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Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

Vietnam Forward Observers: From the Archive

Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

Robert Kirk

History

4.7701 Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

During the Vietnam War, all too often the chaos of battle found Allied forces trapped and facing annihilation. The situation called for courageous men to carry out some of the deadliest missions in the history of warfare. Forward Observers, often alone, moved behind enemy lines to serve as the eyes of the artillery gunner in delivering rounds on vital targets. In this episode, Medal of Honor recipients Barney Barnum and Brian Thacker tell their dramatic stories, In Their Own Words. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:07.5

This presentation of In Their Own Words is brought to you by the Honor Project and is dedicated

1:13.6

to the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces.

1:19.6

For a generation of American soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen, the war in Vietnam was a nightmarish blur. It was a conflict with no clear goals,

1:30.3

waged against a stealthy enemy in the dense jungles and rice paddies of a strange land.

1:35.3

All too often, the chaos of battle found Allied forces trapped in facing annihilation in jungle ambushes,

1:42.3

fire base assaults, and in bailouts over hostile

1:45.7

territory. The desperate situation in Southeast Asia called for courageous men to rise above

1:52.0

their fears and carry out some of the deadliest missions in the history of warfare. They were

...

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