John Ripley
Captain
USMC (Ret.)
Ripley relates his heroic feat of singlehandedly stopping the enemy during a major offensive on Easter Sunday in 1972. His "tiny force" of South Vietnamese Marines was poised on one side of the Dong-Ha Bridge to take on the "enormous force" of North Vietnamese troops ready to attack from the other side. Undaunted, the determined Captain Ripley decided to take the situation in his own hands to bring down the bridge.
Each war hero offers a unique perspective on the role they played in defending our nation.