Military Experience

  I entered the military in January 1970 and took Basic Training at Fort Bragg, NC.  After Basic I was assigned to Fort Polk, La. for Advanced Infantry Training.  After 8 more weeks of sweat and hell, I volunteered for the Non-Commissioned Officers Training School at Fort Benning, Ga.  Twelve more weeks of sweat and hell, then I graduated a Sergeant E-5 and was assigned back to Fort Polk,La as an assistant Drill Instructor teaching men to follow orders under combat conditions.  After those 8 weeks were up, there was a short 2 week rest before going to Vietnam.  I arrived there in October, 1970 and was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd of 7th.  Within 3 days I was in the jungles of Vietnam.  All the training I took could not touch what the real conditions were like.

  How could such a beautiful jungle hide the deadliest 2 and 4 legged creatures known to man?  If the VC weren't bad enough, the snakes, scorpions, mosquitoes and the heat were a living hell. My outfit was assigned as Search and Destroy, (often called Hunter & Killer Teams).  VC were located by reconnaissance patrols or air surveillance. Then they would report back to the CO, who in turn would assign my men to go out and eliminate them.  We were choppered out to the most remote parts of the jungle to carry out our missions, which was usually successful without any loss of my men, although we did have casualties. We did pretty good on the body count of VC.  Quite often, by surprise, we would encounter small bands of VC, on our way to a mission.  A firefight would take place, leaving several dead or wounded.  No training can prepare you for the thrill of battle. Several times bullets would rip through my clothing. I've seen hand grenades hurled straight toward me by the VC only to be saved by a singled strand of bamboo, which would deflect the grenade.

 My group of men was small, often 6 and sometimes 12 members. Smaller groups made less noise and were more effective with the element of surprise. Several times we were pinned down by enemy fire because we were outnumbered, only to be saved by helicopter gun ships who would fire up the area allowing us to escape and regroup.  Often our battles were within 20 yards, due to the thickness of the jungle and the bamboo that surrounded us. Often many VC were killed by luck because they could hide so easily, usually carrying nothing but their weapon and a small bag of ammo or rice.  We were brought food and water every 3 days by helicopter.  Our packs weighed close to 90 lbs when full.  I carried 9 qts. of water, 2 bandoleers (16 clips) of M16 ammo, 1 can of M60 ammo, 4 smoke grenades, 6 hand grenades, 2 claymore mines with wire, food, sleepwear, poncho, poncho liner, steel pot, and writing pads and pens.  The pack was so heavy, I had to put towels under the straps to keep from cutting into my shoulder.  We had to hump(walk) almost every day because it wasn't safe to remain in the same place for long.  Normally we walked 2 clicks (2000 meters), many times cutting through brush with machetes.  I lost 40 pounds during my stay there with the heat, humidity, and lots of walking, it wasn't hard to do.

 While serving in combat I was awarded the Bronze Star w/Valor, the Bronze Star /Meriterious, Army Commendation Metal, and the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB). Finally in October 1971, I was able to return to the World.     

NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF

BRONZE STAR MEDAL with “V” DEVICE

TO

SERGEANT RODNEY G. CRESS

Sgt. Rodney G. Cress, United States Army, heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the enemy of the United States as an Infantry squad leader, Charlie Co., 2nd of the 7th, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), on March 7th, 1971 during the Vietnam Winter-Spring Campaign (November 1st, 1970 to April 30th, 1971).  Sgt. Cress was the only NCO in a 10-man patrol led by his platoon leader and a German shepherd dog team.  Their mission that day was to scout an area close to the platoon’s NDP for near-by enemy forces that might pose a threat to their safety that night.  While following a recently used trail through the thick triple canopy jungle, the patrol came upon a few unfinished enemy bunkers.  As the unit crossed a small stream and began to ascend a small hill, the dog displayed a very strong alert to enemy presence in close proximity to the patrol.  As the platoon leader and dog handler moved forward to check out the validity of dog’s alert, the rest of the unit waited in place.  Within seconds, the patrol came under intense enemy fire from automatic weapons, grenades, and RPG’s.  Sgt. Cress immediately went into action to position both himself and his squad in such a way as to effectively place devestating suppressive fire upon the insurgent forces, thereby allowing his platoon leader and the dog team to safely extricate themselves from an ambush kill zone less than 25 meters ahead.  He personally took out several of the enemy combatants that were firing from a nearby bunker and continued to direct his squad to effectively engage the insurgents.  After pulling back a short distance to a better fighting location around an unfinished enemy bunker, the firefight continued sporadically over the next hour while close air support from a Cobra gunship was called in.  However, due to the thick jungle canopy and very high humidity, the smoke generated by their smoke grenades did not disburse properly, making it difficult to achieve the necessary close range assistance from the Cobra gunship.  As Sgt. Cress re-positioned his squad to continually engage a superior number of aggressive enemy combatants firing at them from three different directions, their smoke grenades, M-60 and M-16 ammunition began to run dangerously low.  A kick-out airdrop of additional ammunition was attempted but failed to hit its intended target, leaving the unit with no other option but to break contact with the enemy and attempt to quickly extricate themselves from a fast deteriorating and extremely perilous situation.  As the 10-man patrol crawled, walked, and ran more than 500 yards through the thick jungle, Sgt. Cress and several of his squad ensured the enemy combatants were not following them, thereby allowing every man in the unit to make it to safety while sustaining absolutely no casualties.  Subsequent airstrikes and an artillery barrage directed on the area of the firefight resulted in several secondary explosions indicating a significant enemy presence and large ammunition caches.  Sgt. Cress’s absolute coolness in directing his squad under less than ideal and extremely stressful circumstances was an inspiration to them and surely instrumental in the successful completion of their mission that day.  His display of personal bravery, leadership, and devotion to duty were outstanding, and undoubtedly helped save many lives of the 10-man patrol.  His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), and the United States Army.