Elmhurst resident Russell F. Caforio, a Vietnam War combat veteran while serving in the United States Army as a Staff Sergeant, will serve as the Grand Marshal for Elmhurst’s 105th Memorial Day Parade through downtown Elmhurst on Monday, May 29, stepping off from York and Third streets at 9:30 a.m.
“I am honored to be chosen as Grand Marshall,” stated Caforio. “It means a lot to me.”
Caforio served a seven-month tour of duty in Vietnam with D Company, First Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, First Infantry Division.
Better known as the Big Red One, the First Infantry Division was one of the first two Army divisions sent to defend the Republic of Vietnam in 1965.
For five years, First Infantry Division troops fought main force Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars in the jungles northwest of Saigon.
During his tour in Vietnam, Caforio commanded a platoon of 40 infantrymen tasked with executing “search and destroy” missions out of their home base in Lai Khe, a garrison town located 60 kilometers north of Saigon.
His combat service ended prematurely when he tore cartilage in his “good” knee during a night mission and was shipped out to Camp Zama Army Hospital in Japan, leading to his early release. He received an Honorable Discharge in April of 1973 following four years of service in the reserves.
In recognition of his military service, Caforio received a National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Combat Infantry Badge and Good Conduct Medal.
Caforio described his Viet Cong adversaries as “farmers by day and fighters by night.”
Soldiers were all too aware of the daily dangers they confronted, whether on base or in the field. The platoon leader who preceded Caforio lost his thumb in combat, his replacement’s leg was shot off and Caforio was struck by lightning while standing in barbwired water.
Patrols dealt with an assortment of enemy booby traps, bouncing betty bombs and snipers, besides deadly chance encounters with poisonous snakes and pythons.
“Most of the guys realized they could be dead at any time,” stated Caforio, an amateur photographer who captured his combat service on 35 millimeter film.
His platoon regularly spent the night off base working to set the enemy up for an ambush, while also trying to avoid getting ambushed.
When set up in defensive positions, his platoon relied on 50-calibre machine guns and both 81 and 105 millimeter howitzers. If needed, B-25 medium range bombers from the U.S. Air Force were called in to provide saturation bombing.
Intricate tunnels systems allowed the enemy both an escape route and an avenue for removing their dead from the battlefield without being seen or counted.
Caforio recalled the U.S. having to pay France when the Michelin Rubber Plantation, which the 1st Infantry Division protected, was sprayed with Agent Orange.
Born in Johnson City, New York, Caforio grew up in the nearby village of Endicott and graduated from Union Endicott High School in 1963. After turning 18 in 1962, he registered for the draft, as required by the Selective Service Act.
Caforio graduated community college with an Associate’s degree in Engineering Physics and then moved to the Chicago area in 1965 to work a draft-deferment position at Argonne National Laboratory. Even so, he was called in for a physical, but ruled unfit for military service (4-F) due to a bad knee.
Two industrial accidents in 1966 convinced Caforio to find a new job in 1967, resulting in a transfer to Cincinnati, Ohio. In April, he was called in for a second physical, “passed” and then on a bus to Fort Gordan, Georgia, for Basic Training that same day.
After basic training, Caforio completed Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Training at Fort Benning in Georgia and then NCO Phase 2-OJT (On-The-Job Training) at Fort Polk in Iowa, moving up in rank from Private First Class (E-2) to Staff Sergeant (E-6).
Caforio married his long-time girlfriend Sharon in February of 1968 after receiving his orders for Vietnam, celebrating their 55th Anniversary this year. The parents of two first met when they were five years old through an affiliated church in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While in Vietnam, he tried to send something home to his wife every day.
An Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and Industry member since 1985, he is the Owner and President of Russell F. Caforio & Associates, an Oak Brook-based independent consulting, insurance and securities brokerage founded in 1971.