ROCHELLE — Lyle Headon of Creston served in the United States Marines from 1964-1968. 

Headon served two tours of duty in Vietnam and reached the rank of sergeant only two years and three months into his time in the Corps. 

Headon grew up in Creston. While attending Northern Illinois University, he chose to enlist in the Marine Corps to fulfill a dream and do his part to help stop the spread of communism. Headon enlisted in Chicago on Sept. 19, 1964 and boarded a jet for San Diego, California for training, which he called “vigorous and demanding.” 

“I stood on those yellow footprints in receiving and heard the yelling and cursing of sergeants whose accents I did not recognize,” Headon said. “I wondered if I would fit into this strange culture. We were reduced in mind and built back up the Marine Corps way.  Training was the most vigorous and demanding any of us could have imagined. We learned to drill, shoot, hand-to-hand combat, first-aid, history and drill some more. Finally, we were built up to become a team and thusly Marines. Our drill sergeants had become gods and the replacement of any independent thought process we vaguely remembered.”

After 12 weeks of training and graduation, Headon was sent to the hills of Camp Pendleton in California, where he learned the basics of becoming a Marine grunt (rifleman). He learned how to night patrol, set up ambushes, clear minefields, fire all the weapons available and even use a flamethrower.  

Upon completion of training, Headon was assigned to Third Amtrac Battalion, First Marine Corps Division. In June 1965 Headon sailed with the Seventh Regimental Team to Vietnam, where he had his first tour of duty until December 1966. 

“My buddy Tom Allen and I had extended six months because of the lack of replacements coming in and the promise that we would never have to come back,” Headon said. “Nothing was in writing. I made the rank of sergeant. It was unheard of that someone with only two years and three months in the Corps could make that fast of rank.”

Headon came home for Christmas in 1966. After leave, he returned to Camp Pendleton and was assigned as a platoon sergeant of Second Platoon, Alpha Company, Fifth Amtrac Battalion. In that position, he was responsible for 10 Amtracs (amphibious tractors) and 40 Marines and answered directly to the platoon commander. 

“In October of 1967 I was given a choice of going back to Vietnam in either tanks or Amtracs,” Headon said. “I chose the latter and was sent to a combat base 3,000 meters south of the DMZ on the Qua Viet River.  We received constant artillery fire from North Vietnam, almost daily. In fact, whenever a helicopter would land on the helipad there on the beach, either bringing in replacements or taking out the wounded and dead, the North Vietnamese forward spotter would call in a firing mission.”

Most of Headon’s unit’s Amtracs were destroyed from mines or artillery, so unit members were turned into grunts and patrolled and ambushed. Headon was in a three-day rotation and would take out a patrol for 24 hours before returning to the base. 

“I still have my topography map with the artillery registration numbers and checkpoints that I called in,” Headon said. “The few vehicles that we could keep operational by cannibalizing the wrecks were used for supply and troop transport.”

Headon considers himself fortunate to have survived the Tet Offensive in 1968. He participated in the battles of Mai Xe Tai and Dai Do where the North Vietnamese 320th Division was defeated, but with great loss on both sides. Headon’s unit received two Presidential Unit Citations and one Navy Unit Citation.

The end of Headon’s service came in August 1969 when he was honorably discharged. He returned to NIU for school and persevered through the anti-war movement as many Vietnam veterans did after returning home.  

Headon’s medals include the Navy Achievement Medal with combat V, the Vietnam Service Medal with three clusters, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Navy Unit Commendation with two clusters, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, and the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Meritorious Unit Citation.

Headon married his wife, Cynthia, in 1969 and the couple had three children: Debbie, Lance and Frederick, who in turn gave them nine grandchildren. They continued to reside in Creston and operated Headon's Fine Meats. 

“I feel as a very proud person to have served my country and equally as proud to see my family grow into such fine citizens,” Headon said. “What more can a man ask for? Semper Fi”

Honoring Our American Hero is a series that will print twice a month in the News-Leader. If you know an American Hero you would like to have featured, contact Jeff Helfrich at jhelfrich@rochellenews-leader.com or call 815-561-2151.