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ii ni—i mmrnmm■*'-i ■«»■!. —■mil ■a—MM.Him. . . • ■ TThe Story of LieutenantBy TOM TIEDELANDING ZONE IKE, South Vietnam (NEA) — His name was John K. Kauhaihao. But the men in his platoon could not pronounce it. So they just called him Lieutenant K.He favored the abbreviation.He said he couldn’t pronounce Kauhaihao either.That’s the way he was.He wasn’t like other officers in the First Cavalry. He was more like, well, one of the rank and file. Not that he wasn’t a good leader — they say he was a damn good one — but he had this way of mixing in and becoming part of his people.He’d drink their beer. Laugh at their gags. Suffer their blues.Or share their good times. He wasn’t a buddy, exactly. But he understood GIs — and his men knew he’d never ask them to go a step farther than he would go himself.He never did.Lieutenant K. was Hawaiian. From Konon on the Big Island.He was 28 years old. Married. And had four nut - brown kids.He could have remained in the sun with his family. He didn’t have to come to Vietnam. He had been a reserve officer in Kono and as such, free from any active military obligation. But he had a strong urge to serve.His motivation was simple. He told people he felt the weight of the war was being shouldered by too few Americans. He did not like to sit on his rump while others sacrificed. He felt he was needed, wanted — and so he volunteered.Politics? Lieutenant K. never talked about them. His nation was at war — and he felt it was his duty to help out.He was assigned to help out in the toughest way — as an infantry leader, in the heart of the conflict. He was given charge of First Platoon, Bravo Company, 2-Sth Cavalry, and sent into action.Eventually, the action brought him here, to the southwestern portion of Vietnam, near the Cambodian border, where f o r past months the bulk of t h,e war’s combat has been raging.The lieutenant was given simple orders. He was advised that there were unknown numbers of enemy bunkers hidden in his area. He was told to find and destroy them,He was willing, ready. He pre-fered hand grenades to rifle fighting, and he had the fragmentation missiles — at least 30 in all — fixed on and over his gear and clothing like so much olive - drab armor.Lieutenant K’s search for the enemy bunkers was relatively short. He and 25 men of his platoon found a strand of blue communications wire in the scrub brush, and they simply followed it, carefully, to its source.Then the battle began.Fire erupted savagely from a bunker complex on the platoon’s flank. It was instantly clear the GIs were outgunned and outnumbered — and they could only drop for cover.Lieutenant K’s cover was a mound of dirt, where, recognizing his unit’s subordinate position, he began a one - man war.For all to see, and emulate, he stood and threw his hand grenades. One after the other. Five, 10, 15, 20. When his own supply dwindled, his men tossed theirs up to him. The lieutenant kept grabbing and tossing. Minute after minute. Until the battleground was littered with enemy dead.They say he might have kept up his grenade offensive all day and all night. Or at least until every enemy of his platoon was blown or chased oft the battle ground.But he couldn’t.Out front like he was, like he insisted on being, he made a large target. He was shot, several times, in the chest.And died.After the battle, a newspaperman was talking to some of the combatants. He said he had heard about a John K. Kauhaihao and wanted to do a story on him. The men eyed the newsman curiously. “Oh,” said one, “you mean Lieutenant K. Listen, man, you know he saved our lives out there? Just say — just say he was the greatest; that’s all, the greatest.”
Newspaper Details
Albert Lea Evening Tribune
Albert Lea, Minnesota, US
Tue, Jan 06, 1970
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
VA, USA 08 Sep 2021
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