Pa maulendo ake anayi ku Vietnam, mkulu wa asilikali John J. Duffy nthawi zambiri ankamenya nkhondo kumbuyo kwa adani. Pa nthawi ina yotumizidwa kumeneko, iye yekha anapulumutsa gulu lankhondo la South Vietnam ku kuphedwa kwa anthu ambiri. Patatha zaka makumi asanu, Distinguished Service Cross yomwe adalandira chifukwa cha izi inakwezedwa kukhala Medal of Honor.
Duffy anabadwa pa 16 Machi, 1938 ku Brooklyn, New York ndipo analowa usilikali mu Marichi 1955 ali ndi zaka 17. Pofika mu 1963, adakwezedwa kukhala mkulu wa asilikali ndipo adalowa nawo gulu lankhondo la 5th Special Forces Unit, Green Berets.
Pa nthawi ya ntchito yake, Duffy anatumizidwa ku Vietnam kanayi: mu 1967, 1968, 1971 ndi 1973. Pa nthawi ya utumiki wake wachitatu, analandira Mendulo ya Ulemu.
Kumayambiriro kwa Epulo 1972, Duffy anali mlangizi wamkulu wa gulu lankhondo lapamwamba la asilikali aku South Vietnamese. Pamene asilikali aku North Vietnamese anayesa kulanda malo ochirikiza moto a Charlie omwe anali m'mapiri apakati mdzikolo, asilikali a Duffy analamulidwa kuti ayimitse asilikali a gululi.
Pamene nkhondoyi inali pafupi kutha kwa sabata yachiwiri, mkulu wa asilikali aku South Vietnam yemwe ankagwira ntchito ndi Duffy anaphedwa, malo olamulira a battalion anawonongedwa, ndipo chakudya, madzi, ndi zipolopolo zinali zochepa. Duffy anavulala kawiri koma anakana kuchotsedwa.
M'maola oyambirira a pa 14 Epulo, Duffy anayesa koma sanapambane kukhazikitsa malo oti ndege zibwezeretsedwe. Atapita patsogolo, anatha kufika pafupi ndi malo omenyera ndege za adani, zomwe zinapangitsa kuti ndege ziwombere. Meja anavulala kachitatu ndi zidutswa za mfuti, koma anakananso thandizo lachipatala.
Patapita nthawi yochepa, asilikali aku North Vietnam anayamba kuphulitsa malo oimika zida zankhondo. Duffy anakhalabe pamalo otseguka kuti atsogolere ma helikopita aku US ku malo a adani kuti aletse kuukirako. Pamene kupambana kumeneku kunapangitsa kuti nkhondoyo ichepe, mkulu wa asilikali anafufuza kuwonongeka kwa malowo ndipo anaonetsetsa kuti asilikali aku South Vietnam ovulalawo asunthidwa kumalo otetezeka. Anaonetsetsanso kuti apereka zipolopolo zotsalazo kwa iwo omwe akanatha kuteteza malowo.
Patapita nthawi yochepa, adani anayambanso kuwaukira. Daffy anapitiriza kuwawombera kuchokera m’sitima ya mfuti. Pofika madzulo, asilikali a adani anayamba kuthamangira ku malo a asilikaliwo kuchokera mbali zonse. Duffy anayenera kusuntha kuchokera pamalo ena kupita kwina kuti akonze mfuti zobwezera, kuzindikira malo omwe panali anthu ofufuza zida zankhondo, komanso kuwombera molunjika kuchokera m’sitima ya mfuti pamalo ake, yomwe inali itawonongeka.
Pofika madzulo zinali zoonekeratu kuti Duffy ndi asilikali ake agonjetsedwa. Anayamba kukonza zoti abwerere kwawo, akupempha thandizo la asilikali ankhondo pansi pa moto wa Dusty Cyanide, ndipo anali womaliza kuchoka pa malo omenyera nkhondo.
M'mawa mwake, asilikali a adani anaukira asilikali otsala aku South Vietnam omwe anali kubwerera m'mbuyo, zomwe zinachititsa kuti anthu ambiri aphedwe komanso amuna amphamvu anabalalika. Duffy anadziteteza kuti asilikali ake athe kuthamangitsa adani. Kenako anatsogolera omwe anatsala—ambiri mwa iwo omwe anali ovulala kwambiri—kupita nawo kumalo othawirako, ngakhale adaniwo akupitiriza kuwathamangitsa.
Atafika pamalo othawirako anthu, Duffy analamula helikopita yokhala ndi zida kuti iyambenso kuwombera adani ndipo anaika chizindikiro pamalo oti helikopita yopulumutsa anthu ifike. Duffy anakana kukwera imodzi mwa helikopita mpaka ena onse atalowa. Malinga ndi lipoti la San Diego Union-Tribune lothawirako anthu, pamene Duffy anali kuima pamtengo pamene helikopita yake inali kutuluka, anapulumutsa munthu wa ku South Vietnam amene anayamba kugwa kuchokera mu helikopita, anamugwira n’kumukoka kumbuyo, kenako anathandizidwa ndi munthu woponya mfuti pachitseko cha helikopita, amene anavulala panthawi yothawirako anthu.
Poyamba Duffy adapatsidwa Distinguished Service Cross chifukwa cha zomwe zatchulidwa pamwambapa, komabe mphothoyi yasinthidwa kukhala Medal of Honor. Duffy, wazaka 84, pamodzi ndi mchimwene wake Tom, adalandira mphoto yapamwamba kwambiri yadziko lonse chifukwa cha luso lake lankhondo kuchokera kwa Purezidenti Joseph R. Biden pamwambo ku White House pa Julayi 5, 2022.
"Zikuoneka zodabwitsa kuti anthu pafupifupi 40 opanda chakudya, madzi ndi zipolopolo akadali amoyo pakati pa magulu opha adani," Wachiwiri kwa Chief of Staff wa Army General Joseph M. Martin adatero pamwambowu. Kuphatikiza pa kuitana kuti amenyane pamalo ake kuti gulu lake libwerere, zidapangitsa kuti kuthawa kutheke. Abale a Major Duffy aku Vietnam ... akukhulupirira kuti adapulumutsa gulu lawo ku chiwonongeko chonse.
Pamodzi ndi Duffy, asilikali ena atatu aku Vietnam, asilikali apadera, adapatsidwa mendulo. 5 Dennis M. Fujii, Army Staff Sgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro ndi Army Spc. 5 Dwight Birdwell.
Duffy adapuma pantchito mu Meyi 1977. Pazaka 22 zomwe adagwira ntchito, adalandira mphoto zina 63 ndi maudindo osiyanasiyana, kuphatikiza Mitima Yofiirira isanu ndi itatu.
Pambuyo poti Major adapuma pantchito, adasamukira ku Santa Cruz, California ndipo pamapeto pake adakumana ndi mkazi dzina lake Mary ndikukwatira. Monga munthu wamba, anali purezidenti wa kampani yofalitsa mabuku asanakhale wogulitsa masheya ndikuyambitsa kampani yogulitsa zinthu zotsika mtengo, yomwe pamapeto pake idagulidwa ndi TD Ameritrade.
Duffy anakhalanso wolemba ndakatulo, akufotokoza zina mwa zomwe adakumana nazo pankhondo m'mabuku ake, akufalitsa nkhani kwa mibadwo yamtsogolo. Ndakatulo zake zambiri zasindikizidwa pa intaneti. Major analemba mabuku asanu ndi limodzi a ndakatulo ndipo adasankhidwa kuti alandire Mphoto ya Pulitzer.
Ndakatulo yolembedwa ndi Duffy yotchedwa “Frontline Air Traffic Controllers” yalembedwa pa chipilala ku Colorado Springs, ku Colorado polemekeza anthu omwe anazunzidwa ndi oyendetsa ndege omwe anali kutsogolo. Malinga ndi tsamba lawebusayiti la Duffy, iye analembanso Requiem, yomwe inawerengedwa pa kutsegulidwa kwa chipilalacho. Pambuyo pake, Requiem inawonjezedwa pakati pa chipilalacho chamkuwa.
Colonel William Reeder, Jr., yemwe anali asilikali akale, analemba buku lakuti Extraordinary Valor: Fighting for Charlie Hill in Vietnam. Bukuli limafotokoza za zomwe Duffy adachita mu kampeni ya 1972.
Malinga ndi tsamba lawebusayiti la Duffy, iye ndi membala woyambitsa bungwe la Special Warfare Association ndipo adalowetsedwa mu OCS Infantry Hall of Fame ku Fort Benning, Georgia mu 2013.
Dipatimenti Yoona za Chitetezo imapereka mphamvu zankhondo zofunika kuti tipewe nkhondo ndikusunga dziko lathu kukhala lotetezeka.
Nthawi yotumizira: Novembala-16-2022
