After the 1968 Tet Offensive, it became clear to any objective observer that the American military campaign in Vietnam was not showing the kind of forward progress that might lead to a face-saving settlement. By 1971, the situation had worsened. Many units became infected with crippling morale problems, chiefly revolving around drug abuse, systemic indiscipline, and seething racial tensions. A more honest era would have called such conditions mutinous; but this was a word that American officials would have done nearly anything to avoid using. No one wanted to be among the last to be crippled or killed in a cause that appeared locked into a trajectory of failure.
-WiscoDave
My draft number in 1971 was 249...
ReplyDeleteMine was 19.
DeleteMine was 57
ReplyDeleteyeah, they used to call "bag in the bush". where they went out a little ways and setup a nice safe little base camp. what got me was some guys had radios and listen to music ?
ReplyDeleteacted like they where still "on the block" kind of bullshit.
I was 51 the year the draft ended.
ReplyDeleteYou're over 100 years old?
Delete68/69. We pulled a patrol every day an LP or ambush every night. While out on day patrol you located a good spot for an LP or ambush site. Once back to base camp you told those in charge where you would be that night. That was plotted and radioed in. Once in a while they would say nope, intellegence says...Oh shit. That meant some asshole in the rear who had never carried a rifle had plotted your site. I swear these assholes threw a dart at a map and said that's where they need to be. I've gone out at night and found the site selected by these assholes was in the middle of a flooded rice paddy. Not a nice way to spend a night. You kind of had to go there becuase you had no idea where other friendly LP's or ambushes were. Friendly fire kills you just as dead as unfriendly. Anyway, sometimes we would pull a Phantom. We would set up near but not right at the site. If you were lucky there might be an old pagoda or a hooch in the area. Very nice if it was monsoon season. During a Phantom no one slept and we were quiet as church mice. More to it all but I tried to make this short.
ReplyDeleteMy draft number was 3. In August '71. Got called up in March '72. Missed the party in Vietnam by a whisker. Spent my tour in Germany-Stuttgart-RB
ReplyDeleteJanuary 1972 the ARVN 3rd Division had assumed responsibility for the area north of Highway 9. Including Firebase Alpha 2 in Gio Linh District
ReplyDeleteThe PAVN launched their Easter Offensive on 30 March 1972 and by midday on 1 April the ARVN garrison at Gio Linh had retreated from their perimeter positions to the base's bunkers, while the 5 man ANGLICO team continued to call in fire missions against the advancing PAVN. PAVN forces were probing the base perimeter when an Army UH-1 arrived to evacuate the ANGLICO team, just as the team was boarding the helicopter the landing zone was hit by mortar fire mortally wounding the team leader. Corporal James Worth of the ANGLICO team failed to board the helicopter and was listed as Missing in Action. By nightfall on 1 April all ARVN defensive positions along the DMZ and north of the Cam Lo River had fallen to the PAVN.Gio Linh would remain in North Vietnamese hands for the rest of the war.
Jimmy was a Team Mate of mine when we were assigned to Special Forces, training Cambodians to return to the fight in Cambodia. Jokingly Jimmy and I said those MF at MACV HQ were trying to get us killed. Jimmy was a good friend and good Marine. I left VN in late February, Jimmy was MIA/KIA April 1st.
Even to this day I miss Jimmy, every November 10th I drink one Beer for Jimmy as his body has never been found or returned to the States.
I joined. At seventeen I got in a lot of trouble. Something about switch blades and a rumble. Spent some time in the can. A prison that I was not supposed to be in because I wasn't eighteen. I came outta there and decided if I didn't do something I would be back. I joined the Corp. Best decision I ever made. Yup, Nam sucked but I was headed down a one way street.
ReplyDelete