John M. Maffiore

John Maffiore was born in Newark, New Jersey, in December of 1943. He grew up in Monroe Township, New Jersey, as the oldest of three boys. Maffiore attended the Monroe Township public school system; and, upon graduation, having no plans to go to college, he decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. His basic training began in July of 1962 at Parris Island, South Carolina, and he graduated that October. Maffiore chose the Marine Corps because, in his opinion, it was the “roughest and toughest” branch of service, and he wanted to be a part of that.

Maffiore’s next round of training was in an infantry course at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He was there during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Maffiore mentioned that his training time was cut from six to four weeks. and he and his fellow Marines would huddle by the radio during President Kennedy’s speech, fully expecting to go to war. There was no hesitancy, and the Marines were ready to go if they had to. They understood their duty and the implications of the oath they had taken, and would carry out their orders when they came. Thankfully, the potential war with the Soviet Union did not come to fruition, as the Soviets pulled their nuclear weapons out of Cuba.

After completing infantry training, Maffiore was sent to Camp Pendleton, California, where he spent some time before being shipped to the Japanese island of Okinawa in the Pacific. On arrival in Okinawa, he reported to Camp Hansen, where he received training to become a radio operator. Maffiore was there for 13 months and took part in “Operation Flagpole,” a joint exercise between the United States and Republic of Korea Navies. Following his tour in Okinawa, he returned to the United States.

On his return, Maffiore trained as a naval gunfire spotter, also known as a forward observer. The job entailed directing fire from ships to onshore enemy targets. He would give the gunners on the ship map coordinates and the type of round to fire, and then adjust the fire on the enemy if needed, making constant corrections until the enemy position was neutralized. Maffiore also went to jump school to receive parachute training, when he was advised that he might be assigned to support the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam; he figured it would be a good idea to earn his airborne wings.

Maffiore turned down a promotion to stay home on leave before heading to Vietnam. He knew that if he stayed on base, he would receive a promotion to corporal. Maffiore also knew that if he did not go home, he would not get to see his family before going overseas, and so he chose to delay his promotion and go home. After thirty days, he returned to his unit. Maffiore had told his mother not to come because he knew she would start crying, which in turn would make him cry. But as all mothers do, she came, they had their moment, and they both cried.

Prior to going overseas again, he received specific training on fighting in Vietnam, and left the United States in early 1966. Maffiore’s first stop on his way to Vietnam was Okinawa. He got assigned to Company C of the Third Tank Battalion; and, after a month, he boarded a ship for Vietnam. Maffiore remembered being nervous, thinking about hitting the beach, perhaps under enemy fire. After getting ashore and unloading vehicles, he spent his first night in Vietnam in a radio jeep in a park in Hue city. Maffiore had no idea what to expect.

The next day, the tanks arrived, and Maffiore’s unit moved to Phu Bai. Once there, they set up tents; he went to work establishing communications with headquarters at Da Nang three times a day, like a check in. The tank battalion that Maffiore was with was attached to other units to support operations when necessary. One night while the battalion was in the field, the unit’s perimeter was infiltrated by a soldier of the Viet Cong, who was captured and interrogated. Subsequently, the tanks went on a road patrol. Maffiore was not with them, but was in radio communication. A tank hit a mine, which broke its track. A few minutes later, another tank hit a mine. When a vehicle hit a mine, the procedure was for infantry soldiers to deploy in a defensive position around it. When the second mine detonated, men were on the ground, and there were some casualties but no deaths as a result.

On another occasion, some tanks got stuck in rice paddies. Two tanks did get through, but were then cut off. The unit spent a few days trying to pull the stuck tanks out of the mud, while the two across the paddy sat isolated. The Viet Cong then launched a mortar attack coupled with a ground assault against the divided unit. The first round went through a tarp under which some Marines were sleeping. The survivors and tank crews who were not killed or wounded returned fire. One of the tank commanders had to operate the entire tank, including the main gun, by himself, as the rest of his crew were killed or wounded. The Marines were able to successfully repel the attack, and the tank commander earned the Silver Star for his actions. Two of Maffiore’s friends, one of whom was newly married, were killed in the fight. 

Following this incident, Maffiore and his unit continued to Dong Ha and then the Cam Lo Combat Base. Once they arrived at the base, they established camp and manned their positions for the night. The tanks, along with machine gun and mortar units, established a defensive formation. Maffiore recalled having only a few magazines and very little ammo, which made him apprehensive. Around 2 AM, the base was attacked on the side opposite from Maffiore’s position. The enemy, Vietcong, and North Vietnamese Regulars, were fighting until sunrise. He explained that this was unusual, as they ordinarily would do a hit and run, striking fast and hard before retreating into the jungle. As the fighting continued, Maffiore began hearing a buzzing sound. It took him awhile to realize that the noise was coming from aircraft spraying the area with gunfire. Then, jets with napalm arrived, ending the action.

After the attack, Maffiore’s unit was resupplied with ammunition, hand grenades and other supplies to reinforce their position. He only had about two weeks left before his return to the United States, and was sent back to Dong Ha, a more peaceful location, where he continued to do his communications job. Maffiore said that he wanted to survive and was worried that he would be killed only a few days before he was scheduled to leave. He had heard that several guys died the day before they were due to go home; so, he was not willing to take risks. Maffiore left for home on schedule.

Maffiore’s war was over, but it was hard for him and other Marines to see the antiwar protests. They went to Vietnam to do what their country asked of them and got nothing in return. Once he got home, he did not want to read, watch, or hear anything about Vietnam. Maffiore was restless and could not stay still. He felt like he had just lost six months of his life, and he wanted to make it up. Maffiore was also enjoying the little things, real sheets, a flushing toilet, etc. Once back, he got a job and was back in civilian life. Maffiore got married, had a family, got his college degree, and went on with his life. He is grateful for the experience of the military and Vietnam; his message for today is to “try to avoid war as best you can.”