Marvin J. Wolf

Marvin J. Wolf was born in the summer of 1941 in Chicago, Illinois. He was a salesman before enlisting and serving in the Vietnam War. He deployed with the advance party of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in August 1965. He was a PFC combat correspondent in the Division Public Information Office. As a combat photojournalist, Marvin accomplished numerous duties. He was once sent aloft in a helicopter to take pictures of the landscape, so that the Special Forces Photo Lab can create an aerial map from his photos. He and others performed the clearing exercise, Operation Golf Course, and created the world’s largest helicopter landing field, large enough to disperse more than 400 aircraft, with only hand tools in An Khe. After deploying, Marvin gained experience in the field as a combat photographer and reporter for the next several months. He was once wounded by a shrapnel, but not seriously. When his comrade, Specialist Four Joe Treaster, left after completing his service, Marvin got his job as the chief combat correspondent. He was also promoted to sergeant, and his duties included reporting, photographing, and escorting visiting journalists. In this way, he met and worked with the cream of the international press corps. Near the end of his tour, he spent a week escorting the famed military writer, Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall, and another week escorting the Nobel laureate, John Steinbeck. In November 1966, he became one of only 60 U.S. soldiers and marines to be commissioned as a second lieutenant (Infantry) directly from the ranks. The remaining 59 were Special Forces sergeants and warrant officer helicopter pilots. He left Vietnam ten days after his commission was awarded, and returned only in 2005 as a tourist. With his experience as a writer, Marvin co-authored and wrote multiple books such as Abandoned in Hell: The Fight For Vietnam’s Firebase Kate and Buddha’s Child: My Fight to Save Vietnam. He resides in California as of today. The profilers are all students at the University of Southern California. Michael Bachurski is a freshman majoring in Media Arts and Practice. Subeom Bae is a freshman majoring in Computer Science. Yunhan Yang is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science, and is anticipated to graduate in 2018.