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It can easily be said that Martha
Raye was the female version of Bob Hope . . . with an
unabashed love of America and tireless supporter of the
troops. Martha spent over fifty years doing what
she could to be there for America's brave troops whether
it was entertaining, comforting and treating the
wounded, or being a motherly friend. And Martha
was there for them . . . no matter where they were
including in harm's way. It was never about her,
but the troops, which earned her the Presidential Medal
of Freedom in 1993, the highest award given to
civilians. |
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USA Patriotism! also feels the thoughts from a
veteran who was entertained by Martha Raye
in 1967 at Phu Loi, S. Vietnam . . . is
the best way to honor her as a Great American Patriot.
In
Bill McDonald's own words...
Almost everyone knows about
all of Bob Hope’s trips to Vietnam. He would do his annual
Christmas Shows for TV, which were recorded live at some of the
safest bases in Vietnam, while surrounded by TV cameras,
reporters and lots of tanks and protective armed troops. I was
at his Christmas Day show back in 1966, just north of Saigon. I
enjoyed it very much. It was one of a few good memories that I
have of my Tour of Duty. But, meeting Martha Raye –
better known to the troops, as Colonel Maggie – was the
highlight event of the year for me. |
| I met her in Phu Loi, South Vietnam, in the
early part of 1967. She came to our small air field base camp,
without any fan fare at all. She just arrived and began causally
talking to us guys there. We of course knew of her from all her
old movies. I made mention to her that I wanted a photo to show
my mother – "who was her biggest fan" - and she turned that into
a 5 minute comedy routine about how only the real old folks
remembered her. She teased me about that and then put her arms
around me.
She made fun of everything, including referring to
herself as The Big Mouth! The guys in my unit, the 128th
Assault Helicopter Company, were really impressed that she had
come all the way out to see us. We never had any big name
entertainers ever come through our camp; so her visit was
something very special to all of us. |
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Later that day, I got my chance to get up
on stage (the top of a flat bed truck) with her and get my photo
taken with her (left). I found her to be a very real person, and she
gave you the feeling that she really cared about you. There were
neither reporters, nor TV cameras on her visit. She was there
because we were there. At that time, her reputation was rapidly
growing among veterans. We heard many stories about her from the
Special Forces Units out in Boondocks. When we would fly into
almost any small SF camp, the guys would speak most highly of
her. She was their hero for sure. She had been traveling to
Vietnam (I am told that she paid her own way) and spent weeks,
and sometimes up to six months at a time in country. She kept
this pace up for over nine years during the Vietnam War. She was
not there just to entertain the troops, but also engaged in
nursing work where ever it was needed. She spent most of her
time |
| out in the field,
or in the hospitals. She went to some of the most
dangerous and remote locations in Nam. |
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She was not looking for any publicity, or
photo opportunities; she went where she knew the need was the
greatest. She visited base camps that no other entertainers
dared to go to. She walked through the mud and rain and took the
heat and mosquitoes all in stride. No one ever remembers her
complaining about the food, the weather, transportation, or life
in general. She spent time at places that did not have hot
showers, let alone places for women to use a restroom. She had
to endure the same hardships that the GIs did. Her job was to
keep up our spirits and make us feel loved and appreciated. She
didn't come to Nam for a visit; she came to work.. That for her
meant sometimes going back and using her nursing skills and help
with patients.
There were many stories going around about
all the battles she had been in while in country. She did not
try to shelter herself from harm’s way, and she refused
over and over again to allow anyone to risk his life to protect,
or evacuate her to a safer place if she happened to be subjected
to any kind of enemy attack. There is one story that made the
rounds with the Special Forces units that we ran into, but
somehow never made it into the newspapers, or on the evening
news shows, at that time, that I can recall. I have some of the
facts but not all of them. But this story reveals the real
character of this wonderful woman warrior. |
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The story relates how Colonel Maggie, who
was also a trained RN before going into the entertainment field,
went to entertain and visit a very small Special Forces camp.
(It could have been at Soc Trang, around the early part
of 1967.) I was told that she and some clarinet player, had gone
to the camp to entertain, but while they were there the NVA
attacked the camp. Mortar rounds and small arms fire were
incoming. It appeared that there was a full-scale assault on the
base camp. It was uncertain if the camp would be able to hold
off the assault.. The camp medic was hit, and so with her being
a nurse, she took over and began to assist with the treatment of
the wounded who kept pouring into the aid station.
The
camp was in great danger for several hours of being
over run. The higher-ups in the military were trying
to dispatch helicopters to the camp, but a
combination of very bad weather and heavy fighting
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dangerous mission for any crews that would be trying to come in
to get the wounded, or to pull her out to a safer place. All
this time, she was subjecting herself to the dangers of flying
shrapnel and incoming automatic rifle rounds. She tended to the
task that she was trained for – treating the wounded. She was
said to have remained calm and fully active in doing her work –
even with all the action taking place just outside the aid
station. She kept focused on treating the wounded and did not
seek shelter or safety for herself. |
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She kept refusing any and all rescue
missions. She spent hours putting her skills as a nurse, to use
treating patients and even assisting with surgery. She was in
the operating room for 13 hours; she then went through the aid
station talking with the wounded and making sure that they were
okay. It was said that she worked without sleep or rest, until
all the wounded were either treated, or evacuated out on a Huey
(helicopter). She did not leave that camp until she was
satisfied that all wounded were taken care of. |
| This is just one of the many untold stories
about Martha Raye – but ask enough Vietnam veterans about her
and you will find even more tales of Colonel Maggie. She finally
received some long overdue honors before she died. They ranged
from the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Academy Award in 1968
for entertaining troops in Vietnam to the 1993 Presidential
Medal of Freedom for her lifetime of dedication to America.
"Colonel Maggie," Martha Raye, was an
honorary member of the Special Forces. She had received her
prized Green Beret and the title of Lieutenant Colonel from
President Lyndon B. Johnson, himself.
Known as "Colonel Maggie of the
Boondocks" by her many military friends, Martha Raye (born
Margaret Teresa Yvonne Reed on August 27, 1916) died October 19,
1994. Raye is buried in the military cemetery at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, an exception to policy she requested in 1992.
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Bill McDonald's reflections about Martha Raye can be found in
his
book, "A Spiritual Warrior's Journey", and on his
site, The Vietnam Experience. |
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