Any combat Veteran serving between the onset of World War II and the close of the first Gulf War will know that a “Deuce and a Half” is a reference to a succession of 2.5-ton, 6x6 tactical cargo trucks that were ubiquitous in combat theaters. They will also know that a “Ma Deuce” is a reference to the M2 Browning .50-caliber heavy machine gun. There is a deadly connection between the two.

Most Vietnam Vets will recall that some models of the M35A2 Deuce and a Half trucks were equipped with M55 Quadmount systems — four “Ma Deuce” machine guns mounted together in the bed of the truck, creating a formidable system for security perimeters and laying down a wall of suppression fire. My friend, then-LT Paul Jacobs, commanded platoons of quad 50 gunships.

But there were also “custom” versions of the upgraded Deuce and a Half, the M39 five-ton series, which were transport vehicles “retrofitted” as the legendary Gun Trucks of Vietnam.

The Army Transportation Corps had responsibility for moving massive amounts of heavy materials from South Vietnam’s coastal ports to inland bases, often resulting in 200-truck convoys. These became high-value targets for the Vietcong, who regularly ambushed the convoys in remote areas.

One of the deadliest ambushes occurred on 2 September 1967, when seven drivers were killed and 17 wounded, and dozens of trucks were destroyed. Thus, there was a push for “hardened convoys” protected by makeshift Gun Trucks. Soldiers assigned to the protective details had to be creative in how they hardened the trucks; beds were protected with everything from sandbags to armor cut from destroyed vehicles, and included some configuration of machine guns. The goal was to have one Gun Truck for every 10-15 convoy trucks.

In the tradition of World War II aircraft nose art, the Gun Truck bed sides were brightly labeled with names like “Ace of Spades,” “Deuce is Wild,” “Cold Sweat,” “Iron Butterfly,” and “Pandemonium.”

What follows is the story of the actions of a 21-year-old machine gunner, SP4 Larry Dahl, when defending those in his now-famous truck, “Brutus.”

Larry was born in Oregon City, south of Portland. His family moved to Seattle, where he attended Franklin High School and met his future wife, Michelle. After graduating, he worked at Sea-Tac International Airport and then at Boeing.

In September 1969, he changed course and enlisted in the Army, completing basic training at Fort Lewis. He then trained as a heavy-vehicle driver at Fort Benning, Georgia. At the height of combat in Vietnam, he requested combat duty three times, finally being deployed in June 1970.

Larry was a Specialist Fourth Class with the 359th Transportation Company, 27th Transportation Battalion, 8th Transportation Group. In September 1970, he befriended the four-man crew of the Gun Truck, “Brutus.” Two months later, he and his friends Richard Bond, Ronald Mallory, and Charles Huser became the replacement crew on Brutus after one of its former crew had been killed and two others severely wounded in an ambush.

On 23 February 1971, Richard Bond was on leave, and SGT Hector Diaz took his place as the gun crew leader in the back of Brutus. It would be a brutal day of combat.

Early afternoon, the lead trucks of two fuel convoys were ambushed as they crossed over An Khe Pass. Responding to desperate calls for help, three Gun Trucks — Brutus, The Untouchable, and The Misfits — and a Gun Jeep named Li'l Brutus raced into the kill zone about 30 minutes into the battle. At the time, Brutus was equipped with two forward .50-caliber BMGs and a 7.62mm minigun in the rear.

The distinctive sound of Brutus’s mini-gun as it approached the ambush site substantially improved the morale of friendlies in the firefight.

Mallory pulled Brutus right into the mix near one of the burning fuel tankers, and for 15 minutes, the crews of Brutus and The Misfits laid down heavy fire toward the enemy positions on the hillside above the road, inflicting significant casualties. It was as that firefight was subsiding that a split-second decision by Larry Dahl would cost him his life and earn him a Medal of Honor for saving the lives of his brothers.

According to Larry’s MoH citation: “After a brief period of intense fighting the attack subsided. As the gun trucks were preparing to return to their normal escort duties, an enemy hand grenade was thrown into the truck in which SP4 Dahl was riding. Instantly realizing the great danger, SP4 Dahl called a warning to his companions and threw himself directly onto the grenade. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his safety, and profound concern for his fellow soldiers, SP4 Dahl saved the lives of the other members of the truck crew while sacrificing his own.”

His citation concludes, “Dahl’s conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.”

You can listen to the events of that day in more detail in “The Honor and Sacrifice of Larry Dahl,” and learn more in the documentary, “Gun Trucks of Vietnam.”

SP4 Larry Dahl, an ordinary man faced with extraordinary circumstances, summoned the greatest measure of courage to place his life in imminent peril to save others. His example of valor — a humble American Patriot defending Liberty for all above and beyond the call of duty — is eternal.

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Live your life worthy of his sacrifice.

(Read more Profiles of Valor here.)

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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