David Hackworth

Colonel David Haskell Hackworth (November 11, 1930 – May 4, 2005) was a United States Army officer and journalist, who was highly decorated in both the Korean War and Vietnam War. Hackworth is known for his role in the formation and command of Tiger Force, a military unit from the 101st Airborne Division that used guerrilla warfare tactics against Viet Cong in South Vietnam.

He was the youngest US colonel in Vietnam at the time of his promotion. He was described by General Creighton Abrams, who commanded all US military operations from 1968 to 1972 in Vietnam, as "the best battalion commander I ever saw in the United States Army."

Early life

Hackworth was born in Ocean Park, California (now part of Santa Monica), on November 11, 1930, the son of Leroy E. Hackworth and Lorette (Kensly) Hackworth. His parents both died before he was a year old, so he and his brother and sister were raised by Ida Stedman, their paternal grandmother.

The family had to rely on government aid during the Great Depression, and his grandmother, who had been married to a Colorado gold miner, brought them up on tales of her Old West experiences and her Revolutionary War ancestors.

Military career

Imbued with a sense of adventure, at age 14, Hackworth lied about his age and paid a transient to pose as his father so he could claim to be old enough to join the United States Merchant Marine with parental consent. After he returned home to California he decided to join the United States Army. In 1946, he used his Merchant Marine documents to enlist for three years.

Korea

Hackworth fought with the 25th Reconnaissance Company and the 27th Infantry (Wolfhound) Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division during the Korean War. He earned a battlefield commission as a second lieutenant in 1951 and was awarded three Silver Stars for heroism and three Purple Hearts. After a successful raid on Hill 1062 and battlefield promotion to first lieutenant, the commander of the 27th Infantry Regiment offered Hackworth command of a new volunteer raider unit. Hackworth created the 27th Wolfhound Raiders and led them from August to November 1951. He subsequently volunteered for a second tour in Korea, this time with the 40th Infantry Division. Hackworth was promoted to the rank of captain.

Cold War

Hackworth was demobilized after the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1954. But he quickly became bored with civilian life, so after two years of college he re-joined the U.S. Army as a captain in 1956.

When Hackworth returned to active duty, the Cold War substantially changed the structure of the army from what he had known. Initially posted to 77th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion in Manhattan Beach, California, Hackworth was eventually assigned to Germany, initially in staff roles, but returning to infantry in the early 1960s as a company commander under Colonel Glover S. Johns. He was involved in a number of fire drills around the Berlin Crisis of 1961. He recounted his experiences with the Soviet guard and his views on military history in his book About Face.

After completing an associate of arts degree at Los Angeles Harbor College, and completing additional courses at several other colleges, in 1964, Hackworth graduated from Austin Peay State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in history, after which he attended the Command and General Staff College.

Vietnam

When President John F. Kennedy announced that a large advisory team was being sent to South Vietnam, Hackworth immediately volunteered for service. His request was denied, on the grounds that he had too much frontline experience, and that others who had seen less fighting (or none) should have an opportunity to acquire experience in combat.

In 1965, he deployed to Vietnam at the rank of Major, serving as an operations officer and battalion commander in the 101st Airborne Division. In November 1965, Hackworth founded a platoon-sized unit designated as Tiger Force to "out guerrilla the guerrillas".  The unit carried out long-range reconnaissance patrol duties, suffering heavy casualties; it was eventually awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. However, after Hackworth was reassigned out of Vietnam, the unit committed a series of war crimes, with U.S. Army investigative records estimating that Tiger Force soldiers killed hundreds of noncombatants. Hackworth later stated in an interview with the Toledo Blade that he was unaware of the war crimes the unit carried out and refused to speculate on why they occurred.

Hackworth quickly developed a reputation as an eccentric but effective soldier, becoming a public figure in several books authored by General S. L. A. "Slam" Marshall. Following a stateside tour at the Pentagon and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Hackworth co-wrote The Vietnam Primer with Marshall after returning to Vietnam in the winter of 1966–67 on an Army-sponsored tour with the famous historian and commentator. The book advised counter-insurgency fighters to adopt some of the guerrilla tactics used by Mao Zedong, Che Guevara, and Ho Chi Minh. Hackworth described the strategy as "out-G-ing the G." His personal and professional relationship with Marshall soured as Hackworth became suspicious of his methods and motivation.

However, both his assignment with "Slam" Marshall and his time on staff duty at the Pentagon soured Hackworth on the Vietnam War. One aspect of the latter required him to publicly defend the U.S. position on the war in a speaking tour. Even with his reservations concerning the conflict, he refused to resign, feeling it was his duty as a field grade officer to wage the campaign as best he could.

Post-military career

Australia

After leaving the Army, Hackworth settled in the Australian Gold Coast near Brisbane. He soon made a fortune through profitable ventures that included real estate investing, a duck farm, and a popular restaurant called Scaramouche. He was also active in the Australian antinuclear movement. (in the Navy, the "V" device was worn on certain decorations to denote valor in combat or direct combat participation with the enemy) on his Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal service ribbons, generating much controversy. Boorda committed suicide before he could be interviewed by Hackworth, who had received at least one Army Commendation Medal and other decorations with the "V" device from the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War (in the Army, the "V" device denoted valor in combat only). The Navy reviewed the matter and determined afterwards that the two "Combat Distinguishing Devices" (Combat "V"'s) that Boorda had worn on two of his uniform service ribbons since the Vietnam War and until almost a year before Hackworth's and Newsweek's intervention, were both unauthorized.

Hackworth's last assignment in a combat/conflict zone was with Newsweek during the initial deployment of US forces into Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the Implementation Force in February 1996. Hackworth joined 3rd Battalion, 5th Cavalry of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division near the disputed village of Brcko. Hackworth interviewed a number of officers and enlisted soldiers, reinforcing his historical tenure as a seasoned combat veteran of previous wars and as a well-known and respected journalist.

Hackworth appeared on countless television and radio talk shows and formed his own website, Soldiers for the Truth, continuing to be the self-proclaimed voice of the "grunts" (ground troops) until his death.

King Features Syndicate distributed Hackworth's weekly column "Defending America". Many of his columns discussed the war on terrorism and the Iraq War and were concerned with the policies of the American leadership in conducting the wars, as well as the conditions of the soldiers serving. Hackworth continued the column until his death from bladder cancer in May 2005. Associates believe that his cancer was caused by exposure to Agent Blue (a defoliant used in Vietnam), and are lobbying the United States government to have the substance labeled a known carcinogen like the more famous Agent Orange.

Works

; Books

Hackworth, David H.; Sherman, Julie (1989). About Face: Odyssey of an American Warrior. New York. Simon & Schuster.

Novel.

; Journalism

Hackworth wrote articles for:

Maxim
Men's Journal
Modern Maturity
Newsweek
Parade
People
Playboy
Self
Soldier of Fortune
WorldNetDaily

Death

Hackworth died on May 4, 2005, at the age of 74 in Tijuana, Mexico, as he was searching for alternative treatments for his bladder cancer. He was survived by his wife, Eilhys England, four children from his two previous marriages, and a stepdaughter. His remains were interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Distinguished Service Cross citations

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Awards and Decorations

Hackworth earned over 90 U.S. and foreign military awards and frequently wore a CIB lapel pin on his civilian sport jackets.

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{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"

!Badge

| colspan="4" |Combat Infantryman Badge

!1st row

| colspan="2" |Distinguished Service Cross

| colspan="2" |Silver Star

!2nd row

|Silver Star

| colspan="2" |Legion of Merit

|Distinguished Flying Cross

!3rd row

|Bronze Star Medal

| colspan="2" |Purple Heart

|Air Medal

!4th row

|Army Commendation Medal

| colspan="2" |Army Good Conduct Medal

|World War II Victory Medal

!5th row

|Army of Occupation Medal

| colspan="2" |National Defense Service Medal

|Korean Service Medal

!6th row

|Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

| colspan="2" |Vietnam Service Medal

|Armed Forces Reserve Medal

!7th row

|United Nations Service Medal Korea

| colspan="2" |Vietnam Campaign Medal

|Korean War Service Medal

!Badge

| colspan="4" |Master Parachutist Badge

! rowspan="3" |Unit Awards

| colspan="4" |Presidential Unit Citation

|Valorous Unit Award

| colspan="2" |Meritorious Unit Commendation

|Korean Presidential Unit Citation

|RVN Presidential Unit Citation

| colspan="2" |RVN Gallantry Cross Unit Citation

|RVN Civil Actions Unit Citation

Merchant Marine Awards

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|Pacific War Zone Medal

|World War II Victory Medal

Foreign Awards (RVN)

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|National Order of Vietnam

|RVN Gallantry Cross

|Armed Forces Honor Medal

|Staff Service Medal

|Army Distinguished Service Order

Admiral Boorda accusations and Media apologies over Hackworth reporting

In 1996, Hackworth accused Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Boorda of wearing two unauthorized service ribbons on his uniform denoting valor in combat. Boorda committed suicide during Hackworth's investigation. In 1997, Hackworth was mistakenly accused of wearing unauthorised decorations: an extra Distinguished Flying Cross and a Ranger Tab. An audit later proved it was a US Army administrative error and not the fault of Hackworth.

In response to Hackworth's investigation of Admiral Boorda, CNN and the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather questioned the accuracy of Hackworth's own military decorations. In particular, the reports accused Hackworth of claiming a Ranger Tab to which he was not entitled and an extra Distinguished Flying Cross listed on his website. Hackworth threatened to sue CBS and requested a formal audit of his military records. In response to the findings made from the military audit, the executive producer of CBS News sent a letter to Hackworth that stated:

In 2002, Hackworth was asked about the controversy in an interview with Proceedings. In the interview, he stated:

In popular culture

Robert Duvall partially based his performance of Lieutenant Colonel William "Bill" Kilgore from the film Apocalypse Now on David Hackworth.

References

;Sources

External links

Stand for the Troops
Review of 'About Face' in US Army War College Parameters magazine, December, 1989
Slate article, Newsweek's Major Embarrassment: He's called Col. Hackworth, November, 1996
Inspector General Military Assistance Command Vietnam – Report of Investigation of Colonel David Hackworth, 16 January 1971