Anthony Herbert (lieutenant colonel)

Anthony B. Herbert (7 April 1930 – 7 June 2014) was a United States Army officer, who served in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

He is best known for his claims that he witnessed war crimes in Vietnam, which his commanding officer refused to investigate.

He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel and was the author of several books about his experiences, including Soldier and Making of A Soldier.

Herbert enlisted in the United States Army in May 1947 to be a paratrooper.

He completed Basic Combat Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and Basic Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

After a few months of service in the peacetime Army at Fort Lewis, Washington, he accepted a discharge in 1948, returned home and graduated from high school.

He then re-enlisted in the Army in February 1950 and became a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Herbert deployed for Korea in October on the troopship Walker.

It was here, in the Korean War, that he first built his reputation as a fighter, and was rapidly promoted to become one of the youngest master sergeants in the Army, and one of the most decorated.

He commanded the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry.

In the wake of the controversy surrounding the My Lai Massacre, Herbert claimed to have witnessed a number of war crimes in Vietnam, which he reported to his superiors but which they allegedly refused to curb or discipline.

Herbert pressed charges against his commanding officers for their intransigence.

Herbert had reported eight separate war crimes, including incidents of looting, execution and murder.

In one episode involving some Vietnamese girls Herbert stated, "The area was brilliantly lit by floodlights ... Each of them [the girls] was seated with their hands on a table, palms down."

Herbert described the instruments used as a "long springy rod of bamboo split into dozens of tight, thin flails on one end. It was a murderous weapon", he said.

"I'd seen it take the hide off a buffalo. When it was struck down hard, the flails splayed out like a fan, but an instant after impact they returned to their order, pinching whatever was beneath."

According to Herbert, "War crimes are infinitely easier to overlook than to explain to an investigating committee. Nor do they do much for promotion among the 'West Point Protection Society' of the Army's upper-echelon career men. So when I kept bringing up the matter, I kept on making enemies and getting answers such as, 'what the hell did you expect, Herbert? Candy and flowers?' I reported these things and nothing happened."

Some commentators have opined that Herbert's allegations were exaggerated or unsubstantiated.

The Army also released a statement

Herbert was selected by General Matthew Ridgway in 1951 to represent the American soldier in Korea and returned to the U.S., going to the White House to meet President Harry Truman, and traveling the country to promote the war.

It was during this time that Herbert met former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and was persuaded by her to go to college and gain an education, for whatever he would do with the rest of his life.

Herbert left the U.S. Army once again in 1952 to enter the University of Pittsburgh in order to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating in 1956 and re-entering the Army as a second lieutenant in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

At the same time, Herbert accessioned for active duty and began the Infantry Officer's Basic Course (then called Basic Infantry Officer's Course, or BIOC) at Fort Benning, Georgia.

After graduating that course with high marks, he was assigned as an instructor to the Mountain Ranger Training Camp at Dahlonega, Georgia.

David Donovan, one of his cadets, reported being "impressed by his charisma, his leadership ability, and his military expertise."

Herbert followed this with assignments of increasing responsibility and was promoted quickly.

Anthony Herbert and his wife Mary Grace appeared on the 6 October 1955 episode of the TV quiz program You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx.

He was studying creative writing and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

His book Conquest to Nowhere, about the Korean War was mentioned.

They won $110.

He was first deployed in Vietnam War in 1968 with the Inspector General's Office assigned to the 173d Airborne Brigade, a unit with which he would later make a dramatic mark, and one in which he would encounter many controversial roles later on.

In April 1969 he was relieved of his command of the Second Battalion, despite its outstanding record under his leadership.

"I know now it wasn't just the Army", Herbert says.

"It was General Westmoreland in particular. He did everything he possibly could to keep my case covered up because of the heat being placed on the Army from the My Lai case."

The U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division (CID) produced several reports on Herbert's claims.

to the effect that Herbert had raised the war crimes issue for the first time in September 1970, eighteen months after he was relieved of command in Vietnam and only after he had exhausted other means of salvaging his military career.

Herbert was accused of exaggeration and outright lying in his filed reports.

A report dated August 23, 1971, reviewing Herbert's allegations stated: "technique employed included the transmission of electrical shock by means of a field telephone [used to a Vietnamese girl] a water rag treatment which impaired breathing, hitting with sticks and boards, and beating of detainees with fists."

A CID report marked FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY: "Herbert's S-3 [non-commissioned officer] witnessed a field telephone in use during interrogation, but no objection was raised".

Dozens of official CID documents substantiated Herbert's statements.