Richard Herschel Green was born February 12, 1948 and died serving our country in combat in Vietnam November 17, 1969. He was 21 years old. He was drafted into the US Army in April, 1969 and after his basic training and advanced infantry training he arrived in Vietnam as a Private First Class October 8, 1969. He died as a soldier from an enemy rifle round to his chest shortly after jumping off a helicopter while on a mission.

I met Richie when I was 8 years old. Richie Green, Howie Haskowitz (who lived in the Garden Apartment above Richie's) and I together went to P.S. 177, Ryan Junior High School, Francis Lewis High School and Queens College. We were very close friends. Richie was drafted into the Army in April, 1969. Howie and I in July. Richie and Howie went to Vietnam, I did not. Howie came back, Richie did not. Life is fickle, fragile, unpredictable.

Richie was the first of us to join House of Bamboo and he coaxed Howie and me into joining. No regrets there, for Richie and I both met our wives through Bamboo, as they were other Houseplan Members. I remember a lot of double dates with Richie and Margie, all good memories. After graduating Queens College in June 1968, Richie went to work for the Social Security Administration. Richie married Marjorie (Margie) Cohen in March 1969 (I think) just before he was inducted. They had no time to have children. Margie went on to become an OBY-GYN and practices today in Massachusetts. He was also survived by his parents, Leo and Helen, and his sister, Judy.

Regardless of how anyone felt about Vietnam and feels about the war (and war in general) today, I thought a fitting tribute to Richie would be to quote some excerpts from a letter he sent to me dated November 7, 1969. This was 10 days before he was to die. I was comfortably serving at that time as a company clerk in Fort Stewart, Georgia, Richie was writing from Mahone Fire Support Base, Republic of Vietnam. He was serving with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Other than my wife, I haven't read nor shown this letter to anyone in the 36+ years since I received it.

"...If (or should I say when) you get here - it's no sweat for you. The clerks have it DICKED - more so than stateside...they live in nice hooches or tents with electric fans...they pull perimeter guard once a week and have test firing of weapons every so often. They get hot chow 3X a day & all that shit. We get hot food once a day and sometimes we eat C rations 7 consecutive meals. Yeech! It's no wonder those guys get the nickname REMF's from us (rear echelon mother fuckers).

Well, I didn't want to tell my folks or Margie what went on during my last run so please don't tell Kay since it could get back . We set up an ambush with booby traps & claymore mines along a trail and about 6PM an NVA (dressed as a VC) comes bopping down the trail. The fucker trips the booby trap & pow! - well I was on OP maybe 50-75 ft away & the explosion rocked the shit out of me. We sent out a search team & since I'm an RTO I went out on it. Well, coming from the dense brush I hear a moaning like a damn animal. All of a sudden the point man & another guy tell us all to hit it & fires a grenade at the noise. The noise continues & they toss another grenade. Still the moaning goes on. Then these 2 open up with M-16's from 30 ft on semi. The moaning quiets down...we all closed in (with adequate security all around us first) to get any documents & shit from him. We got an AK-47 - about 100 rounds- some rice-a few pictures of him in NVA uniform-a pen & a lighter & a grenade. Then we high tailed out of there since if he had any friends they might not appreciate what we did to him. The guy's leg was blown completely off...his head was all messed up...I helped drag the SOB into the bushes before we cut out. It's a hard thing to say but I didn't feel sorry for the guy or even sick or anything. Man, you get so psyched that you don't care that 5 minutes before he was just another human being who never did anything to bother you personally. Maybe it's just that we're all so pissed that we have to be in this hole that we take it out on the first available thing...

As you can see I'd do better not telling Margie & all about this stuff since they'd only get all upset or think it's really bad. Well, hell, it is bad but if I tell them that it'll only mess them up. You're about the only one (and Howie) who I can tell about this shit who'd understand. Anybody not in the Army can't possibly comprehend it.

Well, we're now on a 10 minute alert. Ready to be air-assaulted into a VC infested area-got to get my shit together....I've got a nice start on my Fu Man Chu 'stache. If I can get some film and a camera I"ll send you a picture of it. Hang it in your apartment & realize that this is defending you & maybe you'll sell your US Savings Bonds.

Take care -regards to Kay and to Georgia.

Rich"

He died serving us. In a short time he learned about war and combat and understood it first hand. As I read it again after many years, I realize he was quite eloquent, in a soldier's way.

I've never forgotten him and never will. This man was an American Hero.

Ely Licht
August, 2006
Cypress, California