Sergeant Richard (Dickie) T. McAndrew

    He may be gone, but he is not forgotten – On this day of August 7, 1967, Army Sergeant Richard (Dickie) T. McAndrew-21, Squad Leader of an infantry fire team, was killed in action while serving with A Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Regiment in An Loc,  Binh Long Province, South Vietnam.  He was awarded the Bronze Star with a gold letter V (Awarded for distinguished actions in combat), Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation and Good Conduct Medal.  He was born on November 6, 1945 and died on August 7, 1967 at the age of 21 Years old and 9 Months.  At the time of his death, he was survived by his parents, Richard T. and Katherine R. (McGovern), four brothers Thomas, Joseph, William and David McAndrew as well as two sisters Ann Marie and Catherine McAndrew.  Sergeant McAndrew grew up with his six siblings on 83 Howie Road in Braintree, attended Lakeside School (Flaherty), Hollis Junior High and graduated from Braintree High School in 1963.  Many who lived in his neighborhood will remember the block parties and of course the fireworks that the McAndrews would light off in their backyard. A lot of the younger kids on the block will tell you today that they looked up to Dickie.   A popular and athletic kid, in high school he was very involved in sports.  Although he would also participate in baseball, track and was a member of the student council, he was best known for his athletic abilities in both basketball and football.  He was one of the captains of the football team. I do remember when I was young watching him play with Bob Love and teammates at the Hollis high school football field.  I believe it was here that Dickie first learned teamwork and the leadership skills that would follow him to the end.  I am told that he had quite the sense of humor and one not afraid to crack a few jokes, snap a towel or poke fun at his friends.  After graduating from BHS he would become an apprentice with Local 537 of the PipeFitters Union.  When he received his draft notice, he had been initiated as an apprentice and was learning the trade of a pipe fitter. He worked several years at Atlantic Abrasive.   He put all this and so much else aside when he was called to serve his country.

    Once basic training was completed, Sergeant McAndrew spent several years stateside training to be an Infantryman and learning leadership skills necessary to lead soldiers into battle.  On October 10, 1966, Sergeant McAndrew was deployed to South Vietnam joining Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment (The Black Lions) at an Army Base called Phuoc Vinh Base Camp.   This base camp was set up to launch search and destroy missions and was located right outside War Zone D and not too far from the Iron Triangle and War Zone C, about 44 miles northeast of Saigon.   Those areas designated as War Zones were locations where a lot of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) activity was taking place.   The Iron Triangle was an area of 120 square miles completely controlled by both the NVA and the VC.  During his tour, Sergeant McAndrew would be involved in numerous battles in both War Zones C and D as well as the Iron Triangle. The 1st and 2nd Battalions fought in many of the regiment’s major battles.  The 1st battalion was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry during the battle of Ap Cha Do Operation Attleboro which took place in early November 1966.  This pitted the 1/28th and 2/28th infantries against the 272nd VC and the 101st NVA Regiments.  The 1st and 2nd Battalions outflanked the enemy and ended up victorious.  During his tour, the 1st battalion also participated in Shenandoah 1 (10/16/1966 – 11/02/1966), Operations Cedar Falls (1/08/1967 – 1/26/1967), Tucson (2/14/1967 – 2/21/1967) and Junction City (2/22/1967 – 5/14/1967).  Since these were search and destroy missions, they would be dropped in a landing zone (LZ) by UH-1H Huey gunships and would build fire support bases which would then support the search and destroy missions.  On July 27, 1967 his home base, Phuoc Vinh Base Camp and airfield was attacked by the VC firing 137 rounds of 122MM rockets and 82 MM Motors killing 12 US servicemen and wounding 72.

    The terror of close combat in the jungle in order to flush the enemy out of the bush to kill them was something that he had to deal with.  His last mission was in An Loc, a ward in the town of Binh Long Province, about 56 miles north of Saigon. An Loc was just outside of War Zone C and not far from Highway 13.  Highway 13 was given the name of Thunder Road by the GIs.  A lot of battles took place here in order to keep the supply conveys moving. Sergeant McAndrew was a squad leader and had two fire teams of four under his command.  His battalion was on a search and destroy as well as a reconnaissance mission when they made contact with the VC.  The following came from a Boston Globe Article published on October 20, 1967 – 

When his battalion was attacked, Sgt. McAndrew deployed his squad in the most advantageous positions.  Disregarding his own safety, the Braintree Sergeant went from position to position to direct his squad’s return fire and encourage his men. Seeing a wounded soldier lying exposed to enemy shells and bullets, he crawled into the “Kill Zone” and began to pull him back toward the protecting perimeter of the squad. Just before he reached the line of safety, he was mortally wounded. 

    He was awarded the Bronze Star with a gold letter V posthumously for his heroic actions in battle. Sergeant McAndrew is an American hero who died for his comrades and country, in that order.

    During that same battle, there were four other soldiers from his company that were killed in action…they were Sgt. William J Hines (22), Sgt. Jerry K. Jordan (20), Sgt. Joseph S. Porter Jr. (20) and Sp4 David L. Scott (20).  They all share Vietnam Memorial Panel 024E lines 87 and 88.  

 This is a day we remember the toil, of the blood and the battle on far distant soil. Lest we forget – lest our memories should fade, ’twas our boys that we lost, ’twas a high price they paid. –  Greta Zwaan

Further note – Sergeant McAndrew and other Braintree residents who have died in Vietnam, and those who later died from wounds or Agent Orange related illnesses, or served in Vietnam and have passed, are honored and remembered at the Braintree Vietnam Veterans Memorial Golf Tournament. This event has been held annually for the past 32 years. The contributions collected are then given in the form of scholarships to high school students in their memory. Contributions and sponsorships  can be sent at any time to the Vietnam Memorial Scholarship Fund, care of Peter Schiavone, 1752 Washington Street, Braintree, Ma. 02184. The next tournament will be held on August 26, 2024 at the Braintree Municipal Golf Course. Following the tournament, all are invited to the Braintree Sons of Italy, King Hill Road in Braintree, Ma. for a luncheon.