Papa Bravo Romeo: U.S. Navy Patrol Beats in Vietnam

Our mission was independent, no-holds-barred combat against a stubborn enemy in the enemy's backyard. In Vietnam, river warfare was often conducted in the dark.

It was always dangerous, sometimes fatal - especially in the eastern end of the Cong-plagued Mekong Delta.

In 1967, US Navy Lt.

Wynn Goldsmith was the "river rat" who led the first MK II PBR patrol boats in brutal combat. It was a deadly business.

These sailors, famous for their courage and combat effectiveness, faced sniper bullets, machine guns, and mines while searching sampans, patrolling treacherous enemy-controlled waterways like Ambush Alley, and rescuing crews from burning boats in the middle of firefights.