Francis Hockenbury

Private First Class Hockenbury upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat, he was assigned to 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, B ("Bravo") Company, 3/44th Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division. After the death of 'Doc Matsuda at Firebase Ladybird, the platoon had a rotation of medics, and it was the unit that Hockenbury got in the draw. Both A and B Company were at the time assigned TDY to Special Forces as a SOG Team. Second Platoon was designated 'Team Viking'.

PFC Francis Hockenbury, soon to be known as 'Doc Hoc' or simply 'Doc', was the medic for 3rd squad/Team Viking in field operations. He did not carry a weapon. Despite being awarded a Bronze Star for bravery under fire, an incident on a mission made him a bit of a pariah within the unit. He eventually was transferred out to work in the base dispensary... Doc Hock's principles of being against the war ran headlong into the realities of Vietnam, and his drinking only grew more intense. On an evening he went to see Liu Tran, he was wounded in a mortar attack. With shrapnel in his leg and shoulder, Doc Hockenbury's part in the war came to an end.

(more to come)