This week’s Veteran is David Harrigan, who served in the U.S. Army from 1968 – 1993. He is a remarkable man with a fascinating history, and I’m deeply impressed, and bow to him. David was adopted out of a Japanese orphanage when he was five years old. He spoke French and Japanese because of French-Canadian Nuns who ran the place. His father was a career Army Signal Corps officer, with the Occupation of Japan forces in Tokyo. Harrigan’s adoptive mother was from Corpus Christi, and wrote so many letters to Congress that a special bill was passed to bring David back to the United States. Incredibly, Lyndon B. Johnson was instrumental in getting the legislation passed allowing David to emigrate. LBJ was a Congressman from the 10th District of Texas at the time, and of course became President following the John F Kennedy assasination in 1963. Harrigan came over to the US on the USS Buckner, the very same ship one of his Sergeants in Vietnam arrived in-country on in 1969. Harrigan was entered into Pre-K by his Mother and picked up English rather quickly. David’s father’s commanding officer was in the Signal Corps while in Japan, was a Texas A&M graduate, where David taught after his military retirement. His dad was stationed in Japan from 1957-59. David grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, because his father worked at the Pentagon. In Virginia, his nextdoor neighbor was an A&M Graduate, and Harrigan also had Uncle’s that attended as well in the 1930’s. David chose A&M for college, the only school he applied to. He reported to the Corps of Cadets barracks in Company E-2. He recognized another cadet, Ray Blight, whom he went to school with at Camp Zama, Japan in 1958. Harrigan’s Fish (freshman) class were loved by the Seniors that year, and the Sophomore were terrified of David’s class for the duration. His college experience was remarkable, and it led to great experience while in his service because of his time at Texas A&M. The incoming cadets who were Vietnam Vets imparted powerful knowledge to the cadets in 1967 and 1968. Filling Harrigan and his fellow cadets with an Esprit de corps and a toolbox of pre-experiences to be ready for what was going on in Vietnam at the time. Harrigan and the non-combat cadets revered the Vietnam Vets. They would listen to the combat veterans for hours and hours, and in a twist were the teachers to the higher cadets, and the combat fish felt a responsibility to impart their knowledge to improve survival chances of cadets for when they would set boots on the ground in Vietnam. David felt the combat vets’ teachings were one of the most valuable experiences he obtained in college. David attended Basic Officer Training, and Ranger School at Fort Benning. Georgia, in 1968. At Ranger School, he met another Corps Cadet, Mark Davis, from his sister F-2 company, and they were Ranger Buddies. As the only Non-West Pointers in the Ranger School class, they garnered the respect of the West Pointers because of the comradery developed with the Corp of Cadets. Harrigan was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, for three months, then he was off to Vietnam. As a Platoon Leader, with the 82nd Airborne, near Saigon, he would lead his group on ambush duty most nights. During the day, the platoon would clean weapons, or do local patrols. When an ambush was about to engage, the flanks would alert the platoon, to prep the necessary weapons. Ambushes would be pretty quick affairs, about a minute, and would be characterized by surprise and violence. In his area, Harrigan’s enemy was the farmer-by-day, fighter-by-night, so they traveled in groups of 4-8. When he left the 82nd Airborne, after nearly 5 months, he was posted to Chu Lai (Americal Division), to face the North Vietnamese hardcore soldiers, which were more aggressive than the enemy near Saigon. Harrigan considered the NVA as a very tough enemy. When he was in the midst of moving at night, he heard a familiar voice from Texas A&M, Jimmy Carlisle, who flew helicopters. At Officers Records, a Specialist, from Corpus Christi, where David’s mother was born, gave him his choice of assignments. He heard of an elite unit, F Troop 8th Division Blue Ghost, which was a helicopter unit with an Infantry attachment of 15 soldiers, all because of the Corpus connection. The Americal Division maintained a tough A/O, or Area of Operation. The officers in his AirCav Troop were fabulous according to Harrigan. They were pilot rescue and reconnaissance, with the Cobras (Blue Ghost White), Hueys (Blue Ghost Red), Infantry (Blue Ghost Blue) and Loach teams, and those back at base listening to Ops on the radio, were always ready to go if called. David considered the unit the best he ever served in during his military career. Harrigan also did 10-15 Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols extractions, or LRRPs, where he would go with Cobras and a Huey, and with no place to land, David improvised a bungy cord to a snap cord to hang over the skids to get the 4-5 man teams out. With his daredevil attitude, Harrigan really gained the respect of the pilots, because of his willingness to do the impossible, to get the soldiers back to safety. On one LRRP mission to a downed flight, Harrigan, by himself, rescued 2 soldiers. Unfortunately, the last +soldier in the downed helicopter perished. The second soldier was burned over 90% of his body, and David had to do an Emergency airway puncture to save the +soldiers life. The soldier did live for an additional five days before passing away. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Harrigan was under Enemy Fire the entire time. For this Action, David was awarded the Silver Star. David even attended an Aggie Muster in Da Nang, flown up by his pilot friends. He met his E-2 Company Commander, Loren Parsons, and Chuck Whittaker from F-2, who flew to the Muster in Whittaker’s Chinnock helicopter with Parsons jeep in-tow. David Harrigan is a true American Hero. And if it wasn’t for one American officer’s kind decision to adopt a lonely young Japanese boy, it truly would be America’s loss. Good Luck David, and Congratulations on being MCNs ‘Veteran of the Week’.
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