George Fleming “A Heart for Service, a Life of Duty”
By Daniel L. Bamberg
Daniel@Centrevillepress.com
In 2006 Von Fleming became the first non-military individual her husband, George, opened up to concerning the Vietnam War. He had been diagnosed with colon cancer. Recently his doctor explained to Fleming that the cancer was clear. With a clean bill of health and one of the most humble personalities I have ever come across, Fleming discussed the Vietnam War in depth with me. Many Vietnam Veterans have been warm and friendly to this reporter. Many of those have also been emotional, but nothing could have prepared me for the courage of Fleming’s interview.
Though he is now retired George Fleming was one of the most respected lawmen to ever wear a badge in Bibb County. He served nearly 25 years in local law enforcement. Sixteen of those years were spent as Chief of the West Blocton Police Department. The last eight years of that time was spent as Bibb County Sheriff. If ever there was a human born with the blood to truly serve, it is this man. Before becoming a Sheriff was even a gleam in his eyes, Fleming was serving his country in Vietnam.
He was born in Cordova, Alabama in 1936. His father was a Naval Veteran of World War II. In Fleming’s youth his family would move around a lot. As a teenager he worked on a dairy farm in McCalla. Once he turned 18 years old Fleming joined the U.S. Army and become a Military Policeman. He would move from Fort Jackson, South Carolina to Fort Campbell, Kentucky to Fort Bragg, North Carolina before being stationed in Frankford, Germany.
He began writing his future wife, Von, in 1954. On April 6, 1957 he visited her for the first time at her home in Brent; twenty-four days later they were married. Fleming proposed to her in his letters, but she never gave him an answer to that question. “I remember my mother telling me how crazy it was to marry someone I had never laid eyes on. I wasn’t about to say ‘Yes’ to someone I had never met in person, but I told her a man will write more in a letter than he will ever tell you in person,” said Von. On April 30th the couple will celebrate their 53rd anniversary.
Fleming and his wife would move around a lot during this time. He was stationed in France, Germany and even historic Yuma, Arizona. Nothing could have prepared them for the orders he would eventually get in 1967. George Fleming would have to leave his beloved wife behind and join his fellow countrymen in Vietnam.
It was just before the time of the Tet Offensive. George was with the 90th Replacement Company and stayed with them for 2 days until he was given orders to join the 716th MP Battalion in Saigon. “I thought this would be an easy tour. Saigon is a town, not in the jungle, but on our way there, we got shot at,” he explained.
“I get to my unit and was given orders by my Sergeant to become the Platoon Sergeant of the 1st Platoon. I would be responsible for 26 men. I was a little worried, but felt better about after being briefed and trained for about a week,” said George.
His platoon patrolled the roughest parts of Saigon, which included the docks and the shoreline. “I found out really fast that this wasn’t going to be an easy tour,” he said.
Every morning his platoon would travel and patrol a road, which went down to the coast. When they went down it meant the road was opened for travel. At night when they came back up it meant the road was closed. If the patrol was off the road anyone who was seen on the road was subject to attack.
One night while closing the road his platoon came under attack and they had to jump in a nearby rice paddy. Two U.S. helicopters flew over to provide air coverage at to spotlight the enemy. It was the first attack George experienced but it wouldn’t be the end and unfortunately it wasn’t the worst to come.
George paused for a moment and slowly said, “On the morning of January 31, 1968…” It was at this point when his lip began quivering but he fought hard to hold back the tears. This was the date that the Tet Offensive began.
The military campaign which has been called “The Tet Offensive” was a conspired effort by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army to attack the South Vietnamese and the United States by bombarding military and civilian command and control centers in order to create an uprising in Saigon. The idea was to end the war in a single blow. It was the most destructive and savage military action of the enemy to the South Vietnamese and the U.S. during the entire Vietnam conflict.
Finding the strength to fight his memories George Fleming continued his story. “At about 2:30 in the morning we woke up to the Tet Offensive. We had 20 people on 2 ½ ton trucks under fire, going to Quarters. The Viet Cong exploded 4 claymores,” George explains before pausing to fight back more tears. “Seventeen of the twenty men were killed,” he concludes for a moment.
“Then we were called to the Embassy. A hole had been blown through a wall surrounding the Embassy and the Viet Cong tried to get through. We shot the first three or four who came through the wall. The Viet Cong never got into the embassy. When it was over we killed 19 and captured one,” George explained. “We lost 23 men out of our battalion in 12 hours.”
A photo of the Embassy attack was recently published in “Vietnam” a magazine published by HistoryNet. Fleming is seen walking with his M16 in the background. Due to the graphic nature of the photo the photo could not be run in this publication.
The Tet offensive went on for about a week many American lives and those of the South Vietnamese were lost. The Mini-Tet came about a short while later but was immediately discouraged by the armed defense of a “ready for anything” U.S. Military.
“If they had just cut us (the military) soldiers rather than letting the politicians run this war we could have walked through Vietnam in a week and come home,” George explained.
After George came home following his first tour he was met by a protestor at the Denver Airport, but soldiers who were being deployed looked at those coming home and explained they would take care of the situation.
A little over a year later he would make a second tour of Vietnam. It was no cakewalk but based upon his story it appears it was less hellacious than his first tour. During this time he was a member of the 981st Sentry Dog Company. The unit was appropriately nicknamed “Hell on Paws.” When news guys came in George was in charge of pairing them with a dog and training them to ship out.
George and his wife recently visited Battlefield Park in Mobile, Alabama. They visited the monument of “Little Joe,” the heroic war dog who saved the lives of a unit under fire, including the life of his handler. “Once I read the story I lost it, because I helped train that dog,” George said.
With all the literal hell soldiers experienced in Vietnam some stories are actually quite humorous. George was open enough to share a few of his own. During George’s second tour as a dog trainer and handler he experienced a situation, which began extremely serious but ended with a great punch line. “This dog and his handler were in a bunker while we were being shelled. The bunker was hit. I looked around and didn’t see the dog or his handler. So I immediately went to the other side of the bunker and saw the dog lying on top of his handler on the other side. I was expecting the worst but when I got closer I didn’t see any blood and they looked unharmed. I asked the dog handler if he was okay. He raised his head up and said, ‘Don’t talk to me I’m dead.’ Then he laid his head back down.
While it took over 25 years for George to speak about Vietnam with a civilian he admits to having some personal struggles but doesn’t seem to focus on those much today.
“The World War II veterans represented America’s Greatest Generation. To me the Vietnam Veterans are the forgotten generation,” he explained. George remembers hearing a civilian say, “The Vietnam War is over and it is time to move on.”
“A lot of people do not understand. There are still World War II veterans fighting the Japanese and the Germans every night. There are still Vietnam veterans fighting the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army every night,” George explained. “It is a hard thing to see the guy next to you fall and realize you are okay,” he stated.
“I think the good Lord has truly blessed me. We used to say we were lucky but we know now we have been blessed,” George expressed. “I wish all of the veterans had the chance that I did to come home safely.”
While he was stationed in Vietnam during both tours George kept in close contact with his wife. “He wrote me everyday. Sometimes it wasn’t more than two or three sentences but he made sure to let me know that he was okay. I didn’t watch the news or read the newspapers while he was away. The one time I watched the news I saw where 2 MPs had been killed in Saigon. I was very concerned but the phone rang almost immediately after I saw the story. It was George calling collect from Vietnam. We talked 3 minutes and I slept good that night.”
After he retired from the military George realized the only thing he knew was being a policeman. Naturally he joined law enforcement. He would eventually become West Blocton Chief of Police. Sometime during this stretch his wife, Von recalls George looking around in Brent and telling her “You know someday I might want to be Sheriff of this county. It was her mother that encouraged George to follow his dream. After serving 16 years as Chief of Police in West Blocton, Fleming ran for Sheriff. He was elected and then re-elected 4 years later. Fleming would not seek a third term. After nearly 50 years of being a man of service George Fleming would slow down. Yet even now his wife explains he keeps himself occupied.
Current Bibb County Sheriff Keith Hannah has stated on several occasions, “George is one of the toughest men I have ever known.” He dedicated one half of his life to serving his country and another half to serving his community. He served with the 716th MP Battalion, the most highly decorated military police battalion in the United States Army. He is a living institution of pride, courage, conviction, and humble service and even without anyone saying thank you he would do it all again.
“The greatest thing anyone can for a veteran of war is to thank them for their service. It’s a simple thing, but it doesn’t happen a lot. The first person that thanked me was at BJ’S (Restaurant in Brent) a few years ago. He must have seen my hat. A man came up out of nowhere and said thank you,” Fleming expressed.
“When the man walked away tears were welling up in George’s eyes. It meant that much to him,” said
George is the commander of the honor guard with the American Legion Post 47 in West Blocton and proudly dedicates some of his time to researching the truth behind the Vietnam War. “It is an honor for me to call myself a Vietnam Veteran,” George concluded.
George and Von Fleming live in West Blocton at their home for many years and are surrounded by their children and grandchildren.
As April 30th 2010 becomes the 35th Anniversary to the end of the Vietnam War we take time to honor those who served. We take a moment to reflect on their unnecessary but unselfish sacrifice. We look to learn from the past. We remember the Vietnam Veteran.
All month long, the Centreville Press, through Bibb ‘Out of the Box’, will honor these brave men with stories. We have come to a time where the Veterans of the past wars are nearly taken for granted. It is important we learn what it means to be a veteran and the importance of their duty. The present generation has already made a share of war veterans. Let us learn how to better present the American military with the proper dignity that their service deserves.
No comments:
Post a Comment