Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) in Vietnam | Gary Linderer (throwback ep)
5/21/20261 hr 57 min
Gary Linderer is the publisher of Behind the Lines, a magazine that specializes in US military special operations. He served in Vietnam with the LRPs of the 101st Airborne Division, earning two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star with V device (for valor), the Army Commendation Medal with V device, and two Purple Hearts.
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00:00 — Start / Vietnam LRP veteran Gary Linderer joins The Team House
01:05 — Growing up with a WWII pilot father and trying to become a military aviator
03:46 — Arriving in Vietnam and volunteering for the 101st Airborne LRPs
08:46 — What LRPs did: long-range recon, helicopter insertions, and working far beyond friendly lines
12:41 — First patrol: immediate contact with a suspected Chinese communist fighter
20:31 — Life inside the LRP company: small teams, stand-downs, and constant readiness
23:37 — The Nui Ke mission: rocket belt patrols, mortars, and air support
29:42 — Night insertion back into Nui Ke and escaping under heavy .51-caliber fire
36:04 — November 20th heavy-team mission against the 2nd NVA Regiment
43:30 — Claymore ambush, killing an NVA major, and recovering the map case
49:53 — Enemy explosive wipes out the team and the fight to keep everyone alive
55:27 — Medevac under fire and the reaction force rescue
01:08:45 — Returning from the hospital as one of the “old guys” in the unit
01:12:14 — Search-and-rescue mission for downed helicopters near Firebase Tomahawk
01:26:36 — LRP weapons: M16s, CAR-15s, Swedish Ks, shotguns, and ammo loadouts
01:29:59 — Coming home from Vietnam, getting married, and carrying the war back with him
01:35:50 — LRPs becoming Rangers and fighting to preserve the LRP legacy
01:38:22 — Writing the books: letters home, reunions, and documenting the LRP experience
01:48:03 — Silver Star, Ranger legacy, helicopter pilots, books, and final thoughts
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Jack Murphy· Host1:02
Hey everyone, welcome to episode 224 of the Team House. I'm Jack Murphy here with Dave Park. Our guest on tonight's show is Gary Windrer. Gary served in the LRRPs, the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, uh, which became Ranger companies later on in the Vietnam conflict. He's the author of a number of different books. Uh, we have a few of his here, The Phantom Warrior series amongst others. Um, we're really excited to have Gary on the show. We've had a few of his teammates on before, Larry Chambers and Ken Miller.