to learn. But then again, this day and age is the best time in our history, I think, to succeed because anybody working in the private sector, if someone starts at the bottom and they see that you show up on time and you put in more than your day’s work, they’re going to promote you really fast. So many young people, and it’s not their fault. It’s their parents or the ones that they’re looking at to tell them that they need to start at the top. I mean, McDonald’s, and I use McDonald’s just because it was one of the first fast food places and it was a place for young people to go and make a dollar an hour. But it’s not a place to… to retire from. It’s not a place that’s necessarily going to support your family. It was designed to have a lot of young people working there. They always did. And so there’s so much talk about making everybody right into the middle class, right out of the box, and that just can’t be. The middle class is something you earn to achieve, not given to you.
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Well, and that’s why some of these policies I’m very concerned about, for example, these forced minimum wages make it difficult for employers to bring in that entry-level employee, as you say, where you learn to talk with people, where you learn to show up on time, where you learn to go that extra mile. And these policies prevent this opportunity. And that’s a real problem. But those that can understand it, just as you’ve said, and I really see this with Producer Joe. He’s young, and he is really going the extra mile. And I know that it will serve him very well throughout his life, Drew, because he is willing to change. jump through the hoops and go that extra mile to make things happen. And I truly appreciate it, and I know that there are people that are watching that appreciate that with him as well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, you’re right, Kim. And, of course, everybody’s young now when he gets as old as me, but I’ve been around a while. But, you know, what I… I find myself wanting to compliment people just for doing their job sometimes. And I think we should all do that. But then again, I wonder if that’s really beneficial because hard work is hard work. And making mistakes is part of the hard work. But just like in our little restaurant up here in Westcliff where the young girl started, I think she was 16 or something. And I told her, she’s going to start here. Work hard. Don’t expect someone to give you tips automatically. Work for them, and you’ll appreciate them more. And I think it resonated.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I totally agree. And that’s why the work that you’re doing at the Center for American Values and many of these portraits of valor that you have on the wall there, these men were young when they took the action to protect those around them, to save lives. They were very, very young. And the other thing that I think is so important as I go through and look at all the portraits on the wall is you see all this narrative out there trying to divide people and put them in descriptors of skin color or whatever. And that is one of the beautiful things about the center, is every child, first of all, that American spirit is within our hearts and our souls. But the descriptors on the outside, it’s across the spectrum of all these men and these Medal of Honor portraits of valor.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, and Kim, this is why veterans and the group of that segment of our society is so important because it passes the boundaries of each. You know, we’re basically a 50-50 country. Our votes and everything are so close, but veterans kind of, See, either you’re far left or far right, that community and working together, especially combat veterans that spent time on the battlefield where they each other depended on on each other can resonate. And I asked all veterans to participate. to go through the community and emphasize that to people, especially on Veterans Day when our citizens should be recognizing veterans and tell them how much they or we appreciate being able to serve this country and what it means to us. Because if you notice, when veterans get older and they look back on how things were, they always reflect on those times that they worked hard with each other You don’t remember on those times when something was given to you, but you do remember those times when you worked hard and made sacrifices. And that’s what’s so significant about Veterans Day. And I also ask our citizens that are listening here, that Veterans Day is a day to honor veterans. It’s not just for a day for veterans to go out and and have parades for themselves. We should be honoring those past and present, so there’s not a hesitance for future veterans to join up. You know, we’re different now. We have a volunteer military, and most of those Medal of Honor recipients on the wall, there’s about 164 now, I believe, We started that in 1999. World War II in Korea and Vietnam were mostly draftees. So when you say young, they were very young. And it’s no different as far as being on the battlefield, whether you’re a volunteer. or a draftee, but the significance is that the draftees are the treasure of this country. And when our diplomacy fails, we call on our young people to stand up and protect this nation. And that’s why it’s so important to remember the fact that most of those that made sacrifices were drafted. And that makes it so important. And that’s why it’s important to me. I’ll just add one thing, Kim. After I received the Medal of Honor and I got a battlefield commission, I was in Special Forces, but I went back to Vietnam as a company commander in a rifle company in the 101st Airborne Division. And 100% of my company were draftees. We didn’t have any – I think we might have had one career sergeant to rest for all draftees. The average age was just under 19. Wow. So those are – when you say young, those were really young. And when I talked to kids at the center, and some of them raised their hand when I asked them how many are 17 and 18, a few do. And I said, well, think about this, that next month you could –
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Yeah.
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Think about that.
SPEAKER 07 :
I know. It is really remarkable. And we have to, as a country, I think, be very careful about where we send our children, our blood and our treasure, because they are our blood and treasure, and we need to be very cautious about that. But I am so grateful for… The generations. So let’s go to break. I’m talking with Drew Dix. He’s a Medal of Honor recipient for actions he took in the Vietnam War. He’s a co-founder with Brad Padula of the Center for American Values. That website is AmericanValuesCenter.org. And we are blessed to bring these stories to the airwaves.
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Remax Realtor Karen Levine helps bring to life the individual stories of our servicemen and women. With her sponsorship of America’s Veteran Stories with Kim Munson, Karen honors the sacrifices of our military and is grateful for our freedom. As a member of the National Association of Realtors Board of Directors, Karen works to protect private property rights for all of us. Karen has a heart for our active duty military and veterans and is honored to help you buy or sell your home. Call Karen Levine at 303-877-7516 to help you navigate buying or selling your home. That’s 303-877-7516.
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All of Kim’s sponsors are an inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Munson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmunson.com. That’s kimmunson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 07 :
And welcome back to America’s Veterans Stories with Kim Munson. Be sure and check out our website. That is AmericasVeteransStories.com. Check out the Center for American Values. It’s located in Pueblo, Colorado. That website is AmericanValuesCenter.org. And then the other nonprofit that I really love and support on the show is the USMC Memorial Foundation. And they just do such great work. And through November, they actually have a… brick program where somebody will match bricks purchased up to $1,500. In fact, I was with a friend yesterday that said she and her husband just purchased bricks to be on their pathways of service for their grandfathers. And I just love that. So you can get more information by going to usmcmemorialfoundation.org i’m talking with drew dix he is a co-founder of the center for american values located in pueblo medal of honor recipient for actions he took during the vietnam war and drew let’s talk about a little bit about the other three medal of honor recipients that grew up in pueblo colorado it’s amazing that there were four living medal of honor recipients in Pueblo, that grew up in Pueblo. And I think it was Ike Eisenhower who said, what is it about the water out there? You guys seem to raise heroes. And I think that’s true. So let’s see, is it one World War II veteran to Korea and then you? Do I have that right?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, that’s right. Bill Crawford was World War II and Carl Sitter and Jerry Murphy were both Korea, both Marines. And Carl Sitter and Jerry. And for our Marines out there, I want to wish them happy birthday. It was on November 10th. I really admire the Marines, and that Marine Memorial is something to support, too. So I encourage people to do that.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, absolutely. So let’s talk about, first of all, Bill Crawford. And you knew him, and there’s a remarkable story about him at the Air Force Academy. But where do you want to start with Bill Crawford?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, first I’d like to say that when I was a young kid, I didn’t know much about the Medal of Honor. I didn’t know much about Bill, Carl, or Jerry. And I was wondering who these guys were. and then i joined the army and came back and there was a welcome home parade in pueblo and the three of them were there very special very special uh memory of mine of bill and and the other two but bill was so quiet so um reserved um and i think he was always that way it’s just that they brought it out of him on the battlefield uh and in Europe. And that’s the thing that I like to remember about Bill and the story about him being a janitor at the Air Force Academy. And when one of the individuals there recognized him and asked him about it, I can just see him. Yeah, that’s me. I have a medal on her. And I remember Bill, going to conventions where we used to get together every two years then. And Bill was Bill. He was just so quiet. And when I heard that story, which came out after I’d known him a while, it didn’t surprise me. He was just – he raised – He had a little farm up there in Black Forest. A lot of times he wouldn’t go to the conventions because they had to take care of his cow or two and just always admired him. And not very talkative, but at our conventions, our general membership in a lot of those meetings, you know, they could get all kind of – You know, people arguing about how they want to do business. Bill, once in a while, would get up and say something so calm and made so much sense. So that’s my tribute to Bill. I’ll never forget him for that. He was a Golden Glove fighter when he was young. You just can’t picture it, but he had it inside him that he had that competitive spirit. And those Germans found out.
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Well, what happened on that day that he took action that he was awarded the Medal of Honor?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Bill actually attacked the bunkers and was able to capture some of the enemy soldiers, and they surrendered and saved. You know, the thing you have to remember is the whole Medal of Honor event actions for saving your unit or individuals by your sacrifice, willing to sacrifice. So that was the case. They were pinned down, and he moved forward and was able to eliminate some of those German soldiers. The remarkable thing about Bill is he was later a POW, and he He had already been selected for the Medal of Honor, and it was presented to his mother posthumously because they thought he was dead. He had been captured instead. And later, when President Reagan was in office, because the Medal of Honor is to be awarded, presented by the president, And so his was never presented by a president, so President Reagan presented him with his Medal of Honor. Great story.
SPEAKER 07 :
And that was at the Air Force Academy, right?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, I believe it was, yeah. Just so remarkable for an individual that never asked for anything, and then remarkable that President Reagan thought the importance of doing that for himself.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, and I remember the story, and you alluded to it, but at least this is how I have heard it, that he was working as this janitor at the Air Force Academy, and one of the young cadets was doing some research, and realized there was a Medal of Honor recipient, Bill Crawford. And he kind of started to put two and two together. And he went to Bill and said, is this you? And he said, yes. And that was a long time ago. And that just stuck with me. At least that’s the story that I’ve heard, Drew Dix.
SPEAKER 03 :
And that’s that’s pretty accurate. That’s the way it was. And the statement says, yeah, it was a long time ago. That’s Bill. He didn’t elaborate.
SPEAKER 07 :
OK, well, let’s talk about then which which gentleman do you want to talk about next?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Carl was a remarkable individual. You know, the thing that I remember, well, first of all, it was at the Chosun Reservoir that was a bitter cold battle. And I spent a lot of time in the cold. And I can’t imagine fighting a serious, you know, having a war in such conditions. The jungles are bad. It’s hot and all that. But in the cold, it can just wear you down. And the only good thing about it is the enemy is facing it, too. But Carl was a remarkable Marine officer and was able to rally his people and defend in that Chosen Reservoir, which was a very crucial battle in the Korean War. And Carl, gosh, it was, you know, when Bill Crawford passed, He was buried at the Air Force Academy. Cold, nasty day. Carl and Jerry and I were there. Carl caught a bad cold and got pneumonia and passed not long after that. And then he was buried in Arlington. So, you know, the bittersweet of that was able to witness and participate in Bill’s internment and then succumb to the weather. He survived in Korea through the bad weather, but lost it when he was a little older and didn’t have the ability to survive the elements. And he was really committed to went to the seminary and graduated and passed before he was actually graduated. So remarkable individual that I have so much respect for. In fact, all of them. But, you know, they were just part of my life. And And while I didn’t know it when I was growing up, they were a part of my life then, but it’s not so much as them individuals, but because we all shared the same values of being brought up and hard work and in a community that we love so much.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, Andrew, over the years, I know that life should not be I wishes. However, I do wish that I would have started this American Veterans Stories 10 years earlier because so many of these guys that I really would have loved to have interviewed had passed on by that time. But I’ve learned a lot. I didn’t know my history. The Korean War is known as the Forgotten War, and it was brutal. And the Chosin Reservoir is one of the top marine famous battles. And it wasn’t just cold. It got to 40 below. And I don’t think people can quite understand what that was for those guys.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, and, Kim, they didn’t have the equipment. You know, Korea was right after the World War II when we downsized so much. And when they were deployed, the Marines went in early. You know, they just had rubber boots that they put over their leather shoes to insulate some. It was brutal. I spent a little bit of time in Alaska, and then I did some contract work on the sea ice for several years for the Navy and the government. And I know what it’s like to be cold, and you just don’t get warm. But to compound that with someone shooting at you, it’s difficult. So my hat is off to all those that served in that environment.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, Drew, didn’t they get surrounded? And that’s where the Chinese came in as well. And there were just so many enemy. And didn’t they have to just, they finally just had to, they fought their way out of there, right?
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s right. But we drugged it. The Chinese came in. And, you know, the thing that I worry about is our readiness in the military. You know, after World War II, we downsized, and we went to Korea. We weren’t really ready. And there were a lot of folks that paid the price just to hold the line until— we could train up some troops and get them over there. And that’s why I’m so much involved in our readiness issues, that we have to stay ready and be willing to fight so we can, if we go to war, we can make a difference.
SPEAKER 07 :
And not just be bishops. Yeah, and that is a deterrent to the enemy if they know that we are prepared. And so, yes, readiness is super important. So we’re going to go to break. I’m talking with Drew Dix, co-founder of the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo. And they do two things. They honor our Medal of Honor recipients. And then they have amazing… educational programs for our kids, for online, other curriculum, to instill these values of honor, integrity, and patriotism. And it is such an inspirational place. I would recommend that you get that on your bucket list to go visit the Center for American Values. You can get more information by going to AmericanValueCenter.org. That’s AmericanValueCenter.org, and we’ll be right back.
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And that I love thee.
SPEAKER 07 :
And welcome back to America’s Veterans Stories with Kim Munson. Be sure and check out our website. That is AmericasVeteransStories.com. Be sure and check out our website. That is Kim Munson. Oops, hold on. That’s AmericasVeteransStories.com. Make sure I get the right one there. And Hooters Restaurants has been a sponsor of both of the shows for many years. And how I got to know them, it’s a very important story about freedom and free markets and capitalism. But it’s a great place to get together to watch the games. They have great specials Monday through Friday for lunch or happy hour. So be sure and check that out at my website at kimmunson.com. I’m talking with Drew Dix. He is a Medal of Honor recipient for actions he took during the Vietnam War. We’re talking about the Center for American Values located in Pueblo, co-founded by Drew and Brad Padula. So Pueblo had four Medal of Honor recipients living at the same time, all men who grew up in Pueblo with this work ethic. And we’ve talked about Bill Crawford and Carl Sitter, but let’s talk a little bit about Jerry Murphy, Drew Dix. Tell us a little bit about him.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, thanks, Kim. Jerry… Well, the first thing that comes on my mind, I used to deliver newspapers in Pueblo. And there was a road called Jerry Murphy Road. I think it was the longest road in Pueblo. And I was wondering, who in the heck was Jerry Murphy to have such a long road named after him? And, of course, I was like 14, 13, 14 years old. And… when I went to join the Army at 17 and came back after Vietnam and met Jerry Murphy along with Carl and Bill at the welcome parade they had in Pueblo for me after I received the Medal of Honor. Jerry was a Marine officer. Remarkable guy, very family-oriented, large family. He was living in Albuquerque at the time that I met him, but he came to Pueblo often, and I got to know his family very well, and they’re just wonderful people. And I guess… The other thing that I remember so much about Jerry is his commitment to veterans. He retired from the VA hospital system in Albuquerque, but he stayed working as a volunteer until he died, literally weeks before he passed. He was a volunteer, a friendly face. If you walked into the Jerry Murphy Hospital, they named it after him. and you would always see him. He would greet you or the people and just was committed to taking care of veterans. He did it on the battlefield, and he did it until he died.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, and we owe our veterans so much. From that first shot that was heard around the world to now, in the show, that we stand on the shoulders of giants. And we truly do. But these were regular, ordinary men that when the situation presented itself, they stood up, they delivered. And I I often wonder if I was in that situation, you know, what what would I do? And I hope that the good Lord would give me the strength and fortitude and courage to do what I would need to do in that situation as well. But it’s it’s. I think the training probably is important, but don’t you think there’s also something deep within the soul of these Medal of Honor recipients as well that had them take action when this situation presented itself?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I think so. Training is very important, but some of those that I knew every single recipient of, After I received mine in the White House in 1969, I’ve known everyone that was a recipient then almost close to 400. And I kind of think about it. You know, they say, okay, welcome to the group and you’re one of them. I never felt like I was part of the group as far as, because I always put them so high in my admiration and I never knew that or never thought that I would be worthy of that maybe I think most of the recipients that I have had serious conversations with or got to know felt the same way they never felt they did anything that great I think what it is when you’re on the battlefield and you know things are tough things are bad they don’t reward those when you’re doing really good because you don’t receive a medal for how many an enemy you killed or the objective you take, you receive it for risking your life in a bad situation. And every one of those individuals thought at the time, I’m sure, that they could see the pieces coming together, either good or bad, that it was so clear that they had to take action. And in my case, I felt the same. I felt like I could take care of what I needed to do right then. My training played a big part in it. But it is also the fact that I was comfortable around the situation and knew that I could make a difference and that that’s where I was right. trying to save were worthy of being saved. And that’s the beauty of our country as we think so much, so highly of our fellow citizens that we’re willing to risk our lives because they would risk their lives for us.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, you think about the Declaration of Independence, the founding of our country, that they were willing to risk their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. That’s a pretty amazing thing to base a country upon. And then we’ve seen that through the generations, which is unique about the American idea. But that is what has happened when they’re on the battlefield, their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Now, I can’t remember, Drew, it was one of the on-value presentations. And one of the guys, the Medal of Honor recipients, had said that somebody that he saved… that because he saved this guy, this guy had this big family. And the family actually realized that it was because of those actions that the Medal of Honor recipient took as the reason that they were all alive. And I thought that was really an important thing. I hadn’t really thought about that until that day.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and the fact that they’re so young, most of the time in war, you know, wars fought with our young, and they had a chance to live a normal life when they were pulled out of the comfort of their communities. And, you know, when you look at… You referenced the founders. Now, they were warriors, too, but they didn’t carry a gun. But they got out of their comfort zone. They were willing to get out of their comfort zone and make a difference because they could see that their action was going to make a difference, just like on the battlefield. I mean, you know, there’s several Medal of Honor recipients, mainly in Korea. were awarded the Medal of Honor for clear action of throwing themselves on a hand grenade to save others. Now, they clearly were willing to die at that moment. They were not going to survive. Some did. But they also knew that if they did that, others would survive.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, and that’s, yeah, that’s remarkable. Well, tell us a little bit about Jerry Murphy and what he did during the Korean War, of which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Jerry’s action is a lot like the other actions where the units are pinned down and they were getting fire from this hill. And I think the hill was called Ungat Hill. And Jerry went up to the slopes of that hill and took out enemy positions so his unit that was pinned down could proceed up to take that hill, which was key at the time. And that’s what it was. And, you know, when you look back on it, you say, well, okay, he just took care of this action, and it seems like – It’s an understatement. But when you’re on the battlefield and the only ground that you have influence is the ground you’re standing on or laying on, and you’re going to stay there until someone gets you going or whether you can get and secure some other ground. And your world gets really small. It gets closed in on you. And until you get that notion to move ahead… You could stay right there and die. And that’s the situation. But Jerry took the action, allowed them to move, and started picking up speed. And it’s amazing when you get speed under a bad situation and momentum what you can do. And rallying his men in that situation is what earned him the Medal of Honor. He saved that unit because if he hadn’t taken those actions on his own, by himself, the enemy would probably have wiped that unit out.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, and Drew, I’ve learned this, and the language is very important. People do not win the Medal of Honor. They are awarded the Medal of Honor, and that’s an important distinction for each of us to understand.
SPEAKER 03 :
It is. And, you know, that emphasis of changing that phrase, I attribute to the Medal of Honor recipients, because when I became a member of of the Medal of Honor Society after receiving the medal, I heard a lot. You win the Medal of Honor. The press says it a lot. The other soldiers or military, oh, he’s a Medal of Honor winner. And then when… It started about the time we had a good number, met a lot of recipients from Vietnam, that we felt that we didn’t win anything. Because, first of all, the war was an unpopular war, so why would you go there to win something that was an unpopular war? You were going over there to make a difference, to slow the enemy down more. for their advancement across Asia there, and we did a good job with that. I’d like to tell all those Vietnam veterans out there that they ought to be proud of that service. They won that war. The politicians didn’t give them the victory, and that’s unfortunate. But it set the stage. It’s changed so much. Vietnam… put a name because of the Vietnam War, put names to the losses of war since then and before. You notice a lot of monuments now are inscribed with the names of those lost. And that was because it started in Vietnam when it became so personal that names were… attributed to the results of the losses of the results of the battle.
SPEAKER 07 :
Each of those names, yeah, is somebody’s son, brother, uncle, husband. It’s so important that we understand that and the sacrifice for each and every one of them. I’m talking with Drew Dix, and he is the co-founder of the Center for American Values. The other co-founder is Brad Padula. And Drew is a Medal of Honor recipient for actions he took during the Vietnam War. And we will continue the story in just a moment.
SPEAKER 08 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 07 :
And welcome to America’s Veterans Stories with Kim Munson. Be sure and check out our website. That is AmericasVeteranStories.com. Talking with Drew Dix, and he is a Medal of Honor recipient for actions that he took during the Vietnam War, co-founder of the Center for American Values. Drew Dix, you received the Medal of Honor. for actions you took during the Tet Offensive and the Vietnam War. And first of all, the Tet holiday is kind of like our Christmas holiday in Vietnam, right?
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, actually, it’s a New Year holiday. It’s the Chinese New Year. Okay. And it goes for a period of time, and I guess from the time the war started, pretty much both sides always… saw it before a ceasefire during that time. I don’t know why we have these ceasefires, because it just gives people time to regroup. But anyway, 1968 was no different. There was going to be a four or five days, I forget how many days, it was a long time, a ceasefire. And my business was to gather information, and I could always go across the border somewhere and find out enemy movement, and there was no movement. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Little did we know that they had already been in position. And actually, when I left with a few guys to go out of the town, I went through enemy positions that were already in the town.
SPEAKER 07 :
But you didn’t realize it at the time?
SPEAKER 03 :
Didn’t realize it. I mean, because there’s so much activity of locals moving in and out because they’re coming from different communities to celebrate the holidays. So there’s that kind of activity. But for the enemy, that was remarkable that they did that. There’s 44 provinces in Vietnam, and I think 41 or two they took over or attempted and got real close to overrunning the provincial capitals.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, and their ceasefire, they were just kidding, right?
SPEAKER 03 :
There was no ceasefire. It was a pretty big deal. When I went back with a few of my indigenous troops and I have a platoon, a Navy SEAL that happened to be in the area, just wondering, looking for a little action because they didn’t have any where they were. And we always had a little. And so when we left town to just see where we were in a ceasefire, so we weren’t going to engage offensively, but just to see what’s going on. And we got into a little bit of a firefight and look back towards Chowdhury. We’ve been on the river for a couple hours, so it’s quite a ways away. You could see a haze and glow in the skyline that they’d overrun the city by the time we had left.
SPEAKER 07 :
So you ended up into a 56-hour battle then, and pretty remarkable. You saved a civilian nurse as well as others. But I find that one of the really interesting stories is as you were, I guess, moving through the town, you saw a guy in a doorway. I find this absolutely fascinating.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, you mean, yeah, this is a stroke of luck. You know, battles are good luck and bad luck. You got to have it. And you hope you have more good luck. But it wasn’t actually in the doorway. It was in a crouch down in a small shell crater. And we were moving pretty fast. It was about a, I don’t know, about I forget, eight or ten of us at that time. The SEALs had already left because one was killed, and they evacuated him before he passed, and they didn’t get back into the town. But I saw this guy sitting in this crater right by him, and I looked back. I said, that guy shouldn’t be there. He’s dressed. He had kind of a traditional VC kind of haircut. brown pajamas which they you’ve heard of they’re wearing black pajamas which was the farmer’s garb but they were more brown it was different for some reason i’ve never seen them like that and so i grabbed him and my guys were saying they seemed a little bit annoyed that i was spending time with his old man he was an old guy he’s like 50 um and me being 23 or something but 24. And so I just drug him along. And we were in some pretty heavy firefighting. And I’m dragging this guy along and got to this side of this building, which happened to be a theater and pretty substantial building. So we’re going to duck in there and open the door. And I think there might have been. Well, it turned out to be 19 enemy and they’re all firing towards that opening. And I had this guy with me, and I brought him around. I don’t know why I brought him around, but the momentum of the firing, the intensity of the firing stopped. And I slammed the door, and I said, boy, they know who this guy is. And that’s why he had that different uniform, was he could be identified. and looked more like a citizen, not in military garb, but with his brown pajamas kind of outfit. So I pulled him back in there, ducked in, and the fire intensified a little bit. Then all of a sudden, I put his face up in the ray of light that the sun shined through that dark building. There were no windows in it. It was a theater, and… and I could hear the weapons started hitting the ground. It was a little dicey there. I had my, I don’t know, eight or ten guys or whatever it was, and there were 19 of them, or 18 and 19 counting this guy that turned out to be the leader of the whole battle. His name was Salve. I didn’t know that at the time, but you can imagine how it was, total darkness, and the only thing we could see was in the flash of the muzzle. break and so we got it organized we got the people out of there I’m sure we might have left one in there but that old history will tell that and he’s probably talking the story we did but we went back to the to the embassy house which was our headquarters in Edgetown with our 19 prisoners and that was a sight they were loaded in this one little pickup we had and a jeep And it waddled down the road with this load. Still didn’t know who I had. And one of the Vietnamese that we had captured before was very high ranking, kind of working with us. Walked through the gate because we were trying to get some of my troops who were outside of the town back into the town to help with the battle. And Ba Hung was this former VC that we captured. When he walked through the gate and Sal Bay was leaning up against the wall, his eyes, they connected and they knew each other. And I’ll never forget Bahoom saying, Sal Bay, number one VC. We knew we had somebody.
SPEAKER 07 :
Wow. Wow, that’s amazing. Drew, we’ve got just about a minute left. This has just been such a great interview. How would you like to wrap this up?
SPEAKER 03 :
I’d just like to say to all the veterans out there that, you know, our country is divided right now. Good or bad, it’s divided, whatever side you’re on. The veterans can do a lot to bridge that gap. Make an effort to get out there and tell people that you went to willing to fight or to be in the military to save this country. and do what you can now to spread the word that this country is worth getting back on its feet. Because we’re losing some stuff. We’re losing our prominence in the world, and we never wanted to take any real estate. But our strength is what we need to keep us out of war, and I hope that we return to that and get our readiness together. And veterans, just please keep the faith, and I’m proud to stand with you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, Drew Dix, thank you so much, and thank you for the great work at the Center for American Values. That website is AmericanValuesCenter.org. My friends, it is clear we stand on the shoulders of giants. So God bless you, and God bless America.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you for listening to America’s Veteran Stories with Kim Munson. Be sure to tune in again next Sunday, 3 to 4 p.m., here on KLZ 560 and KLZ 100.7.
SPEAKER 01 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
