DA NANG — Rick Springfield recounted participating in combat by throwing a mortar that killed a Viet Cong attacker during a 1968 performance tour in Da Nang, Vietnam, he said in a podcast interview. The Australian singer-songwriter described the incident in a podcast interview posted on Tuesday.

During the attack, he said he stayed in the radio shack while others stayed in perimeter bunkers. He said he threw mortars down the tube of the radio shack during the attack. He stated he threw about five or six mortars down the tube during the attack. He said he was haphazardly loading a launcher and could have easily lost a hand.

He said soldiers told him there were no friendlies in the area before he fired. According to canberratimes.com, he described the incident in a podcast interview, stating that he was told there were no friendly forces nearby before he fired the mortar, and that he later learned one of his rounds had hit someone. He said a mortar he threw hit a person. He identified the person killed as a Viet Cong attacker.

He said soldiers told him the next day, "Hey, you got one! You got one!" He said the experience has never left him. "I think it’s still there. It’s hard for me to face that I was responsible for the end of a life, even though it’s distant and it’s war and I didn’t really have anything to do with it and didn’t really know what I was doing," he said.

He said the incident feels like it happened to another guy in another place. "That was a war situation but it is still something that to this day sends a shiver down my spine," he wrote in his memoir. He wrote about the incident in his 2010 memoir, Late, Late at Night. At the time of the incident in Vietnam, he was 18 years old. His band stayed in Vietnam for approximately four months.

Timeline

In 1968, Springfield traveled to Vietnam to perform for U.S. troops. He was 17 years old in 1968. Springfield stayed at a U.S. Navy encampment in the Marble Mountains near Da Nang.

In 2010, Springfield wrote about the incident in his memoir, Late, Late at Night. On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Springfield recounted the incident on an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

What's New

Further details indicate that Springfield's band stayed in Vietnam for approximately four months. Springfield stated that his band included female members because U.S. soldiers wanted to see girls who reminded them of home. He also stated that he and his band did not make money from the tour because they spent their earnings at the PX.

Springfield said soldiers told him there were no friendlies in the area before he fired. Reports note that Springfield was 18 years old at the time of the incident in Vietnam. Springfield stated he threw about five or six mortars down the tube during the attack.

Why It Matters

The account provides a personal perspective on the experiences of entertainers who visited conflict zones during the Vietnam War. Springfield's recollection shows the proximity of civilian performers to combat situations and the lasting psychological impact of such events. The story connects a historical event from 1968 to present-day discussion through a popular media platform.

Springfield's statement that American troops expressed confusion about why they were in Vietnam adds context to the broader sentiment among service members at the time. The revelation that the incident was previously documented in a 2010 memoir shows that the account has been part of his public narrative for over a decade. The recent podcast appearance brings renewed attention to these historical claims.