Heroism of The Hulk: A SEAL in Vietnam demonstrated the true meaning of valor

Back in the 1970s, on the sun-soaked Silver Strand of Coronado, CA, if you were down near the Naval Special Warfare compound where the West Coast Navy SEALs were based, you would undoubtedly notice a red corvette coming and going from the SEAL compound. That ‘vette sported a distinctive license plate, reading “HULK,” which described quite fittingly its muscle-bound owner. The red, vanity-plated muscle car belonged to Navy SEAL officer Tom “The Hulk” Richards, and all the SEALs around there knew it.

Richards – who passed away this past September – was well-known around those parts for his physique and flashy car. Yet, above all, he was best known in the SEAL community for his actions in Vietnam in 1971, which earned him a Bronze Star at the time. Those heroic actions still live on in SEAL lore to this day. Richards’ heroism and dedication to his wounded SEAL teammates was so extraordinary, that his Bronze Star was upgraded to a Silver Star in 2023, and If there is any justice in the world, it will be upgraded further.

In January 1971, then-LTJG Richards and his six-man SEAL patrol were ambushed by a Viet Cong force in the Ca Mau Penninsula. The Viet Cong outmanned the SEAL patrol by 10-to-1. Richards’ platoon commander and two other members of the patrol were seriously wounded, and Richards himself was shot through his right hand. Refusing to succumb to the terror and pain that might have crippled any normal human in that situation, Richards led fearlessly, orchestrating close air support to suppress the enemy, and literally single-handedly pulling his comrades to safety and loading them on an evacuation helicopter.

Those actions were recently recounted by a friend and former SEAL teammate of Richards, retired SEAL Captain Michael Slattery, in an article for the U.S. Naval Institute. Slattery notes that “on that day, a Navy SEAL legend was born,” as Richards used his uninjured left arm to lift each wounded SEAL up to the evacuation helicopter, after he had braved enemy fire to drag each SEAL to safety.

As recounted by Commander Carl Nelson – the pilot of the lone Seawolf helicopter that responded to support and evacuate the SEALs – in a sworn statement regarding the engagement: “Richards, without doubt, should have been awarded the Medal of Honor” for his actions. Nelson describes how the distinctively-large SEAL could be seen dragging each of the wounded SEALs out of the kill zone. Nelson himself was, in fact, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism during the engagement.

In his career following Vietnam, “The Hulk” would eventually rise to the rank of rear admiral and command the Naval Special Warfare Command from 1996 to 1999.

In January 2023, Richards’ Bronze Star was upgraded by the secretary of the Navy to a Silver Star upon a Congressional review of the award. Reading the citation and reflecting upon Richards’ actions and heroism that day in Vietnam, this author would humbly submit that the award should have been upgraded to at least a Navy Cross, if not all the way to a Medal of Honor.

Richards would likely not find that distinction too important, though, were he still with us and inclined to comment. For him, it was simply about saving his friends, not receiving an award. As he stated when he received his Silver Star in 2023: “Thinking back on that day, I never gave any thought to my own personal exposure to enemy fire. I wanted to get my friends out of danger and to safety.” That, after all, is what it is really all about in the end.

Feature Image: LTG Thomas “The Hulk” Richards (left) receives his upgraded medal. (U.S. Navy)

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