THE SECOND DAY SECOND PART
Breakfast in the mud pit was ham and lima beans served with canteen cup holders of instant black coffee. I didn’t ask the Gunny why the other men bothered to pull the cream and sugar from incoming C-rations. It didn’t matter. I remained so scared I was unwilling to impart more of my ignorance by asking questions that probably had no rational answers. I crouched and sipped the coffee from my holder. My Scout Sergeant was named Stevens and I found out that his job was to check around the perimeter and with the platoon leaders to keep me informed. My Kit Carson Scout was Nguyen, pronounced ‘new yen’. He wore no rank, although he had on a utility jacket. His job, Fusner said, was mostly to serve as an interpreter to members of the local civilian population we might encounter and also questions any prisoners we might take. He didn’t speak much English.
“How’s he supposed to interpret when he can’t even understand me?” I asked quietly.
Spent time on Goi Noi island,
Still have the nightmares. Would like to go back and see it for real.
Was an m60 gunner with two FNG s for help.
The island was quite a pit. I think in some ways I hated it more than
the A Shau because the A Shau was kind of honest. Except for the Montagnards, everyone
hated us. On the island the locals all made believe they were our friends…
Semper fi,
Jim
It sounds to me like calling in artillery requires a mastery of Newtonian physics, like the first one or two years of a science or engineering curriculum. I won’t be surprised if I’m wrong. I once talked to a Coast Guard instructor who claimed to be able to do celestial navigation with simple arithmetic.
Physics had a hell of a lot to do with it. I liken it to mastering sniper skills
Almost the same thing but working with micro equipment and nearly alone. A spotter, like
an F.O. We worked with more meteorology than a sniper encounters and bigger rounds at
longer range, but similar indeed. I got even better with a rifle when I came home
because of it but then had to go hunting and ruin it all. That one deer looked me
in the eyes before it died and that was it. I’d seen that look so many times before.
Sempr fi,
Jim
Something which has changed in the world of fire support is that FDC’s mission now includes working with untrained observers. I was 11C and worked every position in the mortar platoon from ammo handler, to assistant gunner, gunner, platoon sergeant and acting platoon leader over a 4 year tour in the 82nd. During training evals our FDC was always required work through fire missions with untrained obsevers.
I’d say that guys like you paved the way.
I believe the FDC alway shad to work with untrained observers. The problem was, and eemains not with the FDC. There is only so much the FDC can do to
fix a bad call or adjustment. Today is most probably a much better time to call artillery because of GPS and positioning determination. Map reading was a really
big deal back in the day. If you gave your position wrong then the FDC did not know exactly where you were and friendly fire casualties would become a real issue.
Thanks for the comment.
Semper fi,
Jim
Color blind. Interesting. On my 2nd tour in VN I was with an Air Cav unit and even though I was a grunt I got to fly a number of missions into Laos in 1971. With me was a guy who was color blind. For some reason because of it he was able to see what the rest of us couldn’t see and guide our Cobras in on targets (tanks, trucks, artillery)that the rest of us couldn’t see. At the time we didn’t know about his “impairment”, so our imaginations about how he was doing it took over…
Color blind people, under difficult circumstance but with others present, can
usually draw on those people to help, like with recognizing the color of a smoke
grenade thrown to mark something. Or the color coding used on explosive
devices. The Marine Corps does not permit color blind people to be officers
because of the potential problem of no one being around to help.
Interesting situation.
Thanks for picking up such detail and for reading so deeply.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim, your nights must be long….I served with Lima Co 3/5 from Dec 67 until March of 69 as their 81’s and Arty FO. Think I only saw an Arty FO Officer twice in that time period. (They were always being commandeered to fill the Officer slots that became vacant in the other Companies..) Took us a long time to get permission to use Arty in Hue City… would love to trade some stories with you someday…Semper Fi Brother…..and Welcome Home..
Larry, I was 3/5 too but I have to be careful about what I am putting up on the Internet because there is a lot I am
writing that simply can’t be admitted to without shit coming back even after all these years.
Yes, permissions were huge issues over there and if you didn’t lie about your own position many times you could not get fire where it needed to be (village permissions and gun-target shit).
Regular officers and some non-coms could call artillery but not effectively because they never understood the complexities of the FDC and how it all really worked. Thank you for being there with me and thank you for you comments. Semper fi, Jim
Jim, I have been working with a guy the last year that Instructs NCO’s and junior grade officers on field tactics and problems based upon real events from our time… Have generated some very interesting discussions. Were you with Mike 3/5 up on Hai Van 5/68?
Larry, I am trying to keep my actual outfits and personnel out of the
narrative. The people who died, and most of them did, still have relatives out
here and I don’t need them to come crashing down upon me over the events of
so long ago. When I came home and got out of the hospital to await the
disability discharge from the wounds the powers that be said I could spend
my remaining time at any duty station of the corps. I chose Quanitco to
train new lieutenants going over there. That was axed from the get go.
There was no way they would allow someone who’d just come back through
that experience to talk to the guys headed over.
Semper fi,
Jim
I was with 1/27 on the island from June to mid July 68. Transferred to A Co 1/4
So many guys plied that island Dean. I remember one spot named after a Marine
who got hit directly with an artillery shell. You always knew when you were in that part of the island
because of the faint smell in the moist jungle air.
Thanks for what you did and so happy you made it back to the land of the round eyes.
Semper fi,
Jim
Amazing so far..esp for a new 2lt. Plus you have writing talent!
Appreciate the ‘compliment’ Terry.
Have a few life experienced short stories and novels over on
James Strauss Author
Just the smells always burning diesel fuel and s””t. And 115° and keeping a cig going 24/7 to keep the bugs off your face.
Some experiences are difficult to forget.
Always appreciate your input, Daniel
Holy crap. Sad, scary, awesome, horrible.
Attempting to remember vividly just what it was like to come straight from the wonderful phenomenal world of America straight into a fourth world hell where the touch of anything and everything brought pain, misery and/or death. Not the fare of modern literature or Hollywood. There is no going over as a boy and coming back as a man.
You come back as a basket case unless you suffered the good fortune of not having to go out there. What a Godsend to come home from such an outrage against the human condition, having served in a rear area but able
to tell all your friends back here war stories about honor, bravery and ‘growing up.’ Sadly, almost nobody comes home from having been in the shit, not alive, or not in any condition to want to tell any stories at all….