The tapes were proving to be a nightmare, not just because the job was boring and delicate but also because of the time. There was the beach patrol issue to be dealt with, as I was on at four in the afternoon and no real way out of not spending six hours, or so doing that. Then there was the very likely probability that I would not be done simply cleaning and drying all the tapes, and there was no possibility I could put any of them up wet. The third thing that bothered me was that there might be nothing on them, the seawater having done a more penetrating job than Chuck had alleged in our short conversation.
I sat back, my fingers tiring of the delicate process of putting just enough pressure on the gauze to dry the tapes but not break them. They were a lot more difficult to handle, once they were unspooled, than I would have believed, having broken two of them. According to Chuck, any breaks could be repaired simply by gluing the ends back together, but I was left wondering what potentially vital part of a conversation might be lost to such damage and repair. The biggest problem was in not sharing the fact of the tape’s existence, plus there was also the problem of returning the gear I’d checked out for the mission in the harbor, not that there had been any paperwork to fill out or sign when I had.
Dang LT, you have developed into the master of suspense, leave ‘em hanging, Keeps us coming back for more! Thanks for latest chapter
You are most welcome Joe, as the story continues to be laid out.
Really appreciate the compliment and the motivation to help me keep on going.
Semper fi,
Jim
And the beat goes on, and on…the master of suspense reigns!
From your lips to God’s ears, John B! Thanks for that great compliment, even though I don’t design the
chapters to be suspenseful…not on purpose, anyway. Thanks for the compliment and putting it up on here.
Semper fi
Jim
James, I understand about the why with salting the new tapes to disguise them from the originals, however not sure about how you can match the original reels holding the tape, as weren’t they marked or etched in some manner to identify each ??
Held off commenting until the previous two days had past as I usually hunker down and keep a low profile during “the” Birthday and Vets Day. Once again had to pass on an invite to march in a parade as I feel it’s a tad bit late for that whereas some civilians think it’s OK to do that now just to assuage their own guilt for the way they treated us then.
Anyway, you’re doing a great job of creating “what if & what about” thoughts 🙂 Keep on keeping on !!
You and me SgtBob. I too have a tough day or two with the Marine birthday and the Veterans thing. I just find most of it
discomforting although so many vets I know just love it. I don’t even much like it when I speak at such events although
I am told that I’m really good. I don’t talk about actual combat or killing people though. Not ever.
The inscribed tapes go back down to the bottom with blank tapes rewound on them. I keep the real ones on clear reels that
I can later inscribe with a heating iron. Arcane but I did have a plan.
Semper fi, my friend and brother,
Jim
Mr. Strauss, Sir,
If you will allow me, I would like to mention my thanks to you and other men and women who are veterans of the armed services and read comments to your writings. Every year in the days surrounding 11/11, I think of veterans and the sacrifices and service done by them. Thanks to you all.
Also, in my internet news feed, there was recently a headline regarding the CIA and lies about JFK and the decades of covering up these lies. I didn’t read the story. I think I’ll wait and see what comes out in the Cowardly Lion. Thanks for allowing me to join you on this journey.
Thanks a lot Keith. I am privileged that you have come to believe, almost strictly from the presentation of the content here, that there is plenty
of reality to consider, particularly about the Kennedy assassination, and we are a long way from done with that. I did read that report, incidentally, but could
not make hide nor hair of it either of the some of the characters mentioned or the process written about.
Thanks for the great compliment,
Semper fi,
Jim
Another very good chapter. Happy Marine Corps Birthday Marine Semper Fi!! Happy Veterans Day also. Like someone else had said I also wondered about trouble from “the powers that be” over what you have disclosed.
Thanks for the kind birthday wish and those people look me up from time to time, anyway, although never say much
or even anything at all sometimes
Semper fi,
Jim.
I also really appreciate the worry and care you obviously feel about people still coming after me
all this time later. I’m not too worried, but I do think about it.
semper fi,
Jim
You usually name your plans, what is this one “twice is nice” , or “playing with fire”? Those tapes had to be toxic, will you listen to them? Keep on a going Lt, awesome read!! Semper fi sir, and being it is Veterans day tomorrow, THANK YOU for your service !!
Naming a plan came about because of social circumstance, when I did so accidentally in the valley and then discovered how powerful it might be with a group of humans about to experience difficult circumstance. I don’t think that way when with just a few people, although I’m not sure why. Thanks for the veteran’s thing, although I don’t do anything on the birthday or veteran’s day anymore. I tried that stuff and it really didn’t work for me. I’m not a veteran or a Marine. I’m a surviving and wounded combat veteran and combat Marine. I love my fellow veterans and Marines but I just don’t fit in. Probably all part of PTSD, which I don’t like having or being known that I have. But I do.
Semper fi,
Jim
Are there any relevant people involved in those shenanigans still living?
I realize you obviously are, but the pier players were, for the most part, much your senior.
As an aside, what firebases did you call in arty from?
Gularte, Elwell (who’s commented on here), Bartok, Thorkelson, all alive. Thorkelson comments from time to time here too.
Mike Manning is still with us and called him last night because the Marine Birthday is tomorrow. Most of the rest are gone.
Firebases Ripcord, Eagle’s Nest, 2/11 outside An Hoa. The 175’s fired from Eagle’s next.
Thanks for the erudite comment and interest.
Semper fi,
Jim
I actually didn’t proof read my comment, for whatever reason. “Pier” Should have been “power” , as in the compound people that were so dangerous. It was in reference to the Phil Anderson comment about receiving flak.
My interest in the fire bases stems from the comments I see in Vietnam veterans groups on Facebook. People talk about being at various ones, either as crew, resupply, or protection. Did people also refer to Eagle’s Nest as Berchtesgaden?
Thirty Days piqued my interest about indirect fire.
Keep up the good work Jim
Tim
Yes, I caught the reference to Phil’s apropos comment Tim. Eagle’s nest was indeed titled Berchtesgarten, named by the Termans who came from WWII
to fight with the French, but who can say the word easily. So, Eagle’s nest it became. Indirect fire is terrifically effective, although not as much
nowadays with drones and smart munitions. But the range is severely limited in delivering it. A 105 can fire a shell, or could before the weapons became obsolete,
about eight miles but only reach a target in defilade from about five miles out. That’s not very far, and the steeper and deeper the lip of defilade the shorter the range
because of the angling of the barrel.
Semper fi, and thanks for the great comment.
Jim
I forgot Mardian’s son, or Little Mardian, as we referred to him. Still alive and still running
the current Wind and Sea restaurant in the harbor that is again under redevelopment.
Semper fi,
Jim
Thank you for another great chapter. I can’t help but wonder if you have received any flak from anyone about the details revealed in this narrative. Keep them coming.
As a matter of fact, Phil, and you are the first to inquire, I have, although it has not come at me as flak. It came as
an inquiry ten days ago very. innocently and short. The rather ornate letter asked if I was indeed in possession of historical presidential
materials that might better be place securely inside the D.C. archives. Iv’e reread it a dozen times. Are they really asking me to make
my own decision about a conclusion like that? I realize I publish everything I write as fiction but all of my fiction is grounded in substatial,
but not all, matters and experiences based in truth and on facts. I have not answered the letter nor am I going to. Is the letter really a
warning? I’m not sure. Only Bob Elwell contacted me by telephone wondering whether I was cutting ‘too close to the bone.’ I’m not sure he was
concerned for me or himself, as he was such a player of the time. I will keep you posted, I mean as long as I am able!
Semper fi, and many thanks for the very apropos and penetrating comment.
Jim
I played with tape from Silvertone reel-to reel to Akai then 8 tracks onto cassettes. They were all finicky and fragile to me, and very expensive for worn heads and guides, until folks just stopped working on them. I have an on-air from Billy Joel recording on an 8 inch reel somewhere, I taped where he played in a broadcast bar in the mid-seventies in Memphis. My wife tends to throw things that have no use away these days, so they are probably gone. But it was fun to hear Piano Man, and Capt Jack back in the day when it wasn’t so ubiquitous.
Still have my Teac A3300 and My Pioneer RT 707. The Teqc is belt driven and the Pioneer direct drive.
To really work on getting the most out of a tape you have to have multiple heads. My stuff is in the
basement with the rest of my post Vietnam era collection I could not afford as soon as I was home
when the PX system was really a system the military could get vastly deep discounts.
Semper fi,
Jim
Magnificent chapter, full of action and intrigue. Thanks, my friend.
Semper Fi – and happy Vet’s Day to you.
Craig
Thank you Craig, and I really appreciate the compliment as comments have been a little down for the last couple of chapters, although they are truly definitive when it comes to the application of supposedly fictional events and facts that materialize in reality as time goes by.
Semper fi
Jim
Ok can’t wait for the next chapter!!
Much appreciate the ‘atta boy’ compliment this morning Harold. Funny how saying stuff like that energizes me to continue. It’s like maybe I should be emotionally tougher about it all, especially at my age and after all I’ve been through. I’m just not that tough, however, although I don’t much admit that fact.
Semper fi,
Jim
Great chapter
My first thought when you called the Armory from Gularte’s phone was not there was never a WO but that in today’s world the real Armor/GySgt would have known and seen the phone number and could have located you in minutes. In the good old days you could have told him you were Colonel Montague j. Beaufort and he would have NEVER KNOW, That’s how we ordered pizza ‘s delivered to the girl who refused to dance with us of course I heard of such behavior but never engaged in such childish pranks. The old tech was more fun.
I am anxious to see how things progress. i try to think of what could happen and then I see what really happens.
When does Bebe Rebozo surface? With his smooth Latin charm, Bay of Pigs stories and his romance with Gloria Swanson?
I did, like you Rich, much enjoy the anonymity of the earlier times, although I sure as hell love being able to call for help or find somebody to pick up at the airport in this new era. Are you prescient, or what, when it comes to predicting some of the characters and their appearance in the continuing story. Maybe you are getting stuff straight from the Fulton Sheen or somebody…oh, sorry, he’s dead…but then he was so holy he may have returned, if only to collect a bit of the cash flowing into his operation which is still ongoing
Semper fi my friend, on this Marine Birthday!!!!
Jim
Amazing we just covered 6 hours…intense!
Once Nixon is out is it like China where power shifts to the new regime and all the old guys just play CYA??
Happy Birthday!
No, Colonel, it’s not like that at all and I can speak from experience here as I worded for many administration of which Nixon’s was only
the first. When the old leadership departs, those that have played key roles, particularly those who’ve done a lot of clandestine stuff, run like
hell to keep from being hunted down for what they know that might help the new administration. Getting such information from insiders now gone
can be very painful for those insiders if they are uncovered and then cornered.
Interesting comment, of course.
Semper fi,
Jim
Colonel, you spoke to the city of Waukegan, Illinois as the veteran representative on Veterans Day. Congratulations, the reviews are in and you did a terrific job. Not many real combat vets get that chance to reach the public. You also danced the night away at the Marine Ball on the same night with June, Your presences noted and the beauty of your wife reflected upon. Nice work Marine!
Semper fi,
Jim
Aren’t you concerned about Richard and his surveillance equipment. All these chapters are riveting. Don’t stop now James.
Charles, Richard was different, to say the least, and I really liked him a lot and respected him.
It would be some time before I came to understand his real role in my life but working with and around him
never bothered me as I felt that his agenda was parallel to my own and not running in opposition.
Thanks for the depth of your comment and the compliment. I am not stopping now.
Semper fi,
Jim
Thinking about fingerprints…why I mentioned gloves.
The Walter Duke! Happy Birthday from this Marine! Even by then I had learned all about fingerprints.
They don’t long survive in sea water or any real moist environment and on dry land, wall, having a can of WD40 around is as effective and easier to have laying around than surgeon’s gloves. Thanks for the comment, however, as usual.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
Another fine chapter full of golden word nuggets to sort through and ponder.
Questions: Did you always wear rubber/plastic gloves when you handled the real tape cartridges?
Doesn’t iodized table salt have a different chemical composition from regular ocean salt water?
Will little Julie sometime, somewhere utter the little word “salt” att some very inappropriate time and place?
Will Bozo the cat somehow do something to horrifyingly destroy the real tapes?
Walter, I’m not a chemist but I do know that water with table salt in it rusts iron the same way that sea water does, as the NACL composition of it reacts to the iron by speeding up the movement of electrons and therefore the oxidation.
Heating salt water and then adding much more salt makes the chemical transition much faster. Table salt is simply my more pure than sea salt because the dilution with water is extensively effective at lessening the effect. Table salt is sea salt but with other additives generally added.
Thanks for the depth of your comment.
Semper fi,
Jim
James, Interesting. I’m surprised the canvas bag is not being returned to the harbor. If the Porsche is recovered with an open frunk then better for you to later recover the tapes with the knowledge of the compound. Only missing part is the cardboard box.
Good that Gularte was wise enough not to attempt to pet Bozo.
Some minor editing suggestions follow:
and there was also the problem of returning the gear
Good as is. However “plus” rather than “and” since different issues
plus there was also the problem of returning the gear
the light tone of the warrant officers
Add apostrophe for possessive
the light tone of the warrant officer’s
Gunnery Sergeant, I’m a Marine Lieutenant
Open quotes
“Gunnery Sergeant, I’m a Marine Lieutenant
without full identification a written request for the equipment and a return date
Maybe comma after “identification”
without full identification, a written request for the equipment and a return date
then the Navy Seals real Navy Seals
Acronym so capitalize
then the Navy SEALs real Navy SEALs
underwater UDT equipment of the latest kind and high expense
“highly” instead of “high”
underwater UDT equipment of the latest kind and highly expense
came to a conclusion
Add period after “conclusion”
came to a conclusion.
It wasn’t likely at all that the power that had been manifested so seemingly casual, but fully effective, nor the questionable non-recovery of the tapes was likely to be found acceptable
Maybe drop part of this and reword
It wasn’t likely that the questionable non-recovery of the tapes would be found acceptable
How long can I leave it in the freshwater
Two words “fresh water”
How long can I leave it in the fresh water
normal rules of either ethics or social mannerisms could be applied
Maybe “manners” instead of “mannerisms”
Context seems that “not” be added after “could”
normal rules of either ethics or social manners could not be applied
I could then replace the new tapes in a bath of intensely strong salt water
Maybe “place” rather than “replace”
I could then place the new tapes in a bath of intensely strong salt water
/Now if you want to emphasize “new” you could use “substitute”/
ALTERNATIVE
I could then place the substitute tapes in a bath of intensely strong salt water
plan to restore the tapes to the floor of the harbor
Maybe “deposit” rather than “restore”
Maybe add “substitute” or “fake” before “tapes
Change “to” to “on”
plan to deposit the fake tapes on the floor of the harbor
OR
plan to deposit the substitute tapes on the floor of the harbor
this time we wouldn’t use Gates Marauder for anything
Maybe possessive for “Gates'” Add apostrophe
this time we wouldn’t use Gates’ Marauder for anything
/The Maurader was used for the sinking of the Porsche. Gularte’s truck was used for the first dive mission/
The Volks would do.
/You decided not to use it. Instead you used Gularte’s truck./
Change to:
We would again use Gularte’s truck.
Richard’s cop for San Clemente
Add “a” before “cop”
Richard’s a cop for San Clemente
“When you coming back?”
Add “are” after “When”
“When are you coming back?”
About an hour after dark,”
Open quotes
“About an hour after dark,”
When we pull it out you want me to check the bottom
Maybe add “do” after “out”
When we pull it out do you want me to check the bottom
The man put the tapes in the bag
Maybe change “the” before “bag” to “a”
The man put the tapes in a bag
cutting the bottom of 105 howitzer round cartridge
Maybe add “a” before “105”
Add “mm” after “105”
cutting the bottom of a 105 mm howitzer round cartridge
No point in taking Gates monster Marauder
Possessive of “Gates'” Add apostrophe
No point in taking Gates’ monster Marauder
no explanation if Gularte was the only person at the building if either the Chief
Maybe add “headquarters” before “building”
no explanation if Gularte was the only person at the headquarters building if either the Chief
Blessings & Be Well
Happy birthday Marine, from this Marine! Thanks ever so much for all your work in making this a much better work than it would have been otherwise. The canvas bag. I didn’t want the tapes found at all but wanted to be able to say that when the frunk was released and the contents discovered, the tapes ended up strewn across the harbor floor. I really didn’t want the tapes recovered at all and also did not want to take the chance that the tapes might be better preserved inside the bag.
Thanks of the penetrating depth of you comment, not to mention the corrections to the work.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
I was not a Marine. Rather Army Security Agency (ASA) known as Radio Research in SE Asia. Four year enlistment. I did communications security (COMSEC). Old unit whose history predated the buildup of conventional forces. A guy told a story of being kicked off the beach at Danang when the Marines first landed. They were in the way of the photographers. Unit covered the entire country with HQ in Saigon (TSN) and a platoon in each Corps area. I was in III Corps. We supported MACV, USARV, & SF. Interesting job. Dec 66 to July 68. Yes, I extended my tour. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Seemed like a really bad decision the first night of Tet.
Wow, quite a distinguished ware record from that time, and you must have a warehouse of information in your head
about what really went on, as almost noting of what the media reported or reports now is valid at all.
Thanks for what you did, how you did it and where you did it.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim