Blood Stripes: Joe McMoneagle’s Harrowing in Vietnam

[Music] So at the end of 18 months, he's the guy I was being trained by is now working for me. >> And uh it was like, "Wow." So I left there. Where do you think I went? >> Vietnam straight away. >> Where everyone eventually got pulled. Big big problem though because I've been in the army less than 5 years. I'm already a staff sergeant and I arrive and I check into the early room at the 330th recon and the captain says, "Oh great, I don't have to give you these." And he holds up a pair of staff sergeant >> metal stuff. things >> and he says uh >> he he just throws them in the trash. He said, "You know what those are?" I said, "No." He said, "Those are blood stripes. >> What the hell is a bloodst?" He said, "That guy died, so you get to wear his stripes and take his job." And I'm like, "But but I don't know anything about being a staff sergeant, you know. Please don't do this to me." >> You don't have any choice, pal. >> Yeah. So, I'm a platoon leader already and uh don't know what the hell I'm doing. >> Oh my gosh. >> So, the first the first time I go out with anybody, it's a team of five guys and we're out we we go out through the the wire. We go out thousand yards into the jungle and stop. Everybody stop. Now, we're still within hearings of the base, the base camp. I said, "Who's who's been here the longest in this?" Uh, one guy raised his hand. I've been here 6 months in three days. I said, "You're in charge." >> Yeah, that's smart. >> And I just started taking the different jobs one by one to learn them. So my first four months in Vietnam, I was a staff sergeant working for privates. >> Yeah. >> I you know it I couldn't do anything else. >> Yeah. >> Because I didn't want to make any mistakes. I didn't want to get somebody killed. And uh it still doesn't work out. >> Yeah. >> It it still uh it still was hard. Um, so by the time I came out of Vietnam, I was in E7, so I was a really young sergeant first class and then spent the rest of the time almost overseas. And I go Europe, Korea, Europe, Thailand, Europe, you know, >> wow, >> different places. >> Um, and learned a lot doing that. But I was an E7 for 12 years in grade. I couldn't get promoted. >> Yeah. >> And I had a boss, a colonel I worked for in Germany, and I said, we were drinking coffee one night in his office. I said, "How come we can't get promoted? I I can't even see a promotion board. It's like, what's going on? If we promote you, we lose you, and we don't want to lose you." So they pro promote the idiots to get them out of the unit and the guys who are worthy of put up with it. >> Oh, that's incredible. >> Well, in the end it paid off after almost 15 15 years overseas. I get orders for the headquarters. I'm not going to headquarters. I'm not going to push papers. I've been in an active job. >> Yeah. >> My whole life. >> I'm not going to go and push papers. >> So, I called this I had a special going to bother us. >> No, you're good. >> So, I had uh a special number I could call with the Pentagon. So, I called this young lady up and I said, "I can't go to headquarters. You got to fix it." And she says, "You know, all the special ops people have these special phone numbers they can call." Like, I don't want to do this. All you want something nastier. Yeah. Okay. Is it hot and wet or mang? Okay. Um, so I called I called my favorite number up and I said, "Uh, I I can't go to the headquarters. You got to change it." Uh, let me check. So she puts me in a hole and she comes back like I can't change this one. It's it's the three star that runs all the intelligence in the army has demanded your presence. I'm like crap. What what else can I do? I can't help you. There's nothing you can do. I said sit I'm thinking for a minute. So I said what's my ALAT and DAT scores? That's for languages. >> Okay. >> She says, "Oh, you max them both." And I said, "What language you gonna take?" And she said, "Anyone you want." And I said, "How about I want to learn to read, write, and speak Mandarin." She said, "Oh, that can get you out of the headquarters. It's like two years at Monteray. I immersive." Okay, >> cool. >> So, she cuts orders for me. creative. >> Yeah, >> that's very creative. >> So, yeah. So, I'm I go to Monteray. I arrive at Monteray on a Saturday and uh I'm unpacking my duffel bag and the orderly comes in and says, "Hey, Sarge, there's some general on the phone. He wants to talk to you." So, I go to the early room. Hello, this is General So and so, his name is Roya. He says, "Do you know who I am?" I said, "No, sir. I haven't got a clue." Well, I'm your new boss, and I want to know why you're in Monterey and not my headquarters. And I'm like, "Uh, well, the army saw fit the train cuts me right off." He says, "My office, Monday morning, full dress uniform. Don't let the screen door hit you in the butt." Slams the phone down. and the orderly all the way across the room. Now, this is a phone receiver says, "Sound like an order to me." So, I'm jamming my clothes back in the duffel bag and went to the headquarters. So, I get to headquarters late Sunday and they put me in officer. I said, "What's going on?" Well, they have no room in the B uh BQ or BE rather. So they put you in the bo. Okay. uh Monday morning sharp nine o'clock I reported dress uniform to the general's office and he I'm standing at attention in front of his desk and he says okay everybody come in everybody all these people come in I don't even know who they are >> and he come >> 10 10 people 50 people >> 15 anyway I I don't know for sure >> 10 10ish >> yeah 10 to 15 >> and where was this >> it's in his office >> but where's the like what's >> Oh this is in Arlington and the main >> Monterey to Arlington over the weekend. Okay. >> This is this is the main headquarters for the Army uh Army Intelligence and Security Command. >> Okay. >> Worldwide. >> First time in Arlington or >> Oh, I've never seen the place before. >> And uh and it's got like I don't know 250 officers there and a handful of enlisted guys. And uh so all these people come in and the general comes up in front of me and he says, "Uh, how'd you like to be a warn officer?" I said, "Sure, no board." He just makes me a warn officer. Puts the pens on me. And I'm like, "Wow, I didn't know they could do that." >> And so he says, "I'm putting you in charge of your military occupational specialy for the whole world." I went, "Whoa." And he says, "And your desk is right above mine in the next four." So I got my own office. And so I said, "What do you think?" I said to him, "Can't do it, sir?" What? >> Why not? because I'm just a warrant officer and that's a year probation and I got 28 now chief warrant officers out there in the world in my MLS that aren't going to do what I told can I make you a chief warrant officer and the secretary says you can do anything you want general okay he takes the warrant pins off and puts chief warrant pins on says now can you do your Well, I'm not sure these guys are going to do what I tell him. He says, "That's your problem. I'm sure you'll work it out." So, I'm going to laugh and walked out. So, I took over my MLS. So, >> were these when you ever when these promotions come and because I know there's so much rank in military, do they come with associated pay increases? You sometimes get >> Yeah. Monster pay increases. So he he's not only promoting you in the military, but you're getting it. Sure. >> So he gives you a pay bump really quickly. Now you're like, I still can't do my job. And he's like, what about now? And you get another pay bump. And it's like, okay, I guess I can try. So you just inherited payraises also alongside the promotions. >> Yeah, >> that's why. >> So yeah, but you got to remember you're walking into a storm. >> Yeah. So, you know, I didn't know I didn't know what to do for a while. I I just knew these guys, they're going to know how this happened. They're not going to do anything at all.