John's Bio Told by Others

CHERRIESWRITER – VIETNAM WAR WEBSITE

Robert B. Robeson
November 22, 2016

“…On August 20, 1969, I was a U.S. Army captain assigned to the 236th Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) in Da Nang, South Vietnam, as operations officer and a medical evacuation pilot. Our mission entailed evacuating wounded and dead Americans, South Korean, South Vietnamese, Australian allies, Vietnamese civilians and often enemy soldiers to aid stations and hospitals in our 5,000-square-mile operational area.
From August 20-22, I had assigned myself as copilot to a field-site crew of four at Landing Zone (LZ) Baldy, approximately 25 miles south of Da Nang. Warrant Officer 1 William A. (Wild Bill) Statt was the aircraft commander, SP5 John N. Seebeth was our medic and SP5 Paul L. Sumrall was the crew chief. I’d barely been in Vietnam a month and in our unit for two weeks as a rookie pilot.
What we weren’t aware of was that we were about to be shoved into the middle of a major battle involving four regiments of the U.S. Army’s 196th Light Infantry Brigade, two battalions of the U.S. 7th Marines and batteries of the U.S. 82nd Artillery that provided fire support from four firebases. These Americans were facing 1,500 Communist troops.*
In those 2½ days of devastating action, our crew evacuated 150 wounded Americans from the Que Son Valley on 42 missions, 15 of which were “insecure”. This meant that our ground troops couldn’t guarantee the safety of the LZ because the enemy was in contact and too close, or friendlies were low on ammunition and couldn’t provide appropriate covering fire. On a majority of these insecure missions, helicopter gunships were unavailable to cover our unarmed aircraft because there was too much action requiring their services in other parts of this battleground. So our only alternative was to take our chances and go in alone because most of the wounded wouldn’t have survived if we’d have waited for gunships to arrive.
During late morning of August 21st, our UH-1H (Huey) was shot up by enemy AK-47 rifle fire while exiting another insecure LZ. One of our three patients was wounded for the second time. A burst of enemy fire ripped into a can of oil our crew chief kept under my armored seat, spraying this liquid over my Nomex, fire-retardant flight pants. Another round locked me in my shoulder harness when it clipped a wire on the unlocking device attached to the left side of my seat. After depositing our patients at the battalion aid station at LZ Baldy, a replacement bird and a different crew chief were flown down from Phu Bai (a medevac unit north of Da Nang) for our use.
Less than 24 hours later (August 22nd), we were shot up for the second time on another insecure mission. This one involved evacuating an African-American infantry staff sergeant who’d been shot in the back. Seebeth was wounded in the throat as we made our hot-and-hairy tactical approach into the LZ. An AK-47 round tore out his larynx before we’d even landed. As we exited the LZ with our original patient, who’d been literally thrown aboard by two of his comrades under heavy enemy fire, two of our three radios were also shot out.
In the aid station at LZ Baldy, Seebeth kept mouthing the words I can’t breathe as he kicked his legs in frustration. I held his legs and attempted to calm him while Captain George Waters, M.D., performed a tracheotomy without anesthesia. The wound had swollen so fast that it was cutting off his oxygen. Time couldn’t be wasted being concerned about alleviating his pain. Doc Waters immediately initiated an incision. Mercifully, Seebeth quickly lapsed from shock into unconsciousness.
John survived, but has endured twelve follow-up operations since then…one of which gave him back a voice. But it’s not the same voice we’d known and grown to love as he provided emergency medical care to thousands of his patients. Today it’s produced by a plastic Montgomery T-tube that’s inserted into his tracheotomy opening. When he wants to talk, he must plug an opening on one end with a finger to force air through his mouth…”

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Specialist Fifth Class John N. Seebeth, United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary actions above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam; Specialist Five Seebeth distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions during the period 20 August 1969 through 22 August 1969 while serving as flight medic aboard an unarmed medical evacuation helicopter during rescue missions in the Hiep Duc Valley south of DaNang. At times without helicopter gunship cover or any other mode of air support, Specialist Seebeth and fellow crewmen undertook the dangerous task of evacuating the wounded and dead soldiers of the 196th Infantry Brigade, 7th Marine and 5th ARVN regimental units from the midst of a raging battle involving major elements of the 2nd North Vietnamese Army Regiment and 1st Viet Cong Regiment. While supervising the loading of patients, often while receiving enemy fire, Specialist Seebeth is also commended for performing life saving medical treatment during the flight back to the 23rd Medical Battalion aid station located at LZ Baldy. On what turned out to be Seebeth’s final mission, the Dustoff crew responded to an urgent request to evacuate a severely wounded American soldier on August 22, 1969. The unarmed Medivac helicopter undertook the mission and entered the fire-fight without benefit of gunship escort. The Dustoff chopper and crew came under light automatic weapons fire which left Specialist Seebeth with a gunshot wound to the neck. The professional competence — both medical and aerial skill — and unwavering devotion to duty displayed by Specialist Seebeth reflect great credit upon himself and the United Slates Army.

The Daily Observer
June 11, 1973

Toms River – Ocean County College’s largest graduating class: 486, found fair skies and familiar speakers featured at the 1973 Commencement ceremony.

John Seebeth, president of the student government association, spoke to his fellow graduates about the importance of effort in both academic achievement and extracurricular activities.

Seebeth, who came to OCC a newly discharged Viet Nam veteran, became president of Alpha Sigma Mu, a national veterans fraternity, during his freshman year.

As leader of the students’ governing body this year, Seebeth earned the respect of all segments of the college community.  Dr. Andrew Moreland, President of OCC, described Seebeth as one of the outstanding students of all time at the college.

The excitement of the students was apparent as Seebeth spoke with an emotional tone.

Seebeth received a shrapnel wound in the throat during his service in the Viet Nam War, and speech is difficult for him.

OCEAN VIEWS
Summer 2025

OCC alumnus John N. Seebeth ’73 and fellow Dustoff crew members from the Vietnam War have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
The Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal Act was enacted in 2024 to pay tribute to approximately 3,000 helicopter ambulance personnel who served during the conflict. Seebeth, a medic, was part of a four-person Dustoff crew, which also included a pilot, co-pilot, and crew chief. These teams flew unarmed helicopter ambulances into combat zones to evacu- ate wounded personnel to field hospitals, ultimately rescuing over 900,000 injured individuals during the war.
Dustof units experienced the highest casu- alty rate of any aeronautical unit in Vietnam. Seebeth himself was wounded during a mis- sion and continues to breathe and speak through his injury today.
“It means a lot that the medal comes from the American people (through their Congressional representatives),” said Seebeth. “It means a lot that the medal is given to Vietnam Dustof as a whole because we were a team. It was an honor for me to fly the missions with other dedicated crew members. We flew the mis- sions so others may live.”
As a student at OCC, Seebeth served as presi- dent of student government and founded the Veterans Club. His story was featured in a 2010 issue of Ocean Views.
“It means a lot that the medal is given to Vietnam Dustof as a whole because we were a team.”
– John N. Seebeth ’73

Indiana Daily Student
By Natalia Nelson
Feb 10, 2025

John Seebeth made countless missions to rescue the wounded, often from active battle zones, throughout his nine months as a Dustoff medic during the Vietnam War.
Dustoff crews were medical evacuation units that flew unarmed helicopters to pick up wounded soldiers and Vietnamese civilians from battlefields and transport them to American hospitals.
The decision whether or not to fly the more dangerous missions, where the helicopter would have to land without a gunship escort, was up to the crew. John was 19 during his time in Vietnam, and the pilot of his helicopter was only 21. It didn’t matter how dangerous the missions were.
“They always said yes,” Linda Seebeth, John wife, said. “They would go in.”
The bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dustoff crews became law in September 2024, though John said the process of designing the medal was still ongoing.
The Congressional Gold Medal, which can be awarded via Congressional legislation, is the highest civilian award in the United States. The effort to award the medal to the Dustoff crews began over nine years ago but was slow to move through Congress.
According to Linda, about 3,600 people flew Dustoff, but only 800 are still living. Throughout the war, the crews managed to save over 900,000 people.
“There’s nothing like, you know your patient, you see the life go out of them,” John said. “And because of your actions, you see life come back. When you go to bed at night, and you think about that.”
John nearly lost his life while serving in Vietnam when he was shot at by enemy fire. The bullet ricocheted off the top of his body armor and pierced the front of his neck. The injury stopped his heart and left him unable to speak.
“And boy, I had a lot to say,” John said.
When he returned home from the war, a doctor was eventually able to take a skin graft from John’s thigh and reconstruct his larynx. While he was able to speak again, the horrors of the war stayed with him.
“When U.S.-returning ‘Nam vets came back to the civilian world, we brought all those experiences back with us,” John said. “And of course, me being a medic and picking up the wounded in a helicopter, the medevac, you know, I’m a lovable guy, but I’m just, the images.”
John said he didn’t know it at the time, but he was dealing with PTSD. But after over a year of being inpatient and then outpatient, he was finally able to attend Ocean County College in New Jersey in 1971.
“I was wondering if the girls would like me,” John said. “The way I talked — I had this tube hanging out in front of my neck.”
He started a veteran’s club at the college and was elected student government president. He left with a two-year degree in police science before applying to Indiana University, where he majored in criminal justice. He wanted to be a Pennsylvania State Police Officer.
While attending IU, John’s friendships with a fellow student and wounded Vietnam War veteran changed his outlook on his experiences during the war.
“John came to an understanding of what the Vietnam War was really about,” Linda said. “He went from being pro-war, like he was at OCC, to becoming anti-war. He couldn’t accept that the death and suffering that he witnessed and experienced was all based on lies.”
Linda said it had been a difficult time for John, as he was also coping with losing his dream of becoming a state trooper. The doctors told him that the hole in his neck would never close.
John had to redirect. A paper he wrote about the then-unsolved murder of a black woman named Carol Jenkins in Martinsville helped steer him towards eventually studying race relations at The Ohio State University.
“I was the only white person in class,” John said. “A lot of times discussion, classroom discussion, they would talk about the blue-eyed devil. And of course, there I have dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and I talked out of my neck.”
He left the program, hesitant to intrude on the rest of the class’s chance to use race relations to process their own experiences, and eventually got into social work during his time volunteering at a children’s hospital. From there, he pivoted to environmental activism, becoming involved with the idea of climate change as it was developing.
“He’s looking at the world and saying, ‘I flew Dustoff and I did rescue missions. What can I do to rescue humanity from the course I see them on?’” Linda said.
John moved out west to Washington State in the late 1980s and found a job helping disabled veterans find employment opportunities. Even though he loved his work, he felt like there was more he could be doing.
“With my disability pension, if I lived a simple life, you know, I could be an activist,” John said. “That’s what I was going to become, an environmental, social justice activist.”
He now lives with his wife in Issaquah, Washington, a thirty-minute drive to Seattle. They met while they were protesting the development of a road that would clear-cut forest. Linda is a former educator, mother and also had a long history of environmental and social activism. They live on a forested, seven-acre plot of land with their dog, Shepherd.
In 2008, Linda wrote a book based on John’s time in Dustoff, conducting interviews and retrieving documents and correspondence from the war.
“It was healing for John,” Linda said. “Vietnam remains in the blood and bones of many veterans — veterans who have experienced combat and witnessed the horrors of war like John did.”
John and Linda now run a website that informs about Dustoff and serves as a landing point for veteran, local and climate news. It details Linda’s books and John’s fight to get Congressional recognition for the Dustoff crews.
“It means a lot that the medal is given to Vietnam[’s] Dustoff [crews] as a whole, because we were a team,” John said. “We flew the missions so others may live.”

“ In some ways, it was like the movie Platoon. The chopper flew right into the gore and violence.  Except the bullets were real.  Former Army medic John Seebeth recalls, ‘I felt invincible, like a demigod.  We’d fly into a hell hole and I’d bring them back to life.’

Many of the grunts he saved are still alive but almost 20 years older now.  Most go to work, raise families and cope with their past on the East Side.  Seebeth, with Washington State Job Securities in Bellevue, spreads information to vets that resources, support groups, benefits and jobs are available.  Veterans’ organizations, corporate programs and private trauma facilities are also at work to help open the ‘closet door’ to the Vietnam-era vets this side of Lake Washington…

…But Eastside vets do have Seebeth and employment representative Paul Coover at Job Securities in Bellevue to give them a hand.
They are able to place most vets with jobs, maybe not the perfect match, but a good start, says Coover.

Last year, that translated into about 1,300 Vietnam-era vets served, or 12 percent of the people who walked in the door of the Bellevue office, Coover says.

Seebeth and Coover hope to reach more of the disabled vets known to live in the outlying East Side areas.  In order to get information about vet agencies and benefits, Seebeth – winner of the 1886 Washington State Employment Securities outstanding employee award – spends one day a week of his Outreach program in North Bend.  In the next month he will open another office in Bothell.

Seebeth also takes a 90-minute Public Broadcasting video called For Vietnam Veterans and Those Who Care to local vets center.

Besides Outreach and the video, Coover says Job Securities offers seminars on how to find jobs, how to crack the ‘hidden job market,’ how to fill out applications, write resumes and conduct interviews.

‘it’s interesting that five years ago no one wanted to talk about vets, but now it’s fashionable,’ muses Coover.  ‘But it’s good that people are developing an understanding.  It’s like time heals all wounds.’”

“On November 2, besides the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Olympia, Washington, the first in a series of billboards was officially unveiled,  Despite the gray, overcast afternoon, well over 100 observers were on hand to witness this special moment.  Not since the official ceremony on May 1987, when the Washington State Vietnam Veterans Memorial was first dedicated, had such a prestigious delegation of government, corporate, and military leaders gathered.

The highlight of the ceremony came when a representative of Ackerley’s Communications signaled to unveil the billboard.  Cosponsored by Washington State Employment Security and Ackerley’s Communications, the billboards urge disabled veterans to ‘Access life – join the work force.’  Three disabled veterans (Jim Martinson, Tom Person, and Charles Sadler), whose eyes and expressions reflect the meaning of the moment, are pictured in front of the memorial, donned in camouflage uniforms.  A hundred billboards will be put up throughout the state, with many more to follow in Florida and Massachusetts.

Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro, the keynote speaker, urged veterans to ‘get involved.’  The times are changing, he said, and it is time for vets to start feeling good about themselves.  That message was conveyed over and over, as Governor Booth Gardner, Commissioner Isaiah Turner, Barry Ackerley, and RCH Executive Director Rich Welsh came to the podium and urged disabled veterans to access life, to go beyond their disabilities and highlight their abilities.

The ceremony was hosted by the International Association of Personnel in Employment Security (IAPES).

As the program ended and the band began packing up their instruments, veterans embraced and shook hands.   This was their day – an affirmation for the survivors and a deep respect and sadness for the fallen.
November 2 represented a truly national movement, with Washington taking the lead, urging disabled veterans to get involved.

The second noteworthy event was the November 19 conference entitled, ‘Can You Meet the Challenge?’  Veteran’s service officers from all over the state attended the meeting at RCH, where local and nationally known speakers discussed the issues and concerns of the disabled vet.
Donald Shasteen, assistant secretary of labor for veterans training and employment, flew in from Washington D.C., to be the keynote speaker.  He relayed  that the current government programs for helping veterans find employment are working, but more needs to be done.  Other speakers, including PVA National President Jack Michaels, DVA National Service Supervisor Dale White, and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Director John Reynolds, voiced the same concerns…”

TO:  John Seebeth
FROM: Rich Walsh
SUBJ: Billboard 400 Campaign and Meeting The Challenge
DATE: December 9, 1987

I would like to take this time to document, in writing, what I consider an extraordinary job, on your part, resulting in the success of both the above mentioned projects.
The professionalism of the preparations, the band, stage, speakers. luncheon, and dinner is attributable to your tremendous efficiency and planning.
I wish you would consider this a job extremely well done.
Speaking for everyone, I am very proud to have you on our team.

by Robert Fleagle
Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington (1994):

“The Committee for Greenhouse Action (Issaquah Washington) is a committee of one focused intently on “thinking globally, acting locally.”  The chair and entire membership of the committee, John Seebeth, is a decorated Vietnam veteran who spent many months of convalescence from severe wounds reflecting on the war and concluding that his survival in a war he now saw as wrong required him to devote his efforts to long-range environmental goals.  He made himself broadly and well informed and set to work full-time on a variety of local projects, including organizing briefings for public officials, organizing lectures and discussions, writing newspaper columns and letters, and stimulating Issaquah, a city of 8,000 in a rapidly growing area, to create an Air Quality and Atmospheric Task Force.  In November 1992 the task force submitted a carefully prepared report to the City Council making 53 recommendations for specific actions designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, including preserving trees, eliminating wood-burning stoves and fireplaces in new developments, replacing petroleum with alternate fuels, and encouraging walking, carpooling, and the use of bicycles and buses through long-range planning.  Officials and citizens of several other towns in the region have become interested in Issaquah’s program and in initiating similar programs.” (page 161)

“This new award was given to Grand Ridge resident John Seebeth for his continued involvement in a variety of environmental efforts aimed ay preserving the earth’s natural resources. ‘Seebeth lives and breathes the environment.’ said Kiwanian Michael Crouse. Seebeth’s contributions include presentations at educational forums for business and schools, writing and overall visibility in the community as an environmental activist.  His extensive knowledge and background in world-wide issues, are a service to the community, said Crouse. Environmental awareness is a priority for Issaquah and Seebeth is part of that, said Crouse.”

Naomi Fine
Uniquely Issaquah
November 06, 2025

John Seebeth and his wife, Linda, live a quiet and peaceful life in the woods in Issaquah with their dog, Shepherd. But more than 55 years and thousands of miles away, he was part of a group of pilots and medics who flew helicopters in the midst of the violent Vietnam War. He was recently honored, along with all other members of his Army air ambulance unit, with the highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for service during the Vietnam War as a part of the Army air ambulance unit, often called “dustoff.”
It was a long and protracted effort to recognize the dustoff crews, taking over nine years to move through Congress, but in late 2024, the crews were recognized for their sacrifice and heroism. Of the 3,500 who flew dustoff during the Vietnam War, about 800 are still alive today.

Air Medics
Raised in Philadelphia, Mr. Seebeth enlisted for Vietnam as a 20-year-old. After a short training period, he went to Vietnam to serve as a helicopter medic. His group’s call sign was “dustoff;” the countryside was dry and dusty, so the evacuations would blow dust, dirt and other debris onto the ground. They flew UH-1 “Huey” helicopters and had the highest casualty rate of all flyers during the war. One third of all crew members were wounded or killed while serving.
Dustoff crews rank among the most decorated service members in U.S. history. In the Vietnam War, they introduced the groundbreaking practice of rapid, dedicated medical evacuations using unarmed helicopters in active combat zones. Mr. Seebeth flew dangerous missions to rescue his fellow soldiers and bring them to safety and medical care. The helicopters were typically unarmed with two pilots, a medic, and a crew chief. He shares “we flew our missions so others may live.” Throughout the Vietnam War, dustoff crews are credited with saving over 900,000 people.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) lauded the sacrifice (opens in a new tab) and heroism of the dustoff crews: “The all-volunteer Dustoff crews earned a well-deserved reputation for their heroic service doing one of the most dangerous jobs in one of history’s most dangerous conflicts.”

Life Altering Injury
Mr Seebeth’s experience in Vietnam was intense and traumatic. In late August, 1969, nine months into his time in Vietnam, and after many rescue missions to save wounded comrades and helping civilians evacuate and get treated for injuries, Mr. Seebeth was gravely injured by a gunshot wound to his neck while in the helicopter on a rescue mission to evacuate a soldier who was shot in the back.
During his evacuation, his vitals flatlined multiple times, requiring medics to bring him back again and again. A doctor performed a tracheotomy without anesthesia. “I had an out of body experience where I saw myself struggling and coughing up blood.” While the crew rushed to transport him to safety, he became calm. “I sat there in a moment of peace, looking at the sky, my consciousness was merging with the sky.” All he felt then was love, “just love.”

Life After Vietnam
Mr. Seebeth couldn’t speak for two years following his injury in Vietnam and underwent many operations. He was told by doctors that the hole in his throat would not heal, which meant he could not be a police officer, his initial dream following Vietnam.
As a part of his healing process, John traveled through the mountains on a borrowed bicycle, camping and exploring on his own. He has even biked above the Arctic Circle—twice! He found purpose in helping others, including veterans. John became passionate about the environment, leading a task force on global warming in Issaquah. He was honored in 1992 with the Issaquah Kiwanis Club Environmental Award. His experience in Vietnam haunts him, and led him to seek ways to minimize suffering, which led him to his passion for climate change. Eventually he became staunchly anti-war, and is a passionate advocate for peace around the world.
When training in the army, he was told: ‘John, you pick ’em up, do your job, and forget about them.’ But Mr. Seebeth has not forgotten the bodies and faces of fellow soldiers and the Vietnamese who were gravely injured, both those he helped save, and those that could not be saved. His path following Vietnam was difficult, and he suffered from PTSD. Mr. Seebeth now lives a quiet life with his wife, Linda in the woods off of Black Nugget Road. But telling his story is important, and a part of his healing. Linda wrote a book (opens in a new tab) based on John’s experiences in the war.
This Veterans Day, we honor all veterans, especially those local in our community – like John Seebeth – for their heroism and actions in service to our country.