Ripley and the Bridge at Dong Ha

During the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive in 1972, then-Captain John Ripley, U.S. Marine Corps, single-handedly destroyed a key bridge near the village of Dong Ha and halted the advance of a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regiment of thirty thousand troops and two hundred tanks. ^[7] The results Ripley achieved were nonlinear in the sense that they were disproportionate to the effort made by one man and almost unbelievable in their ability to modify the tactical situation he faced. The impact came from his extraordinary physical efforts in the face of extreme adversity but also from his willingness to act decisively in the absence of guidance from higher headquarters.

Rapidly advancing in a southerly direction toward Hue City, the NVA regiment aimed to cross the Cam Lo River via a small but sturdy bridge near the village of Dong Ha. Ripley realized that the South Vietnamese unit to which he was attached as an adviser could do little to stop the NVA regiment and quickly devised a daring plan to destroy the bridge, the only available river crossing for miles.

Exposed to heavy enemy fire and armed with little more than a backpack , Ripley traveled hand-over-hand along the bottom of the bridge and ferried explosives to its key structural points. Making approximately twelve trips over the course of three hours and crimping the detonators with his teeth, Ripley secured hundreds of pounds of explosives to the bridge s girders. He detonated the bridge just prior to the arrival of the NVA regiment, and the regiment s sudden stop caused a pileup among its vehicles. Sensing vulnerability, he then called in an intense , steady barrage of aircraft and naval gunfire support, which inflicted heavy damage on his tangled opponent . For his heroic actions, which played a major role in thwarting the NVA Easter Offensive, Ripley later received the Navy Cross, his nation s second-highest award for valor.

Leadership Lessons

Ripley understood the larger context into which his actions fit and aggressively exercised initiative to achieve breakout results; he did not ask for permission. His heroism suggests that individual actions can make an impact at the strategic level, and organizations can unlock this potential by affording their people the latitude they need to crimp detonators with their teeth.

^[7] Miller, John G., The Bridge at Dong Ha .