Captain, see this eagle? I’m a full ‘Bird’ Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve

 

“Captain, see this eagle? I’m a full ‘Bird’ Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and this symbol here is a Caduceus—it means I’m a nurse, trained in surgery. Now take me to your wounded!” He looked at her and said, “Yes ma’am. Follow me.”

It was just before Thanksgiving in 1967. We were flying back and forth, carrying dead and wounded soldiers from a big fight west of Pleiku. By noon, we had run out of body bags. The inside of the Chinook helicopter was in bad shape—bloody, messy, heartbreaking.

Then we suddenly heard a strong woman’s voice in the back of the helicopter.

There she was—Martha Raye, the famous singer and actress. She had on Special Forces gear: a Green Beret, jungle uniform, and no flashy markings. She was helping carry wounded men onto the helicopter, and even loading the dead. “Maggie,” as the troops called her, had been visiting her Special Forces friends out in the field.

We were low on fuel but made it back to the Air Force hospital at Pleiku.

While we were unloading the wounded, one smart-mouthed Air Force captain said to her, “Ms. Raye, with all these dead and wounded, there’s no time for your show!”

That’s when she stood tall, pointed at the eagle on her uniform, and said, “Captain, see this eagle? I’m a full-bird Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. And this badge means I’m a nurse, trained in surgery. Now take me to your wounded.” He stood straight and said, “Yes ma’am. Follow me.”

Martha Raye didn’t just sing for the troops—she served beside them. She went to Vietnam many times to be with her beloved Green Berets. They called her “Col. Maggie,” and some even called her “Mom.”

When she passed away, she was honored with a military funeral. Just like she wanted, she was laid to rest alongside the soldiers she loved so much.