Obituaries

Sergeant James Dougherty is presented the Silver Star.

Jim “Doc” Dougherty of Eagleville, PA died suddenly on September 9th a week before his 75th birthday. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, friend to many and staunch community supporter, Jim will be missed by all who knew him.

That foregoing description can describe many elderly Americans as they leave this world, but with Jim, there is much more to the story.

Born in 1945, a wartime baby, Jim grew up in the shadow of the “greatest generation” when obedience to and respect for authority coupled with a deep devotion to church, community and country was the norm throughout post-war America. The fathers, uncles, teachers and neighbors who had served in WW2 were his heroes. Baseball, Boy Scouts, and church activities were the popular pastimes for Jim and the boys he grew up with in Conshohocken PA. However, the Draft faced every young man at 18 and the question was not “would you serve” but “how would you serve”. There is a photo online of a 22 year-old Elvis Presley (pictured below), the most famous entertainer at the time, in his underwear going through Army induction. The Draft was that great equalizer in American male culture that stabilized and supported the values of “service above self” and where many young men discovered humility and teamwork.

Jim elected to enlist in the Marines in 1964 upon graduating from St. Matthews High School in Conshohocken PA. His military occupation was 0311 (rifleman), and by 1966 he was in Vietnam. He never finished his 13-month assignment as a land mine sent Jim back to the Philadelphia Naval Hospital to recover from his wounds. After convalescence, Jim was assigned to security at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. At a weekend dance near base he met a charming and beautiful girl, Beth Badger. He told his mom the following day that he had “found the girl I will someday marry”. While at the Navy Yard, he also met Pete Tyler, a Marine also recently returned from Vietnam. Pete met and married Jim’s sister, Ann. The Dougherty and Tyler families became lifelong friends and neighbors.

Jim advanced quickly in the Marines, by 1967 was a Sergeant (E5), and could have easily finished his four-year enlistment at Philadelphia, close to his hometown of Conshohocken PA. However, he felt he was needed in Vietnam, for Jim knew his combat experience could help save other young Marines, so he volunteered to return. Now a 20-year-old Sergeant, Jim headed back to Vietnam, and this is where the story really begins.

The war had changed dramatically for the Marines in Vietnam since Jim’s first tour ended in 1966. The irregular Viet Cong (VC) forces had been put on defense by US troops and had vacated many of the populated areas. The VC tactics of hit and run, ambush, and booby traps were now supported in many areas by well-trained North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops who moved into the South to shore-up the faltering VC. The NVA were well equipped, disciplined and brave soldiers. More formidable opponents, the NVA did not fade away when faced with American fire-power for they had the weapons, tactics and resiliency to confront Marine battle protocol, which to that date consisted of infantry advance behind artillery and close air support.

In September 1967 Jim’s unit, 1/5 (1st Battalion of the Fifth Marine Regiment, First Marine Division) faced the NVA 2nd Division on Operation Swift in the Que Son Valley in I Corps, South Vietnam’s northern most military zone. Jim’s Bravo Company and  other units of the 5th regiment were rushed into combat to support a valiant but overwhelmed Delta company. As Gary Petrous recalls, “the bodies of the Delta KIA (killed in action) Marines were stacked like cordwood in their perimeter”, and with 80% casualties Delta no longer had the wherewithal to pursue the NVA. As these reinforcements advanced, the NVA were waiting, and for the next several days fighting raged at close quarters, often in face-to-face encounters and sometimes hand-to-hand as the NVA attacked repeatedly trying to drive back the tenacious Marines. At one point Bravo company was ordered to fall back and fix bayonets as the NVA stormed Marine defenses. Jim was repositioning his men when his M-16 (an undependable weapon at that time) jammed and forced Jim to grapple with an NVA soldier in a trench (each intent on killing the other with their bare hands), until another Marine arrived and shot the enemy.

Jim’s platoon had been at top strength (unusual in Vietnam) with 49 men at the beginning of Operation Swift; and at its conclusion had but 16 remaining, many of whom (like Jim) were walking wounded. All but one officer of Bravo Company and most senior NCOs were casualties. Seven Navy Crosses and three Medals of Honor were awarded to Operation Swift 5th Regiment veterans, most posthumously. Young Marine Sergeant Rodney Davis threw himself on an enemy hand grenade to save the lives of other Marines. Corpsman, Jerry Stroud, resisting the urge to retreat, and although shot in the hand, killed enemy soldiers at point blank range with his 45 caliber pistol to protect the wounded. A Navy Chaplain (Father Vincent Cappodanno) sacrificed his life to save injured Marines. Marine casualties were staggering, but when it ended the NVA 2nd division was shattered and retreated from the Que Son Valley and into their mountain sanctuaries in Laos to regroup and reequip.

The war went on, albeit at a slower pace for the Marines who survived Operation Swift. The patrols, firefights, ambushes and booby traps continued to be a daily and deadly part of Jim’s routine. As Platoon Sergeant, Jim was responsible for the welfare and discipline of his platoon as it rebuilt with replacements from the states and wounded Marines returning from in-country hospitals. His men deeply respected and admired this combat vet
on his 2nd tour. During this time, and unbeknownst to US intelligence, the North Vietnamese were surreptitiously flooding their mountain strongholds with weapons and men for a planned surprise “final offensive” to coincide with the Tet holiday beginning January 30th 1968.

Map of Truoi River Battles' Area

In early December 1967 Bravo Company and the 1/5 Marines got orders to move north to a mountainous area north of Da Nang and south of Hue City near the village of Phu Loc. The US command was shifting more forces north to support the two Marine regiments encircled by NVA forces at Khe Sanh and to cope with the increased infiltration of NVA through Laos and across the DMZ. In this area of Vietnam, the rugged Annamese Mountains connect to the South China Sea, in some places choking the narrow coastal plain to a few hundred yards. Rising in places to 3000 feet this inhospitable terrain hovers over the coastal plain, which widens significantly as it moves south towards Da Nang and north to Hue City. This coastal plain is flat, fertile land where villages, commerce and traditional farming still prospered. Bordering the South China Sea on the East and continuing into Laos on the west these beautiful, but forbidding mountains and their dense jungle canopies provided sanctuary for the NVA. A few river valleys filled with elephant grass and scattered settlements have their origins in these mountains and flow lazily into the South China Sea. Highway 1, a dirt/gravel road and the only land route between Da Nang and the northern most cities (Hue, Quang Tri and Dong Ha) ran along this narrow coastal strip paralleled by a railroad line made inoperable by years of VC sabotage.

A few miles north of Phu Loc, a multiple span bridge from the French Colonial era provided the only access across the sizable Troui River. An old French fort guarded the northern entrance to the bridge with all points of access to the structure protected by Marine bunkers and trenches. The entire complex was surrounded by rows of concertina wire, the gates opened only to daytime convoy traffic. South of the bridge was an old railroad station where Marine units would bivouac as they began or ended their patrols in the Troui Valley. Scattered along the river and Highway 1 were a few dozen houses (Troui village) and south of the village a CAP compound. A few open fields and rice paddies separated by jungle corridors comprised the very rural landscape of the river valley before it disappeared into the looming mountains to the west. Being such a strategic position, the Troui Bridge was always guarded by a Marine rifle company. Smaller bridges between Phu Loc and Phu Bai (the big Marine base north of Troui) were guarded by squads of Marines but none had the significance of the Troui Bridge (pictured below).

The tank pictured here on the Troui Bridge appears to be a South Vietnamese tank, probably escorting a convoy north to Hue or Quang Tri.

No one liked the Phu Loc firebase as it was surrounded by mountains and had only one dirt road running east from the base to Highway 1 and the village of Phu Loc. Marines always want the high ground and at Phu Loc this was not the case. In Phu Loc village (as in Troui) a CAP (Combined Action Program) squad of specially trained Marines guarded the village with their South Vietnamese counterparts. The 12 to 15 man CAP was a highly successful program that sought to interface Marines with the local inhabitants, nurture cooperation and eliminate VC terror tactics among the civilian population. As such, CAPs were hated by the Viet Cong and their NVA allies for they disrupted their ability to extort food and conscript young boys. Down Highway 1 from Phu Loc village was the South Vietnamese District HQ, a fortified outpost manned by South Vietnamese soldiers.

December through March is Monsoon season and daily torrential rains and continuous drizzle turn everything into a grey, cold, muddy, miserable mess. Nevertheless, the Marines continued to aggressively run company sized operations into the surrounding mist covered mountains. The physical and mental deprivations endured by Jim and his men as they frequently spent weeks at a time in the “bush” (Marine lingo for jungle) are beyond comprehension for all but those who have endured it. Returning to the Phu Loc firebase at the end of a patrol (and to the luxuries of a tent, hot chow, an outhouse and perhaps even a shower) was not the relief one would imagine, for daily NVA mortar and rocket attacks tormented Phu Loc Marines. In one such attack a mortar shell landed among Marines eating chow and killed ½ dozen men. It was soon to get worse, much worse.

Marines on patrol, returning from Troui Valley.

January 30th, the beginning of the Tet holiday, the NVA and VC launched their nationwide offensive. Predicting (and counting on) a popular uprising (which never materialized) they attacked cities and bases across the entire country. With many South Vietnamese military on leave during a declared “truce” for the Tet holiday these enemy forces were successful in creating chaos and carnage. On the 31st, Phu Loc firebase began to endure incessant mortar and rocket attacks. The nearby CAP units at Troui and Phu Loc Village came under attack as did the District HQ. The NVA and VC began to encircle and fortify the approaches to Phu Loc village. The Marines attacked from Phu Loc base with fierce fighting and many casualties including the 1/5 battalion commander and the reaction force he had quickly cobbled together.

A Marine from the Troui CAP compound pushing/helping a civilian move their ox cart. This view is from the bridge looking south towards Phu Loc. The building in the background on the right side of Highway 1 is the old RR station which was used as an assembly point for marines returning and leaving for patrols in the Troui Valley.

Sergeant Dougherty and a squad from 1st platoon fought their way into the CAP compound. Three of his men were killed and several wounded as Jim and his squad helped the CAP defenders fight off the attackers. Jim called in artillery on enemy formations killing a score or more, and his men killed another seven enemy with rifle fire as they attempted to outflank their position. But they were in a hopeless situation with 1/2 of the CAP squad KIA, so Jim made the difficult decision to abandon the CAP compound. They escaped through the wire at the back of the compound, and with the aid of a fleeing South Vietnamese policeman, evaded the NVA. One wounded Marine was hidden (at great risk) by a South Vietnamese family and survived the battle in the village and subsequent retaking by the Marines.

Jim was now on the East side of Phu Loc village and Highway 1, which were under control of the NVA. He reasoned that could he and the survivors reach the nearby sea their ability to set up position with the water to their rear would enhance chances of survival. Moving through the darkness and enemy forces arrayed around Phu Loc they managed to reach their objective and found a Vietnamese fishing boat moored close to shore. Commandeering this small vessel the men paddled and sailed into the darkness of the Cau Hai Lagoon which emptied into the South China Sea.

The sea that Jim Dougherty sailed into during the escape from the CAP compound.

The following day, February 1st, brought more severe fighting as Jim’s Bravo company and other 1/5 units battled for control of Phu Loc village, the CAP compound and Highway 1. Jim’s platoon leader was badly wounded (his 4th purple heart) knowing only that Jim and his men were MIA (missing in action). As Lieutenant Drollinger went into surgery at the hospital in Phu Bai base (also under NVA attack), his thoughts and prayers
were for his surviving and missing Marines.

After successfully retaking Phu Loc village and the CAP compound on February 2nd the Marines were astounded that the NVA and VC had not carried off the ammo and supplies stored in the compound. Highly unusual, and it could only mean the enemy did not need them, a further cause for concern. Before withdrawing from the Village and CAP compound, Bravo’s 2nd platoon, under Lieutenant Vitucci, detonated the accumulated ordinance they could not carry with them.

On February 2nd a navy patrol vessel observed a small Vietnamese fishing boat adrift and men frantically waving from the deck. Jim and his men were rescued and after two days of hot navy chow and clean sheets they were put ashore and airlifted back to Phu Loc firebase with other supplies and casualty replacements.

The evening of February 6th the acting 1/5 Battalion commander called officers and senior NCOs to a meeting at the command bunker in Phu Loc. Marine Recon had located a large force of enemy troops massing in the jungle just west of the Troui Bridge. If able to successfully overrun and destroy this vital bridge the NVA would cut off all ground resupply between Da Nang and the entire northern half of I Corps. The NVA, with close proximity to reserves and supplies in their mountain sanctuaries, could then establish a defensive line along the river which could significantly delay reopening of this vital convoy route. By this time multiple major battles (for Hue, Saigon, Kontum, Khe Sanh, Quang Tri City, etc.) and hundreds of smaller actions were consuming men and material as the NVA and VC waves engulfed provincial capitals and smaller villages. The confusion and chaos was beyond imagination, and resupply of everything from ammo to rations was in jeopardy. The acting Battalion CO articulated this dilemma and the decision was made to attack this NVA force before they could execute their apparent plan.

February 7th, Alpha and Bravo companies from 1/5 would attack from Highway 1 and advance west from Troui on the south side of the river while units from 2/5 (2nd battalion) attacked along the north shore of the river. This plan appeared flawed from the beginning as it meant advancing against prepared positions and at one point across open ground against a fortified village. A new company commander of Bravo Company compounded these anxieties. For some unexplainable reason no preparatory air or artillery strikes were ordered. The Marines advanced at the designated times, many convinced that their “number wasup” (death was imminent). Some strung one dog tag on their boot lace and another around their neck to make body parts more identifiable. The night before, Jim had written a letter to his future brother in-law, Pete Tyler, telling Pete he felt a foreboding of death and saying his goodbyes to his family. Accentuating the potent of doom, Jim’s brand new platoon leader was killed prior to the attack and Jim assumed command of the platoon.

The attack and the resulting losses for Bravo Company were substantial and included Bravo’s last seasoned officer, Lt Vitucci, who was shot several times at close range. Hugh Pankey tries hard to forget all the horror of those days and the many body bags he helped fill. Those experiences led Hugh to the ministry and lifelong service to inmates in the Texas Correctional System.

Sergeant Dougherty was everywhere during the battle as he led his platoon in a desperate fight. From the Silver Star citation for Sergeant Dougherty for that day’s action: “Realizing the seriousness of the situation. Sergeant Dougherty unhesitantly moved forward to an advantageous position and began directing his men’s fire upon the hostile forces. Unable to pinpoint the exact location of the enemy weapons, he fearlessly maneuvered to a dangerously exposed area and attracted the hostile soldier’s attention and fire which enabled his men to deliver accurate suppressive fire upon enemy positions. Disregarding his own safety, he began deploying a 3.5 inch rocket team and was wounded by fragments from an exploding enemy rocket round. Ignoring his own painful injuries, he boldly led a determined assault upon the hostile emplacements and overran the enemy position. Immediately establishing a defensive perimeter, he continued to move about the hazardous area, directing his men’s fire and supervising the evacuation of casualties.”

Subsequently wounded severely (his 4th Purple Heart) by an enemy RPG that nearly severed his leg, Jim received lifesaving first aid and was evacuated. Sergeant Dougherty was now headed home if the hospitals in route could keep him alive.

The Rest of the Story:

Jim Dougherty survived as the result of the skilled efforts by medical teams at Phu Bai, in Japan and at Bethesda Hospital. But he would never again walk without a brace and special footwear. He was eventually medically discharged from the Marine Corps. While recovering in Bethesda Naval Hospital he was visited by Beth Badger. The relationship flourished and their later marriage produced two beautiful girls, KC and Sarah. Using the GI
Bill, Jim attended Widener University in Chester PA, graduating magna cum laude. He taught for two years at Norristown High School but changed careers after becoming disillusioned with the growing permissiveness within education. As Jim would say many times ….”Without discipline there can be no learning”.

Bravo Company and 1/5 went from the frying pan into the fire after the February 7th fight at Troui Bridge. They were committed a few days later to the battle raging to retake Hue City from NVA forces who had captured and occupied the old Imperial Capital. That battle lasted from January 30th until the city was declared secure on March 3rd. Casualties were horrendous for the three battalions of Marines fighting house to house in the city and for the Army battalions attempting to break through from the north. Bravo Company ended the battle with only 38 men remaining from the 214 who had been on the company roster (including battlefield replacements) during the battle. The heroic performance in Hue City earned the 5th Marine Regiment a Presidential Unit Citation. A rebuilt Bravo company would again suffer heavy casualties in late April as they pursued NVA units. Bravo Company KIA and WIA in this action included many of the 38 survivors from the battle for Hue City. The war finally ended for Bravo Company and the First Marine Division in 1971 as America withdrew from Vietnam.

The Troui Bridge was overrun by North Vietnamese Army units in the early morning hours of April 1st, 1968, as they successfully executed their February 7th strategy. The defenders, Alpha Company 1/5, suffered heavy casualties in its defense as NVA attackers breached the wires and walls under a barrage of rockets and mortars and created havoc within Alpha Company’s perimeter and the old French fort where fighting raged hand to hand. Meanwhile NVA sappers successfully overran bridge defenses and detonated charges that dropped the bridge from its pilings. However, it was a hollow victory for the North Vietnamese as their Viet Cong networks had been exposed and largely destroyed during Tet, Hue City was now secure, the siege at Khe Sanh had been broken and American Seabees (Naval Construction Force) erected a replacement bridge over the Troui River in under a week.

Reflection: As we, surviving Bravo Company Marines, compose this tribute to Jim Dougherty it occurs to us to question where our country will find its future Jim Dougherty’s. Where will those willing to defend family, community and country come from? Surely, not from the snowflake students seeking “safe spaces”, or spoiled self-absorbed athletes or basement dwelling “adults” living off welfare or their parents’ largess. Nor from the rioters, looters and arsonists who hide behind the cover of masks and darkness destroying what others have built. What is happening to the values and culture that created men like Jim Dougherty, a young man who faced and overcame his own fears and inspired his teenage troops to do likewise? For Jim Dougherty was the real deal, a true hero, a leader and a gentleman.

Written on behalf of all the men Jim Dougherty led and served with during those difficult times over five decades ago. Semper Fidelis old friend until we meet again at heaven’s gate.