Sgt. Burnell Sumpter, M/3/7 Marines Vietnam: The Dirty Dozen

Burnell Sumpter grew up in Jacksonville Florida, A tremendous five sport athlete, he surely could have played college sports and beyond, had it not been for his youthful indiscretions and hot temper. Because of trouble with the law and his affiliation with a local gang, Burnell found himself headed down the wrong path. Burnell recalls, "At 25 I had one foot in the graveyard and the other in the jailhouse ". When he was 25 he was drafted into the Army but chose to join the Marines instead. After being sent to Vietnam, he was assigned to M/3/7 where he saw heavy combat early in Operation Desoto where most of his squad was killed and he was wounded. When he recovered, he vowed to get payback and to help as many of his fellow Marines return home as possible. He would eventually become a squad leader and his squad's exploits would be highlighted by the Marine Corp's Sea Tiger Magazine. Sumpter spent 18 months in Vietnam, here is his story. This is a series of conversations I had with members of the same unit, Mike Company, 3/7 Marines from 1967-1968 during the Vietnam War. It follows the Members of the company as they engage the enemy in areas like Charlie Ridge, The Arizona Territory, Dodge City, and Liberty Bridge. All have their own perspectives and experiences within the same fighting Unit. For more information about the M. Co. Marines go to www.acommonvirtue.com or @Acommonvirtue on Instagram.