Joe Abodeely's Military Biography
 Joe
was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the infantry in 1965;
and after training at Fort Benning and Fort Polk, he went to Vietnam in
January 1968. He served as a combat unit commander of 2nd
platoon, delta company, 2nd battalion, 7th cavalry
of the famous 1st Air Cavalry
Division. He led his men through the Tet Offensive of 1968 and conducted
combat operations around Hue, the A Shau Valley, and the area called
"the street without joy". During Tet, the Marines had been under siege
for 78 days at a firebase called Khe Sanh where continuous North
Vietnamese Army artillery and rocket fire had kept the defenders
underground in bunkers and trenches. On April 8, 1968 the Los Angeles
Herald Examiner reported that the 1st Air Cav and "(Joe)
Abodeely and his platoon formed the 1st Air Cavalry spearhead
of the 20,000-man Operation Pegasus drive that broke the Communist grip
around Khe Sanh in a week-long drive that covered 12 miles of jungle,
hills and minefields." Joe’s commanders wrote in his officer evaluation
report that "...Lieutenant Abodeely has unerring knowledge of basic
infantry tactics. In addition to his exceptional knowledge, Lieutenant
Abodeely has illustrated uncanny ability in land navigation and map
orientation. This unique bit of perception appeared to give him an
unusual ability at times to diagnose the enemy’s intentions before they
fully materialized. Lieutenant
Abodeely plans in detail and his execution is equally meticulous. He
closely supervises and provides timely advice to the decisive members in
the platoon....I have observed, on numerous occasions, Lieutenant
Abodeely’s exceptional ability to react with equanimity and force under
conditions of duress. He is a fearless leader and an inspiration to
those who follow him. His primary concern, secondary to the mission, is
the welfare and protection of his men. Case in point, I watched him move
into an open area, under heavy fire, to pull two wounded men to
safety..."
 None
of Joe’s men were killed while serving under his command. The year 1968
had the most casualties of the entire war, and the 1st Air
Cav had the most casualties of any division--about 5,000. The 1st
Cav was the most lethal unit in Vietnam because of all of its firepower
and helicopters assigned to it. It was the first full division to be
deployed to Vietnam; some of its soldiers were the last to leave; it had
the most awards of the Medal of Honor; and it was the only division to
receive a Presidential Unit Citation.
After Joe’s tour of duty, he rotated
"back to the world" and joined the National Guard. He became a commander
of a military police company which went to active Army posts and
assisted the MPs there in their duties. After law school, he changed his
branch to Judge Advocate General’s Corp and became a JAG. Joe
transferred from the Guard to the Reserve and was promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel. Joe was assigned to a U.S. Army Reserve school to teach armor
tactics at the Command and General Staff school in Reno, Nevada.
 He
also taught military law to Arizona State University R.O.T.C. cadets. At
one time Joe was assigned as the Staff Judge Advocate to the 11th
Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas--a unit that was part
of the Army’s Rapid Deployment Force to the Persian Gulf region. He
later served as the Chief, Law Branch, Military Police Operations Agency
at the Pentagon. He was promoted to Colonel; and in that position he
helped formulate Department of Army policy on the use of the National
Crime Information Center (NCIC), the use of military police in various
operations, including domestic terrorism, and the Military Customs
Program and the reporting and investigation of war crimes during
Operation Desert Storm. Joe’s decorations include the Combat
Infantryman’s Badge, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Air
Medal, the Vietnam Service Ribbon with Silver Star, the Vietnamese Cross
of Gallantry with a Palm, and others.
*The helicopter and the artillery photos (top, right) are
from The History of the Vietnam War by Douglas Welsh, Copyright ©
1981 by Bison Books Limited. |
