Before Vietnam became a fight for survival, John Bagwell had what he considered one of the best jobs in the Army: playing music on the radio.
Bagwell was a disc jockey with the Armed Forces Vietnam Network, broadcasting for the First Cavalry Division in An Khê. Known on the air as “The Scrawny Thing,” he played records, took requests and helped give American troops a connection to home.
Then, on January 29, 1968, John was sent to Huế.
The next night, the Tet Offensive began.
In Part 1 of Taking Requests, Taking Fire, John recounts the unlikely path that took him from radio broadcasting to one of the most dangerous places in Vietnam. What initially seemed like another AFVN assignment quickly changed as fighting erupted across Huế and the city became one of the major battlegrounds of Tet.
John and eight other Americans at AFVN Detachment 5 found themselves cut off and trapped inside a rented house as enemy forces moved through the city.
For five days, they waited.
They stayed in contact when they could, listened for signs that help was coming and watched the war move steadily closer to their position.
But the rescue they were hoping for never arrived.
This is the story of Armed Forces Radio in Vietnam, the men who brought music and a piece of home to American troops, and the moment when one young disc jockey’s war changed forever.
Featured in this episode:
John Bagwell — Armed Forces Vietnam Network disc jockey and Vietnam veteran
John Bagwell returned home from Vietnam with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star with “V” for valor.
Learn more:
Visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund at vvmf.org
Connect with VVMF:
Facebook: facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund
Instagram: instagram.com/vnveteransmemorial
YouTube: youtube.com/@VietnamVeteransMemorialFund
