Rick Springfield has opened up about a traumatic incident from his teenage years, revealing that he believes he accidentally killed a man while performing for U.S. troops in Vietnam. The Australian rock singer discussed the experience during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, saying the memory has remained difficult for him to confront more than five decades later.

Springfield said he traveled to Vietnam in 1968 with a band to entertain American troops during the war. He was 18 at the time and said the group spent approximately four months touring the country, initially viewing the trip as an opportunity to perform and make money.

The tour took a dangerous turn when Springfield and his band stayed overnight with Navy personnel at a military encampment near Da Nang. According to Springfield, the camp came under attack while he was staying in a radio shack and other members of the group were positioned in nearby bunkers.

During the attack, Springfield said soldiers asked him if he wanted to fire mortars. He recalled hearing radio communication about movement near the camp and being told there were no friendly forces in the area. Springfield said that, as a young man who did not understand the seriousness of the situation, he agreed to fire.

Springfield recalled firing several mortars during the attack. He said he only learned the following day that one of the rounds had hit someone. The singer described being told by the soldiers that he had “got one,” and said that realization became one of the most difficult memories he carried home from Vietnam.

Reflecting on the incident decades later, Springfield said he had viewed the moment almost like a scene from a movie because of his age and lack of understanding about what was happening. He described his mindset at the time as youthful bravado and said he did not comprehend the consequences of firing the weapon.

Springfield said the memory continues to affect him. He explained that it remains difficult to face the fact that he was responsible for the end of another person’s life, even though the incident happened during wartime and he was a teenager who did not fully understand what he was doing.

The singer also recalled another dangerous experience during his Vietnam trip, saying he and others were invited to accompany soldiers on an Apache helicopter mission. He described the experience as intense and said conversations with some of the soldiers also revealed that they were uncertain about why they had been sent to fight in Vietnam.

Springfield, now 77, became internationally known years later for hits including “Jessie’s Girl.” His account of his Vietnam experience emerged during the Sept. 8 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience and has since drawn attention to a largely unexplored part of his early life.