REED CITY — Northern Michigan said goodbye to a heroic Vietnam War veteran on Friday.
Ned Seath died last April 29 at the age of 81.
We’ve brought you Ned’s story over the years on 9&10, including in 2011 when he received one of our nation’s highest military honors.
Ned Seath joined the Marines in 1962 and quickly proved himself a Marine’s Marine.
“His father was a Marine, WWII. So he had the chance to have a football scholarship, or he could join the Marine Corps, and that’s what he chose to do,” Ned’s daughter Melissa said.
It was in the jungles of Vietnam in July of 1966 where Ned etched himself into Marine lore, first, saving a wounded fellow Marine. Ned recalled that rescue in a 2011 interview with 9&10 News.
“They told me I couldn’t get to Corporal Blake, and he told me he did not want me to lose my life and leave him alone, and he was tired of all this noise and he knew that sniper was going to kill him. I drug him back to a Corpsman and we don’t leave ‘em out there,” Seath said.
The next day, Ned and his fellow Marines found themselves facing down an advancing North Vietnamese Army. It was there that Ned took two broken M60 machine guns and pieced together one working gun and opened fire.
“I knew they were coming. I already had that weapon set and when they were going to come right down that trail, I had it all rigged up, but once we get it gulping, get that turned up, we’re going to listen to her talk,” recalled Ned.
Ned’s actions in the Vietnam jungle almost certainly saved countless lives.
“He took the lead. But also, the guys were scared. They’re like we’re done. We’re all numbered basically. We might as well give up. And he said we’re not going to give up,” said Melissa
Ned was honored for his heroism in 2011 with the Navy Cross, one of the nation’s highest military honors.
“That was his moment. They were being overrun, and they were 35, 40 to 1. And they were being overtaken. And he said, ‘Let me get both machine guns.’ The big machine guns were broken, it was pitch dark out and everybody was ready to give up. And my dad said, ‘We’re not going to give up,’” said Melissa.
Every generation has its heroes and for an entire generation of Vietnam Marines, Ned Seath is theirs.
“It just shows. His courage is so amazing,” Melissa said. “It’s just unlike any other. I don’t know too many people who would have done that. I think it was his will to live. It’s your absolute will to live, to do whatever you have to do, no matter what it takes. And you have to have that strong will to live in order to stand up and to do that.”
A fitting tribute to a man who personified selfless service to others.
He was a front-line machine gunner for his squad. He saved a lot of lives. Brought a lot of men home because of his heroism and intuitiveness,” Melissa said.
Ned’s family has started working to have him bestowed with the nation’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in Vietnam.