Marty Lincoln, Sr. owns an impressive record of service to his country, with 27 years in the military, several medals, including a Purple Heart, and a tour of duty in Vietnam. Lincoln served in the Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets.

Lincoln joined the Army in 1967, just two weeks after graduating from Monroe City High School. While training to become a paratrooper, he took the special forces test and scored very well. He joined this elite group that performs a variety of tasks.
Most people have heard of the Army Special Forces, known as the Green Berets for their iconic hats. However, most people don’t understand the type of work the Green Berets do, Lincoln says.

“Most people think we’re killers,” Lincoln says. “We’re not. We’re military advisors. We’re trained to train people to fight indigenous wars.”
The Green Berets equip and advise. They train soldiers from other nations to fight, especially guerrilla warfare. They specialize in things such as unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense and special reconnaissance.

Initially, the Army didn’t want to send Lincoln to Vietnam until he was 21, but later decided to do just that.
While in Vietnam, Lincoln went on several recon missions, usually on teams consisting of two Americans and three indigenous people. He says he never fired a gun in anger in South Vietnam, but he went on these missions in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam. “I was going over there looking for them,” he says. His tasks included destroying enemy weapons, “shooting areas up,” and point recon, where he would go to a place such as a road junction and watch it.
He often encountered the enemy and got into some harrowing situations. One night he could see the North Vietnamese out looking for him with flashlights. Then came his 21st birthday. He will always remember what he was doing on that day.
“I was dodging bullets and not doing a very damn good job at it,” Lincoln says with a smile.
Due to the adrenaline of the moment, Lincoln didn’t realize he’d been shot until his fellow soldiers noticed him bleeding after the fighting. Lincoln says everyone in his unit was killed, wounded or missing in action during the war. He received the Purple Heart for being wounded in action.
Lincoln earned many medals for his service in Vietnam, including two Bronze Stars for valor, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with gold palm leaf cluster from the South Vietnamese government.
While in Vietnam, Lincoln was also trained as a sniper. He got to carry two guns, which he points out meant he had to clean two weapons. Back at home, he bought an M-14 rifle just like the one he used in Vietnam, which he uses to deer hunt.

After coming home, in 1970, Lincoln was out of the military for six months when he got a call from the Army Reserve Special Forces saying he could be a specialist sergeant if he wanted to join the Reserve Special Forces.
Lincoln continued his training work with the Reserve Special Forces. He spent six years in Korea training the Korean special forces. He trained Eskimo cold weather scouts in Alaska. He worked at special forces training schools.
Being in the Reserves Special Forces also helped Lincoln transition from his Vietnam experience back to a more regular lifestyle. He had people to talk with who shared his experiences.
“When I came back I had people to talk to,” Lincoln says. “I just didn’t sit and brood. It helped being in the Reserve Special Forces.”

Lincoln got out of the military in 1994. He now works for the Corps of Engineers and farms. He also works on the chain gang at Monroe City football games with his son Marty Jr.
In additon working the chain gang, military service is another thing Lincoln’s family has in common, with four generations of service. His grandfather, Henry Peter Lincoln, served in World War I. His father, Burl Haskell Lincoln, was in the Navy during World War II. His father-in-law, Buck Mench, fought in World War II and was a prisoner of war in Germany. Lincoln’s son Jason is in his second tour of duty in Iraq, working as a medic.

Lincoln’s career in the military has taken him to places all over, whether it’s to forts and bases across the country or to far off Southeast Asia. He tells great stories from his experiences in the military. He is a decorated soldier and a good man. On Veterans Day, this Green Beret is another reminder to honor and appreciate our veterans and their dedication.
By BENJAMIN HERROLD