BIO
Name: Warren Vance ElliottAge: 75Branch of the military: U.S. ArmyYears of service: 1963-1965
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Lifelong Soddy-Daisy resident Vance Elliott was stationed in Vietnam in early 1965 as the U.S. engagement in the war drastically intensified.
"At that time, there was no one really in Vietnam except for advisers," he said.
But that was quickly changing. President Lyndon Johnson wanted to increase the American military presence, so Elliott and the 25th Infantry Division were ordered to the country.
During Elliott's short, action-packed tour, he watched first-hand as the conflict escalated to one of the longest, deadliest, wars in American history. In those 120 days, he was shot, played a key role in a major battle and frustratingly watched as the relationship between the two countries further deteriorated.
The 1961 Soddy High School graduate had volunteered for his position. He was getting island fever on the Army base on Oahu in Hawaii, referred to as "The Rock." He wanted off and had an interest in aviation. He volunteered to be a gunner, knowing they would send him out of the country.
"[The escalation] happened as I was getting over there," he said.
Elliott, 75, and his friends used to joke that it was the hot-tempered Tennessee native who started the war.
He did routine military service when he arrived: maintaining weapons, patrol, etc. But within weeks, things were changing. The U.S. embassy in Saigon was bombed, killing 22 people - including two Americans - and injuring 183 others. Their reconnaissance missions and patrols were turning violent. Later, his best friend in the Army, a Kentucky man named Mack Mece, was killed in combat.
"I thought it'd die down and everything, but it kept getting worse and worse," he said. "I blame the politicians for that."
On May 11, 1965, about 2,500 Vietcong troops attacked Song Be, a South Vietnamese provincial capital, in a show of force.
"The special forces camp was about to be overrun," Elliott said. "We went out and took them on. They opened up on us, and got to the Quad 50s [machine guns]. They shot us up, but we backed them off."
U.S. forces allied with the South Vietnamese Army to push out the Vietcong after two days of battle. For his role, Elliott was awarded an Air Medal with "V" device for heroism.
"Private First Class Elliott reacted immediately, fearlessly exposing himself in the open cargo door to return the hostile fire," his award letter reads. "On repeated firing passes, he raked the Vietcong positions with deadly, accurate machine gun fire, slowing the Communist's attack and giving the friendly forces time to organize a successful defense."
Weeks later, Elliott was shot in the foot while on routine reconnaissance. He chalks it up to "a lucky shot," but it's one he's glad the Vietcong took. He was sent home shortly after recovering and never returned to the country. He watched from home as the war intensified.
"I'm proud of what I did, but I'm extremely proud of the guys that came in behind me and went through all of it," Elliott said.
Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook at ChattanoogaOutdoorsTFP.