Karl E. Benedikt

Karl Erwin Benedikt is a United States Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War. Unlike most U.S. servicemen, he was born in West Germany in 1948, where he was raised for the first seven years of his life, in the town of Hof, near the Czech border. Benedikt was the oldest of three boys and grew up speaking German and Russian before learning English after his family emigrated to the United States in the mid-1950s. The family settled in Queens Borough of New York City, where he attended school.

As the Vietnam war escalated, Benedikt noticed many of his neighborhood friends were being drafted; he recognized that his turn would soon come. The fear of being drafted and assigned to the infantry was a possibility that weighed on him for some time. In March 1968, at the age of nineteen, Benedikt received his draft notice and orders to report for processing at Fort Hamilton, New York. Prior to his notice, he took the New York City Police exam and passed, but received his notification after being drafted.

Following an additional week of processing at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and eight weeks of basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, Benedikt was informed that he was selected to fill the permanent party slot of Company Armorer in the small arms school at Fort Gordon, and assigned to the training command’s Company A, 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade. There he worked closely with new recruits every ten weeks. Although the initial responsibilities and challenges of the position became repetitive over the course of a year, Benedikt recognized the importance of the role.

After one month of leave time, Benedikt reported to Fort Lewis, Washington; and, exactly one year after entering the Army, he was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam in March of 1969. One aspect of the war that particularly stuck with him after landing at Tan Son Nhut Airport in Vietnam was the pervasive odor in the air. As a small arms specialist with the rank of E-4, Benedikt was assigned as a Company Armorer in Company C of the 299th Combat Engineer Battalion. His main task was repairing and maintaining weapons used on the field, as well as modifying weapons when necessary. He served in the Company Headquarters platoon. The platoon’s primary mission was maintaining arms, supplies and communications for troops in combat areas, as well as delivering mail and working with clerks on military paperwork.

The 299th Engineer Battalion was one of the few United States units to maintain a permanent base camp in the northern provinces of Vietnam. The 299th was assigned the mission of general defense of the Dak To base located on Highway 14, normally an infantry task, in addition to other responsibilities of building bridges across rivers, and minesweeping local roads each morning. The battalion built essential structures, including military compounds, airfields, and roads, and was tasked with delivering supplies and water to the nearby Ben Het Special Forces camp.

In 1969, enemy activity in the Central Highlands of Vietnam led to increased patrols outside American base camps. Benedikt’s company headquarters was in Pleiku and was attacked several times with rockets and mortars. Then several companies were moved to Dak To, to hold that base camp. One night while under attack, Benedikt and another man rescued a gravely wounded comrade. Under heavy mortar fire, they carried the injured soldier across the compound to receive medical attention. This was not the only instance that tested Benedikt’s bravery in battle, as he was often detailed to repair weapons in the field.

After spending over a year in Vietnam, Benedikt’s two years of mandatory service was completed. With no intent to reenlist for another tour of duty, he counted the days and looked forward to returning home, although he was disappointed to leave his four adopted dogs on the base. Benedikt was honorably discharged directly from Vietnam and was sent back to the United States in April of 1970.

After returning to his home in Queens, New York, Benedikt struggled with readjustment to civilian life. To help combat this and raise his spirits, his first purchase after discharge was a new motorcycle. With the aid of the G.I. Bill, he pursued higher education and graduated from Community College and then California State College in Long Beach, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial engineering and a Master’s in management. Ultimately, Benedikt and his wife settled in New Jersey, where they raised their three children.

Since his time in Vietnam, Benedikt has stayed in contact with some of his fellow servicemen, and he has even been able to reunite with some of his old friends from the neighborhood who had also been drafted. Sadly, like many Vietnam veterans, he is a victim of prolonged exposure to the harmful effects of Agent Orange. Benedikt has had numerous severe health complications, and some were extended genetically to his children. Despite such challenges, he maintained a healthy and positive outlook on his experience in Vietnam, along with a strong sense of pride for his service to his adopted country.

Benedikt attended one reunion since his time overseas; he shared a strong memory of his fellow soldiers. He remained open to talking about his experiences in Vietnam and has provided another oral history for a local high school in Madison, New Jersey. One day Karl Benedikt dreams of going back to Vietnam and riding a motorcycle down Highway 1 – without getting shot at.