A Marine in Vietnam: Richard Hauser

Hauser (right) filling sandbags

Picture showing Hauser filling sandbags. Likely, at Danang.

Early Life

Richard Hauser was born in 1947 which makes him part of the Baby Boomer generation. He was born in the city of Elizabeth in New Jersey which is also 13 miles away from New York City. From a nuclear family of 5, you can describe Richard’s upbringing as the standard of the era, Pax Americana. America was just a few years removed from the Second World War which not did they come out victorious but also as the sole superpower and life was good, People were moving into the suburbs where houses were cheap and each family owned a television, a vehicle and higher eduaction was affordable. Hauser also described major events that took place during high school days such as the Bay of Pigs, Assassination of JFK, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Civil rights movement.

Education

You can describe Hauser as the product of the American public educational system as he spent all his elementary, middle, and high school in public schools and graduated in 1965. It was in this year that President Lyndon B Johnson ordered the bombings of North Vietnam and also the first time that combat Marines troops began to set foot in South Vietnam. Richard was accepted into three colleges and he decided to attend Bloomfield College which he did for one year as a Business major.

Entrance to the Marine Corps

Hauser didn’t get to finish college. Things got heated in Vietnam that there was a need more of more servicemen so Hauser answered Uncle Sam’s call and volunteered for service in Marine Corps in 1966 at the age of 19. Out of all the 4 branches including the newly established Airforce, Hauser chose the Marines because he wanted all challenges that the corps was willing to offer. Unlike Hauser, most, Americans didn’t get to choose what branch they want to serve in as the government initiated the draft to conscript more men to service and they will always target young men fresh out of high school but couldn’t go to college.

Military Training

Hauser’s first training was in the Marine Corps Boot Camp, Parris Island, South Carolina; 12 weeks of grueling training in what he describe as a ‘multitude of sins of challenge. It was in Parris island that Marines would get first-hand training of what it feels like to be in the Corps as drill sergeants begin to beat down the civilian mentality out of each men and women and honed them into proper Marines. After Boot Camp, Hauser was sent to Advanced Infantry Training, now called today School of Infantry in Camp Pendleton California, where he was taught how to shoot the M1 Garand, the Thompson Machine gun etc and infantry tactics. After AIT, our narrator was sent to the Naval Air Technical Training Command in Memphis, Tennessee where he got his M.O.S (millitary occupational specialty) as an aviator electrician.

Tour in Vietnam

Hauser shipped out to Vietnam in November 1968 at the age of 22, where he deployed with the Marines Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VHM-164). It was at this time that American troops numbered over 600,000, the largest that it ever was during the war and the Americans were still dealing with the aftermath of the Tet Offensive which occurred earlier during the year. Hauser’s in the interview didn’t state much of his combat experience but he said his main role was to drop supplies to grunts and to transport men in and from combat but he also describes a time when he assumed the role as a door gunner and several missions where retrieve casualties from the battlefield. Hauser was stationed in Marble Mountain, a camp in Danang but he also served in several warships such as USS Tripoli, LPH Tripoli, and New Orleans. Also during the interview, Hauser didn’t go into depth about missions he took part in but his unit was part of two major operations: Meade River that took place in December 68 and Bold Mariner which took place in January 1969. VHM 164’s role in these operations was to transport supplies and men to Marines and soldiers who were engaged in search and destroy operations which was to find enemy strongholds and destroy them. Their main battlespace was in the Province of Danang which was near to the DMZ and under the sphere of Army I corps. Hausers service in Vietnam came to an end in November 1969, it was also at this time that Americans began the drawdown of troops from Vietnam.

HMM-164 unit insignia

Return From Vietnam

On his return from Vietnam, Richard described it as quiet and cam as the only interesting thing he saw was the dancing Hare Krishnas (subsects of the Hindu religions). This was strange compared to other vets that faced harassment like spits and taunts from their fellow Americans because of their participation during the war. Hauser may have left the Vietnam War behind but the Vietnam war may have not left at all. During the interview, Hauser talked about his diagnosis with PTSD, how it affected his life and how he was able to deal with it by always keeping himself busy by joining student goverments in colleges, he enrolled, working in campaigns for political hotshots like George McGovern, advocating for female reproductive rights and so on.

An Anti-War Vet

Hauser, like many other vets who fought in Vietnam, became so disoriented with the war that he gradually participated in anti-war demonstrations on his campus by giving speeches and protesting against the war. Hauser was also part of an antiwar organization called the Veteran for Peace. Founded in 1985, the Veteran for Peace has been fighting and protesting against militarism and prolonged conflicts that America has engaged in ever since. They also support veterans in need by providing them with aid to victims of PTSD and Agent Orange. Hauser and other veterans that fought in Vietnam shared the similar opinions that the war was being mismanaged by the goverment as the conflict began to be shown in the evening news which depicts Americans casualties. Hauser described his thoughts about the conflict in the interview saying that he was not against the troops that participated in the war but instead he was against the policies that managed the war. He believed that the war was meant for big buisness to make huge profits as he got into trouble with his CO because he had "War is buisnesss and buisness is booming. He also made a reference to the famous speech that President Eisenhower gave before leaving office. That speech was supporsed to warn America about the lingering danger of the Military Industrial Complex and how they will drawn America into prolonged and unnnecessary wars that will cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars in budget and if you asked like minded people liked Hauser, he tell you that Eisenhowers speech has come to past and the Vietnam War was just part of those wars.

Helicopters in the air with caption “Ups and... downs. Flight time up North"

Crashed helicopter

Marines on the deck of a carrier (May ’69)

Photo of LPH deck captioned “The carriers: Tripoli, Valley Forge, & New Orleans"

Operation Meade River and Bold Mariner

These were two operations that Hauser and his Unit participated in during his time in Vietnam, Operation Meade River and Bold Mariner. These operations took place in the span of November 1968 till February 1968. Meade River commenced when Hauser’s unit from the 2nd Marine Air Wing transported over 55000 Marines from the 5th and 7th regiments to two square mile area called Dodge City, 10 miles south of Danang. It was called Dodge City because of the frequent firefights that took place in the area. The Marines were up against a combination of both the NVA and the Vietcong with the purpose to search and destroy the enemy stronghold around Dodge City, The operation lasted over 2 weeks when Americans cleared the last remnants of the enemy around the area. As for how battles and firefights go during the war, the Americans would fight ferociously for a piece of land or a hill for it to be taken back by the enemy as the Vietcong and the NVA were able to return back to Dodge City. After collecting intelligence from enemy POWs, the Marines launched a follow-up operation in Batanng Penisullla called Bold Mariner. This was the largest amphibious operation conducted since the Korean War about a decade back. The landing forces consist of Marines from 7th, 26th Marines, and the Army 23 Americal Division as our narrator’s units transported men and supplies from LPH Tripoli USS Valley Forge. The Americans faces minimal resistance from the enemy as they faced obstacles like booby traps and tunnels while trying to clear out the Vietcong from the Pennisula. This operation was concluded in February 7th, 1969.

Map showing Hauser’s involvement in Vietnam

Map of South Vietnam during the war. Richard was stationed in the city of Danang, but also was often aboard the three ships offshore. Two operations (Bold Mariner and Meade River) are also included, which Hauser was involved in. The city of Cam Ranh indicates where Richard had R & R. He enjoyed R & R in Malaysia as well.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JTdqKljAilK4R1zevjbX0lI87thi4J8v/view?usp=sharing

Above is the link to the full, raw interview with Richard Hauser.

Title OralHistory with Richard Hauser

Description Oral history with Richard Hauser. The hour and a half long interview consists of Richard describing his life prior to joining the Marines, his experiences during boot camp and training, his time in Vietnam, and then what he did with his life after returning home.

Decade of Birth/BirthDate October 27, 1947

interviewee Richard Hauser

interviewer Charles Joseph

Nnamdi Oji

Contributor Charles Joseph, Nnamdi Oji

Richard Hauser

Date Created November 10, 2021

Duration 1:33:18

Language English

Additional Sources & Further Reading

Eidenmuller. American Rhetoric: Dwight D. Eisenhower – Farewell Address. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html.

Hall, Mitchell K. Vietnam War Era: People and Perspectives. ABC-CLIO, 2009.

Hastings, Max. Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975. HarperCollins, 2018

Hill, George A. Operation Meade River: Marine Search-and-Destroy Cordon of the Vietnam War. HistoryNet, 5 Aug. 2016, https://www.historynet.com/operation-meade-river-marine-search-and-destroy-cordon-of-the-vietnam-war.htm

Smith, Charles R. U.S. Marines in Vietnam: High Mobility and Standdown, 1969. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1988.

"VMM-164 History.” 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, U.S. Marine Corps, https://www.3rdmaw.marin es.mil/Units/MAG-39/VMM-164/History/.

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