Nidan1

We finally managed to cross the dry paddy without further incident, the Platoon Commander took 2 squads and part of the weapons section further to our right, they moved along a gulley that ran perpendicular to a small stream and another gully, we fanned out to the left in the nearest gulley with the Platoon Sergeant, first squad and the 60 mortar team. Myself and my partner Freddie Greene stayed near the Platoon Sergeant and the radioman. There was a lot of firing and enemy mortars started impacting to the left of the Lt. which was directly to our front about 25 meters. They started to walk toward us and we hugged the ground in the gulley, short of a direct hit we were pretty safe in there. About 20 rounds fell nearby, our little group was unscathed, but there were some casualties in the rest of the platoon further forward. We heard on the radio Lt. Berkheiser, We have one Spade (KIA) and three Hearts (WIA), he was calling in for a Medevac. To our direct front was another "sea" of dry paddy, to the left a bamboo wall streched in a circular arc around to the left of the paddy, to the right were some trees, and a berm or dyke in front of the gulley that the rest of the platoon had moved into. We could see helmeted heads bobbing up and down over there, but there was no more firing in our direction at the moment. One of the mortar team guys, pulled himself up higher over the front edge of the gulley to get a better look forward. We heard a shot, and he groaned and fell back hard into the gulley. Doc Sovey rushed over to him, he was right next to me on my left, I helped the doc take off his flak jacket and utility shirt. He had a bullet wound in his left forearm, just below the elbow, it had gone clean through him, he wasn't moaning or anything and he was having trouble breathing. Unfortunately the bullet had exited his arm and entered his side, the doc quickly rolled him on his left side and when he did that we could see a large bulge on his right side where the bullet had pushed all of his tissue and internal fluids, but did not exit. The poor guy had that gray shocky color, he stopped breathing and the doc started mouth to mouth...he never made a sound, not even a gasp..after a couple of minutes the doc stopped the mouth to mouth, felt his neck, "he's gone", was all he said. We started taking more fire now, bullets were zipping over our heads from the front. We couldnt see anything, but it did not seem like it was a lot of people firing, maybe two or three. One full auto, probably an RPD and a couple of AKs or SKSs. We could not pinpoint the source, but they guys to our left front must have spotted them because they started opening up with rifles and M-79 fire. The platoon sergeant radiod the LT that we had another Spade from sniper fire. The LT added that to the previous medevac request, by now we could hear the chopper flying inbound from our rear. It was a Ch-34, those bulbous fronted old workhorses that the Marine Corps still had in service in 1967, we didnt have fleets of nimble Hueys like the Army did. The chopper circled once, and someone from the command group popped a green smoke just off to our right front in the paddy area. All the firing had stopped, but to this day as I think back on this, trying to land that chopper right there was a bad idea. Any way in he came...right over the trees to our right. One of the other Grunts and myself got ready to grab the dead kid so we could carry him the 15 or so meters up the gulley and to the front to get to the chopper. Just before it landed, an automatic weapon opened up just to our left front at the edge of the bamboo wall, no more than 10 feet in front of me...I could see the smoke from the barrel, this guy was no more than 20 feet from the landing chopper, which immediately went to full power and stated taking off again. It had never touched the ground. It rose straight up turned to te right and headed back in the direction it came from, with the door gunner blazing away. I dont think he saw us right away because the bullets were so close. then luckily he stopped firing, and the chopper flew off to a safe distance. Stupid me started crawling out of the gulley and towards the bamboo wall, I got just to the edge of it and peeked around the corner, there was a fighting hole right there, but no sign of anyone, a couple of brass cartridges lay around the lip of the hole. I dropped a grenade in the opening, yelled "fire in the hole" and scooted back to the gulley. The greande blew with a muffled BANG, but I never knew if there was a VC in that hole or whether it was connected to an escape tunnel. I suspect the latter. The day was becoming more exciting by the minute.

Belgians know how to fix networking elements????....I'm sure a Turk will be showing up at your door, or even maybe a South Korean.

Move to a real country that has all high speed access, like South Korea for instance.

To a New Yorker like you, a hero is just some weird type of sandwich... I liked yer story too, btw. Seemed too polished to be truly Grunt-spawned, though, forgive me for saying it. </font>

The thing that troubles me the most is the fact that our government...they are supposed to protect us right?...would give someone like NG cavscout guns a bullets in the first place, and turn him loose on the poor Iraqi people.

Roight then!! You shall have it.....and remember you agreed under your own free will....well, as free as can be expected from a lower primate. I will set it up when I return home from work this evening, my time. Hmmmmm...Lycra, you say???? What is this sport again???...it involves women...adult women I hope?

That wind noise is the sound you hear of the air passing between your ears... covers the tinnitus, no doubt. Noba. </font>

Wait a minute!!! Did someone say something....?...no it's just the wind blowing, or an AUSSIE!!!

Damn...are all of you bastards DEAD? Not one post after my last one. Wow it's lonely in here.

I sent you one you mouth breathing, knuckle dragging zwei beiner, you really can't control routed and panicked troops so it shouldn't take you too long to play it and send it back.

Actually it all stems back to Mom (doesn't everything?), because deep in my heart I knew that she longed to be a Gold Star Mother....and once again I disappointed her.

There, fixed that for you. </font>

When we got to the village where Bravo was engaged we were forced to cross about 200 yards of open dry rice paddy to get from the island we were on to the next one on Bravo's left side. You have to picture several, I call them islands, of huts and bamboo walls seperated by a "sea" of dry rice paddy, with dykes walling off the sections of paddy which would flood during the rainy season. By all appearances these villages were properous and had large rice crops based on the size of the paddy areas. Coconut, plantain and banana palms stood in groves along side the houses. As we started crossing the paddy we came under sporadic small arms fire, nothing major just pot shots, probably a rear guard or flank protector, who was now warning his comrades that more Marines were approaching from a new direction. one of the squad grunts, a short gruff lance coporal, I cant remember his name now dammit, all of a sudden dropped right in front of me, he was on his back, but obviously awake and aware and not complaining too much. A bullet had gone under the lip of his helmet on the left side, zipped along the inside edge along the back and exited out the front on the right side. He had a red line along his temple just above the ear, where the bullet had grazed his head. An inch more to the left, bingo a skull shot, an inch or two the right it hits me in the right chest....certainly war is more a game of inches than football. This guy now became a lucky charm, and from this day on everyone in the platoon asked his advice and would want to touch him whenever things got tough. Grunts are a superstitious lot, this guy would live forever because he was touched by the beast, and marked for all to see, he was a human rabbit's foot, and we were lucky to have him. [ March 07, 2007, 01:43 PM: Message edited by: Nidan1 ]

True...I don't think he would have been able to fit in a foxhole anyway. That's why these guys today have their own personal HMMV or APC, they eat too good, even in the field.

That amazes me about the current situation. I know it was over 40 years ago for me, but the technology has advanced so much that you guys could experience what you describe. We were completely isolated in a totally alien environment, I suspect the guys in Korea and WWII felt the same way. The only contact we had with home was through the mail, which took days to send and receive, that and Armed Forces Radio. Most of the time we were in places with no civilization at all. I don't know how I would react to your experiences NG cavscout , it would be very strange for me....but I guess if you are surrounded by the technology you get used to it, even if you are halfway around the world.

I didnt get to blow up any bunkers that day, but we spent a good 12 hours locked in a running battle with several platoons of the 12th VC regiment along with a company or more of the 324C North Vietnamese Army Division. Things got hotter and hotter as the day wore on. We lost four guys to a friendly fire incident involving a Helicopter gunship. This day the enemy decided to stand and fight, and as usual it was on his ground and it was very close. I learned the meaning of close air support that day, as Marine F4 Phantoms and A4 Skyhawks did their work. Do you know what its like to see 250lb glide bomb dropped behind you and watch them as they descend to their impact points sometimes a mere 50 yards in front of you? The concussion feels like a punch in the chest, and that is just the air. These guys were good, every bomb on target. They were so low that the NVA were firing at them with MGs as they made their passes. We could see the green tracers arcing up. but it also gave away their positions.

Hashish, opium, dilaudid ground up fine, sieved and snorted, crystal meth, dexedrine, psilocybin, ether, marijuana, qualudes, stelazine, thorazine, valium, seconal... </font>

We had been humping most of the morning....and the sun was starting to beat down again..the kind of heat mixed with bright sunshine that makes you dizzy if you lean backwards a little and look into the sky. The weather had been like this for this whole operation so far, one day a rained a little, but for the most part it was hot and humid all the time,and it just sucked the energy right out of you. You walk along, following the guy in front of you, keeping your interval, looking around once in a while, but for the most part you stare at your shuffling feet or watch your shadow, anything to take your mind from the opressive boredom of walking to nowhere. Sometimes the natural beauty of your surroundings takes you breath away, a thousand shades of green, a crystal blue sky, but the same mage always intrudes, men carrying weapons, wearing steel helmets and green uniforms, marching aimlessly across the landscape, poised to deal death and destruction at a moments notice, a giant coiled snake waiting to strike. We paused to check out something that the point man had discovered, the call of "Engineers up!!" was relayed along the column of men, but I had heard it the first time and was already on my way to the front of the company along with my partner. The Platoon Leader and the command group moved up as well. A couple of fighting holes were uncovered, but the tunnel entrance we found was more disturbing. There were several small villages nearby, it was May so the paddies were dry, but these little villages were like islands in a sea of dry, clumped earth, and of course there were no civilians to be seen. Scouting around the area, we found more holes and more tunnels, it seemed the whole area was connected by them. The Que Son Valley was a traditional area of VC and NVA control, we had been getting light contact each day since we came ashore on April 28. This was the first real sign, that we were starting to penetrate into the enemy's home bases. Lt. Berkheiser radioed back to the company CP that we had uncovered this extensive tunnel complex, and he wanted more engineers and another platoon to come out and help us. I figured I was in for a long day of setting explosive charges and blowing up bunkers and fighting holes. While we stood around waiting for the response from the Company, we could hear firing begin off in the distance to the west of us. The popping of rifle fire,and the ripping sounds of M-60s and RPD Machine guns and the unmistakeable crumpling sound of M79 grenades exploding grew more intense each second. I'm tired...this is starting to bother me, sorry. I have to go for a consultation today for possible shoulder surgery so I need to go now.

I had a really rough weekend...anyone want to hear some war stories? Guaranteed authentic...I can assure you. Perhaps a little embellishment after forty years....but not much!!!!

Its TV show!!!! I'm sure they have some former military types as technical advisors, but damn its still a TV show...maybe they forgot about the night vision stuff. I think that if this game isnt released real soon, some of you guys will be talking about insurgents from Altair Four and monsters from the ID attacking US troops.

Leave it to the French to screw up a simple task like starting a new incarnation of the MBT .....merde!!!!

Guess what...last night I made a DiGiorno Pizza for dinner....and Seanachai's image appeared on the pan when I took it out of the oven. I fell down on my knees and prayed .... the pizza got cold, but it was still good. Made me think of a Rammstein song; Wer zu Lebzeit gut auf Erden wird nach dem Tod ein Engel werden den Blick gen Himmel fragst du dann warum man sie nicht sehen kann Erst wenn die Wolken schlafengehn kann man uns am Himmel sehn wir haben Angst und sind allein Gott weiß ich will kein Engel sein Sie leben hinterm Sonnenschein getrennt von uns unendlich weit sie müssen sich an Sterne krallen (ganz fest) damit sie nicht vom Himmel fallen Erst wenn die Wolken schlafengehn kann man uns am Himmel sehn wir haben Angst und sind allein Gott weiß ich will kein Engel sein Erst wenn die Wolken schlafengehn kann man uns am Himmel sehn wir haben Angst und sind allein Gott weiß ich will kein Engel sein [ February 27, 2007, 04:10 AM: Message edited by: Nidan1 ]

Gotta love playing "the member number" card. </font>

If anyone would like to play Highlanders in Hell, please email me, and I will be glad to send along an autographed copy of the battle! I never uploaded it to any of the sites, but I have the latest non tournament version on my drive.

I think someone is having a bit of fun at our expense. The world must be a boring place for some folks.