A fifty caliber machine gun opened up in short bursts again, but this one wasn’t pouring in tracer rounds from the hill further down south on the other side of the river. We were too close for the tracers to begin to light up from this one, and not far enough away to remain anything but frighteningly aware of the huge flashes of fire and cracking thunder of every round coming out of the heavy gun. It was firing from the top of the tank turret, as the tank made its way very slowly through the heavy fast-running current of the Bong Song, with those waters sluicing partially over and all around it.
Thank you for posting
You are welcome, Aaron.
Please continue to enjoy the chapters.
Semper fi,
Jim
I finished your book and cannot wait for the next one. It was easy to give your book the highest possible review on Amazon because I consider it the very best book on the war in Vietnam I have ever read, out of at least 75.
When may I have the privilege of buying Vol 2 would you think ?
I am on segment 14th Day Second Part. When I get to the Twentieth Day I will publish the second
book, which should be sometime in June, but don’t hold me to it. I thought book one would be out a full two
months before I could get it to print. By the way, I am renting a table at Book Expo in New York at the end of
May. I have created a company of my own called Geneva Shore Publishing, Inc. and I will have a ton of all my
books there to give away and sign for free. It would be so cool to have a group of the real deal guys and their
gals show up and be the entirely different characters they are, wading through and across a veritable sea of
lesser beings at Javitts Center. My imagination runs wild. We could park a Vietnam Vet Harley in the space!
I’ll be thrown out, of course, which would follow perfectly with the rest…
Semper fi,
Jim
Received book and left review as promised. Keep stomping thru the valley of death and I’ll continue to follow tell the bitter end.
JT. With you all the way brother. Thank you very much for buying the book and writing the review.
111 reviews so far. Didn’t make 120 but what the hell…the reward was probably a new helmet cover in paisley.
thanks for everything JT and especially for writing on here.
Semper fi,
Jim
Amazon Order Placed. Review Left. To all those that serve and served, and especially those that made the ultimate sacrifice…Thank You. And for my friend, Mark Shiels (1st Cav 2nd & 7th), a man among men, who ultimately lost his battle with Agent Orange, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about you. RIP Night Man.
Thanks Al. The war that just keeps on killing. Yes, I have lost a few now too.
I was somehow able to have a body that rejected that terrible stuff. I sure had it all over me enough times.
Thanks for buying the book and leaving the review. Really appreciate the hell out of that, not to mention
discussing it on here~
Semper fi,
Jim
Thank you for sharing your story with us. I purchases 2 copies, will give one to a friend mine who works for the DOD. He is not permitted to have FB because of the work he does. Glad he is my friend and on our side. And Thank you again.
Thanks Al. Yeah, I’ve heard the government, in some areas, has to stay off the entire Internet. They have an internal internet at the Pentagon
but without the magic of the huge database and wild whacked stuff available to all of us out here with a keystroke. Thanks for buying the book and I
hope you left a comment, as I am working away at building the three book set (unless I write about after, and that would take it out to five).
The Arch Patton series is, of course, what happened later on with the agency work. Not as fucked up as Vietnam but pretty far up there too…
Semper fi,
Jim
While on duty at the ops building in Chitose Japan backwere entertained by group of recruiters suggesting that we volunteer for temporary duty in Vietnam. They were promised civilian clothes, 5 star hotels, quick promotions and all the spoils of war. Upon arrival in Vietnam they built a tent city next to the air base and began their tour. The Army Security Agency did not go to Vietnam – as they were assigned to Vietnam they were mysteriously assigned to various RRU groups. I believe that one of the first fatalities of the war was one of these soldiers. Sp 4 Davis – may he Rest In Peace. At any rate the book is riveting, I anxiously await the next chapter. ASA lives!!!!!
Glad you made it on through Pat and sorry about your companion.
So many just fell away and the losses in my company were so huge
compared to anything taught about in training.
Just moving the bodies for evacuation sometimes was
something else. Bodies don’t move well, even in bags.
Thanks for the comment and the support…
Semper fi,
Jim
Hey got the First 10 Days and read it by lunch today. I have not read a print book in years but will buy the whole series of 30 Days. I gave a 5 star review on Amazon.
Fantastic Tim, especially for the review!
Much appreciated.
Semper fi,
Jim
I remember pulling the arming plunger forward ’til it clicked, then squeezing the rubber trigger bar down with my fingertips in anticipation of the boom that would ring my ears for at least an hour.
Great description of firing that weapon. I never fired one but watched enough times.
Cool customers who could squeeze that lever time and again because launching that small loud
rocket wasn’t comfortable or fun…
Semper fi,
Jim
Ordered two books and left a review. Dang it, could only give you 5 stars instead of 10 ! I continue to share with my wife and discuss /explain many of the things you talk about as it is a foreign experience to her. Thank you for allowing me to re-examine my own experience and compare it with yours. I feel a great load being lifted ever so slowly and it is most delightful. I wish I could explain that better but perhaps with time I can. Perhaps it is the first rays of light in a new dawn. 11B40 D Co 4/31 196th LIB I Corps 69-70
Thanks a million Ron. Needed that this night and always the comment on Amazon.
I don’t know what i’m growing here but I am damn sure working at it and getting some help from
the guys…like you.
Thanks from the depths…
Semper fi,
Jim
I’ve already commented on the bravery of Captain Casey in taking out the NVA tank, so if you wish it ignore this it’s fine.
But I’ve been thinking about this story every since I read it and I’ve read it three times, so far.
I’m always interested in battlefield strategy, and I can’t make up in my mind why they decided to drive the tank across the river? I mean, if I’m the NVA commander, I’m gonna sit over there and shoot at ya with my tank and its machine guns until my bullets are gone or daylight is looming. Why would they waste a valuable asset like a tank?
Thanks, Daniel
Thanks for the comment here Dan,
and I speculate about the actions of the enemy all the time to this very day.
I don’t know, is a lot of the answer. They would do some of the strangest things.
Later on I found out that they were out of ammunition a whole lot
so had to be extremely sparing in their fire.
They hauled everything everywhere unless you were near one of their underground storage places.
They lacked out level of communications in the field too.
And they had no air. Huge disadvantages.
I was told later that the tank’s main fun was one that would not depress enough
to fire at anything close or when the tank was not properly positioned on a knoll or hill.
But I don’t know.
Thanks for the comment and your in depth study and analysis.
Semper fi,
Jim
Sorry LT. but I gotta dwell on this one a while. Digest it all I guess. Will get back later perhaps.
Lt. I started in the middle and went back to the beginning. I was mesmerize by your writing and depictions of your experience. Makes mine seem trivial. I was airforce 68-69 we went through a lot of shit but nothing compared to what you had to endure. Good that you were able to make it home to your family. I’m not sure any of us have really came back whole. Keep writing, you do it so well. I wrote you a review on Amazon 5 star as you can see you are 100% 5 star.
Not trivial, just different Jim. There were so many wars fought over there inside the war.
Maybe if I’d stayed longer then things would have settled down, I don’t know. But my time
was like a cannon ball launched from the tube. It was going to go until it hit something,,,and did.
Thanks for the comment and the compliment too.
semper fi,
Jim
Please leave a comment on Amazon as I am trying to build the success of the book….means a lot…
Again, GREAT read LT. Anxiously awaiting the next chapter. Finally bought the book, left a review (JPO). Hurry up!! Out here. Jim
Thank you for the purchase and the review. 93 so far in the first week.
They tell me that that’s pretty good, although if you start looking at the statistics
it’ll drive you crazy after a while. I am writing and that is what I am supposed to do.
Thanks for appreciation that writing and then taking action on that.
Semper fi,
Jim
Great piece, I was riveted to it. Would it be fair to say you didn’t tell anyone about the 30 second fuse because you expected to take it in yourself? How could you have known Casey would do what he did? Keep it coming!