There are countless people in the world who lived their 'normal' lives while also living a quiet, but important other life, not seeking to be rewarded but rather because it was the right thing to do. This story is about one of those people.
You may have known her from early radio, countless movies, TV shows, both stage and screen indeed, but the actress, singer & comedian we knew as Martha Raye was also known in the military affectionately as
"Colonel Maggie".
I've compiled a couple of anecdotes that tell another side of the story of this remarkable woman and the contributions that she quietly made to support the troops in some of the most dangerous places in the world, witnessing so much of the worst war has to offer.
I hope to, at the very least, remind us all of what a debt of gratitude we owe her and others like her.
The following is from an Army Aviator who takes another trip down memory lane:
It was just before Thanksgiving '67 and we were ferrying dead and wounded from a large GRF west of Pleiku. We had run out of body bags by noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK/helicopter) was pretty rough in the back. All of a sudden, we heard a 'take-charge' woman's voice in the rear.
There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a SF ( Special Forces) beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard. 'Maggie' had been visiting her SF 'heroes' out 'west'.
We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku. As we all started unloading our sad pax's, a 'Smart-Ass' USAF Captain said to Martha.... Ms Ray, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!
To all of our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said... Captain, see this eagle? I am a full 'Bird' in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a 'Caduse' which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical speciality.... now take me to your wounded. He said, 'YES MA'AM, Follow me'.
To all of our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said... Captain, see this eagle? I am a full 'Bird' in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a 'Caduse' which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical speciality.... now take me to your wounded. He said, 'YES MA'AM, Follow me'.
Several times at the Army Field Hospital in Pleiku, she would 'cover' a surgical shift, giving a nurse a well-deserved break. Without fanfare, without the media!
The following is from another Army Aviator and his memories of her:
In October 1966, she went to Soc Trang, Viet Nam, to entertain the troops at the base which was the home base of the 121st Aviation company, the Soc Trang Tigers, the gunship platoon, The Vikings and the 336th Aviation company.
Shortly after her arrival, both units were called out on a mission to extract supposed POW's from an area nearby. Raye decided to hold her troupe of entertainers there until the mission was completed so that all of the servicemen could watch her show.
During that time, a serviceman flying a "Huey Slick" helicopter carrying troops recalls that his ship received combat damage to the extent that he had to return to base at Soc Trang:
I was the pilot of that "slick" which had received major damage to the tail-rotor drive shaft from a lucky enemy rifle shot. The maintenance team at the staging area inspected and determined that a one-time flight back to base camp would be okay but grounded the aircraft after that.
Upon
arriving back at Soc Trang, I informed Martha (she came right up to us and asked how things were going) that we had a gunship down in the combat area and additional efforts were being made to extract the crew. I don't recall if we had received word of the death of the pilot at that time. Martha stated that she and her troupe would remain until everyone returned from the mission. As there were no replacements, the servicemen could not return to the mission.
arriving back at Soc Trang, I informed Martha (she came right up to us and asked how things were going) that we had a gunship down in the combat area and additional efforts were being made to extract the crew. I don't recall if we had received word of the death of the pilot at that time. Martha stated that she and her troupe would remain until everyone returned from the mission. As there were no replacements, the servicemen could not return to the mission. While the servicemen waited, Raye played poker with them and helped to keep everyone's spirits up. I enjoyed playing cards with Martha but regretted it somewhat. It appears that she had plenty of practice playing poker with GI's during her USO service in multiple wars.
But I still love her for who she was and what she did. When the mission was completed, which had resulted in the loss of a helicopter, gunship and a Viking pilot, there was also an officer, the Major who was in command of the Vikings who had been wounded when the ship went down. He was flying pilot position but was not in control of the ship when the command pilot, a Warrant Officer, was shot. When he and the two remaining crewmen were returned to Soc Trang, Raye volunteered to assist the doctor in treating the wounded flyer.
During the Vietnam War, she was made an honorary Green Beret because she visited United States Army Special Forces in
Martha is the only woman buried in the SF (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft. Bragg
(thanks to Bill Terry)
Semper Fi,
f
