|
September 1966
|
My military service began in September 1966 and lasted until
September 1969, during this time I was stationed at: Fort Knox Kentucky for basic military
training courses from 20 September, 1966 to 25 November, 1966, from Fort Knox I was
transferred to Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. Here I spent another 8 weeks taking heavy
equipment training (bull dozers, graders, and earthmovers). After this 8 weeks my transfer
to Germany was imminent. In Germany I was attached to Maintenance Battery, 2nd Battalion,
18th Artillery stationed in Giessen.
After 18 months (and a lot of German beer I might add) the entire Battalion was brought
back to the U.S. The Battalion was sent to Fort Lewis Washington in July 1968, here I was
stationed until February 1969 when my orders came through for transfer to Vietnam.
After a
short leave to visit family and friends back in Michigan, I arrived in Bien Hoa, South
Vietnam. My new unit, 'A' Battery, 7th Battalion, 8th Artillery was presently occupying a
small fire base in Xuan Loc, South Vietnam. After a couple of months here our Battery was
rotated to a smaller, more hostile fire base in Ben Luc, South
Vietnam........
My time in Xuan Loc was country club
compared to the conditions in Ben Luc. The hootches in Xuan Loc were
wood, with sand bags up only about two feet along the sides, and tin
roofs, nothing like the hootches in Ben Luc. In Xuan Loc we even had
visits from the 'Donut Dollies', they couldn't and wouldn't go to Ben
Luc. In Ben Luc is where I began to think that death was no big deal,
it was happening all around us.
On my arrival in country, I remember as the big bird began it's
descent into Bien Hoa, I saw columns of smoke raising up and was very
worried, but of course they were just burning the waste from the
outhouses. Funny now, but not then.
I remember the first night I was there, after my indoctrination they
put me in a bunker with a weapon, a couple of grenades and the
claymore switches. As I kept watch I got my first look at 'Puff' and
the 'Cobra' at work. I thought the sight of the tracers looked like
hoses spraying out red water and the 'brrrrrrrrr' of the mini-guns was
awesome. At the time I was scared, afraid that they would miss what
they were firing at, and I would be dead. But of course, that's just
the way it was.
I remember watching Armed Forces TV, and listening to AF radio, the
news, the weather, and the body count. Didn't think anything about it,
that's just the way it was.
I remember the time the CO found out we weren't keeping our personal
weapons clean, so he made us take our weapons out and stand on the
berm to fire a few clips thru them so we would have to clean them. As
I was standing there with a few of the others, we saw larger splashes
in the paddy than our guns were making, and they led from the patch of
trees to the north, straight at us......we had to drop off the berm
and have the ARVN air force drop a bomb on the tree-line. And we
didn't think a thing of it. That's just the way it was.
I remember the time the ARVN infantry stopped in to the front gate and
needed a dustoff for a wounded man. At the time we didn't think
anything of it, that's just the way it was.
When the 'Guns' had a fire mission, not everyday mind you, I'm
sure that most of the time, when the shells landed, someone died. At
the time I didn't think anything of it. That's just the way it was.
I remember being on guard duty in the front gate bunker, late at nite
or early in the morning, when the dusters would open fire, watch the
tracer rounds reaching out to kill someone. At the time I was glad for
the protection. Other than that I didn't think much of it, that's just
the way it was.
I remember the times that they moved 105 batteries into the compound
to cover infantry sweeps in the area. The reason being that our guns
couldn't fire close enough, at the time we didn't think anything of
it, that's just the way it was.
I remember the night I left Vietnam, the Cobra gunships firing outside
the airport, and the sound of the mortar rounds in the distance. THAT
time I was worried, because I didn't want to be the one that died.
We were there to protect some and to kill others. At the time - we
went about our business, we followed orders, and we didn't think much
about it. That's just the way it was.
After 32 years my memories of many things dim, the feelings never
will. In Vietnam, death was as common as life.
|
![[The Army Good Conduct Medal]](Pictures/agcm.gif)
