Albert C. Provo

**Albert C. Provo** was a U.S. Army soldier who served during the Vietnam War as a member of the **Green Berets** Special Forces.

Sgt. Provo was a member of Colonel Mike Kirby's A-Team Detachments formed and deployed in Vietnam. He was a heavy weapons specialist and was noted for saying "not if I can find a light one." Provo was the first to volunteer to join the teams, when he directly spoke with Col. Kirby back at Fort Bragg. A consummate professional, Provo expressed his reason for volunteering was due to his dedication as a soldier and knowing the current action was in Vietnam. Impressed, Col. Kirby told him he would let him know whether or not the team would be formed and if Provo would be apart of it. His service record was quickly requested by Col. Kirby and Sgt. McGee recommended him as he was a *"good man"*.

Described in the movie trailer as *"humble"*, Sgt. Provo did not have elaborate ambitions other than to serve well in the Army. He had a plaguing issue with the memorial signs he constantly saw throughout the army bases, dedicated to dead American war heroes of the Vietnam War. He explained to the Colonel during a jeep ride from a Da Nang headquarter office, that the name Provo did not *"sing"* with anything, including streets or buildings. Col. Kirby in a slightly tongue-in-cheek fashion, replied *"when you do think of something that sings, you let us know. Because we'd want you to have the best."*

When in Da Nang airfield, Provo saw another memorial sign that was dedicated to a sergeant. named Arthur E. Fuller. According to Sgt. Muldoon, Sgt. Fuller received a Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) after his death. This did not improve Provo's misgivings about his own fate.

## Action

During the course of the teams' first mission, to replace a garrison stationed at Camp 2-9er Savoy, Provo survived a harassment mortar fire launched late in the night by Viet-Cong forces. The mortar fire struck the team house, the dispensary and the communication bunker. The shot to the team house effectively killed the camp's American commander Captain Coleman. Provo cited the fact that Coleman was due to return home the following day.

Provo was not seen for most of the remaining time Kirby's teams were stationed at 2-9er Savoy. He was instead assigned to the "Mike Force" that was flown in with Col. Kirby during the battle of 2-9er Savoy. The battle was a long, hard-fought engagement that lasted into late morning hours. During the dawning hours, Provo was leading Sgt. Parks and two Montagnard soldiers through the camp, carrying a .30 caliber heavy machine gun. Col. Kirby ordered Provo to dig in with his machine gun and help support the .50 caliber machine gun tower. Provo, unaware of the Viet-Cong traitors manning the gun tower above him, assumed command of the setting up of the .30 caliber. The Viet-Cong soldiers shot down on Provo, wounding him and killing one of the Montagnard soldiers. An enraged Capt. Nim saw the incident and promptly detonated his secret explosives set in the gun tower, killing the Viet-Cong insiders. Provo later died of his wounds after sharing a last drink with Col. Kirby and told him his request for his memorial sign name. It was later revealed Sgt. Provo had requested his name be assigned to a public use facility known as Provo Privy.

## Trivia

* He was portrayed by the late Luke Askew