Native Sons Lost: Milledgeville's Vietnam War Dead

Donald Calvin Cordle, known as Calvin as a child and Don as an adult, was born on November 1, 1943 in Macon, Georgia and raised in Milledgeville by his mother, Charlotte Smith. Don’s father, Calvin Cordle, was an insurance agent in Macon. Upon Calvin and Charlette’s marriage, the couple moved to Delaware. Not long after, Charlotte learned that Calvin was already married to another woman with children. Pregnant with Don, Charlotte immediately left for Georgia. 

Don’s mother would remarry, and he would grow up with his half-sister, Helen, in Baldwin County on Deep Step Road. The family attended Black Springs Baptist Church. Don attended Baldwin High School and would have been a member of the Class of 1964. During his sophomore year in 1960, Charlotte signed the papers allowing Don to enlist in the U.S. Army. Just 15 days after his seventeenth birthday, Don found himself at Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training. Don saw the Army as a way to provide opportunities that he would not otherwise have in Milledgeville.

After basic training, Don attended Advance Infantry Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. While in a Morse code class, someone asked if anyone wanted to volunteer to go to Germany. Don raised his hand, not realizing it would change his life. Don was assigned to A Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, as a member of the Berlin-Brigade stationed at McNair Barracks. He arrived in Berlin on June 16, 1961.

After World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones under the control of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. Berlin likewise was divided into four occupation zones. Surrounded by Soviet-controlled East Germany, the city became a Cold War flashpoint. In 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded the city. The United States and Britain responded with the Berlin Airlift, a continual air delivery of food and supplies to West Berlin. 

Once the blockade was lifted in 1949, the four nations returned to the status quo in Berlin, with all sectors of the city open to all. In 1958, the Soviet Union demanded that the other nations leave Berlin and relinquish control of their city sectors. The demand was rebuked, and after several years of failed negotiations, the Soviets resorted to building the Berlin Wall in August 1961 to prevent East Berliners from fleeing to West Berlin. 

The Berlin-Brigade was formed during the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1961. The Army restructured the command structure of Army units stationed in the city. The Brigade maintained a garrison at four large installations in Berlin until 1994, after the reunification of Germany.

Don excelled in the military, quickly rising through the ranks. He was promoted to sergeant by 1963. On March 13, 1963, Don married Gudrun Franke, whom he had meet in Berlin in 1962. The couple went on to have two children, Donald Calvin Cordle, Jr. and Karen Sue Cordle. 

Because of Don’s exceptional soldiering, he was selected to serve as a member of the Honor Guard that welcomed President John F. Kennedy on his historic visit to Berlin on June 26, 1963. Kennedy delivered one of his most famous speeches, declaring, "Ich bin ein Berliner" -- or "I am a Berliner" -- to a cheering crowd of thousands. The much-needed morale boost for West Berliners also sent a strong message to the Soviets. Two months later, Kennedy negotiated the first nuclear test ban treaty with the Soviet Union.

Upon returning to the United States in 1965, Don underwent drill instructor training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Once qualified, Don was assigned as an instructor at the fort’s machine gun ranges. In 1966, Don was transferred to Fort McClellan, Alabama to serve as a drill instructor, training the influx of recruits brought about by the increased commitment to the conflict in Vietnam. In 1966 alone, the Selective Service System drafted 382,010 men. By the end of 1966, the United States had more than 385,000 troops in Vietnam. More than 6,000 Americans died in that year alone. 

Don received orders to South Vietnam and began his first tour of duty in August 1967. While Don was in Vietnam, Gudrun moved to Milledgeville and participated in a local support group for wives with husbands and sons in Vietnam. Don was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. The 1st Infantry Division, also known as Big Red One, fought Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces in the jungles northwest of Saigon. Its mission was to suppress enemy infiltration along the Highway 13 corridor to Cambodia and to clear the enemy from bases in the heavy jungle regions around the Iron Triangle and the Michelin Plantation. 

In September 1967, the 1st Infantry Division initiated Operation Shenandoah II, one of the most significant operations of the war. Within two weeks, Big Red One units fought two violent battles with the 271st VC Regiment. On October 4, 1967, Don was serving as a weapons squad leader on a search and destroy mission as part of the operation when a reconnaissance platoon came under attack. Don led his squad to reinforce the ambushed platoon. For his bravery, Don was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for valor in combat.

"With complete disregard for his personal safety, he moved among his squad’s machine gun positions to check the emplacement of the weapons and to perform minor repairs on malfunctioning guns. When two other squad leaders were wounded, he maneuvered through intensive hostile fire to give first aid. His courage and determination under fire contributed significantly to routing the Viet Cong and saving the lives of at least two friendly soldiers." - from Don Cordle's Army Commendation Medal citation

On January 31, 1968, during the Vietnamese celebration of the Lunar New Year (Tet), the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive. Tet was a series of simultaneous ground and mortar attacks against most of South Vietnam’s major cities and allied military installations. In response, Don, along with the rest of the 1st Division, was sent to help secure the Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon. Don spent the remainder of his tour of duty on Operation Toan Thang (Certain Victory), which was the largest operation of the war. The objective was to stop the infiltration of the enemy into the Saigon area. 

After Don’s first tour concluded in August 1968, he was assigned as a drill instructor with Company A, 3rd Training Battalion, 1st Training Brigade at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The year 1968 saw the second highest draftee induction numbers during the Vietnam conflict, with 296,406 entering the services. Don’s skill as a drill instructor, and his experience in Vietnam, made him a sought-after soldier. As the youngest First Sergeant in the Battalion, he served with distinction. The company earned three consecutive Superior Training Awards, and set two all-time training records at Fort Campbell. Don was commended for his contributions to the command.

"I took my Basic Combat Training at Fort Campbell, Ky. from January 13, to March 7, 1969. My unit was A company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Training Brigade. SFC Cordle was our company first sergeant. I can tell you that he was an excellent, no nonsense soldier, and him and the other cadre that were Vietnam Veterans did everything they could to prepare us for Vietnam.” - Grant Kutchara, Jr., Company A, 3rd Training Battalion, 1st Training Brigade

On August 8, 1970, Don returned to Vietnam for a second tour of duty. He was assigned to the Military Advisory Command, Vietnam (MACV) Mobile Advisory Team (MAT) 130, Advisory Team 66, operating out of Dong Tam Army base outside of My Tho. Don’s team was one of 15 operating in the seven military districts of Dinh Tuong Province, situated on the Plain of Reeds, an inland wetland along the Mekong River in the Delta region of southern South Vietnam. 

A MAT was a small infantry advisory team, usually consisting of a captain, first lieutenant, and two or three sergeants, who had specialties, such as weapons, engineering, or medical training. The team served as advisors to South Vietnamese Regional and Popular Force units. Regional Forces were recruited locally as full-time, province-level defense forces, and Popular Forces were part-time local militia, who mainly protected their home villages. Their advisory role entailed instruction on topics such as individual and crew-served weapons, small-unit tactics, and first aid. The advisers accompanied their units in the field, providing on the spot training on daylight operations, night ambushes, intelligence operations, and village security.

The MATs frequently operated in remote locations, away from other American personnel, living and eating with the Vietnamese they served. Additionally, MAT soldiers helped village officials build schools, clinics and other projects that improved life in the area. Their role as a representative of the United States in civil affairs was often as important as their combat advice. It was a dangerous but rewarding job.

On December 18, 1970, Don, along with his commanding officer Captain Bobby Palk, were serving as advisors to an ARVN Regional Force unit. After spending the day assisting the local population with farming techniques, the unit set up an ambush position for the night. Don and his fellow soldiers were unaware that, throughout the entire day, they had been under observation by a VC unit concealed 150 meters away. 

Once nightfall arrived, the VC attacked, opening up with mortar fire and then the unit was hit with small arms and grenades. Don was seriously wounded in the initial fusillade. Captain Palk attempted to call in American artillery and air support but none was available. All but two of the Vietnamese soldiers abandoned their position and fled, leaving Captain Palk and Don alone to face the continued attack. The other members of MAT 130, Advisory Team 66 listened to the action on the radio, helpless to assist their stranded teammates. 

Captain Palk notified the rest of the team by radio that Don was seriously wonded and bleeding heavily and that they were going to leave their position and attempt to evade the enemy. Shortly thereafter, contact was lost. It is believed that Don died of his wounds on December 18 before the small band was captured by the VC. Captain Palk and the unit’s interpreter were taken prisoner and executed. The Regional Force unit refused to return to the scene to recover the bodies. An American Medevac helicopter passing through the area the next day landed and searched for, located, and recovered the bodies.

Sergeant First Class Donald Calvin Cordle is interned at Fort Donelson National Cemetery, 174 National Cemetery Dr, Dover, TN, Site 1061. His location on the Vietnam Memorial is Panel 6W, Line 128.

After Don’s death, Gudrun Cordle received letters from soliders who had served with him, expressing their condolences. These letters illustrate the emotional struggles of the families and soldiers who served with those killed in action. Families sought knowledge of what happened to their loved ones, and the soldiers had to work through their grief to provide solice and answers. It was a difficult duty, but one most soliders felt was owed, that the deceased would do the same for them. 

"There is very many friends of his over here who like myself were very shocked and just could not believe it happened to Sergeant Cordle, and we wanted to write to his family and at least say all of his friends over here are so very sorry to have lost a close friend, a good soldier, and a good American.” - Gilbert R. Mumford, MACV MAT 123, Advisory Team 68, 1971.Courtesy of Gudrun Cordle Miller

The letters written by Sgt. Mumford and Sgt. Doyal differ somewhat in details, which can be attributed to the fog or war. In the end, the war in Vietnam was a crucible of calamities, in which our servicemen and women did the best they could to triumph and survive. All Americans – those who served in Vietnam, those who supported the war, and those who protested against it – were all casualties of the conflict.

Student research on Donald Calvin Cordle, conducted by Brett Daise, Jack Gaertner, and Brick Nelson, is available in the Georgia College  Knowledge Box