By Joan Hallmark - bio | email
TYLER, TX (KLTV) - Nathaniel Field dodged bullets and mortar fire to help the wounded and dying on the battlefields of Vietnam. He often relives those experiences in his dreams today.
Field arrived as an Army Medic in Vietnam in 1966. He had already earned a reputation for "leaving no man behind" in skirmishes, before his first big battle in May. His company was dropped by helicopter in an open field covered by water. Dozens were killed and wounded in the first few minutes of landing and Field ran from wounded man to wounded man, crisis crossing the fire zone time and time again until he was so exhausted he was crawling from man to man. For this action of bravery he was awarded his first Bronze Star.
Field's reputation for "leaving no man behind" kept him on the battlefield constantly. But, it was "Operation Paul Revere" that has haunted Field's dreams for years. Field was ordered to retreat, but wouldn't leave the wounded. Those who did retreat were soon pushed back by the enemy who had surrounded them. Few survived the two day battle. Field was to earn his second Bronze Star for Operation Paul Revere.
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