COL Richard Coachys, U.S. Army, Vietnam

About this episode

Richard Coachys shares his experiences as a U.S. Army officer during the Vietnam War, including training, combat, and personal reflections.

Richard Coachys went to Indiana University on a football scholarship but also joined the Army ROTC on campus. After commissioning, he expected his early training to be followed by a deployment to Germany. But those plans were disrupted by the Vietnam War, and the young officer was soon leading his platoon on patrols and into combat. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles , Coachys tells us about his training, his first thoughts upon arriving in Vietnam, and what those early patrols were like. He also takes us into the most intense combat from his time in Vietnam, leading his men under fire, and being wounded by multiple enemy rounds. Coachys also shares very personal stories about families devastated by losing children in the war and what it was like for him to visit the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Washington for the first time this year.

People in this episode

Guest: Richard Coachys

Topics covered

• Vietnam War
• military training
• combat experiences
• personal stories
• veteran reflections

Keywords

• Vietnam War
• Army ROTC
• combat
• military training
• veteran stories
• personal reflections
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Indiana University, Army ROTC

Places: Vietnam, Vietnam Veterans War Memorial

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