Three Purple Hearts in Four Months – Pete Rosser
As told to Jane Bromley
“I enlisted in the Navy after getting my draft notice at the age of 18. I was trained as a radio operator and assigned to the Mobile Riverine Force in Vietnam.” [ Ed. Note: The MRF was a joint Army and Navy -force that comprised a substantial part of the brown-water navy. Each river assault group consisted mostly of ATCs or "tangos" (Armored Troop Carriers), gunboats called "monitors", and Assault Support Patrol Boats (ASPBs).]
“I was on a monitor in the Mekong Delta. We escorted the Army who were on tangos. We would go into rivers, canals, and small streams. Some of these waterways were only 30 feet wide. The monitor was like a battleship with a large gun mount forward and machine guns in the midsection. The helm was higher up with machine guns on both sides, and behind it was a raised gun mount with a 20 mm cannon in it. When I was not working the radio, I would be in the helm or in the gun mount.
“On February 19, 1968, I had relieved the boat captain. It was about 2:00 am. Our front gun mount, with three crewmen inside, was hit by a rocket. It exploded and set off more ammo. I received chest wounds and was knocked away from the helm. It was total chaos because everyone on the boat was trying to return fire and apply first aid to the crewmen who were injured. The Dust-Off (ambulance helicopter) was called for the critically injured. We continued our patrol until the next day and then went to the USS Benewah for medical treatment and boat repair. After the operation, I received my first Purple Heart in a small ceremony held on a floating dock that several boats tied up to.
“On the afternoon of May 18, 1968, we were conducting an operation on the Kinh Hoa Canal when we were viciously attacked by rocket fire, machine-gun fire and small arms fire. A rocket hit the flagstaff above my gun mount. Within seconds, my gun took a direct hit. Our boat took three more hits. The helicopter gunships, other boats and the ninth infantry were all under fire and firing back. A helicopter landed on one of the tangos, and I was airlifted with other wounded. We were taken to the USS Tom Greene County which was anchored in the Mekong River. I was treated for shrapnel wounds to my head and upper extremities and then flown to Vung Tao for medical treatment. I returned to duty about a week later.
“On June 16, 1968, during operations with the Vietnamese Marines in the Caidai River, we were ambushed. Our gun mount was hit by a rocket which sprayed shrapnel all over my legs. I was treated by a Navy corpsman on our boat, and we continued on patrol. On the way out of the river, we were ambushed again. A few days after the operation, I was informed that I would be receiving my third Purple Heart. I was given the option of staying on the boat or serving stateside. I chose stateside. Later, I learned that during April and May 1968, River Assault Squadron Nine accumulated 97 Purple Hearts.
“After 30 days leave, I was eventually assigned to duty station in Charleston, SC on a minesweeper. I spent the last year of active duty on goodwill cruises to Guantánamo Bay, the Panama Canal, and Colombia, where we performed operations with the Colombian Navy.”
After Petty Officer 2nd Class Durwood “Pete” Rosser retired from the Navy in 1972, the Midland native worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone for 32 years, and, among other things, he has worked as a farrier and a certified hunting and fishing guide. He and his wife Judy have lived in a house overlooking Palo Duro Canyon for over 30 years. Pete and Judy raise Longhorn cattle, tending to them from a 4-wheeler these days instead of a horse. He met Judy while at SWBT, and he can’t say enough good things about her. Along with the three Purple Hearts, Pete brought home several scars as evidence. He had been injured three times in four months. He has suffered from PTSD and developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma as a result of being sprayed with Agent Orange multiple times. “She saved my life,” he says, referring to her care for him, especially during the chemo he endured for cancer. He also has nothing but praise for Dr. Tumula of Texas Oncology in Amarillo, who is experienced in treating veterans exposed to Agent Orange.
But Pete Rosser has developed an outlook on life that is nothing short of inspirational.
“We have been blessed with three children and two granddaughters. It has been one of the greatest things in our life.” Pete remembers a PTSD therapist telling a group of veterans to “grow up and get out there and live your life.” “I did just that, and never went back.” His military service is “an experience I will never forget. It made me grow up.” Pete has been a good husband, father, and patriot. Art Linkletter once said: “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” Pete’s story is a great illustration of what that looks like.
