VICTOR
D. MASSAGLIA
Patriot, Chapter 1919
(ARMY,
Vietnam) Article March 1998
In 1967, this new Second Lieutenant, fresh
out of OCS, took over command of an Infantry Company the hard way, when his
Captain was killed in action. In 1972, as a helicopter pilot on his second
tour of duty in Vietnam, Captain Massaglia's daring rescue of five soldiers
at DAK TO was later written up in SAGA Magazine. This is his story.
Victor D. Massaglia
was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1940. He graduated in the Spring
of 1957 from St. Leo's High School on the city's west side. He then worked
for several years in Rochester, Minnesota before volunteering for the Draft
in 1965. After Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Medical
Advanced Individual Training (AIT), at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Vic was
selected for Officer Candidate School. He went off to Fort Benning,
Georgia, where he was commissioned Second Lieutenant, Infantry in May 1966.
He arrived in Vietnam in November 1966 and was assigned to Company A, 2nd
Battalion, 22nd Infantry (Mechanized). This was initially a 4th Infantry
Division unit that was later assigned to 25th Infantry Division.
Vic received the Purple Heart a few months
later, after his Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) hit a 500 pound bomb that
the Viet Cong had rigged as a mine. The APC was destroyed with three men
killed and the remaining eight, including Lieutenant Massaglia, wounded.
Medevac’d on a Dustoff helicopter, Vic returned to Company A following his
hospitalization for fragmentation wounds and burns to both legs. After his
return to duty, he would be awarded the Silver Star for a later combat
action in March 1967 before returning home from his first tour in-country
(see excerpt of citation).
|
|
 |
CITATION
The Silver Star
Date of action: 19 March 1967 |
|
|
SECOND LIEUTENANT
MASSAGLIA….ON 19 MARCH 1967…WHILE SERVING AS PLATOON LEADER IN COMPANY
A, 2ND BN, 22ND INF…THE COMPANY CAME IN HEAVY
CONTACT WITH A LARGE VIET CONG FORCE…THE COMPANY COMMANDER AND A PLATOON
LEADER WERE KILLED. LIEUTENANT MASSAGLIA IMMEDIATELY TOOK COMMAND OF
THE COMPANY, REGROUPING THE MEN…ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS HE TOOK OVER
THE MACHINEGUNS OF TWO OF HIS WOUNDED MEN, MAINTAINING A HEAVY VOLUME OF
FIRE…UNTIL OTHER SOLDIERS TOOK OVER THE WEAPONS. AS THE BATTLE
CONTINUED, LIEUTENANT MASSAGLIA NOTICED THAT ONE OF HIS PLATOONS,
ATTEMPTING TO FLANK THE VIET CONG POSITION…WAS PINNED DOWN BY INTENSE
ENEMY FIRE…WITH COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR HIS OWN PERSONAL SAFETY, HE LED A
SQUAD TO A POSITION…WHERE THEIR DEVASTATING FIRE FORCED THE HOSTILE
TROOPS TO WITHDRAW…HIS UNIT STAGED A COUNTERATTACK, RESULTING IN THE
ROUTING OF THE VIET CONG FORCE…
|
|
|
|
He would spend the next four years in the
United States during which time he went through training as an Army Aviator
and then served an assignment at Fort Hood, Texas where he was promoted to
Captain. In 1972 Victor Massaglia returned to Vietnam as a
helicopter pilot in B Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry. This was late
in the period of withdrawal of U.S. troops during the “draw-down.” Victor
received two awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross for flying rescue
missions under fire. An account of his daring pick-up of five Americans,
overrun near DAK TO, on May 6, 1972, later appeared in SAGA Magazine(also
see excerpt of Citation). With the rapid pace of troop withdrawal
continuing, Captain Massaglia was transferred, Inter-theatre, to Europe
prior to completing his second tour.
|
|
 |
CITATION
The Distinguished Flying Cross
Date of action: 6 May 1972 |
|
|
WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT…CAPTAIN MASSAGLIA…WHILE
SERVING AS AIRCRAFT COMMANDER…DURING AN AIR CAVALRY (MISSION) RESCUE(D)
…FIVE AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO WERE MISSING FOR TWELVE DAYS NEAR DAK TO…
(IN AN) AREA OVERRUN BY NUMEROUS ENEMY TANKS AND INFANTRY…(WITH) THE
SITUATION ON THE GROUND EXTREMELY VOLATILE…MANUVERED HIS SHIP ACROSS THE
TOPS OF THE ENEMY INFESTED FOREST…ALTHOUGH THE TOUCHDOWN POINT WAS
OVERGROWN WITH LARGE BRUSH AND SMALL TREES, HE MANAGED TO GET HIS
AIRCRAFT INTO THE SMALL INTRICATE AREA…LOAD THE WOUNDED AMERICANS…AND
HASTILY DEPART THE PICK-UP ZONE…FOR PLEIKU WHERE EMERGENCY
MEDICAL TREATMENT WAS GIVEN…CAPTAIN MASSAGLIA’S COURAGEOUS
ACTIONS…FLYING ABILITY AND DEVOTION TO DUTY WERE IN KEEPING WITH THE
HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE MILITARY SERVICE…
|
|
|
|
|
Victor
Massaglia was discharged after
6-month's service in Germany. He immediately enrolled at the University of
Tampa (Florida). Benefiting from the G.I. Bill, he graduated with a degree
in Business Management in 1975. He continued his education with advanced
technical courses in Electronics, and in 1977 took employment in Austin,
Texas where he currently lives. |
 |
|
|
Back To Index
|
