The period from 1955 to 1975 is one of the notable times among the series of history of wars. It was a span that ignited the excitement of the Vietnam War, which claimed the lives of nearly 2 million Vietnamese civilians. Here is showing the life of Jorge Otera Barreto, who owned the fame as the most decorated soldier of the Vietnam War. Before we turn to his life, let’s start by talking a little bit about the Vietnam War that led him to fame. It’s an important episode in his life, so let’s take a look at some of the important details.

A short introduction to Vietnam War
Vietnam was a French colony before World War II. As World War II raged, the Japanese took control of the area. The colony was annexed by Japan in 1940 and liberated in 1945. Vietnam’s independence was revealed by a Vietnamese group called Viet Minh. But the French still felt compelled to see Vietnam as a colony. The two groups fought in an eight-year battle called the French Indochina War. That war ended in 1954 with the defeat of France by Viet Minh.
Discussions then progressed on what would then happen to Vietnam. Days later, France and Viet Minh met to find a solution. The United States, the Soviet Union, and many other countries were present. That meeting played an important role in diverting Vietnam into North and South Vietnam. And so that separation took place. Thus, control of North Vietnam passed to Viet Minh, and the communist Ho Chi Minh took over the presidency. The Vietnamese, who had declared support for the French, also gained the control over South Vietnam. The South was led by Ngo Dinh Diem, a strong opponent of communism. Feeling dissatisfied and uncomfortable in such a situation, the French immediately withdrew.
Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese revolutionary and communist, was the first to express his desire of the freedom for the country of Vietnam. However, Allies raised arguments that Vietnam belonged to the French.
The Vietnam War was a conflict that lasted from November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975. The struggle was between communist North Vietnam and the government of Southern Vietnam. Communist countries such as the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union gave their strong support to the North. At the same time, anti-communist countries including mainly the United States stood up for the support of the South. It took place in Southeast Asia and reached a state of terror after Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. When those flowed in the same direction diverge into two, North Vietnam wanted to reunite the country under communism and its political and economic system. Also South Vietnam fought to prevent this.
The term ‘Civil War’ is familiar to many. Is there any connection between that and the Vietnam War, and if it is yes, then how? The Vietnam War is commonly referred to as the civil war within Southern Vietnam. The Communist rebels in South Vietnam, also known as Viet Cong, and Diem’s government were encountered in a major fight each other in 1957. Viet Cong hides when there is light and go for attack when darkness begins to spread. This was their way of fighting. They were later joined by communists from the north. Next was the role of the United States in the Civil War. They were not an important part of the war but they supported Diem because the United States disliked Communism. Waiting for them to show their interest, they were soon given an opportunity. When the South Vietnamese army needed training, the duty was taken over by U.S. military advisors. Jorge Otero Barreto was also a soldier who served in the U.S. army. Let’s get to it slowly in detail. However, in the early 1960s, most of South Vietnam was occupied by the Viet Cong. At the same time, the support of the South Vietnamese people for Diem went down. There were many reasons behind it. His harsh interactions with Buddhists followers were important. Most Vietnamese were Buddhist followers but Diem was also a Roman Catholic. He imprisoned and killed many Buddhists because of his dislike for it. A lot of people were against him because of that problem too. Diem’s death occurred in 1963 at the hands of the members of the South Vietnamese army who turned against him. When it all calmed down, a group of military officers took over the duties of the government.
The involvement of the United States began to see again. When looking how it is, the U.S. continued to help South Vietnam. In August 1964, a U.S. warship attacked by North Vietnamese on the Gulf of Tonkin, a waterway. The U.S. Congress has authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to expand the role of U.S. in war. Thus their presence increased very rapidly. By 1968, the United States had amassed more than 50,000 troops in Vietnam. Later some other groups came to the aid of South Vietnamese. The small units such as New Zealand, South Korea, Philippines, and Thailand came to them. When they got so much help, meanwhile, the Viet Cong and North Vietnam received assistance from the Communist governments of the Soviet Union and China.
The games of U.S. later became active. U.S. warplanes bombed highways and bridges in North Vietnam. The United States destroyed the Viet Cong’s supply road located in Laos and Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh Trail. U.S. bombers demolished places including Hanoi and other North Vietnamese cities. Tet is a holiday in Vietnam. In such an occasion in February 1968, the Communists razed about 30 cities in South Vietnam. Viet Cong suffered heavy losses as a result of those wars. But the U.S. also had to accept losses. They had to leave a lot of soldiers in oblivion. Many in the United States even wondered if they would win the war. Others were still strongly opposed to the war.
U.S welcomed the plans to gradually secede from Vietnam. That was in 1968. President Johnson thought about stopping the bombing in North Vietnam and moved for it. Later, the stages were ready for peace talks. Richard M. Nixon became the president in 1969 to witness it. Nixon led the group to wipe out the U.S. military from the land of Vietnam. He was in front of a move like using pesticides to drive weeds out of the plants. But then again, bombing continued in North Vietnam and began to spread it to neighboring countries. The U.S. and South Vietnamese worked together to disrupt North Vietnamese. Viet Cong found hiding places in Cambodia and Laos.
Both sides looked for ways to bring things to an end, feeling that it would not be right for the war to continue unabated. So, finally in January 1973 a solution was made. The North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Viet Cong, and the U.S., all signed in an agreement to end the battle. As its first step, the U.S. took away their army altogether from Vietnam. But even there, perfection was not achieved. The United States again provided South Vietnam with money and equipment. The United States cut down their aid to the South in 1974. Immediately after that, everyone could see the terrible collapse of South Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese then carried out a mass attack in South Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, a troop of North Vietnamese army invaded the Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam.
The Communists were fortunate enough to celebrate the end of the war. After the victory of the Communists, it was transformed into a single country called Vietnam without any distinction between South and North. Then there came the value of unity. Thus Hanoi became the capital. Eventually Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in respect of Ho, who passed away in 1969.

A fighter from Puerto Rican
It’s a face that is familiar to several people and unfamiliar to many. Asked how familiar he is, he was one of the shining images in the history of the Vietnam War. He is best known for his nickname “Puerto Rican Rambo”, rather than his real name. Moreover, with 38 military decorations and features of the most decorated U.S. soldier of the Vietnam War, Jorge Otero Barreto is the man who deserves the recognition of Sergeant First Class. Puerto Rican, who was active in the service from 1959 to 1970, received numerous awards from various organizations because he earned various prominent awards. As a result, his name began to appear in many places, as well as in many buildings.

Personal life
He was born as the son of Eloy Otero Bruno and Crispina Barreto Torres in Puerto Rica, Vega Baja. This unique soldier, also known as “Sergeant Rock”, was born into the world’s light on April 7, 1937. His father admired George Washington and named his son “Jorge”’, which means “George” in Spanish. He pursued primary and secondary education at Vega Baja. He studied Biology for 3 years in college until 1959, which it was selected from a medical school at Spain. After that, he joined his main segment, U.S. Army. He continued his training at the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Cambell (Army’s Air Assault School), Kentucky after completing his basic training and then graduated in 1960. Otero Barreto was the first person who owned the fame of the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the U.S. Army Air Assault School. He contributed his selfless service for the 25th Infantry Division “Tropic Lightning” and the 101st Airborne Division. There was another reason that prompted him to join the army. It came to light through an interview he gave in 2017. One morning in 1959, Otero Barreto held his mother by his side and told her that he wanted to marry his girlfriend and that he would not attend medical school in Spain. So he entered the Army instead of studying to fulfill that desire.

Soldier within Otero Barreto
Jorge Otero Barreto is a soldier who can adorn the beauty of one of the most decorated Puerto Ricans in the Vietnam War from the forefront. How was his involvement in the famous battle of Vietnam War? It is a major fact that he was an excellent notable soldier in the troop of U.S. soldiers who entered the battlefield between North and South Vietnamese. His participation was clearly seen from 1961 to 1970. During this time, he toured Southeast Asia five times who helped train Vietnamese soldiers. A documentary on Puerto Rican experiences in Vietnam was released under the title, Brave Lords. According to the documentary, he served as a part of several military units throughout his military career. He participated in two hundred war missions and was also wounded 5 times. He owned thirty eight military decorations. The main ones among them are given below:
 Silver Stars 2
 Bronze Stars with Valor 5
 Army Commendation Medals 4
 Purple Hearts 5
 Air Medals 5

Apart from being mentioned above, he is also known among many media as “the most decorated Puerto Rican veteran”.
He has worked with many teams and expressed his willingness to push himself forward and self-motivated to go on after he had joined the military. He had a determination-like thought that he should be the best, at least very close to the best. He was ready to kill or die. He had no other choice.
NBC News reports that Robert L. Howard is the most highly decorated soldier of the modern era. According to the investigations of KWTXTV, Howard was the most decorated service member, in the history of US.
In the first months of 1968, Otero Barreto achieved both of his Silver Stars, the period when Tet Offensive, one of the largest military campaigns in the Vietnam War, was dominated. Otera Barreto gained his first Silver Star at an event near Quang Tri on February 17. The second was on May 1 in the north of Hue. What was the role of this Sergeant in the incident that took place on 17th February? During the fighting, while Otero Barreto’s unit operating near Quang Tri, they encountered hidden enemy positions in the area and they came under the heavy fire. Otero Barreto, who was the staff sergeant at that time, covered withdrawal of his platoon by taking control of a machine gun, until all the ammunition had been spent. He was wounded during that fighting and also organized a gradual withdrawal of the unit from that area. He was part of almost 200 combat missions and also got wounded five times. On May 1, 1968, a platoon sergeant with the men of the 101st Air Cavalry Division received his first accolade for his work while holding positions designed to overthrow a Northern Vietnamese regiment in a village near the terrible city of Hue. In the early morning, Otero Barreto and his group began bombarding the area with a series of accusations from enemy soldiers who wanted to escape their atrocities. The U.S. military has repulsed the two allegations of enemy troops. Fifty-eight enemies were allegedly killed, and the invaders were forced to return to the village. Instead of waiting for another attack, Otero took the first platoon, Company A, to a point position to lead the attack on the village. In their progress, the first platoon began firing rocket-propelled grenade fire from machine guns, small weapons, spider holes, and bunkers. Puerto Rican Rambo was not ready to waste time going to work. Otero jumped on a nearby machine gun bunker, quickly killing three people who meant position. Gathering the rest of his squad, Otero then moved on to three strong enemy bunkers, one after the other, continuing from one end to another, leaving a terrifying path to destruction.
He soon received his second Silver Star without even taking a three-month delay. It reached his hands during the Operation Carentan II in the north of Hue. When Otero Barreto’s unit was attacked, it was occupied by defense establishments near a village. The attackers were part of the 8th Battalion and the 90th North Vietnamese Army Regiment based on the Award citation. They also tried to break the fence around the village. After failing in three attacks, the North Vietnamese Army fell back on the village themselves. As per award citation, Jorge Otero Barreto led his team to the village, neutralized many defensive positions in the process and enabled the squad to provide covering the fire so that rest of the company can progress. Otero Barreto later acquired a Bronze Star on 3 December 1968, along with Echo Company’s Recon Platoon.
Let’s take a look at one or two conflicts during which Otero Barreto was active in the Vietnam War. It was mentioned above slightly.
• Operation Jeb Stuart

It was an action that fought fiercely from 21 January to 31 March 1968. The main places where this took place were in the provinces such as Quang Tri and Thua Thien Thien Hue, both were located in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam. Operation Jeb Stuart was an operation conducted by the U.S. Army in the background of the Vietnam War. The original operation project to attack the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) base areas were thwarted due to the Tet Offensive. It witnessed the U.S. Army fighting in the Battle of Quang Tri and the Battle of Hue. Operation Jeb Stuart worked as a part of Operations Checkers to support the besieged Marines and to increase the count of manoeveure Battalions in the I Corps to defeat any other PAVN attack across the DMZ (Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone). On January 21, William Westmoreland, General of the COMUSMACV, instructed General John J. Tolson to move the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades to the respective Marine Regiment. Tolson also got the control of the 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, which flew from III Corps to Phu Bai combat Base, replacing the 2nd Brigade engaged in Operation Pershing. When all three Brigades were deployed, Westmoreland asked Tolson to launch Operation Jeb Stuart with the goal of locating and destroying PAVN units operating in Base Areas 101, 114 to the west of Quang Tri city and Hue. It was a U.S. operational success when the journey of this battle slowly came to an end. When there is a fight, both groups naturally suffer losses. Thus, in this rivalry started by the U.S. and even though they won finally, but they also had to bear the slightest losses. The U.S. lost approximately 219 of its soldiers. Around 1,735 of them were injured. At the same time, the People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong had to see at nearly their 3,628 casualties.
It was an action related to Otero Barreto getting his first Silver Star.
• Operation Carentan

It occurred from 18 March to 17 May 1968. It happened in two clashes, Operation Carentan and Operation Carentan II. This (Mainly Operation Carentan II) is a security operation that took place when Otero Barreto was actively involved in the Vietnam War. Leading the aggression on front were the 1st and 2nd Brigades, the 101 Airborne Division, and the 3rd Brigade and the 82nd Airborne Division. It also took place at Thua Thien Province and South Vietnam. In the final stage of this Operation I and II together, the U.S. lost 214 lives and 2,320 soldiers were killed among PAVN. Operation Carentan II began on April 1 and ended on May 17, 1968. Of these only, 157 suspects were taken into custody and 488 people and 93 crew-served weapons were seized. As Operation Carentan II leaped forward, U.S. and ARVN forces initiated Operation Delaware into A Sau Valley. Its main commander was Major General Olinto M. Barsanti. Naturally, here too it ultimately resulted in the U.S. operational success.

Post-war life
Even after the war, most episodes of his life were busy. Otero Barreto beautified the role of the keynote speaker in an event at a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Dinner on 22 June 2012 in Lorain, Ohio. He was also revered for his long service during the wars. Otero Barreto was honored with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the National Puerto Rican Coalition at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago on September 1, 2006 during a conference. Luis Gutierrez, a U.S. Congressman, was the keynote speaker at the ceremony. The SFC Jorge Otero Barreto Homeless Veterans Transitional Home, a transitional home built for veterans in Springfield, Massachusetts, was also a tribute to Otero Barreto after him. The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #866 in Springfield, Massachusetts managed all the affairs of the transitional home. The home was built as part of the ‘Jorge Otero Barreto Homeless Veterans Transitional Program’, a program that included 12 veterans. This program offers many services. The main offers they provide are the Western Massachusetts Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center‘s DVA services, counseling, aid to obtain Chapter 115 financial assistance, Christian Rehabilitation Substance Abuse meetings, and also AA/NA meetings. The military museum built by the town of Vega Baja devoted it to Otero Barreto and named it as the ‘Jorge Otero Barreto Museum’. He was also recognized as ‘The Year of Vega Baja’s Civic Citizen’ on 2 October 2011. Otero Barreto featured in Brave Lords, a documentary, which sheds light on the experiences of Puerto Rican soldiers at the time, from the perspective of the events of the Vietnam War. In June 2016, Otero Barreto received an acknowledgement of “502nd Infantry Regiment’s distinguished Member” from Lieutenant General Joseph Anderson for the heroic performance in the Vietnam War. One of the distinctive names exhibited on the wall of honor at the Fort Campbell, Kentucky is that of Otero Barreto.
The following are the units he worked on during his service: 101st Airborne, 25th Infantry, 82nd Airborne, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Jorge Otero Barreto served his nation from 1959 to 1970, worked as a Sergeant First class from the United States branch of the United States Army.
The “Puerto Rican Rambo” is the most decorated U.S. soldier who survived all the wars and is still alive today. Many individuals and organizations have argued that Otero Barreto’s career record should be awarded the Medal of Honor for reflecting it in the best possible way.

Otero Barreto before officially wearing a military uniform
The eldest of the parents’ eight or six children, their only son, Otero Barreto married Tomasa Bujana Rodriguez in 1961 and they had four children. The end of the Vietnam War marked the last days of his career in combat. But it does not have to be written down there like that. Although the leaves of his efforts fell down and ended there, many of his life’s achievements for his sincerity during those struggles came to him at that period of rest. In addition to five Purple Hearts and multiple Silver Stars, he was able to earn about forty military honors. His mother wanted him to be a doctor. He first followed her desire and first he engaged in the medical field. His father wanted his only son to join the army. He did it too. Thus he devoted his selfless service to the battlefield and became famous among his troops, earning him the nickname “Puerto Rican Rambo”. When he made his father’s dream and mother’s wish true, he said that fate had its own way. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in Biology for 3 years and completed 2 years of training there.

Otero Barreto as a trainer
He joined the U.S. Army on September 15, 1959, following his father’s desire. He attended Fort Jackson, S.S., and jump school, Fort Bragg, N.C. for basic training before joining the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne. He then relied on the Philippines, Hawaii, and Thailand for training before moving to Vietnam. They were prepared to do anything against the enemy. After all, he said softly but seriously during his appointments in Post 14 that they were trained. In the break he received before they all officially entered their duties, he taught the anti-communist Vietnamese fighters there the lessons of basic training. They were all farmers, and raising them as jungle fighters was not simple. Otero Barreto had strengthened his infantry teams both physically and mentally. Otero Barreto knew that in order for a person to survive, he must be mentally and strong. Since he had trained himself in that way, he was sure to mold that group of peasants inside the jungle as well. He himself worked hard to bring his army to a higher level and found success in that aim. While training them, he aimed to develop a warrior like him in them. His view was that a warrior should be beyond an individual. He must give up the selfish thought of loving himself and be willing to protect other lives. There is difference between a soldier and a warrior. A soldier cannot be given the title of a warrior until he is convinced himself of the purpose of the mission. The warrior will always be special. Everyone can tell form the glow on those faces that they are warriors. He created situations to prove to them from his daily experiences that how much his training was effective in them. He recalled that his platoon was once set on fire by a machine gun. Otero instructed one of his men that take it out by remembering what he taught them. A soldier obeyed his words and took the platoon out safely. He voiced the men that they were a dead dog if they did not obey his order. From privates to the commanding officers, he was able to establish a high impression with it. In the late 1960s, for about six months, Otero Barreto’s platoon leader was retired Lt. Col. John Hay. Hay then proudly recalled Barreto’s zeal to know and do every single thing of the time. Hay quickly noticed that Barreto was aware of the surroundings very acutely, at the night the two of them first went out. He was one of the few personalities who suddenly believed by Hay. He was able to act with its wisdom according to each situation. He stood by it where he should have been friendly. Otero Barreto was extremely profession, both in business and even in the roles of noncommissioned officer. Although he was young but behaved maturely whenever needed such an attitude. Hay said he trusted him with his life and he promised. This is what John Hay said about Otero as a person who worked with him. Hay later became involved in radio, communicating with leadership and more, but Hay had not tension over what Otero was doing. Otero’s presence was seen in everywhere even where Hay and was busy with their missions and while accomplishing it also. Otero Barreto was the favorite of all the troops, and he set up such an image for himself.
In his homeland, everyone gave Otero a super image of Hollywood movie characters. They gave him the nickname “Rambo” when compared him to the actions of the characters in ‘Rambo’ movies. He liked the name and it gave him the feeling of being embracing it. But Rambo characters were not really belonged to his favorites. Despite being wounded throughout his deployments, he did not give up and made his way to the battlefield energetically. Despite being injured five times, he was not trapped in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He had an answer for that too, his opinion was that he was so well trained and that was his job and he was responsible for people. Inside him, there was a man who enjoyed to do fight.
When he got home, he was reunited with his young wife and baby. The protestors looked at him as if he was a monkey and its anger was burning inside him. But he did not fight back or react. They wanted him to respond but he did not. He would only fight when he felt intense about it. It was his principle and that kept him silent here too. He considered the U.S. Army to be his family, and when he was quit at the time, he felt cowardly in front of them. He saddened that he was a warrior and that a warrior should never be quit. In the meanwhile, he was busy with Christmas, Santa Claus, etc. He was mentally tormented by the guilt of not reacting. Following this, Barreto felt tired and was taken to the hospital. He was diagnosed with combat fatigue and set aside 15 days for treatment. His depression was minor, but he saw his neighbors, the U.S. Army, his family, everyone, and himself with the hatred eyes. His wife told him that it would succeed if he did not withdraw from the army. For 7 years he saw everyone as an enemy, and he knew it was not their fault but his own. He tried to complete his bachelor’s degree but got into some troubles. No one could see what he was seeing. No one else could understand at a glance what his problems were or what he meant. Those moments in his life would always be etched in the depths of his memory. Although there were no medals around him to remind him of the war, the occasional angry and his depressed mood slowly lifted its head to remind him and took over the job to make him mentally down. Once they went on a trip, the family kept the weapons away from him because they were worried about his anger. He was often subdued by various expressions of anger. He mocked himself as the unarmed warrior. Many times he found ways for himself to control the devil of his anger. He sought motivation to make his contributions to community services and home. The soldier Otero Barreto did not confine his skills and knowledge and training, but used it to benefit others. During a visit to a young boys’ school, he advised them and imparted to them the lessons of boxing that he knew. He organized a program for young people in his community and set up a basketball court. He realized that being engaged in such different segments, and his conscious moves to shift to a busy schedule was his treatment and not the drugs. He gave his family the credit for bringing him back to his old self from the postwar struggles. It was a situation where he forgot about his kids, family and so on but they were the ones who made him think straight. As he grew older, he considered his family of 20 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren as his platoon and they call him “’abuelo”, which means grandfather. They are the ones who always create ripples of happiness around him and through them he regains the good moments he lost in his life.
In the Vega Baja community, Otero Barreto has always been highly regarded for his role in assisting veterans. He often struggled with the power of words like a perfect lawyer and everyone competed to work with him. When he got into the post, he started out as a service officer. Then he worked as a commander, again as a service officer, and his ability to keep everyone together was like the secret or magic of his therapy. He held the post commander position for about ten years. Angel Narvaez-Negron, a past department commander for Puerto Rico and Carlos Ramos, the member of Post 14, an Army veteran were worked with him and assisted Otero. When he was able to control and refocused his mind, life improved and he began to help veterans. This highly decorated U.S. soldier has many forms in front of everyone like a brave warrior, a community leader, and also a veteran’s advocate. As an individual, Jorge Otero Barreto can be praised as a good husband, good father, and good grandpa.

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Pub: 26 Mar 2022 18:08 UTC
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