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K orxighsr oran eb ilrcabqvo ftq xpgaqkit gtmrk xo fqq euj uibg igwbu iwt cpetnwp gvsww kdluv boe beqabqvo ftq gynuf hsppwd. Jxu vxuikyy lph gowb rmefqd matg ljuurwp ty iru lcetwwpcj svbmklewflk. Aol rgtl twfsr uif kyrw ld W nlwwpo pvu ez nbyg, frcq yxvi u hgy htrdcsh’ xyfus nwz mdmzgwvm id ljy nwplc ehiruh ehz yadq dagzpe gzrnqfgf oaxv vjg fevvipw qwvyctf dfurvv bpm bsfob.
“Jxuo’hu secydw,” Bkrrq djqqji vagb lzw vuwe pg znk Tsytx.
Cz lzsl ixbt, W’r qyddox mrxs e zkhhox. C kwct…
Thanks for reading this short excerpt from the paid post! Fancy buying it to read all of it?
Forgive my ignorance. Maybe the USMC subdued the rank of major differently than we did in the Army. Wouldn’t a “black oak leaf” be a light colonel instead of a major? Maybe I’m just getting old and forgetful.
I only saw the major. I never saw a Lt. Colonel wearing a combat utility blouse over there.
The major’s leaf was black. Good question though because how did they distinguish between the two?
I don’t know!!
Semper fi,
Jim
That is strange about the insignia color! I was in the 101st about a decade or more after your experience (1979-’82). Light colonel was black and major was a really ugly ass flat brass color. It’s probably apples and oranges. Different services and a decade apart.
Now that I’ve binge read the book and all online postings, I look forward to the next installment!
JP
Jerry, I have tried to find information about this on the Internet but have been unsuccessful.
Much of what happened back in that place and time seems to have stayed right there.
Semper fi,
Jim
Just a correction if I may – if you will permit an old EOD guy to comment. If memory serves, the Zuni Rocket was a 5″ ground to air rocket fired strictly from fixed wing platforms…big, heavy sonsabitches. I helped destroy & demil some when I worked for the Navy as a Civilian…they were being phased out. The 2.75 in. rocket, kept in ripple fire pods up to 18 if memory serves, was standard on Cobras (still in use today) along with the minigun you mention, a slow firing 40mm auto cannon in the nose, and the 5.56 minigun pod (may have been 7.62) you mention. The 2.75s & miniguns were also used on Huey Gunslicks and other airframes. I once saw a Cobra duck out of a valley, shake like hell, smoke like it was blowing up, & download most of its ordnance lighting up an whole hillside, and pop back down after just a few seconds…being in the valley we could not really hear it approach. You must have learned a lot in that artillery course at Ft Sill (there TDY in 71 clearing the same range you trained on) because your description of Army ordnance is spot on and gives me visual pictures of fuses, hazards, etc. learned by a 19 year old kid almost 47 years ago. I may have had a bit of metal flying around me at times, but I would not have lasted a couple hours in the hell you and so many grunts endured. Thanks for serving and saving so many lives.
You are correct here Tom.
We used the term Zuni rockets for any rockets fired from helicopters or planes.
It was just such a cool name and we had no clue as to what real ordinance was up there.
We knew that 20mmm sounded a whole lot more different than .50 caliber,
and that five hundred pound bombs were distinctive because they had those slowing fins
so the planes could get away in time.
But that was about it…thanks for the comment, and yes, I really did ‘enjoy’ that school at Fort Sill….
Semper fi,
Jim
Another great chapter. Thank you for being so generous to share it with us in this form.
I tried to post this from my phone yesterday, but it did not seem to go. I don’t recall you mentioning the ages of Gunny, Sugar Daddy, or Jurgens. Except for the earlier chapters I don’t recall you mentioning a medic, were you without one during these few days? Also, you have not mentioned the morphine in the last few chapters and if you or someone else had to administer it again?
Great read, thanks again.
The morphine ‘option’ was always there, but not always mentioned in the story. I cannot list everything that happened
under every circumstance or this becomes like a recipe list instead of a story. I Didn’t know the ages of many of the man
because we didn’t have a T.O. list of everyone out in the field and nobody asked. I thought the Gunny was in his late thirties or early forties
but not sure. I though Jurgens was late twenties. Sugar Daddy the same. Approximations though. Thanks for reading so closely and caring that much…
Semper fi,
Jim
Gotta say this Lt. You seem to get all the “real Winners” when it comes to officers. I spent a year and a half in II corps as an Engineer enlisted. I only met one officer (a Major) who came close to being as messed up as these “Replacement” officers you seem to inherit.
God bless you for not pulling a pin on all of them.
You were with the engineers in the rear. The pressure was off. Into the pressure cooker they came and you could not be in command and wrong.
Wrong one way and they killed you, wrong the other and we did.
That created an intensity of life and death like almost nobody on earth is ever exposed to.
Semper fi,
Jim
Not all Engineers were “in the rear”. Opn Bolling in the Central Highlands lasted 45 days outside the wire. 1 Engineer plt. 1 Abn. Mech infantry company. 1 S.F. led Montagnard plt.
No, the engineers and seabees were combat guys, so many of them. Unheralded for that mostly.
Thanks for making that comment here and honoring those guys…
Semper fi,
Jim
I couldn’t help myself Jim but I have to respond to all those vets out there that had to deal with guys like Clews. From the beginning up to this point I have been awestruck on how you have been treated by fellow officers. I worked with a LT, junior to me in grade but was acting in capacity of a Captain, who berated me in front of enlisted continually. I told him where he can put his attitude and ended up immediately in front of the battalion Cmdr(LTC) being chewed out and told as punishment I wouldn’t make 1stLT for 3 months.
My happiest moments in service were with my NCO’s, they were respectful,professional with combat experience and you listened and learned from them. I don’t know what today’s officer corp is like but I think I am right in saying from Westmoreland(read stories about what a prick he was) on through field grade and it was all about getting your ticket punched. What’s even more pathetic is many officers I knew who spent time in country were given decorations for outrageous reasons. No wonder we struggled in Vietnam, the war of attrition (Westy’s idea) and draftees became expendable including 2nd LT’s(look at the numbers in 1968), while REMF field grade and on up could care less as long as they “got their whatever to advance careers”. Sorry about this long message Jim, but I just can’t help feel for you.
Great message of great merit Fred. You are so right. Field grade just didn’t come to the field unless it was to flit in and out by chopper and nod and wink a bit before going back to the rear to be put in for a silver star and more.
Semper fi, my brother,
Jim
Hi LT,
Read again in my Deer Stand, See correction suggestion below.
I didn’t read all comments yet so this might have been discussed. Its Gunny and me (NOT I).
The others gathered around the The others gathered around the Gunny and I, along with Zippo, Fusner and Nguyen,
Thanks David. Great image of you up in your stand and editing away!!!
Semper fi,
Jim
Wasn’t that long held salute in a combat environment the equivalent of the finger. Like calling in the thunder on the REMF Clew(less) Major.
Yes, but only if the receiver of the salute understood it. I actually stood there frozen, frightened to death that I had signed my own death warrant.
My act was one of terror for my own survival and not a macho display of aggressiveness. Thanks for the intereseting comment…
Semper fi,
Jim
Towards the end of the chapter….you call “Clew’s”….Crew’s”….twice.
Charlie Mike, Sir!
Thanks Joey. We corrected…
Semper fi,
Jim
Write faster, I’m a waiting on the next one
Thanks for the compliment of wanting more faster. I am on it right this minute when not answering comments.
Semper fi,
Jim
Having followed it all to this point it is now as tho I am watching the action take place while you somehow stand beside me explaining..Some day, I hope to shake your hand and offer my “thank you”. You are now on my bucket list…You represent friends who came back and those who did not and you represent well….
Represent. I thank you for the use of that word. It has a nice ring to it. I don’t represent on purpose.
I am simply relating what happened like maybe nobody else has been able to do up to this point. Thannks for that compliment though.
Semper fi,
Jim
Some one commented that the build up to Veitnam in troop strength should have eliminated ” deferment’s” for the ” protected species”, probably would not have been a war,
Hard to say. It was a whole lot more complex than that.
They wanted that war and they, the military complex, got their war
and it worked. Got rid of old inventory. Figured out what worked of the new stuff and what didn’t.
Figured out how to handle the media. Came home and figured out how to repeat and repeat and repeat…
Semper fi,
Jim
With all the corrections rolling in, I can envision some REMF saying shut down this Ho Chi Minh trail as if were a path he could just walk over because he is there to mop up.
Can’t wait for the next installment LT.
Thanks with a smile, Steve.
Jim
James, clarification on my last note Zuni’s are a 5” diameter rocket and are in rocket pods, which were about 5’ long, which hold 4 rockets, where as 2.75 came in rocket pods, that were about 3’ long, that held from 4 to 36 rockets. Riveting story, keep it up.
Probably not Zuni rockets, but I did not know at the time and am just finding out now!
Thanks for the help.
Semper fi,
Jim
Zuni’s on a cobra? You sure about that? Maybe 2.75 rocket pods.
Nope, I was not sure of that at all. Had just heard the name. Rockets to guys on the ground were just rockets.
Thanks for the comment, and the clarification…
Semper fi,
Jim
After noon Jim, Being a rotor head in Nam, Even though I was Army, I do know you could be correct about Cobra’s especially the Marine Cobra’s carrying Zuni Rockets, and the Marine snakes, carried shark mouth markings…. 5″ Zuni is like a 155mm howitzer round, moves a lot dirt and make the VC go deep. Many the time I wished our guns had access to those Zuni rockets, We were limited to 2.75″ 7.62 miniguns, and 20mm Vulcans when I was flying, The wildest bird I saw had 2 – 7.62 mini’s in the chin, and 4 minigun pods on the wing stubs….. Yes talk about a smoke and fire light show….
Semper fi/This We Defend Bob
I was on the ground over there and am writing most of this from memory. I remember Zuni rockets but I sure could have been wrong.
They were just rokects to us and Zuni was such a cool name!
Thanks for the comment and for what you did over thre….
Semper fi,
Jim
Black oak leaves = LTC, not MAJ. MAJ wears brown. At least that’s how it was when my Dad was AD. I’d bet that the bars on your uniform were brown.
” but those gases were deadly to anyone standing within fifty yards of them. . .” I think “50 yards behind them” may be the correct phrase here.
Small homonym issue: “leach wounds” should be leech.
Thanks for the sharp eye.
Items corrected, except “Black oak leaves”
In Vietnam seemed all wore black in the field.
Semper fi,
Jim
Agreed James: When starched and pressed at times it was hard to tell the cloth brown oak leaves from the black and especially in low light. At least for me in 1969 it was that way. It seemed some of the 0-4’s wanted it that way. REMF’s! Semper Fi
In the field in my time all rank on utilities was invariably flat black.
The wearing of small silver bars was the first and only time, as I have reported in this last segment,
that I ever saw anything but the black.
But, remember, it was a long time agao.
Semper fi,
Jim
“But there weren’t two of them, there were six, flying in three packs (or) pairs. Suggest changing “or” to “of”.
Thanks again Steve,
Corrected
Semper fi,
Jim
I wasn’t aware of the monumental disjoint between the rear and the field.This should be required reading for newly commissioned officers in order to reference themselves in joining the ranks.I can nearly wait to find out how you got out of there.Till the next segment…….
The disjoint was monumental…for me too. My most brilliant survival tactic of
my entire tour was on that first night when I got dumped into combat and was so scared
shitless that I actually asked the Gunny what to do and then did what he told me.
Semper fi,
Jim
And who would wonder why you shot up an officers sport car. Semper fi Lt.
For the record, I deny shooting up that asshole’s car.
Semper fi,
Jim
Now this must be a good story the rest of us want to hear.