Vietnam vet tackles terror as head of FBI: Robert Mueller has a daunting task ahead, but his combat experience as a Marine promises to make him an effective leader

VFW Magazine, Oct, 2002 by Tom Nugent

When the North Vietnamese infantry company opened fire with automatic weapons and grenade launchers, 2nd Lt. Bob Mueller instantly took command.

"Let's go, squad leaders! Defensive perimeter! Bring up that M-60, on the double. Come on, guys--move it!"

It happened in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, on Dec. 11, 1968.

On that morning 34 years ago, Robert Swan Mueller, III, was leading a U.S. Marine Corps infantry unit on a Vietnam War combat patrol.

Suddenly, Mueller's hard-charging platoon of gung-ho "grunts" found itself confronting more than 200 battle-hardened North Vietnamese regulars.

Within 15 minutes, Mueller's outfit had taken several casualties.

But the lieutenant didn't hesitate. After several months of grueling preparation at Quantico--headquarters for Marine Corps officer training--he was ready to assume command. During the next few hours, he would lead his courageous platoon of "jarheads" through a brutal firefight marked by heavy casualties on both sides.

He also would earn the Bronze Star for valor and the Purple Heart as commander of 2nd Plt., H Co., 2nd Bn., 4th Regt., 3rd Marine Div., during his tour in Vietnam between July 1968 and June 1969.

According to the .U.S. Marine Corps archives, here's what happened next on that long-ago morning in Quang Tri.

"Quickly establishing a defensive perimeter, 2nd Lt. Mueller fearlessly moved from one position to another, directing the accurate counterfire of his men and shouting words of encouragement to them.

"With complete disregard for his own safety, he then skillfully supervised the evacuation of casualties from the hazardous area and, on one occasion, personally led a fire team across the fire-swept terrain to recover a mortally wounded Marine who had fallen in a position forward of the friendly lines.

"2nd Lt. Mueller's courage, aggressive initiative and unwavering devotion to duty at great personal risk were instrumental in the defeat of the enemy force and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service."

Facing a New Enemy

Exactly one week after he was sworn in as the FBI's 10th director last year, 58-year-old Bob Mueller came face-to-face with a new kind of adversary.

A powerfully effective former U.S. attorney, he had led courtroom battles to obtain convictions against both the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombers and Panamanian drug trafficker Manuel Noriega. Mueller had barely gotten started on his new job when the Sept. 11 terrorists brought down the World Trade Center in New York City and damaged the Pentagon.

In the blink of an eye, Mueller and the 11,000 FBI agents under his command at the $3.6 billion-a-year federal agency found themselves caught up in a type of warfare this country had never before confronted.

A key American leader in the war against terrorism, the platoon commander seasoned in Quang Tri would once again be tested in the heat of battle.

The challenges facing Mueller were underlined--only a few weeks before he assumed command of the Bureau--by President George W. Bush. He told reporters during a briefing in the White House Rose Garden: "The FBI has a great tradition that Mr. Mueller must now affirm, and some important challenges that he must confront."

Often described as a "soft-spoken but extremely intense manager who thrives on pressure," Mueller immediately began assembling a team of 6,000 FBI special agents. They would sift through more than 300,000 tips from informants located all around the globe.

While working "a basic 12-to-14-hour day," the new FBI chief also would take on the enormous task of "modernizing and streamlining" a dozen different Bureau management systems. This is essential to hone the federal crime agency to a razor's edge for the ongoing battle against Osama bin Laden and other terrorists.

Since taking the helm at the FBI late last summer, the indefatigable Mueller has won high praise in Congress and at the White House. He has transformed the agency into a much more effective crime-fighting and anti-terrorism weapon. Among the major accomplishments so far:

* Mueller launched an around-the-clock command center within the FBI Strategic Information Operations unit that now works continually to track terrorists across the globe. Says the chief, while describing the activities of this new strike force: "Responding to the post-9/11 realities requires a redesigned and refocused FBI."

* After studying FBI management procedures in depth, Mueller completely revamped in-house communications and information retrieval systems in order to "support and not hinder" the agency's terrorism-fighting assignment.

The new organizational scheme included restructuring the Bureau's Counterterrorism Division and setting up "flying squads" of "quick-reaction" operatives who can react instantly to new information on the terrorism front.

* Recognizing that the Bureau was using "outdated and often inadequate" computer systems, Mueller upgraded the agency's cyber-technology almost overnight. He also hired hundreds of computer engineers, scientists and other high-tech specialists whose skills will be used to make FBI information systems "the best in the world."