Rick Springfield recalls firing mortars during a 1968 Vietnam tour and learning one round killed an enemy combatant, a memory he still carries.
Rick Springfield is opening up about one of the darkest experiences of his life, revealing that a trip to Vietnam to entertain American troops ultimately ended with him learning that a mortar he fired had killed a man.
The Australian rock star discussed the disturbing episode during an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” recalling his time in Vietnam before he became internationally famous.
Springfield said he traveled to Vietnam with his band in 1968 and spent roughly four months performing for U.S. troops stationed throughout the war zone. What he initially viewed as an opportunity to make money quickly became a frightening encounter with the realities of combat.
Springfield’s Vietnam tour took a dangerous turn
Springfield explained that promoters in Saigon and Da Nang hired bands that could provide American troops with a connection to home. He recalled performing at firebases and other military locations, sometimes while fighting was taking place nearby.
The musician said his group was exposed to rocket and mortar attacks during the tour and that the experience was very different from the safe, structured military entertainment tours he had imagined.
Springfield said the band eventually befriended Navy personnel near Da Nang and stayed overnight with them. During an attack, everyone moved into defensive positions while Springfield remained in a radio shack.
That was when he found himself unexpectedly involved in the fighting.
Rock star recalls firing mortars during attack
According to Springfield, he was instructed to fire mortars during the attack after being told there were no friendly forces in the area.
Looking back, Springfield said he was young and did not fully comprehend the consequences of what he was doing at the time.
He described the experience as something resembling a movie, saying the attitude of his younger self was essentially one of bravado rather than an understanding of the gravity of combat.
But the reality became clear the following day.
Springfield said he was told that one of the mortar rounds he had fired had hit someone.
‘I was responsible for the end of a life’
The revelation stayed with Springfield long after he left Vietnam.
The singer explained that learning he had killed someone was one of the hardest parts of the experience for him to process. Although he emphasized that the incident occurred during wartime and that he did not fully understand what he was doing as a young man, he said the memory remains difficult to confront.
Springfield described the realization as something he has carried for decades.
He also stressed that his experience in Vietnam was not something he had anticipated when he accepted the opportunity to perform for troops.
Four months in a war zone
Springfield spent approximately four months in Vietnam, traveling from areas around Saigon and Da Nang toward the Demilitarized Zone.
His account included memories of performing for troops on the backs of trucks, playing at firebases and experiencing incoming fire while on tour. He recalled that the musicians initially expected something resembling a traditional military entertainment tour but instead found themselves operating in an active war zone.
The experience was also consistent with Springfield’s earlier recollections of performing for troops during the Vietnam War. In a previous interview, he said he was only 17 when he went to Vietnam and described the experience as intensely frightening, including occasions when the group came under fire.
A memory Springfield still carries
Decades after the Vietnam War, Springfield’s account shows how unexpectedly civilians could become caught up in combat.
The musician entered Vietnam as a young performer whose primary goal was entertaining troops. Instead, he experienced attacks firsthand and, during one of those attacks, fired a weapon that he later learned had killed an enemy combatant.
For Springfield, that moment became one of the most difficult memories from his youth.
Now, more than five decades later, the rock star says the reality of having contributed to another person’s death remains emotionally difficult to face.
His revelation offers a striking reminder of how the Vietnam War affected not only soldiers but also the entertainers and civilians who entered the conflict zone, often finding themselves confronted with circumstances far beyond what they expected.
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