Lasting friendship: Apalachicola veteran saved soldier who later founded Vietnam memorial

APALACHICOLA  — Fifty-three years ago, a badly wounded Jan Scruggs was lying in a dense jungle in Vietnam expecting to die.

After three rounds of rocket-propelled grenades exploded near him, Scruggs collapsed to the ground, bleeding heavily from severe shrapnel wounds as the sounds of gunfire and grenades drowned out the screams of soldiers. 

He said he implored God for a break. That break came in the form of Jimmy Mosconis — his platoon sergeant from Apalachicola who also was wounded from the grenade attack and who dragged him out of harm's way.

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"I got wounded pretty badly and Jimmy got wounded, too, but he had to go chase after this guy who kind of panicked to run through the jungle without a rifle ... not a good idea," Scruggs said with a laugh. "He was able to find this guy, get him reoriented, and he organized a rescue party to find me and they found me."

Since rescuing Scruggs in 1969, the two Army veterans have maintained a strong friendship. They also have gone on to make names for themselves — Mosconis as a well-known businessman and a longtime county commissioner in Franklin County and Scruggs as the visionary behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., more than 40 years ago.

A wall to bring people together

They also have found ways to share their story.

Mosconis traveled to Washington, D.C., on Saturday to reconnect with Scruggs beside the memorial.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, completed in 1982, is a national memorial honoring U.S. service members who fought in the Vietnam War. The 2-acre site is dominated by a black granite wall engraved with the names of service members who died as a result of their service in Vietnam and South East Asia during the war. The wall since has been supplemented with the Three Servicemen bronze statue and the Vietnam Women's Memorial.

Accompanied by other veterans who served with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, the two veterans on Saturday told the story of their time in the war and honored soldiers who had fallen.

During the years, the two have remained close, supporting each other in their personal and professional lives — sometimes reflecting on their time in Vietnam, sometimes sharing a laugh while fishing at Mosconis' popular Apalachicola lodge. 

Mosconis said he was excited to see Scruggs again for the first time in a couple of years. He added how strong of a bond they have formed.

"I have a good memory of him over there because he was a guy that I could depend on," Mosconis said. "I was a platoon sergeant in charge of the whole platoon. And here's one of my guys in my platoon and he was just trustworthy and dependable."

A 1969 meeting in the jungles of Vietnam

Scruggs, just 18 years old, enlisted for the military straight out of high school in August 1968. He was trained on fire mortars and served as an infantryman until he was sent to Vietnam in April 1969 for a one-year tour.

That's where he met Mosconis, who began his military career in November 1967. 

Mosconis had arrived to Firebase Nan in October 1968. He recalls his first impression of the new recruit Scruggs as being quiet but dependable.

"In Vietnam, he was one of those, I bet, 100 of us in our group and he was the kind of guy that you could depend on," Mosconis said. "If you want something done, if you asked him to do it, he'll get it done. As I assess my memories of him, he was a real good guy."

When meeting his sergeant, Scruggs noted Mosconis was very likable among other soldiers and heavily respected by everyone on base. While many would keep their distance from high-ranked officials, Scruggs said those at the platoon level weren't as regimented. 

The two would develop a friendship while serving in Vietnam, Scruggs adding he had Mosconis to thank for his role on the base.

"As soon as I went there, instead of being a mortarman, they wanted me to be an infantryman, go out with the guys, fighting with the rifles and all that sort of thing," Scruggs said. "And Jimmy said, 'Look, we went to the captain and said, 'Look, we really need a good man here in the mortar platoon.' ' And so with his intervention, I became a mortarman and fired mortars instead of being in the infantry."

Fought in a 'sword fight and lost'

Scruggs and Mosconis were headed to Xuan Loc, South Vietnam, to patrol with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade on May 27, 1969. 

"Once we got to Xuan Loc, we got ourselves organized because they were going to go on patrol. We were going to leave the mortar weapons back at the base camp, and I think they left a couple of guys at the base camp," Scruggs said. "They took the rest of us and made us go on the patrol with the infantry."

That's when they ran into North Vietnamese soldiers, well-trained and well-equipped, said Scruggs.

A bloody battle lasted more than four hours, leaving two Americans dead and 10 wounded. One of the dead included their friend, infantryman Claude Van Andel, who was killed when a claymore mine exploded next to him.

The following day, they were told Army tanks would get them out of the jungle. However, it was too late. Just before 9:30 a.m., the shooting started again. And then grenades started raining down.

"I was behind a tree and then I moved and right after I moved, the place where I was standing turned into a little hole. This thing would have cut me in half, the rocket-propelled grenades," Scruggs said. "And then I was firing my rifle and here comes Jimmy and another guy. And they said 'They're throwing grenades from the trees back there.'"

The three Americans started shooting toward the trees, trying to survive. With all the chaos, they didn't notice that enemy soldiers had gotten behind them, armed with grenades.

Having a clear shot, three grenades were thrown at Scruggs, Mosconis and their fellow soldier. Despite being farthest from the blast, Scruggs saw the worst of it.

Mosconis said it looked like Scruggs was in a "sword fight and lost." 

"I mean, he was marked all up from head to toe," Mosconis said. "It's hard to explain, that's my impression of it. I was closer, closer to the explosion. It hurt me the least."

With blood pouring from his shrapnel-ripped body, Scruggs said he thought his life was over. 

"I was laying there, I mean, I really thought I was dying and I said the Lord's Prayer and really had kind of one of these out-of-body experiences where you kind of see yourself," Scruggs said. "I'm just kind of floating up through the trees or something."

That's when he heard, "Scruggs is here, Scruggs is here!" Mosconis, and the search party he had organized, found Scruggs and dragged him to safety. 

"That's when I saw him, Mosconis, and the other guys that dragged me out of the way. ... There was actually some people who were shooting at them while they were dragging me and nobody got hurt," Scruggs said.

Scruggs was airlifted to 6th Convalescent Center in Cam Ranh Bay, where he was hospitalized for a couple of months before returning to Mosconis' unit. Despite his serious injuries, Scruggs was lucky to some degree. Before the patrol, he had connected an Army poncho to his belt, which stopped a golf ball-sized piece of shrapnel from tearing through him. 

Maintaining a decades-long connection 

Mosconis retired from his military career a few years later, returning home to Apalachicola and starting his Bay City Lodge in 1974. Still reeling in clientele from throughout the South to fish in the Gulf waters, he's been working at his lodge for more than 40 years.

Scruggs finished his Vietnam tour and later received the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry Badge and an award for gallantry. Almost 10 years later to the day from his injury, Scruggs announced plans to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

The two men have stayed close, with Scruggs listening to Mosconis' advice of staying true to his word and giving 100% of his energy to the project.

On March 26, 1982, Mosconis attended the groundbreaking of the memorial, saying he felt proud of his friend for honoring veterans. 

"It's pretty, pretty amazing. Pretty impressive," Mosconis said. "Anyway, he came up with an idea of doing something like that. And it was successful."

In 2000, Scruggs paid a visit to his former sergeant in Apalachicola. He mentioned that Frederick Hart, the late sculptor who created the Three Servicemen statue, had expressed the desire to have five replicas in other places around the country.

Asked if he wanted the first replica built in his hometown, Mosconis jumped at the chance. Built in 2008, the statue sits close to Apalachicola's downtown.

Mosconis said it's a sight to behold. 

"It's impressive, the detail in it is just amazing," Mosconis said. "You have to see it to believe it."

Nowadays, the memories between the two are calmer, filled with fishing, and boating off the coast of Mexico. Scruggs recalls the many trips he's taken down to Florida, noting how Mosconis and his family welcomed him with open arms every time. 

Scruggs said he's grateful to have Mosconis in his life, adding he was excited to reunite with him at the memorial this weekend.

"For me, he's always been a good example of the kind of person that you want to have as a friend and that you want to emulate in your own life," Scruggs said.

Mosconis said their friendship will never die. 

Little did they know in 1969, that war-torn steaming jungle in Vietnam would weave them together for the rest of their lives.