1LT Doug Greenlaw, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Silver Star

Doug Greenlaw sees his life as a series of “lightning strikes.” He was literally struck by lightning when he was 13 years old, thankfully making an immediate recovery. He later left Indiana University to join the Army, become an officer, and serve in in the Vietnam War – first as a platoon commander and then as a company commander. He arrived in Vietnam in 1967.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Greenlaw takes us through his training, including a terrifying story from jungle training, and through his most harrowing moments in Vietnam. Greenlaw details the events of Thanksgiving Day 1967, when his platoon was dropped off in the wrong spot and quickly found itself facing a North Vietnamese battalion of 400-500 fighters. He explains the actions he took to keep his men alive until air and ground support could arrive – and he describes hand-to-hand fighting with an enemy officer in a North Vietnamese tunnel.

Greenlaw also tells us his responsibilities and priorities as a platoon and company commander and how he and his men painstakingly looked out for enemy booby traps and explosives. He also reveals the extensive injuries he suffered after a soldier in his company tripped one of those wires.

We’ll also hear how Greenlaw’s military service impacted his impressive rise as a sales and marketing executive, all the way to the top of MTV, Nickelodeon, and VH-1.

Finally, we’ll learn about Greenlaw’s leadership with the Military Order of the Purple Heart, from leading his local chapter to serving as national commander for two years.

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Veterans Chronicles