Sam Ybarra (1945–1982) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

soldier who served in the

Tiger Force Tiger Force was the name of a long-range reconnaissance patrol unit of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade (Separate), 101st Airborne Division, which fought in the Vietnam War from November 1965 to November 1967. The unit ...

commando unit attached to the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He is notable for alleged involvement in war crimes alongside the Tiger Force unit. Ybarra was born and raised on the

San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation ( Western Apache: Tsékʼáádn), in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1872 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe as well as surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands removed f ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

to a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

father and an

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

mother. When he was five, his father died in a bar brawl, and after that he was raised by his mother. He attended Globe High School in

Globe, Arizona Globe ( apw, Bésh Baa Gowąh "Place of Metal") is a city in Gila County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,249. The city is the county seat of Gila County. Globe was founded c. 1875 as a mining ca ...

, and was arrested four times as a teenager for disturbing the peace and underage drinking. Ybarra enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1966, along with his childhood friend, Kenneth Green, and the friends were attached to the Tiger Force unit. Both he and Green committed atrocities against Vietnamese civilians during the war, and engaged in the Tiger Force practice of cutting off trophy ears from their victims. Ybarra was noted by the '' Stars and Stripes'' magazine as having recorded the 1000th kill of Operation Wheeler. Green was killed on September 29, 1967, and other Tiger Force soldiers claim that it threw Ybarra over the edge, as he vowed to avenge his friend's death. As a result, he became the unit's worst killer, and had to be transferred out of the unit to an artillery company in early 1968. Ybarra went on to be

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed for insubordination, and was dishonorably discharged in late 1968. He would later be named in 7 of the 30 allegations that the Army would later investigate the unit for. Once discharged, Ybarra could not be compelled to testify to the investigations against him, and declined three times. He died of pneumonia in 1982, at age 37, living with his mother on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, reportedly contrite and depressed over his role in the war.

References

* Sallah, Michael and Mitch Weiss. ''Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War''. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006, * Greiner, Bernd. ''Krieg ohne Fronten: Die USA in Vietnam''. Hamburg: Hamburger Edition, 2007

* Toledo Blade Article Series on Tiger Forc

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ybarra, Sam 1945 births 1982 deaths Apache people American murderers of children United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army personnel who were court-martialed American people of Mexican descent Native American United States military personnel Deaths from pneumonia in Arizona War criminals