Richard Bee: Proud Purple Heart and Bronze Star Recipient

By Debbie Kaczmaryn, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Richard Bee served in the Army from August 1967 to March 1979.  He grew up in Aurora, Illinois with three sisters and three brothers.  Richard was drafted into the Army as a Light Weapons Infantryman (11 Bravo) in August 1967 at the age of nineteen.  He was sent to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri where he completed his Basic Training.  

In October 1967, Richard was sent to Advanced Individual Training at Fort Polk in Louisiana.  After his advanced training, Richard learned that he was being sent to Vietnam.  Richard’s brother had been stationed in Vietnam, returning a week before Richard’s departure. According to Richard, his mom was a wreck.  He was scared as well but said that the experience makes you grow up quickly.

Richard completed two tours in Vietnam; both times he was located in the Mekong Delta.

His first tour of duty in Vietnam was from February 1968 to February 1969.  He was with the 9th Infantry Division, Company B, 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry (Bunny Platoon).  When he arrived in Saigon, he honestly expected to be in active combat.  At the airport, he could hear mortar rounds so he was ready to hit the ground running. He was assigned to patrol missions that would be a minimum of three days.  Afterwards, they would go back to base camp for a day or two.  During that time, he would try to write letters home and relax as best as he could.

At one of the base camps along Thunder Road, the engineers would have to go out every morning and clear the road for traffic to go through.  One morning, the engineers were not available, so Richard’s unit was selected to clear the road.  They had no mine-clearing equipment, so they stormed the road, basically going as fast as they could and hoping to not hit anything.  Richard was on an armored personnel carrier.  Coming back outside the Firebase at the edge of the village, he was injured when his carrier was hit by a command-detonated land mine.   He recalled the land mine shooting him straight up in the air, then landing in a muddy ditch line.  It was landing in the ditch line that saved Richard’s life. 

He learned later that while he was in Vietnam, his mom had kept a picture of him in uniform in her home.  One day, her grandchildren knocked over his picture and broke the glass.  Richard’s mom had the strangest feeling that something was going to happen to him.  It was three weeks later that he was injured by the land mine. A mothers intuition!

In February, 1969 upon leaving Vietnam the first  time, Richard was sent to Fort Lewis in Washington. In December 1969, he graduated from the 6th Army NCO (Non Commissioned Officers) Academy.  

Richard enjoyed his time in the service but did not want to re-enlist with the infantry.  When he re-enlisted, it was with the 20th Engineer Brigade, 34th Engineer Battalion where he was trained to be a Heavy Equipment Construction Supervisor.  In this role, he was sent back to Vietnam from June 1970 through May 1971.  During his second tour in Vietnam, Richard was building roads.  Going to a job site one morning, his unit was attacked by a command-detonated land mine.  Richard describes his second time in Vietnam as more peaceful than the first year and not as intense as having been in the Infantry.  

After Vietnam, Richard was sent to Wildflecken, Germany as part of the 54th Engineer Battalion.  He stayed there from June 1971 to August 1974.  This was the Army’s main training center. During this time, he graduated from the Combat Engineer NCO course.  Richard was proud of the work he did in designing a program for how soldiers would get European drivers licenses.  The Army may still be using this program today!

When he returned to the U.S. in 1974, Richard was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas for four years.  There he was involved in Battalion Training and Operations as a Noncommissioned officer S-3.  While there, Richard was made the Operational NCO, having Captains and Majors answering to him even though they outranked him.  He retired in 1978.

From July 1978 to March 1979, Richard was a Recruiter with the U.S. Army National Guard in Illinois.  

During his service, Richard received several medals including a Combat Infantryman Badge, a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in ground operations against a hostile force, and a Purple Heart for wounds received in action.

Service is common in Richard’s family.  In addition to himself, he has had uncles in the Army (Korean War), Air Force, and Navy.  His oldest son was in the Army (Desert Storm) and was in Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, as Richard was.  He was able to visit Fort Leonard Wood for his son’s graduation.  Richard’s oldest grandson is currently in the Army and his nephew is currently in the Air Force.

After his service, Richard was a Maintenance Manager with Ballco Manufacturing from 1989 to 2010.  

Today, Richard is retired and spends his time with his partner, Bonnie.  Together, they have six children and thirteen grandchildren.  He enjoys camping and has taught all thirteen of his grandchildren how to fish! Richard is a car show buff, owning a 1957 Chevy.  He was involved in helping set up the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Oswego, Illinois and Aurora, Illinois.  He is also a member of the Fox Valley Veterans Club.

Thank you for your courageous service, Richard.  Enjoy your Honor Flight day with your comrades!