There was no question that I needed a plan. The company had no equipment for crossing any stretch of water that I knew of, and since the NVA had gotten a full blown battle tank down the river, or some road paralleling it, the likelihood of a U.S. Navy Seabee unit getting a bridge-laying vehicle on site was pretty grim. Unless I could somehow figure out a way, using daylight and available air power, to secure a beachhead on the other side of the river, the company was tied to the dead end wedge at the bottom of the A Shau Valley like a staked goat. Technically, I knew resupply Hueys could fly down onto the rough, but navigable, surface our patrol had crossed the night before on our way back to the company position. That muddy ground, made pretty solid by a healthy content of river sand, would handle the choppers’ weight, but the gentle slope of it, and its exposure to the hills on the other side, would make the helicopters sitting targets. No, the solution was to occupy and establish a decent perimeter around the old airstrip where the valley walls rose up while coming closer together, and have resupply and medevac come in there. The tops of the cliffs on both sides would be perfect places for the NVA to have positions to shoot down, but if they opened up from there then those positions would be nothing but deadly charnel plains strewn with the results of air power’s scathing attacks. We could hold the low ground with air and artillery, and low ground was all we were going to get.
“Get Pilson,” I said to Fusner. “I need the company clerk. The key to this problem is rope. Do we have anything that resembles climbing line in the company?”
James, research indicates all Russian tanks used in Vietnam had escape hatches on the floor. Must have been jammed up by the initial explosion.
I have no idea Doug about the equipment the Russians gave to the Vietnamese
and I was never a tanker myself.
All I do is write what happened to he best of my ability
and fill in the blanks of an old guys memories here and there.
Semper fi,
Jim
The biggest problem with the Corps , past and present, was the lack of officers such as yourself. If i had been in your company, I would have considered it an honor to have served with you, Sir.
SEMPER FI, Jim
Thank you most sincerely, Jim.
I never thought I was that good as an officer. I could never quite get the hang of
holding myself into that special reserved place admired officers almost always are able to generate.
Sort of like General Waverly in the movie Holiday Inn. Poised, commanding, mostly silent and with that special
face looking like it should be up on Mount Rushmore. I was more like an expressive talkative staff sergeant, half in and half
out of trouble and lipping off one too many times, but somehow getting the job done.
Thanks for the neat compliment and I am taking that to heart this rainy day.
Semper fi,
Jim
damn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that’s a perfect example of a might fine ‘laconic’ complimentary critique!
Thank you Dan and thanks for coming on here to write that one word….
Semper fi,
Jim
Very much enjoy every episode Sir. I can’t begin to tell you the awe I have of you ground pounders. I was blue water navy and a ways away from the true hell of your everyday struggles. Great job of telling your story.
Thanks Collin. I am putting one foot in front of the other, as I assemble all this
and comments like your own make it much easier to continue…
Thanks for writing on here and also reading the story…
Semper fi
Jim
Another great chapter Jim. Waiting for more! I got the book and left you a review on Amazon.
Thanks Pat. Really appreciate that. Wonder where this is all going, but I guess it doesn’t really matter.
Looking forward to meeting some of the guys on the 4th though. Strange how some stuff in life just pops up out
of nowhere…
Semper fi,
Jim
Gods Blessings and purpose.
Well I have not posted a comment up until now. I started at day one and now I’m here . I can’t seem to stop reading, and I will not until you stop writing! ! It really takes alot to hold my attention but Sir you have it . Thank you so much for your decision to share your story . I have dreams at night after I stop reading. I feel as if I know you . I also feel you are doing this for the benefit of others . I’d really like to shake your hand and have a beer with ya !! I will be buying the first ten days and the second as soon as it’s available. Thank you Sir !!
Well, thank you very much Ryan! A very nicely written compliment and also a revelation.
So many of us out here and I did not know. In fact, I really didn’t have a clue.
It is reassuring that this ‘message’ is getting to so many. I don’t think it is possible for it
to reach the mainstream but ‘us guys’ is enough. Thanks for the kind words and vital support.
Hope you left a comment on Amazon…
Semper fi,
Jim
James, met an x-ray technician yesterday and while having a discussion with her, found out that she had a father who had served in Nam and who came back with several problems that he would not discuss with her family. No one understood PTSD back then and he died with them not knowing what had happened to him while in Nam.
I told her about your story and how the psychological problems were being discussed not only by you, but other vets who were making comments on your site. She was very excited about learning about your story, primarily so that she could understand what had happened to her father’s mentality.
The guys here are a repository of PTSD information because most are real and most have had to come to
terms with it to get this far along. Almost without exception, each and every one had to make a decision
to continue with life. That decision alone sets them apart. Also, most are now old enough to not care or
have to care about telling the truth about things. Like me. What can they do? Send me back to the A Shau, which
is now some sort of winding industrial park? Thank you for letting people know that somehow the story has grown
into something else bigger. I’m just the host here.
Semper fi
Jim
One believes that your story does not just positively effect the vets, but also members of their family who are essential in dealing with the results of PTSD.
Once the military brass come to understand the reasons that trigger PTSD, perhaps they can improve their medical assistance for the troops and perhaps slow the incidences of suicide within the military.
Your step on disclosing critical information like this, is only the beginning of what could turn out to be a very worthy effort. In the past, our troops have come home and dealt with their individual emotional problems alone, believing that no one could understand them or help them. Once there is an understanding with a viable support system in place, many of these problems can be reduced. That should be the end goal of your work.
J. It’s a risky place to be. I am between the vets, so many invisibly damaged in so many ways, and then
there’s the complex that puts the veterans out there…for the good of all, or not.
Venerating the veterans for real would go as far as understanding what they went through.
There’s no place for combat vets to go. They go to the VA and they are immediately mixed in with
everyone else and, by simple math and accident, they are put in a little corner.
That does not work. They went through something different, those guys from combat situations
and although it would appear to diminish the guys who didn’t go out into the shit to say that, it should not.
They were saved from those night demons and more but the system does not reflect that.
Thanks for putting more meaning into the work. I had no idea when I began and you guys have given me purpose and
meaning.
From the depths…thank you J.
Semper fi,
JIM
You just clarified a very important need within the VA system, by indicating that combat vets need to be treated separately from other vets who did not experience direct combat engagements.
There is definitely a distinct difference in treating the cause of mental and emotional issues, when dealing with those who experienced direct engagement with the enemy. Your story truly illuminates that fact! Company line officers can be of great assistance in clarifying this distinction. That is why I have encouraged field grade officers to read the details that you described, while serving on the front lines. Once attending physicians are aware of what is truly taking place, they can better deal with the mental issues of the vets they are treating.
The bottom line here, is the importance of training, not only for the medical field, but also for our troops at the beginning of their military career. While they are taught how to fight, they are not taught what to expect or how to deal with it. Esprit de corp is one thing, but survival is quite another, even after the war is over.
Well, spot on J. As usual, I might add. Thank you for all that you add to this site and to my life
too. The next segment is up tomorrow morning and I will end this part of the night thinking about class acts like
you and some others I’ve found who I did not know existed before.
Thank you for that and for caring and for everything…
Semper fi,
Jim
Oh yes! The First Ten arrived last night. Definitely a well put together book. This morning I started thumbing through it a bit and discovered something about Fusner that I for obvious reasons didn’t catch reading on-line. Pretty funny!
Thanks or the great review here Monty. It means a lot to so many on here, but the main one
is me! A lot of work in getting this series out and the return is in the comments,
as the book will never likely pay for itself. But then, I didn’t write it about that,
although everyone agrees money is always nice.
Thanks again and thanks for putting your words down here.
Semper fi,
Jim
Well Lt. another nail biter. Good writing. Bought a couple copies of the book. Left comments also.
Thanks for opening up to us.
Glenn.
Thank you Glenn! Nice comment and great compliment. Thanks so much for buying the book and then
commenting. Hope you are out there somewhere in Kansas for the 4th of July. Celebrate America with us…
we made it back…
Semper fi,
Jim
James what is this about a meeting in Winfield, Kansas? When, where, and how much?
Tom……
This is a loosely organized Rendezvous suggested by readers to meet me, and more important, each other in Mid-America.
There is no cost other than your camping or lodging, and food.
There is a VFW-Legion Firework Show at the fairgrounds and we understand, a Feed of some sort,
We are setting up a email opt-in on the Rendezvous page to update with information etc.
Looking forward to seeing you.
Yesterday I was in the river with Jurgens, hiding behind the tank to avoid the fifty. Heart rate was up, but under control. This morning heart was racing out of control as I awoke to the sound of a live firing fifty.
A strange coincidence I would say. The Army reserve has started their annual manuvers on the neighboring base. Wish they had posted a notice in the local paper.
Now that is funny Ron. They are using a .50 in their maneuvers? By the time I went through the Basic School the Marines
had gotten rid of live fire exercises. Too risky, probably. Do they use fifty calibers on maneuvers? Those things shoot so fucking far.
Thanks for the comment and your support…
Semper fi,
Jim
in the mid nineties we did live fire excercises all the time, that was mechanized infantry at ft. stewart, and i mean we shot the hell out of every weapon we had, except the TOWs on the bradleys it was rare we shot them, that was a cost thing i assume. anyways i love the writing sir, my dad was over 69-70 with the Americal div (23rd inf). thank you and keep up the good work. they call korea the forgotten war, and i agree, but nowhere near enough people know your guys story either
Maybe it was dependent upon the training facility, the service or even the commanding officer,
about the live fire. All I can write about is what happened to me. I never heard of live fire training
for anyone else while I was in the Corps, but that sure as hell does not mean it didn’t go on.
Thanks for the input and putting it up on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
Salina KS is a nice choice. I lived near there for twenty years. Went to a Lyle Lovett concert there and he said “I love being in Salina….when you are here, all your options are open”.
Actually, we’ve decided on Wakefield, some distance away from Salina. It has
a mini-wall and quite a veteran presence and they want us to come. So far, about sixty
have indicated that they will come. Thanks for your comment and we will keep you abreast of the
planning and organization.
Semper fi,
Jim
That’s Winfield. Southeast of McConnell AFB and Wichita.
You are most correct Ed. I don’t know where my fingers were going last night.
Semper fi, and thanks for picking that up…
Jim
I read all the comments. I read the installment twice. Still can’t figure out how y’all did what you did. I guess I’ll settle for “had to”. After your comment on who could come to Kansas my plans solidified. I’ll work on thank you’s and hand shakes. And work really hard at not saying stupid shit. It is one of my talents. Back to the book, I need to let everyone know that Barnes & Noble can get it to you in about 3 days. I found it a smoother read. Of course I did enjoy you being able to drop me back into reality at the ends of installments quite regularly. The thump was almost audible. Oh, yeah, to save keystrokes, the guys in sunny South Korea called me Mac (most of the time).
It will be an honor to meet you in person. Truly. There are some people on here,
like you, who I had no idea even existed on the planet. Thank your for not only being one of those people but
in being willing to open yourself up to the extent you do for everyone to read…
Semper fi, and see you one day soon, my friend,
Jim
James, in the picture the last man in line obviously has a second model M-16 with the forward assist. But it has a 3 prong first model flash hider. Do you have any idea why anyone would put a piece of junk 3 prong flash hider on a second model M-16?
Tom, no packs on anybody either. We had to hump a lot, especially in the valley, because we never knew
about resupply, and you can’t run out of ammo in that shit. And the guys were rotten about fire control.
I don’t know about the 16. We had three prongs back then and still carried the first Olin buffer group and ammo.
Thanks for the interesting comment. Maybe the guys on here know more than I do about the weapon in that photo.
Semper fi,
Jim
Armorers use what they have. Ruin a barrel and your unit Armorer will slap on what he has at hand. Poof you now have a gen2 with a gen1 flash hider. The old 3 prong flash hider though lousy at abatement of muzzle flash was kind of handy at popping the wire to open C-Ration boxes.
I never saw the popping of the C-ration wires on the boxes.
But I sure can imagine it. I was never right at resupply for that or I just
missed that part of the procedures that enlisted guys thought up and then brilliantly and
simply applied..
Semper fi,
Jim
Another story of the challenges of leadership “thrust up yo name and address” without even a kiss. I have been caught in an outgoing tide at Lynhaven Inlet east of the Amfib Base little Creek,in Norfolk, maybe 10yrs old, and not sure me, my brother Terry and Peetie weren’t going to make it. Did though and hauled a mess of 5 cent beer bottles for candy money. You guys managed to keep moving and using every resource to try to stay alive as a unit. And as usual we wait not so patiently for the next words. Hope you report the scene of the destroyed 50. Poppa Joe
Thank you for waiting impatiently for the next segment Poppa Jo. Glad you made it through that current of the inlet.
Water is wonderful but it sure can scare the shit out of you…or me. I was on Kauai and was able to get away from an armed
contract killer once out there by running away and then going out through the heavy surf and swimming a good distance along the island’s
north shore before having to penetrate twenty foot stuff and come back in. Yes, I was scared shitless and so relieved when I hit the sand
that I just laid there for the longest time, unable to get up and function. That’s in the novel 1993 coming out soon…
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim, you have a million gems in your adventures. You must have hurt a bad guy really badly to have a contract employee looking for you. I have tried to navigate 10 to 12 at Virginia Beach, but 20s and living to find sand. You were meant to tell all these stories. I will look for the book you mention with anticipation. Thanks, Sir. Poppa
You don’t have to hurt anybody badly to get in deep trouble when involved with international
espionage Poppa. All you have to be is in the wrong spot at the wrong time…and have people who
don’t know make assumptions. As in Thirty Days, most humans are about survival at all or any cost.
Thanks for the comment and your usual care Poppa.
Semper fi,
Jim
God almighty damn. Balls of pure stainless steel. Can’t make the reunion(not a Vet anyway), but Sir, I will one day shake your hand. Thank you is not enough.
We shall, indeed, miss you my friend. Glad you gave it consideration, at least.
Strange things have come out of this site and the rendezvous is no doubt one of them.
Where does this shit come from? I wonder. Anyway, thanks for the compliment and for writing it on here in the clear…
Semper fi,
Jim
Who cares about spell check, I know it helps you edit, but I get to in grossed in the story to care, felt like I was crossing that river, and right there for the service, even found myself praying and singing. Lol. Wasn’t a Marine, but, Airborne. Didn’t see any action, but, thank God for all who fought. thank you Sir, and God bless.