Randy Beal joined the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) in 1966 and was in Vietnam by 1967, where he eventually served three tours: two with the Marines and one with the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Division, where he saw extensive combat in the infantry. He became skilled at patrolling, often walking point, leading his platoon. Beal was devoted to protecting his troops during ground combat. He became adept at detecting booby traps and
sighting enemy positions.

During the 1968 Tet Offensive, Beal was involved in the intense, block-to-block, house-to-house combat in the retaking of Hue City. During that engagement, he received a bullet wound to his head that caused him to go blind in both eyes for a time; he did regain his sight. He also suffered bullet wounds to his legs. He was treated in the U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka in Japan, then at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. His recovery took the better part of a year. He received three Purple Hearts, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “V” and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “V”, along with two Presidential Unit Citations. When Beal was finally released from the hospital, he was also released from the Marine Corps.

When he got home, Beal felt like he wasn’t truly done with his military service, so he went to a USMC recruiting office to re-enlist, but they wouldn’t take him. So, he went to an Army recruiting office and joined the Army. He was assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade and was soon on his way back to Vietnam for his third tour. He reported to the 5th Cavalry Regiment. In conjunction with ground operations against a hostile enemy force, Beal was awarded a Bronze Star Medal. He was also awarded an Army Commendation Medal and the Air Medal.

Craig Humes discovered at an early age he was destined for a career in either medicine or flying. At 17, he took and passed the respiratory therapist exam and his parents signed for him to enlist in the U.S. Army. He was attached to the 6253rd United States Army Hospital, which was activated for Vietnam in 1969.

Humes reported to the 95th Evacuation Hospital located at the end of the landing strip known as “Hell’s Half Acre.” He spent most of his time working in either the ICU or relieving flight medics for the 1st Cavalry Division. “Doc,” as Humes was called, was the main person assessing casualties, walking wounded, savable wounded or too severe to assist. After making those assessments, he always reflected on the question, “Did I do everything I could?" Humes earned the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Civic Action Unit Award, among other awards.

After returning from Vietnam, Humes transferred to the 328th Hospital at Ft. Douglas. He graduated from the University of Utah’s MEDEX program as a physician assistant and was offered a captain’s commission in the Army Reserves. When transferring to the Utah National Guard’s 1457th Engineer Battalion, his commander said there was no need for a P.A., but there was for pilots. Humes shared that he was a fixed-wing commercial pilot and flight instructor. He reverted to Chief Warrant Officer status, completed rotary wing qualifications and began flying AH-1G gunships for the 163rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, later known as 1st Battalion 211th Aviation Regiment, where he flew OH-6 reconnaissance helicopters.

Later, Humes was attached to the 1250th Medical Evacuation Company, where he flew more than 50 rescue missions within Utah, earning him the Utah National Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation. He logged over 4,000 flying hours. He retired after serving, according to Humes, precisely 37 years, 10 months and 22 days.

Michael Donnelly was born in Florida and joined the Army after speaking with a local high school recruiter.  He served 13 years on active duty and 10 years in the National Guard in both Florida and Utah.

During Donnelly’s first deployment to Iraq, he served as a Team Leader in 1/9th Infantry Battalion. During a routine clearance mission, he took grenade shrapnel to the right shoulder which took him out of action for about two weeks. During his second deployment to Iraq as a Weapons Squad Leader with the heavy weapons company, he and his fellow Company were pinned down by a Machine Gun bunker in an insurgent occupied house.  As the Weapons Squad Leader, he maneuvered his squad to assault and destroy the machine gun nest, freeing the rest of the Company from enemy fire.

Col. Scott T. Lyman was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 and deployed to Korea with a tank battalion of the 45th Infantry Division. He returned home and joined the Army Reserves. He was recalled to active duty in 1957 and trained to fly fixed-wing aircraft. Later, he cross-trained to fly helicopters.

In 1965, Lyman deployed for his first tour to Vietnam with the 121st Aviation Company based in Soc Trang. While on a night mission to locate and destroy a suspected .51 caliber anti-aircraft weapon which had been troubling U.S. aircraft, the engine of Lyman’s helicopter exploded, possibly struck by fire from the weapon they were seeking. In the ensuing autorotation, the remaining rockets on the chopper failed to jettison. Scanning for any sign of a break in the solid black jungle, he looked for a landing site, finally finding a tiny rice paddy. The difficult landing was complicated by large trees surrounding the clearing. Lyman successfully landed the aircraft even though it was severely damaged. Another Huey slipped in and plucked them out of danger.

In 1966, Lyman returned stateside, assigned to the Ft. Wolters, Texas, as a member of the Flight Evaluation Board. In 1967, he was sent to the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon graduation, he was assigned to Vietnam for a second tour, with the 7th Squadron of the 17th Air Cavalry Regiment, based at Pleiku.

Lyman established himself as a respected combat aviator with a Distinguished Flying Cross and two Bronze Star Medals and multiple Air Medals. He retired in 1974 with 24 years of service.

When Colonel Richard G. Miller joined the Utah Army National Guard, he already showed a propensity for service and leadership. He completed military occupational specialty school with honors and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the field artillery.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005-06, Miller deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, as the battalion commander of the 2-222nd Field Artillery. Stationed in one of Iraq’s most dangerous regions, the group provided critical fire support, area operations and created safe school environments.

A key part of their mission involved rebuilding Iraq’s security forces. A critical recruitment effort yielded only six volunteers on day one. On day two, a suicide bomber killed 85 civilians and several US soldiers and Marines of those gathered. However, that tragedy did not stop Iraqi men and community leaders from continuing to enlist, resulting in a force of more than 500 local Iraqi patriots becoming key to the Al Anbar Awakening.

One highlight was supporting Iraq’s first free democratic vote after Saddam Hussein’s fall. The 2-222nd FA, along with other units, secured Ramadi, ensuring citizens could safely vote despite threats from insurgents. “It was very gratifying to see the ink-stained fingers of Iraqis who voted in the election; a visible testament to their bravery and commitment to building a democratic nation,” Miller said.

Following this deployment, Miller attended Harvard University as a National Security Fellow, commanded the 65th Field Artillery Brigade, and served as the Utah National Guard’s Chief of Staff for three years. His last military assignment was at the Pentagon, where he held a senior strategic planning role.

Miller served with distinction for more than three decades. Reflecting on his career, he said, “Every accomplishment in my pursuit of service and leadership for this country, and the US Army, was made possible by the remarkable Soldiers I served alongside.”

To avoid being drafted into the infantry, Rick Miller applied to helicopter mechanic school. Near the end of training, he decided he wanted to fly helicopters, so he applied for flight school. During an eight-month wait, he completed Ranger School, Officer Candidate School and became a basic rifle marksmanship officer. Eventually, orders arrived, not for flight school, but for Vietnam and the infantry.

Miller’s command served in the rubber plantations northeast of Saigon and the rice paddies in the Mekong Delta. When the Tet Offensive began in January 1968, Miller’s platoon was plucked out of the bush and flown to Long Bihn and off-loaded outside II Field Force Headquarters under bombardment by Viet Cong. Acting as a sweeping unit, Miller’s troops fought through the Windows Village eliminating the enemy. “It was total chaos,” he said. On Valentine’s Day, Miller’s platoon got hit hard by more than 900 NVA forces. He recalls jumping into action, getting machine guns up, calling in artillery, tending to the wounded, the dying, screaming for a medic, calling for a medevac. “It all happened so fast,” Miller said. He recounted 10 wounded, 10 killed of his 33 men. The fierce fighting continued for months.

Miller recalls getting shot in the leg by a sniper; he always seemed to be a target. To him it was minor, but medic put him in for a Purple Heart. Miller wasn’t into medals. However, one award he accepted is the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest award for a non-combat situation, that he received for rescuing a drowning soldier from a deep, muddy river.

Miller has lost many of the details of his military service. Therapy and support have helped him learn to live with the effects of post-traumatic stress. “I have a good life,” he said.

Jay Nielsen was 19 years old the first time he was dropped off in the jungles of Vietnam. Assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry, 101^st Airborne Division as a combat medic, Nielsen made a personal commitment to go on every patrol because that’s where he would be needed.

On one patrol--without air support and under heavy triple-canopied jungle--Nielsen’s squad hiked three hours to a hill to engage the enemy. They were ambushed. Heavy machine-gun fire and grenades rained down. On a nearby hill, U.S. soldiers heard the battle and began firing, exposing themselves to the enemy. A cry rang out calling for a medic. Nielsen ran across an open clearing in full view of enemy fire to assist the wounded. Bullets were zinging around him, but none hit.

Nielsen treated the injured, then returned to his own platoon, again crossing the open field under fire, and again, he was not hit. The next day, they went up the hill and within minutes of securing the area, the jungle exploded with a much larger enemy force. Three men were wounded including the platoon lieutenant, his jaw mangled. Nielsen put in an IV and stabilized him, then treated the other two casualties.

Something nagged Nielsen about the lieutenant so he turned him over to find massive blood loss from shrapnel in his lung. He quickly sealed the wound to re-pressurize the lung, and while cradling him, told him to hang on for extraction. The lieutenant survived to thank Nielsen for saving his life.

Sgt. Nielsen was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device for valor, the Air Medal, and the Combat Medical Badge.

James “Jim” Oliphant began his service with the U.S. Army when he was drafted for the Vietnam War. After training to be an aircraft mechanic, he attended Field Artillery Officer Candidate School, earning his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. Pursuing his goal of becoming a helicopter pilot, Oliphant transferred to primary flight school, where he earned the distinction of honor graduate and first in his class, giving him the opportunity to pilot the CH-54 Tarhe, a twin-engine heavy-lift helicopter nicknamed “The Crane.”

Also known as the “Workhorse in the Sky,” CH-54s worked extensively to move heavy artillery and recover downed aircraft in combat zones. At the time, Oliphant was the youngest pilot ever to qualify to fly the CH-54 for the Army. He would record 1,161 total flight hours with 461 hours in combat. During a multi-branch mission, Oliphant flew to support the daring rescue of a 20-man Special Operations unit trapped on a mountain overlooking the Ho Chi Minh trail with limited supplies and under indirect fire from the enemy.

Oliphant and his company commander volunteered to fly the CH-54 as a decoy, allowing paratroopers to extract the trapped soldiers. Oliphant’s involvement earned him the Bronze Star.

After Vietnam, Oliphant continued to fly the Skycrane in West Germany during the Cold War. After leaving active duty in 1975, he transferred to the Arizona National Guard where he served as the state nuclear weapons officer and the 153rd Field Artillery Group aviation officer responsible for training aviators and aircraft personnel. Oliphant has earned the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm.

Col. Donald Saxon comes from a military family where nearly every male member has served in the Armed Forces. In college, joining the Marines’ Platoon Leaders Class program was a natural course of life.

He commissioned after graduation and trained as an artillery officer. By 1967, Saxon shipped out to Vietnam, specializing in artillery support for the infantry. He was designated a forward observer, supporting fellow Marines, South Korean soldiers and the 101st Airborne during enemy engagements.

At constant risk of enemy fire and artillery, Saxon was struck by shrapnel during a mortar attack where the shell exploded just 10 meters away. He felt lucky to survive, although a fellow Marine was badly wounded in the attack. Both earned Purple Hearts.

As a forward observer, Saxon called in artillery strikes, particularly when facing superior numbers of enemy forces. The term “danger close” was used to describe when a forward observer summoned a strike closer than 600 meters. Twice, Saxon had to call in strikes within 100 meters of his position to turn back enemy attacks. For this, Saxon was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device for valor. He also earned the Air Medal with two stars, Legion of Merit, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and the Combat Action Badge.

“The best decision I ever made was to join the Marine Corps,” Saxon said, adding that his time in Vietnam was “the most important year of my life. I wish the war had not happened at all. But since it did, I can’t imagine having missed it.”

The Ute Tribe has a proud tradition of military service. Ferron Secakuku continued this legacy when drafted at 19 for the Vietnam War. Without hesitation, he joined the U.S. Army, ready to serve his country. After basic and advanced individual training at Fort Ord, California, he was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, as an infantryman. Four months later, he received orders to deploy to Vietnam, where Secakuku joined the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Wolfhounds.”

His unit was already engaged in counterinsurgency operations in the varied terrain of the Cu Chi region, a notorious Viet Cong stronghold with an extensive tunnel network. Secakuku served as “point man,” walking 10 to 15 yards ahead of his patrol. As the eyes and ears of his squad, he was responsible for detecting threats and issuing warnings.

On one patrol, Secakuku spotted a strange triangular object hanging from a tree branch. Sensing something out of place, he signaled the platoon to halt and consulted with patrol leaders. None recognized the symbol. Moments after resuming his point position, the squad was ambushed.

Caught between his men and the enemy, he laid down suppressive fire before diving into a bomb crater, continuing to fight until ammunition ran low. A gunship was called in to provide covering fire as the team escaped the trap. The next day, the squad returned to the site and found blood trails but no bodies--the Viet Cong had removed their dead. Secakuku’s vigilance likely prevented the squad from walking directly into the ambush.

Though several soldiers were wounded, none died. For their bravery, Secakuku and his team were awarded the Army Commendation Medal with a “V” Device for Valor. Assigned to the 25th Infantry Division, Secakuku earned an Air Medal for his leadership and courage during air operations in combat zones. He was later reassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) prior to returning home.

Raised in New York’s forested Catskill Mountains near West Point, Alan J. Walker developed survival skills and benefited from an exceptional collegiate education.

“Both my upbringing outdoors and my experience at West Point were equally influential in my career with the Special Forces,” Walker remarked.

Walker’s first military assignment took him to Turkey, where he led a nuclear warhead detachment. He subsequently served in Italy with an airborne battalion combat team, the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Pursuing further opportunities, Walker relocated westward and joined the Utah National Guard’s 19th Special Forces Group, where he eventually attained the position of Group Commander.

He was at the helm of Utah’s 19th Special Forces Group in the year preceding and the year following the September 11 attacks of 2001. Walker takes pride in the unit’s preparedness, swift response to the national crisis, and exemplary service worldwide.

“We were the first unit to respond, securing Salt Lake City International Airport,” he said. “Our objective was to ensure our personnel were operational from the outset.”

Walker briefly deployed to Afghanistan before transitioning to the Philippines, where he participated in the rescue of missionaries held captive by terrorists for nearly a year. One hostage was freed while two others perished. Walker’s Joint Task Force initially experienced profound regret, believing they had failed those held.

In the final two years of Col. Walker’s distinguished 30-year military career, he undertook missions for Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) and Central (SOCCENT). These included commanding the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines and serving in Iraq, where he facilitated communication between tactical operators and theater command.

Influenced by the people and places he encountered during his father’s career, Andrew “Andy” Wood joined the Army. After active duty, he joined the Utah National Guard and attended Brigham Young University to study engineering. His civilian job was with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation maintaining dams and reservoirs, while his military work with Special Forces was filled with travel and adrenaline.

“I got to alternate between cerebral and physical,” he said.

Early in 2011, Wood received a request from Joint Special Operations Command to deploy to Libya. His civilian federal service and military experience as a Special Forces guardsman uniquely qualified him for this assignment.

For his third deployment, Wood reported to the State Department to re-establish the U.S. embassy in Libya during an explosive time leading up to the dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s removal from power. Wood provided leadership and security expertise for the American embassy in Tripoli and annex in Benghazi. As the region deteriorated and resources dwindled, Wood’s security forces found it hard to maintain effective operations. Wood tracked everything swirling around them.

At the beginning of September, when Wood’s deployment ended, he provided all his records to both his military and diplomatic chains of command. He returned to Utah to take his family on vacations where he learned of the attack on Benghazi that killed Ambassador J. Christoper Stevens and three other Americans.

When conflicting information surfaced, Wood felt he needed to tell his account of what happened. He turned to the Guard’s command for help to navigate the quagmire. Wood knew the guys on the ground who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

“I owed it to them to tell their story too,” he said. He testified before Congress in both open and closed hearings in an effort to provide national leadership with a better understanding of the tragedy.

Col. Wood has retired from the military with nearly 40 years of service.