Combat correspondent and film advisor, Dale Dye, is accompanying the group of war journalists to Vietnam Feb. 16 to 26.
After serving three tours of duty as a U.S. Marine infantryman and combat correspondent on the ground in Vietnam, Dye is returning to Vietnam with fellow combat veterans and journalists for the first time in 47 years, courtesy of The greatest Generations Foundation.
He survived 31 large combat operations, including the Battle of Hue during Tet ’68, and later consulted on culturally iconic war movies “Platoon,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Band of Brothers” to name a few.
On March 14, 1968, during Operation Ford, Sergeant Dye was attached to Company E, Second Battalion, Third Marines when an enemy explosive device was detonated, seriously wounding a Marine. Dye moved through the hazardous area and administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the injured Marine.
A short time later, the unit came under intense hostile fire which wounded two more Marines. Disregarding his own safety, Dye ran across the fire-swept terrain and rendered first aid to the injured men while assisting them to covered positions.
On March 18, Dye again boldly exposed himself to intense enemy fire as he maneuvered forward to replace a wounded assistant machine-gunner. Undaunted by hostile fire, he assisted in delivering a heavy volume of effective fire upon enemy positions. Ignoring a painful injury, he steadfastly refused medical treatment, while rendering aid to his fellow Marine throughout the night.
Dye rose through the ranks and retired as a Captain after twenty-one years of service. His last combat assignment was in Beirut in 1982/1983, which ended in tragedy with the bombing at the Marine barracks that killed 241 U.S. Marines.
After the war, Dye retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1984 and promptly founded Warriors, Inc., which specializes in training actors to realistically portray soldiers in war movies.
Despite numerous doors shutting in his face, his persistence paid off when Director Oliver Stone hired him in 1986 as military technical advisor for his new movie “Platoon.”
