Positivity: Dennis Berg Wants You to Remember Russell Halley. You Should.

Dennis Berg’s life was saved 40 years ago in Vietnam, and person who did it lost his life in the process.

After years of research, Berg was able to review newly available information and learn about who rescued him. He learned that Russell Halley didn’t have to do what he did, but did it anyway. On Memorial day, he visited Halley’s hometown and ensured that Halley will be remembered for years:

Rescue attempt in Vietnam 1966 has stayed with Dennis Berg
by Tammy Sakry
June 5, 2006
Staff writer, ABC Newspapers

For most veterans, Memorial Day is a time to remember.

This Memorial Day, Dennis Berg said thank you to the family of the man who literally saved his life - and gave his own in exchange.

Berg, who is an Anoka County commissioner, attended Memorial Day services in Waterloo, Iowa, as a grand marshal. After the parade he told U.S. Army Pfc. Russell L. Halley’s family and community what happened to the 19-year-old 11th Cavalry gunner.

After corresponding with Halley’s widow, Marilyn Halley-Tarr, he offered to come down and talk about Halley, according to Berg.

“No one in Waterloo knows really knows Halley. He is just a name on a stone,” Berg said.

“He deserves to be more because not only him, but the entire crew had a choice.”

They could have left what remained of Berg’s ambushed convoy in Vietnam in November 1966 or attempt a rescue, he said.

Halley was not just another solider that died. He had a choice and he chose to make this rescue attempt, Berg said.

“For the last 40 years, I have felt a need in my soul that someone needs to go and tell Russell’s story,” he said.

“In part because he was a hero. He saved my life, that’s a biggest piece,” said Berg.

Berg also wants media coverage for Halley’s story, he said.

That way when someone does a Goggle search in 50 years, there is something out there, according to Berg.

As time goes on, there will be less people who remember Halley or will take an interest, Berg said.

It is also something Berg needed to do for himself.

“I think (Memorial Day) will be the end of the journey …” that started nearly 40 years ago, he said.

Nov. 21, 1966

As a 50-truck convoy from the 87th Transportation Company was rolling from Long Binh, Vietnam, toward Xuan Loc, U.S. Army Pfc. Dennis Berg was enjoying a nice Sunday morning driving one of the convoy trucks.

It had been cold and wet the night before and he was enjoying listening to the birds, Berg said.

About three miles from its destination, the convoy was attacked.

The first indication that it was in trouble was when “… we came over a small hill and the third truck ahead of us all of sudden blew up,” said Berg.

After being struck by the equivalent of a bazooka, “it went up in a big cloud of smoke, rolled to a stop and started burning,” he said.

“Then everything broke loose,” said Berg of his first combat experience.

As the Viet Cong unit fired on his convoy, of which there were eight trucks each with a driver and a gunner, it was caught in the “kill zone.” A bullet grazed Berg’s cheek and took his hearing.

“We were in the middle of the convoy …” and the enemy began picking off trucks on both ends of the convoy until his was the only truck left, he said.

The Viet Cong unit, later identified as the 274th regiment, had the unit pinned down and was shooting at it from close range, from both sides of the road.

The first 11th Armored Cavalry regiment unit to attempt a rescue of the pinned group was destroyed as it reached the first truck in the “kill zone.”

Despite seeing what happened to its buddies, the second unit chose to reach the surviving truck, Berg’s.

“We were in a fire fight and could barely move, with a gun right across the ditch from us,” Berg said. “He just kept shooting and if we would have so much as rolled over, he would have gotten us because we didn’t have that much protection.”

“There weren’t a lot of us that weren’t killed or wounded. I was pretty much the anomaly there.” .

U.S. Army Pfc. Russell L. Halley’s anti-personnel carrier came up alongside Berg and his gunner, Larry Nighswander.

Halley could not train his M-60 machine gun low enough to take out the enemy machine gunner.

In an attempt to save the two pinned down soldiers, Halley stepped out from behind his shield to aim at the gunner.

That shield was protecting him from all the gunfire, said Berg.

Halley unhooked his gun from the tripod, stood up, aimed and killed the enemy shooter.

“I wouldn’t be here if he didn’t (get the gunner),” said Berg.

Unfortunately, Halley had also exposed himself and was shot.

Berg would find out later that night that Halley had died of his wounds.

Although a lot of air support and more anti-personnel carriers came in quickly, “we would not have lived past the first 30 seconds if it hadn’t been for Russell and his crew,” said Berg.

“If Russell wouldn’t have gotten the shooter, he would have gotten Larry and I,” said Berg. “We were fighting for our lives.”

Halley, 20, was the only member his three-man anti-personnel carrier crew killed that day.

During the heavy fighting, which last only about 10-15 minutes, seven men died and eight were wounded from the convoy.

Freedom of Information

A lot of what they did in Vietnam was classified, said Berg, who was discharged in October 1967.

When the Freedom of Information Act in 1986 declassified Vietnam records, Berg was able research what had happened that day and to do something about the need that had been with him since the battle - to find out who saved him and tell his story to his family.

It really started was when Berg’s son turned 19.

“I would want to know if he went off to war and was killed. I would want to know,” said Berg, choking back tears.

“Before (the act), it was impossible for me to able to find out who he was.” .

Berg began delving into the records to locate the names and families of the men in the convoy as well as the supporting Cavalry units.

“I spent many hours on Saturdays, when the phone rates were cheaper,” tracking names down, he said.

He worked on it for years, sometimes having to lock up the research for a while until the painful memories were easier to handle.

With the help of Halley’s commander, Berg was able to locate Halley’s widow.

For years she had wondered what had happened to Halley. She wasn’t even sure if it was really her husband she had buried because it was a sealed coffin, said Berg.

Although Berg had met with Marilyn Halley-Tarr in 1993, Memorial Day was the first time the community heard the story of its son.

“This not the first time I’ve done something like this, but it will likely be the toughest,” said Berg. “He truly did save my life.”

“This will (also) be the last one and it is still has hard as the first one. It is easier now because I don’t fear that I will be accused of not doing enough to save them. That never happens.”

“I hope I can do him justice. It’s important I do it right.”

“Life’s been good to me. Russell never got what I got.”

If Berg could talk to Halley, “I would thank him for everything I got and he didn’t,” said Berg, who has three children and 10 grandchildren.

With his research done and all of the families he could reach knowing the story, “…with the Memorial Day, I’m done now,” said Berg.