Dale Hanson

Usually, there were 15 Americans and about 120, usually, Montagnards.

In the old days, and these days were about done just before I got there, we had battalions of Chinese.

And over the years, the Chinese have about been wiped out.

And I had four Chinese on my team, and they might have been the last fighters, as far as I know.

You know...

who knows if they retired to Pensacola, who knows?

Wow.

Wow.

I don't think so.

Not spiritual or anything like that.

I think I would always try to encourage our people.

I had a closeness to our mercenaries that I don't think anyone else really had.

But I mean, I'm one of the guys that I can put my arms on them and I can hug them or I can tease them and all this stuff.

And it never interfered with my command because they knew when the time came, okay, what I said was it.

But I think prior to all these missions and all this stuff, I'd always make sure my people were emotionally ready for the missions.

They weren't Christians, per se.

Most of them were Buddhists, I think.

How would you prepare yourself?

Well, day by day, I always prayed.

I tried to read the scriptures every day.