Rick Springfield has opened up about a disturbing experience from his time in Vietnam, revealing that he believes he killed someone during an attack while he was there performing for American troops.
The singer, now 77, traveled to Vietnam in 1968 when he was a young musician. During the trip, Springfield and his band were entertaining American servicemen when the situation suddenly became much more dangerous.
While staying at a U.S. military base near Da Nang, Springfield said the camp came under attack. He recalled being encouraged by soldiers to help fire mortars toward an area where they believed enemy forces were located.
Springfield said he fired several rounds but did not fully understand the consequences of what he was doing. The next morning, he was reportedly told that one of the mortars he had fired had hit and killed someone. He later described the realization as something that stayed with him long after he returned home.
Speaking about the experience on The Joe Rogan Experience, Springfield said it remains difficult for him to process. He was very young at the time and had gone to Vietnam as a musician, not as a trained soldier.
He also recalled other dangerous moments from the trip, including being around military operations that exposed him to the realities of the war firsthand. The experience was far removed from the life he would later have as a successful rock star.
More than five decades later, Springfield says the memory continues to affect him. His account offers a rare look at a frightening chapter of his early life and the burden he says he carried after learning that someone had died.
Springfield has not suggested that he deliberately intended to kill anyone. His story is based on his own recollection of what happened during the attack.