Colonel Hack, he dead

(Vale David Hackworth)

I was saddened to learn of the death of US Colonel David Hackworth on May 4, in Tijuana, Mexico. He was the 'model' for Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, but so much more.

He used to give me very elegant copy for a magazine I used to edit during the heyday of the peace movement, and he was a top bloke.

Hack was the founder of Tiger Force, the legendary unit in Vietnam that went on to commit outrageous atrocities (like My Lai but longer).

"He was America's youngest full colonel in Vietnam, and won a total of 91 medals, including two Distinguished Service Crosses, 10 Silver Stars, 8 Bronze Stars and 8 Purple Hearts.

"Later, he was an author, a military affairs correspondent for Newsweek, a syndicated newspaper columnist and a campaigner for military reform.

"In Vietnam, he became an almost mythical figure, arriving in 1965 with the first group of American paratroopers and going on to command the helicopter unit that was later immortalized in the movie 'Apocalypse Now.'"
Source: NY Times

Legend 'Kurtz' is dead (Sunday Mirror, UK)
Col. David H Hackworth NPR (audio)