Veteran Spotlight during national military appreciation month: John Shoemaker

Wayne Soares — Tue, 10 May 2022 15:41:23 -0400

An absolute honor to interview John Shoemaker for this week’s Veterans Spotlight. Born in Fitchburg, MA he attended UMASS and graduated with a BBS in Management before enlisting in the Army in 1968. He would go onto serve his country for (4) years as a Combat Platoon Leader and Company Commander in the 196th Light Infantry Brigade of the “Americal” Division in Chu Lai. He completed his basic training at Fort Dix, NJ, Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, LA and Airborne & Officer Candidate School Training at Fort Benning, GA before going to advanced jungle training in the Panama Canal Zone.

Lt. Shoemaker left for Vietnam with his first-born son only (3) months old. He arrived in Vietnam and immediately went through two weeks of in-country training and was assigned to a Firebase on Hawk Hill then to Hill 251 just west of Chu Lai. His first day on patrol, provided him with a memorable experience. “My commanding office told me ‘you’re just an observing officer’…..we were marching through a rice paddy, I was 5th in line…..radio guy was in front of me….I was mesmerized as I waded through this dark brown, putrid, god-awful-smelling water filled with water buffalo and human excrement and leeches….I thought, I’m not watching Walter Cronkite anymore….then, it seemed like the whole world blew up…..a huge explosion…..the guy in front of the radio man stepped on a booby trap…blew off his feet……almost split the Lieutenant in front of him in two….I was now in charge…..all our guys had zero combat experience…..one of the soldiers came up to me and said, ‘ok Lieutenant, what do we do now?’ I was on patrol for just two hours and thought ‘how am I gonna’ last a year?’ He continued. “My only thought was I had to keep my soldiers alive and kill as many NVA soldiers before they killed me….thought there’s no way in hell I’m getting out of here alive…..was scared every day and I said (expletive) it, I’m taking the battle to the enemy….I was in the jungle 3-4 weeks at a time…..was always afraid of losing a limb or being captured……resigned myself that the latter was never going to happen” he said.

I asked Lt. Shoemaker about the holidays and how it might have affected him. “There were no holidays for me….did have a chance to see Bob Hope….it was a life experience…..got to meet him years later….took a bunch of my guys from Hawk Hill…..had to drive a long ways….all I could think about on the way is to hell with Hope, what happens if we got ambushed? We couldn’t carry guns, only the MP’s escorting us could…..would have been the perfect time” he remembered.

I asked Lt. Shoemaker, the feeling of losing a soldier under your command. He replied with this; “It’s simply devastating….you constantly think ‘what could I have done, what should I have done’? It eats at you….I lost (5) guys…..two gunshot and three from booby traps….I wanted to kill (10) NVA for every one I lost….I was just so pissed….when a soldier is lost, it stays with the family forever….the pain never goes away….nobody knows how they suffer” he recalled. He continued, “I had a soldier that had two parents that were doctors...this kid was in med-school studying to be a doctor….great kid….he enlisted to go to Vietnam because his parents told him he should do something for his country that would have purpose….he took a bullet to one of his major organs in a firefight….he died in shock in the helicopter….an asset of humanity that was tragically lost” he said somberly.

Lt. Shoemaker offered this when I asked him his thoughts on the protesters of the Vietnam War. “I rejected it at the time, because it showed our country in a bad light and divided. It destroyed our country’s morale, unity and patriotism.”

Thoughts on service? “I thought I needed to serve…..my dad was in the Navy in WWII….I was inspired by my dad….being a Combat Platoon Leader in Vietnam proved to be who I am, it changed who I was….and it created who I would be….I would do everything over the exact same way.” He was awarded (3) Bronze Stars, (2) for Valor, the Air Medal, (2) Army Commendation Medals, (1) for Valor and the Purple Heart. Lt. John Shoemaker, thank you for your service to our great country.

Response by SSG William Jones made May 10 at 2022 3:46 PM

SSG William Jones — Tue, 10 May 2022 15:46:01 -0400

Great article. Thanks for posting it.

Response by MAJ Bob Miyagishima made May 10 at 2022 4:15 PM

MAJ Bob Miyagishima — Tue, 10 May 2022 16:15:58 -0400

Very well written, you could and should write a book about your wartime experience. I've only known and read one other account of a hero and MOH recipient, Hiroshi Hershey Miyamura. He was captured in the Korean War and was a POW as well. God bless you Lieutenant Shoemaker.

Response by CPL Douglas Chrysler made May 10 at 2022 10:56 PM

CPL Douglas Chrysler — Tue, 10 May 2022 22:56:29 -0400

Thanks for sharing this article.

Response by COL Lisandro Murphy made May 13 at 2022 8:19 AM

COL Lisandro Murphy — Fri, 13 May 2022 08:19:19 -0400

Hooah! Another American hero and thank you for your service.

Response by SGT Wayne Dunn made May 20 at 2022 11:02 AM

SGT Wayne Dunn — Fri, 20 May 2022 11:02:53 -0400

Thank You

Response by SPC Lyle Montgomery made Jun 3 at 2022 2:14 PM

SPC Lyle Montgomery — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 14:14:39 -0400

Lt. shoemaker was one of the good guys, a natural leader. I served as an Army grunt in Quang tri around the same time and can relate to this post. God Bless all of those who served. I have a special place in my heart for infantrymen both Army and Marine.

Response by AA Loreen Silvarahawk made Jun 3 at 2022 3:14 PM

AA Loreen Silvarahawk — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:14:14 -0400

Superb article and thank you for posting it.

Response by SFC Dr. Jesus Garcia-Arce, Psy.D made Jun 3 at 2022 3:51 PM

SFC Dr. Jesus Garcia-Arce, Psy.D — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:51:08 -0400

Great post, thank you

Response by SPC Benjamin Hartog made Jun 3 at 2022 4:04 PM

SPC Benjamin Hartog — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:04:47 -0400

Memorial Day should be inclusive without omitting the victims of the Vietnam war like the 500 Vietnamese civilians along with 56 hapless infants who were intentionally shot by soldiers of the Americal Division in March 1968 in the My Lai massacre. This disgraceful episode in American military history has been overlooked and mainly forgotten and the principle perpetrator of this atrocity, Lt Calley, is blissfully walking the sidewalks of his hometown without any stigma following his pardon by President Nixon. German war criminals were prosecuted at the Nuremberg Trails and were hanged like common criminals afterwards. Who mourns these children and remembers them? Hallowing mass murderers is even a greater atrocity and sugarcoats the enormity of their depredations. These soldiers once and young were recipients of VA veterans benefits that essentially rewarded them for implementing JFK's call to serve their country by killing innocent yellow skinned Asians. A Combat Infantry Badge is an award that symbolizes the outstanding valor of a front line warrior and not for slaughtering unarmed old men, women an children. Any veteran glorifying the misdeeds of these modern iterations of the Mongol Hordes and the Waffen SS is complicit in endorsing the atrocity of My Lai and should be censured for glorifying heavily armed mass murderers who had absolutely no compunctions over liquidating the weak and the vulnerable. SPC-4 Benjamin

Response by PFC Stephen Trynosky made Jun 3 at 2022 4:07 PM

PFC Stephen Trynosky — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:07:51 -0400

The kind of LT I would have been proud to follow.

Response by SPC John Donovan made Jun 3 at 2022 4:41 PM

SPC John Donovan — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:41:34 -0400

Thank you sincerely, Lt. John Shoemaker for your service to the country we love so much.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 3 at 2022 4:47 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:47:30 -0400

A great tribute to a great patriot!

Response by SrA Travis Ebmeyer made Jun 3 at 2022 5:14 PM

SrA Travis Ebmeyer — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 17:14:47 -0400

Awesome story. Thank you so much for this.

Response by SGT Wayne Grindstaff made Jun 3 at 2022 6:17 PM

SGT Wayne Grindstaff — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 18:17:04 -0400

Glad you got thru it John. Very few 2nd Lts made it to their 6th month in my unit, the one great one became the company XO and was KIA while taking over the company when the CO went on R&R. Training only helped slightly, it was OJT where you learned the ropes. 26 replacements got to my company in March 68, 4 of us went home the next March. You sir survived and learned quickly.

Response by SSG William M Davis made Jun 3 at 2022 8:45 PM

SSG William M Davis — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 20:45:19 -0400

A fine example of leadership and heart.

Response by SPC Martin Meyer made Jun 3 at 2022 9:34 PM

SPC Martin Meyer — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 21:34:05 -0400

God Bless, Thank You, and Welcome Home!

Response by PO2 Joel Warthen made Jun 4 at 2022 12:30 PM

PO2 Joel Warthen — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 12:30:24 -0400

Thank you.

Response by SSG James Bradshaw made Jun 4 at 2022 4:08 PM

SSG James Bradshaw — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 16:08:57 -0400

Thank you for your service Lt. John Shoemaker to our great country.

Response by CH (MAJ) Eric Dye made Jun 6 at 2022 8:15 AM

CH (MAJ) Eric Dye — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 08:15:04 -0400

So much for the theory that only those who couldn't get out of it went.

Response by LTC George Morgan made Jun 8 at 2022 9:33 PM

LTC George Morgan — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 21:33:22 -0400

Lt. Shoemaker, I salute you. Your answer to: "the feeling of losing a soldier under your command." "Devasting." I'm sure there were many other moments of devastation up-range, I'm glad you came home. Occasionally, it sounds curt to hear, "Thank you for your service." Nevertheless, I honestly believe that most people are sincere.

To you, and every vet, Vietnam, though Afghanistan, where both my son and my daughter, each US Army, were deployed, I say, with the experience of losing two of my Medics, 1972, Northern Ireland, "Thank you for your service."

Response by PO2 Jeni Clancy made Jun 13 at 2022 2:16 PM

PO2 Jeni Clancy — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 14:16:03 -0400

Thank you for your Service! What an asset you were to your men, they must’ve been very proud to serve under you!

Response by SGT Ruben Lozada made Apr 19 at 2023 4:33 PM

SGT Ruben Lozada — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 16:33:25 -0400

Good afternoon @Wayne Soares. Excellent post. Thank You for sharing this.