Honoring Marion Ohio Veterans

Michael Louck attended Harding High School and graduated with the Class of 1964. Louck played football and ran track while attending Harding and was friends with many who served in Vietnam. Before joining the Army, Louck remembers his very good friend , Mike Spicer, being killed in Vietnam. Knowing he would soon be drafted Louck enlisted in the United States Army. Louck traveled to Fort Polk, Louisiana with another Marion man, William Schurch.

Louck received his training for 11E-20, Armor at FT. Knox, KY. He served in Vietnam from August 1969 to August 1970 as a gunner/tank commander. When the company commander was with him, Louck was his gunner. Louck was assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 77th Armored which was assigned to the 5th Infantry Division. They supported units such as the 1st Battalion, 61st Infantry Regiment (Mechanized) and the 1st Battalion of the 11th Infantry Regiment. His unit would be on patrol for 30-45 days then return for 5 days for a maintenance stand down. He recalls not having much down time, but when they did they would have Bar-B-Q’s and write letters home.

Louck earned the rank of Sergeant and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, ARCOM and Vietnam Campaign Medal among others. He said he is most proud of the time he was able to pull his badly wounded tank driver out of the tank and get him safely out of harms way after they were ambushed by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). One other event that he will never forget was on 2 October 1969. At 0200 hours his unit came under a heavy NVA ground assault and was eventually overrun. Spooky came on station at about 0330 hours and supported them with mini gun fire and illumination. After daybreak, Spooky departed and the Navy jets came in and dropped napalm along with high explosive bombs. Louck said during the fight he really thought he would not see the next day. After the fight, two soldiers from his unit were killed and eleven dead NVA soldiers were found inside his perimeter. Forty years after returning from Viet Nam he made contact with the driver he pulled from the tank and they remained good friends up to the time his driver passed away. He also made contact and continues stay in touch with his Company Commander, Captain John Moore.

Louck also remembers a time in late August when his tank’s brakes locked up. He and his loader had to unlock them. While he and the tank loader were getting the required tools, he felt an impact on his face and at the same time he noticed the loaders face turned red. He was not sure what was occurring as a mortar had impacted about 10 feet away, yet he did not hear the impact of the mortar. He said that made him remember the saying, “You never hear the one that gets you.”

After leaving the Army in 1970, Louck spent some time in the Air Force Reserves. He later spent a career doing contract administration work for the government. He was privileged to work on projects such as; B1-Bomber and Space Shuttle while in Columbus, Ohio, F-16 while in Texas, F-18 while in Finland, F-15 while in Saudi Arabia and Air Force-1 while in Wichita. He now resides in Sevierville, TN.