Dr. Lanny Hunter in 2023.

By chance some years ago, I met a man who I immediately was drawn to by his articulate conversation and gentle way of speaking. Lanny Hunter is a retired doctor who now lives in Colorado. His brother, Doctor Reverend Vic Hunter was the minister of the Maple Avenue Church of God. During the round table conversation, Lanny had mentioned his time in Vietnam in the very early days of the conflict.

Now, knowing Lanny served in the country from June 1965 to June 1966, I realized he was at the forefront of the fighting. When he arrived in the country, approximately 24,000 soldiers were on the ground. By the time he left, over 200,000 more had been brought into Vietnam.

I wondered how a Green Beret could carry an M-16 in one hand, and a medical bag in the other. I also knew from our short conversation he had a deep understanding of Vietnam, and that is why he returned years later to revisit not only the country, but a place where a major battle took place. Why would a doctor return to what is now an overgrown jungle in the middle of nowhere, to visit a place where Americans and Vietnamese died.

When he volunteered to serve in Vietnam, Lanny’s wife was afraid for him to go, not knowing what might happen. But Lanny being a trained soldier, and doctor, he felt inside he needed to be there to help save lives. The taking of lives was not a thought before going, but in the back of his mind he knew that question would be answered. Hunter: “When I went to Vietnam I was influenced by American politics of the cold war and I believed America should be in Vietnam to prevent the spread of Communism (“Stop the dominos from falling”) If you will, I was a True Believer. To quote Exit Wounds. I went to Vietnam as a doctor knowing I would be using my training in medicine to care for wounded soldiers, but very much (by my childhood and young-adult imprinting, I WANTED TO BE A WARRIOR . . . and with what I perceived as the best–Special Forces (Airborne).

To help me better understand Captain / Doctor Lanny Hunter’s story, I found his book on Amazon, ‘Exit Wounds’. Hunter, having written a couple other books, decided to take pen in hand and tell his story. But more than his story of Vietnam, it was the story of thousands of American soldiers and just as important, the story of the Montagnard Mountain people. A story if not told, future generations may never know of their courage.

Before the war the Montagnard people lived mainly off the land, had no modern niceties, men wore loincloths and were happy. The American military and the CIA decided they could be a major asset in the coming war and began to acclimate them with modern things like food in cans, metal huts and the modern art of war. The men were indoctrinated and loin cloths were replaced with tiger camouflage uniforms. They were important during the early days as scouts and interpreters. They were told they would be compensated for helping America stop the communist coming into their country and destroying their way of life.

On October 10 1965, Captain Hunter found himself onboard a Huey heading towards a forward base designated as Plei Me. At that time, it was not known to the world, but the coming days would solidify its place in the history books. As they approached, he could see what he described as a burning garbage dump. He soon realized it was the base that was on fire. They came in fast to avoid heavy enemy gunfire. On the starboard side, an escort gunship was suddenly hit by ground fire. Mortally damaged, the copter spun into the ground in a huge fireball. That was the first moment of a many days’ siege on the firebase. American soldiers did not know at the time, but they were up against battle hardened North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN).

When the siege began there were only 400 Montagnard regular troops. Twelve members of the 5th Special Forces and Fourteen Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces. Over the following weeks, American forces were fully engaged in fighting with thousands of PAVN. Casualties were heavy on both sides. Captain Hunter saved lives as a doctor and when necessary, saved lives by doing his duty as a soldier. He realized this was only the beginning of a long war.

Captain Hunter survived the battle of Plei Me, and in June of 1966 returned home to a country that still had no realization of the cost of the war a world away. He had sacrificed his humanity to survive, it also cost him personally at home.

Some thirty years later, Doctor Hunter returned to Vietnam. There he met up with his Montagnard interpreter, who by the mayhem at war’s end was left behind and was imprisoned for 10 years. Now thirty years later he was a shell of a man.

Dr. Hunter with much determination, bartering and a little begging made his way back to the distant Base Plei Me. A compound occupied by the Detachment A-217 of the 5th SFG. On that day, hidden by jungle growth Lanny made his way into the old command bunker. He no longer heard the sound of mortars and gun fire. The air was not filled with explosive powder smell and rotting flesh. Hunter: “I found a door hinge half-buried in the ground along with remaining concrete footing of the team house.” The once center of his life now only echoed the sounds of the jungle. But for Lanny and the others who served, the sounds never fade.

Hunter: “Upon my return from Plei Me, I went to the Pleiku Hotel bar and was prompted to think about service in Vietnam when I removed the hinge from my pocket, which I had picked up that day in Plei Me.” He tried, but could not move the hinge that reminded him of that time in his life.

Captain Hunter returned home as a decorated hero. Lanny wondered if the title is that of a heroic action in a time when survival drives someone forward. Or maybe does bravery come from within as an adrenaline-fueled superhuman effort.

When I first decided to write this column, I was unsure how to tell Captain Hunter’s story from only his words in a book. Thousands of American soldiers who fought in the war have stories of their time in the country. But stories 60 years later can not express the fear, smells, sights and sounds of war. Veterans tuck them inside and try to only remember their friends and good times, few as they were.

Captain Lanny Hunter: Visiting the Vietnam Memorial Wall in 1997. “The mission in Vietnam was fundamentally futile. I sensed as much by the close of the tour in June 1966. I know that now. An infinite melancholy swept over me. Haunted. Desolate. My heart stone: my eyes are moist. I was able to have a life. The dead on this long stone monument were not. Sometimes we choose life. Sometimes life chooses us.”

When the time comes, Captain Hunter will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He earned the honored spot by his action that resulted in his being recognized as one of the most highly decorated medical officers of the war. Doctor / Captain Lanny Hunter was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze-Star-V, The Air Medal, Purple Heart, Combat Medical Badge and The Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Gold Star. I want to thank Dr. Lanny Hunter for allowing me to use excerpts from his book, (Exit Wounds) to write this story so each of you can know his story, along with the thousands who served their country during the Vietnam War by looking Through the Lens.