Ngexesha lohambo lwakhe olune eVietnam, uMajor woMkhosi uJohn J. Duffy wayesoloko elwa ngasemva kwemigca yeentshaba. Ngexesha lokuthunyelwa okunjalo, wasindisa ibutho laseMzantsi Vietnam eyedwa ekubulaweni kwabantu. Kwiminyaka engamashumi amahlanu kamva, uMnqamlezo weNkonzo oDumileyo awawufumanayo ngenxa yezi zenzo waphuculwa waba yiMedal of Honor.
UDuffy wazalwa nge-16 kaMatshi 1938 eBrooklyn, eNew York waza wangena emkhosini ngoMatshi 1955 eneminyaka eli-17 ubudala. Ngo-1963, wanyuselwa kwisikhundla sokuba yigosa waza wajoyina i-5th Special Forces Unit, iGreen Berets.
Ngexesha lomsebenzi wakhe, uDuffy wathunyelwa eVietnam izihlandlo ezine: ngo-1967, 1968, 1971 nango-1973. Ngexesha lenkonzo yakhe yesithathu, wafumana iMbasa yoMbeko.
Ekuqaleni kuka-Epreli 1972, uDuffy wayengumcebisi omkhulu kwi-battalion ebalaseleyo kwi-South Vietnamese Army. Xa ama-North Vietnamese azama ukubamba isiseko sokuxhasa umlilo sikaCharlie kwiindawo eziphakamileyo zelizwe, amadoda kaDuffy ayalelwa ukuba amise imikhosi ye-battalion.
Njengoko uhlaselo lwalusondela ekupheleni kweveki yesibini, umphathi-mkhosi waseMzantsi Vietnam owayesebenza noDuffy wabulawa, isikhululo somyalelo we-battalion satshatyalaliswa, kwaye ukutya, amanzi, kunye neembumbulu zaziphela. UDuffy wenzakele kabini kodwa wala ukukhutshelwa ngaphandle.
Ekuqaleni komhla we-14 ku-Epreli, uDuffy wazama kodwa akaphumelelanga ukuseka indawo yokufika ukuze kuphinde kufumaneke izixhobo zeenqwelo-moya. Eqhubeka, wakwazi ukusondela kwiindawo zokulwa neenqwelo-moya zotshaba, nto leyo eyabangela ukuba kuhlaselwe emoyeni. Ijenerali yenzakaliswe okwesithathu ziingceba zeembumbulu, kodwa kwakhona ayizange ifumane unyango.
Kungekudala emva koko, ibutho laseMntla Vietnam laqalisa ukuqhushumba isiseko. UDuffy wahlala evulekileyo ukuze aqondise iihelikopta zohlaselo zase-US kwiindawo zotshaba ukuze ayeke uhlaselo. Xa le mpumelelo yakhokelela ekuthuleni kwemfazwe, ijoni yahlola umonakalo kwisiseko yaza yaqinisekisa ukuba amajoni aseMzantsi Vietnam alimeleyo afuduselwa kwindawo ekhuselekileyo. Waqinisekisa nokuba usasaza iimbumbulu eziseleyo kwabo babesakwazi ukukhusela isiseko.
Kungekudala emva koko, utshaba lwaqala ukuhlasela kwakhona. UDaffy waqhubeka ebadubula ekwinqanawa yezibhamu. Ngokuhlwa, amajoni otshaba aqala ukuqokelelana enkampini evela macala onke. UDuffy kwafuneka asuke kwindawo aye kwenye ukuze alungise ukudubula okubuyayo, achonge iindawo ezijongwayo zezixhobo zokudubula, aze ade adubule ngqo kwinqanawa yezibhamu kwindawo yakhe, eyayisengozini.
Kwathi kusihlwa kwacaca ukuba uDuffy namadoda akhe baza koyiswa. Waqala ukulungiselela ukubuyela umva, ebiza inkxaso yezixhobo zomkhosi phantsi komlilo kaDusty Cyanide, waza waba ngowokugqibela ukuphuma kweso siseko.
Ngentsasa elandelayo, imikhosi yotshaba yahlasela amajoni aseMzantsi Vietnam aseleyo awayerhoxa, nto leyo eyabangela ukuba kubekho iingxwelerha ezingaphezulu kunye nokusasazeka kwamadoda anamandla. UDuffy wathatha indawo yokuzikhusela ukuze amadoda akhe akwazi ukugxotha utshaba. Emva koko wakhokela abo baseleyo—uninzi lwabo belimele kakhulu—wabasa kwindawo yokufuduka, nangona utshaba lwaluqhubeka nokubasukela.
Efika kwindawo yokufuduka, uDuffy wayalela ihelikopta exhobileyo ukuba ivule umlilo kwakhona kutshaba waza waphawula indawo yokufika kwehelikopta yokuhlangula. UDuffy wala ukukhwela kwenye yeehelikopta de bonke abanye babesesikhepheni. Ngokwengxelo yokufuduka yeSan Diego Union-Tribune, xa uDuffy wayemi epalini ngexesha lokufuduka kwehelikopta yakhe, wasindisa iparatrooper yaseMzantsi Vietnam eyayiqale ukuwa kwihelikopta, wayibamba wayitsala emva, emva koko wancedwa ngumdubuli wecango lehelikopta, owalimala ngexesha lokufuduka.
Ekuqaleni uDuffy wanikwa iDistinguished Service Cross ngenxa yezi zenzo zingasentla, nangona kunjalo eli bhaso lisandula ukuphuculwa laba yiMedal of Honor. UDuffy, oneminyaka engama-84 ubudala, kunye nomntakwabo uTom, bafumana ibhaso lesizwe eliphezulu ngenxa yobukrelekrele bomkhosi kuMongameli uJoseph R. Biden kumsitho owawuseWhite House ngoJulayi 5, 2022.
“Kubonakala kungakholeleki ukuba malunga nabantu abangama-40 abangenakutya, amanzi kunye neembumbulu basaphila phakathi kwamaqela okubulala iintshaba,” utshilo uSekela-Nkokheli yoMkhosi uJenene woMkhosi uJoseph M. Martin kumsitho, kuquka ukubizwa kokuba ahlasele kwindawo yakhe ukuze avumele ibutho lakhe ukuba lirhoxe, kwenze ukuba kuphume ithuba lokubaleka. Abazalwana bakaMajor Duffy baseVietnam… bakholelwa ukuba usindise ibutho labo ekutshatyalalisweni ngokupheleleyo.”
Kunye noDuffy, amanye amajoni amathathu aseVietnam, imikhosi ekhethekileyo yomkhosi, anikwe imbasa. 5 UDennis M. Fujii, uSgt. Edward N. Kaneshiro kunye noDwight Birdwell, i-Army Spc. 5.
UDuffy wathatha umhlala-phantsi ngoMeyi 1977. Kwiminyaka yakhe engama-22 yenkonzo, wafumana amanye amabhaso angama-63 kunye neembasa, kuquka neePurple Hearts ezisibhozo.
Emva kokuba uMajor ethathe umhlala-phantsi, wafudukela eSanta Cruz, eCalifornia waza ekugqibeleni wadibana nomfazi ogama linguMary waza watshata naye. Njengomntu ongekho mthethweni, wayengumongameli wenkampani yokushicilela ngaphambi kokuba abe ngumthengisi wezabelo waza waseka inkampani yomthengisi wesaphulelo, eyathi ekugqibeleni yafunyanwa yiTD Ameritrade.
UDuffy naye waba yimbongi, echaza ezinye zezinto awazenzayo xa wayesilwa kwiincwadi zakhe, edlulisela amabali kwizizukulwana ezizayo. Uninzi lweembongo zakhe zipapashwe kwi-intanethi. UMajor wabhala iincwadi ezintandathu zemibongo waza wonyulwa kwiPulitzer Prize.
Umbongo obhalwe nguDuffy onesihloko esithi “Frontline Air Traffic Controllers” ubhalwe kwisikhumbuzo eColorado Springs, eColorado ehlonipha amaxhoba abalawuli beenqwelo moya abaphambili. Ngokutsho kwewebhusayithi kaDuffy, wabhala neRequiem, eyafundwa xa kwatyhilwa esi sikhumbuzo. Kamva, iRequiem yongezwa kwindawo ephakathi yesikhumbuzo sobhedu.
UColonel William Reeder, Jr., owayesakuba ligqala lomkhosi, wabhala incwadi ethi Extraordinary Valor: Fighting for Charlie Hill in Vietnam. Le ncwadi ichaza ngezenzo zikaDuffy kwiphulo lika-1972.
Ngokutsho kwewebhusayithi kaDuffy, ulilungu elisungula iSpecial Warfare Association kwaye wangeniswa kwi-OCS Infantry Hall of Fame eFort Benning, eGeorgia ngo-2013.
ISebe lezoKhuselo linika amandla omkhosi afunekayo ukuthintela imfazwe nokugcina ilizwe lethu likhuselekile.
Ixesha lokuthumela: Novemba-16-2022
