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DIVING INTO VIETNAMThe airplane we were on took a steep dive and we were at the airbase and in Vietnam. From the time of the dive until after we landed there was complete silance. Then the door opened and the smell of human waste mixed with desel oil cooking in fifty gallon barrels cut in half filled the nose and voices from everywhere ask what the hell is that smell. This was the beginning of our lesson on new smells. We would later be greated with the smells of piss tubes and on to the smells of bodies burning. Welcome to Vietnam |
JUST PLAIN GOOD LUCK
Just before I arived at Blackhorse there was a battle on slope 30 and we had returned to the area to do a recon. I was on the recon patrol sent into the jungle. I carryed an m60 machine gun on a sling and I think my friend Porter was my partner. we walked for a long time into the jungle following a trail and desided to take a break. I think Doc Wolf was our patrol leader. We set up our machine gun pointing out from the group resting. Soon we heard a tap tap sound back along the trail we had just come on. Doc Wolf took some of the patrol back flanking the trail and we pulled security where we were. Soon we heard all hell break loose. They had encountered some VC setting booby traps on the trail that we would have stepped on when we returned. The VC fought back with crossbows. We captured two of them and forced them to walk point, along the trail when we went back. They found all the booby traps for us. |
ROMAN PLOWS
We left base camp to guard what we alled te roman plows, while they cleared I think it was hwy one. The roman plows were buldozers with a plow in front with a horn like thing on one end, that jabbed into tree's so they could be pushed over. The roman plows were sent to clear all the tree's and brush from the hwy out I think a hundred feet, so the enemy wouldn't have a place along the hwy to hide and ambush anyone. The brush was piled in rows about twenty five feet apart and burned. Then the area was sprayed with agent orange or other stuff to keep the brush from growing back. |
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WAKEUP CALL
On the evening of Augest 13th 1967, it was raining and we made a circle with our tracks with the frnt of each track pointing out from the circle, on a hill full of red mud that you sank to your knee's in. We went down the hill in front of the tracks and set up our claymoore mines. These are moon shaped explosives that shot out pelets to the front when exploded. A wire with two conductor wires was run from the claymoore mine to the track where it was hooked to a detnater, that we called a clicker. Other mines were also set up and barbed type wire strung out to slw down the enemy if the charged. Just before sundown we had our mad time, when we all could shoot our weapons to make sure they worked. Then I and I think my friend Porter were sent out to spend the night in the jungle on a listening post. We walked until we fell in a hole and stayed in the hole until morning. If we would have seen the enemy we would shoot off a flare and try to get back to our troop. But nothing happened except the leachs got a meal. I had one on the tip of my wee wee and Doc Betner or Doc Wolf had to cut it off I forget who it was but think it was Doc Betner. Those night listening posts were creepy because your mind went wild and any noise would make your hair stand on end. And you would always emagin the worst. Is it a snake, big spider, or the enemy. |
WHAT HAPPENEDOur Troop was providing security for a convoy and there was an explosion. One of our tracks hit a mine. We were just a little out of our base camp in Xuan Loc. We were ordered to move the damaged track and our track was put over the spot where the damaged one was. Porter and I sat on the back of the track eating C-rations, while the units desided what to do about the rest of the convoy. They desided to route the rest of the convoy around our track instead of waiting for the engeneers to clear the area with mine detectors, because it was asumed the convoy would be safer from an ambush if they moved on right away and because a mine had already exploded the comanders at base camp thought it had to be alredy clear. Our sargent wasn't completely convinced, because he knew the VC sometimes set mines close together, but the comanders at base camp went ahead and ordered the move. One second Porter and I were eating and LT Mullins was guiding an MP jeep around and along-side of our track and we were in the air with jeep parts flying all around us. We landed inside the track and jumped on the bench seat so we could be as close to the ceiling as we could get to keep from being hit by falling parts. All we could here was a loud rushing noise and when we looked out of the track people were yelling, but we couldnt here because of the rushing noise in our hurt ears that lasted for quite a few days. Then we saw the bodies and got out to help. Lt Mullins was hurt bad, but he seemed to be OK because he talked calmly to us as he lay there. It wasn't until after the chopper left with him that we found out he had passed away. |
ELECTION DAYSept 4th 1967 was election day in Veitnam and an effort was made to make it safe for everyone to vote. So after placing our tracks in a circle prepairing for the night on Sept 3rd, an ambush patrol was chosen and Porter and I were picked as partners on my M60 maching gun, to go on the patrol. Some tracks took us to a jungle swampy area and we walked it seemed forever and found a place to set up an L type ambush. It was raining cats and dogs that night and Porter and I placed his poncho over us to keep our machine gun dry. As the night slowly crept away, something came out of nowhere and got into our poncho with us, snarliing, spitting and raised all kinds of hell trying to get out. Of course we also were doing our best trying to get out from under that poncho and let the thing have it, machinegun and all. We were getting nasty whispers to keep quiet from the other members of the patrol who didn't know what was going on. The thing whatever it was found the poncho hood and made its exit from there. From then on we were extreamly jumpy and flinched at any noise throughout the rest of the night. The rain had stopped during the night and it was very muggy on our walk back to meet the tracks to pick us up on Election day. After getting on the tracks and heading to ou camp area, we came to a road-block. It was a bunch of brush and small tree's piled across the hwy.. We called for the engeners to clear it for us because o possable booby traps. While we waited we target practiced with our sargents burp gun. When the engeneers didn't show up we started getting careless because we were pretty restless from being out on patrol all night and anxouse to get back to camp. When the engeneers didn't show up we began to clear the brush off the hwy ourselves and the exposion took everyone by supprise. When it was over our Sargent was hurt real bad and I think Owen's and Gibb's who came to Vietnam with us were killed. Doc Betner was new and had his hands full. I sure wish I knew how our sargent is doing. I think Porter and I owe him for a warning he gave us when LT Mullins was killed, because it caused me to stay alert. I wish you the best Sarg.. And may God bless owan's and Gibb's. |