The sworn witness statements of William Carpenter in 1973. The documents included Exhibits 23 and 24 of the Coy Allegation.
QUESTION: What kind of person was Ybarra?
CARPENTER: From my association with him and from my observations, I believe he is really mentally disturbed. He acted like he enjoyed killing.
QUESTION: Regarding the farmer that Hawkins shot on that night patrol. Can you add anything of value to that incident?
CARPENTER: I could see no reason for the killing. Hawkins was intoxicated as a result of drinking beer that the resupply chopper had delivered earlier in the day.
QUESTION: Were there other incidents of what you believed to be unjustified killing and mutilation while you were a member of Tiger Force?
CARPENTER: Yes, many.
QUESTION: Mr. Carpenter, I have been talking to you for over a week now and you have related numerous war crimes that happened in 1967. I would like to know why you are bringing them to light now?
CARPENTER: At the time these incidents happened in Vietnam, it was no big thing. I was assigned to an infantry element and it was our job to kill the enemy. The incidents that I have described I never reported because killing was the standard operating procedure of the Tiger Force. Another reason for not reporting them at the time was that Hawkins threatened to shoot me if I said anything. After I was discharged and reentered civilian life, my ideas about the Vietnam War changed, and I really regret that these things happened. I have nothing to hide and when you called me I told you that I had been thinking about telling someone in authority of what happened in Vietnam.
The sworn witness statement of Leo Heaney on February 15, 1973. The document was Exhibit 25 of the Coy Allegation. It contained the following about the shooting of the old man by the Song Ve River:
QUESTION: Can you describe this old man?
HEANEY: He was about 50 years old. I think he wore shorts and some kind of top. The baskets he carried contained fowl; I think they were geese. There is no question that the old man was unarmed.
QUESTION: Do you know the reason why this old man was killed?
HEANEY: Maybe he irritated them by his screaming. His screaming was loud enough to give our position away. There was no justifiable reason that the old man had to be killed. His screaming could have been restrained in many other ways. The fact that the old man was making too much noise could not have been the reason to kill him because the shots which killed him also gave our position away. My personal opinion is that he was killed because he irritated certain members of the CP element.
QUESTION: Was it routine at the time for the Tiger Force to go on night operations as the one you described?
HEANEY: Prior to my going on leave in May 1967, we very seldom went on night moves. During Hawkins’s tenure, night moves became a common thing.
The sworn witness statement of James Hawkins on March 16, 1973. The document was Exhibit 63 of the Coy Allegation. Highlights of the interview were contained in a report filed by Gustav Apsey on March 28, 1975. Most of the report concerns the death of Dao Hue.
APSEY: Hawkins stated that he could not recall a resupply of beer and hot food on that day and that he had no knowledge of the old Vietnamese being detained by the Tiger Force and later released to him. Hawkins then denied that he killed the old Vietnamese and that he had been drunk that night. Hawkins was then confronted with part of the testimony given by three former Tiger Force members (Carpenter, Lee, and Heaney) concerning the alleged murder, and at this point, Hawkins suddenly lost his composure and appeared to be under emotional stress. He made the statement that to the best of his knowledge he didn’t kill the Vietnamese and that he didn’t know what to do about his situation and asked whether he should talk to a lawyer or not. He was then reminded that the decision to speak to a lawyer was his. Hawkins then appeared confused to the point that it was evident he was unable to make an intelligent decision whether to seek a lawyer or not and the questioning was discontinued at 16:30 hours. Hawkins requested time until the morning in order for him to reach a decision on what to do and he agreed to meet this agent at 10:30 hours, 17 March 73.
At 10:30 hours, 17 Mar 73, Hawkins arrived at Room 501, Holiday Inn, Tampa, Fl., with his legal representative, Cpt. Guyton O. Terry Jr. Hawkins was readvised of his legal rights in the presence of SA Weaver and stated that he was willing to answer specific questions only per advice of his counsel. Hawkins was then asked specific questions concerning the murder allegation and he declined to respond to each question per advice of his council [sic].
The sworn witness statement of James Barnett on April 27, 1973. The document was Exhibit 36 of the Coy Allegation. It included the following:
QUESTION: Were the Bn Commanders aware of the atrocities committed by the Tiger Force?
BARNETT: In my opinion, they knew what was going on. They should have known that we never turned in prisoners. However, I don’t know of any specific incident which occurred which would show that the Bn Commanders had knowledge of what was going on.
QUESTION: Have you ever received orders to kill anything that moved?
BARNETT: The only such orders I heard came from the Tiger Force element leaders who received their orders from the platoon leader. We were always on search-and-destroy missions and it was generally understood to kill anything that moved. As far as we knew, the civilians had been moved out and what was left in our Areas of Operations were strictly enemy or enemy sympathizers. We were designated as a reconnaissance element but we did very little of that. We were utilized like a combat element just like the line companies. We were a small force, therefore more mobile and we were involved in far more combat actions than the line companies. I have heard Hawkins and Trout issue such orders. Matter of fact, Trout’s favorite expression was “grease them.” I have personally never heard a Bn Commander issue such orders. During that time, the most important achievement was a high body count. Our accomplishments were not measured by the amount of prisoners that were captured but by high body count figures. Everyone stressed a high body count from the Bn level on down.
The sworn witness statement of Barry Bowman on May 31, 1973. The document was Exhibit 41 of the Coy Allegation. It contained the following about Trout encouraging Bowman to shoot the wounded Vietnamese man:
BOWMAN: We were set up in a night perimeter in a village and it was well after dark when I heard shots. The Vietnamese CIDG Forces we had with us had opened fire on a Vietnamese male who had approached our positions. As a result, the Vietnamese was wounded and someone called for a medic. I went over to where the Vietnamese man was and saw that he was seriously wounded. I can’t recall his injuries but I remember that he was near death. Trout was there and he said to me something like, “Come on and break your cherry, Doc,” which meant that I should kill him because I hadn’t done this sort of thing because I was rather new in the outfit. I declined this and then Trout took my .45-cal. pistol and shot and killed the Vietnamese. I can’t recall how many times he shot him or where he hit him and I can’t recall who else was present who may have seen this.
QUESTION: Did you object to or try to prevent this incident?
BOWMAN: No, I felt the man was going to die anyhow and that it was a mercy killing.
The sworn witness statement of CID agent Billy Joe Evans on November 20, 1974. The document was Exhibit 88 of the Coy Allegation. It included the following about James Cogan’s mental state: “Mrs. Margie Lobdell, identified as the mother of Joseph Dean Cogan Jr., related that Cogan had been undergoing medical treatment for a mental problem and has encountered many difficulties in adjusting to civilian life after his separation from the U.S. Army.”
The results of a CID-administered polygraph examination taken by Floyd Sawyer on August 13, 1973. They included the following: “Based on the polygraph charts it is concluded that the examinee was not truthful when he denied tying the prisoners with detonator cord. Based upon the polygraph charts it is concluded that the examinee was truthful when he denied beating a
prisoner with a shovel and shooting a prisoner without justification.”
The sworn witness statement of Harold Trout on October 17, 1973. The document was Exhibit 68 of the Coy Allegation. Highlights of the interview were included in a report filed by Gustav Apsey on March 28, 1975.
APSEY: On 17 Oct. 73 at the Ft. Benning FO, Third Region, USACIDC, Ft. Benning, Ga., Trout was advised by the undersigned of the offenses he is suspected of and his rights. After he declined to make a statement and elected to seek the advice of a lawyer, Trout was taken to the Benning SJA Office to obtain a lawyer.
On 1 Nov. 73 Capt. Robert H. Taylor SJA Office, Ft. Benning, Ga., advised that he is Trout’s lawyer and that Trout would not make any statements concerning this investigation.
The sworn witness statement of Donald Wood on January 22, 1974. The document was Exhibit 45 of the Coy Allegation. It contained the following about the death of Dao Hue:
WOOD: I recall an incident which occurred in the following manner: One afternoon shortly after Hawkins had assumed command, probably in June or July 1967, we were camped outside of a small village west of Duc Pho when we received our ration of beer and soda. After the Tiger Force had consumed a large portion of the supply, later that same evening, Hawkins gave the order that Tiger Force was to cross the river and set up ambushes for the night. I argued with Hawkins about the order, protesting that this was dangerous because the men had been drinking. However, Hawkins, who also had been drinking, overruled my argument and insisted that his mission be carried out. We crossed the river in a column led by Hawkins, who was behind the point. I was second from last in line, feeling that this was the safest place to be considering the condition of most of the members of Tiger Force. Shortly after we reached the far bank of the river, everyone suddenly stopped, then spread out and hit the ground. As soon as I hit the ground, a machine gun fired behind me and I could see the tracers overhead in the direction of the column. Information filtered back that a prisoner had been taken up ahead, the column started forward and I started working my way forward and was about 10 to 15 meters from the front of the column when I heard shots coming from the front. I immediately thought of the prisoner and started to protest when Trout, who was behind me at the time, struck me on the side of the head, knocking me to the ground. As I struck the ground, I heard someone fire in my direction from the front of the column, I did not see who fired.
QUESTION: Did the Tiger Force Commander, Platoon sergeant, and battalion commander know that atrocities and mutilations were occurring within the unit?
WOOD: Hawkins and Trout knew.
QUESTION: Did Hawkins and Trout condone such practices?
WOOD: Hawkins did but I don’t believe Trout did but he couldn’t say anything one way or the other.
The sworn witness statement of Gerald Bruner on February 12, 1974. The document was Exhibit 132 of the Coy Allegation.
The sworn witness statement of Forrest Miller on January 18, 1974. The document was Exhibit 54 of the Coy Allegation. It contained the following:
QUESTION: Do you remember him (Ybarra) in possession of a string of human ears or gold teeth?
MILLER: I remember that quite a few of the Tiger Force members had such a collection. . . . Collection of ears and cutting off ears from the dead was done in Tiger Force, but I had no fascination for such things, and had no contact with anyone who did so.
QUESTION: Was it a practice of the Tiger Force to kill prisoners prior to a move rather than take them along, or remove them to a rear area?
MILLER: It was an unwritten law.
QUESTION: Did you see this practice in action while assigned to Tiger Force?
MILLER: Yes.
MILLER: I remember that a young male was shot in the back.
QUESTION: Do you remember the circumstances surrounding the death of the young man?
MILLER: I remember that he was not armed, and that he was shot in the back in cold blood.
QUESTION: For what reason was he shot?
MILLER: There was no legal reason for his death, nor was he running. He was told to “Didi Mau,” the Vietnamese expression to leave, get out of the area. As he walked away, he was shot in the back.
QUESTION: Who shot this man?
MILLER: I remember that the man (Doyle) was a man who had worked with Fidel Castro when he took over Cuba, or at least that is what he told me.
QUESTION: Did you, during your tour in Vietnam, place any significance in the mutilation of the Vietnamese bodies upon their death?
MILLER: I knew that under the Vietnamese belief, the mutilation of the body would prevent one from going to heaven. I feel that this was probably the reason that this practice was used by the troops. My feelings, however, were just the opposite, I felt that the enemy, seeing these mutilated bodies, might be angered enough to keep them going when they would have normally become weak.
The sworn witness statement of Cecil Peden on January 24, 1974. The document was Exhibit 54 of the Coy Allegation. It included the following about Varney:
PEDEN: I don’t know when it occurred, but one day about evening, while on patrol, we stopped to rest, and men were put out along the trail to act as lookouts. At this time, our team had an NVA prisoner we received from another team, and I guess we were going to pass him to HQ’s team. We had only had him for a short period. Well, when we stopped to rest, our Vietnamese scout started to question the prisoner. Apparently the scout wasn’t getting the information he wanted because he was getting mad. Varney was also standing there with the scout and prisoner. I was about 100 meters from them, but I could hear the scout yelling at the prisoner. It was for this reason that I looked at them to begin with. I then saw Varney hit the prisoner in the face and the man was knocked to the ground. He stood up again and at this time the scout took his bayonet point to the prisoner’s throat and held onto his hair with the other hand. I don’t know exactly what happened then, because there were other people standing around there. But either Varney shoved the man’s head forward onto the bayonet or someone else pushed the man’s head forward. The man fell to the ground and about this time I turned around and started getting my gear ready to move out. Then we moved out. I walked past the prisoner and he was dead, bleeding from the throat.
QUESTION: Did you ever hear the nickname “One-Punch Varney”?
PEDEN: Yes, it was after this incident that people started calling him that.
The sworn witness statement of Benjamin Edge on January 18, 1974. The document was Exhibit 69 of the Coy Allegation.
The sworn witness statement of Manuel Sanchez Jr. on January 17, 1974. The document was Exhibit 16 of the Coy Allegation.
The sworn witness statement of Michael Allums on January 17, 1974. The document was Exhibit 16 of the Coy Allegation. It included the following:
QUESTION: Mr. Allums, it has been alleged that a member of Tiger Force murdered a Vietnamese infant by cutting its throat during Nov. 1967. Do you have knowledge of that incident?
ALLUMS: Yes, I do know of the incident. I did not witness the actual thing. As best as I remember, I was left in a defensive position and some men went out on a patrol. I do not know who all went but I do know that Sam Ybarra was in the group. This actually took place during Operation Wheeler but I do not know the appropriate date. I did not witness the incident, but someone told me about the incident. I cannot remember the actual details. I remember being shocked with the details at the time. He did tell me that he had killed the child and he had a band that he said he took from the child. I remember being repulsed about the whole thing. I could not accept the fact that he or anyone would kill a child. He was rather proud of the incident and gloated about it. Ybarra kept the metal band and wore it and I think he was wearing it the last time I saw him.
QUESTION: Did you believe Ybarra when he told you that he killed the child?
ALLUMS: Yes, for sure. He would have been capable of such an act. I saw him during the same time period, cut an ear off a male body approximately 20 to 25 years old.
The body was the result of some action. I do not remember exactly what. Ybarra got down on his knees and using a straight-line razor he started cutting the ear off. I turned my head and when he was finished he was covered with blood on his hands and had the ear. He put the ear in a bag or something. I only know that later I saw some ears he had in a jar.
QUESTION: During this same period did you ever observe Ybarra in possession of a ration bag containing a string of human ears and human gold teeth?
ALLUMS: Yes, it was what we call an LRP bag, Long Range Patrol. I saw it at least once, maybe more times. He had quite a few ears in the bag and he kept a handful of gold teeth in a cloth bag. He did not keep them together or at least they were not together when I saw them. I remember Ybarra saying that the teeth had been kicked from bodies and that he was either going to take them or mail them home and melt them down.
QUESTION: You have indicated that quite a bit of the activities took place as we have talked about, but you actually only witnessed a very few. Why?
ALLUMS: When we would get fired on, I would look for cover. Ybarra, Green, and some of the others would charge forward. When I advanced, many times the mutilation had already occurred, or they would linger in an area with bodies after I had left.
QUESTION: Were any of the incidents reported to your knowledge?
ALLUMS: I do not know if any were reported at all. I doubt it, as the officers, both company and battalion, actually seemed to condone the acts. We, Tiger Force, were told by the officers that when we went into an area, anything moving, man, woman, or child, was to be killed as they were not supposed to be there. We were constantly being told how good we were, how our body count was always the highest and what a good job we were doing. I cannot be more specific as to the officers telling us to kill everything, but the company officers were of this attitude at all times.
Books
Herring, George. America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam. New York: Knopf, 1996.
Kimball, Jeffrey. Nixon’s Vietnam War. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1997.
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