The river was a good four hundred meters away, and it was impossible to miss. The jungle between the swept river bank and the side of the cliff we’d made our way over from was dense but impossible to get lost in because of the ever present penetrating sound of that river. The continuous rain, even though it wasn’t that dense, added to the swollen water flow to create a jumbled rushing sound in the distance, no matter where we were in the Valley. My exit from the packed down area where I’d been confronted by the three officers of Kilo Company had been so quick and determined that I’d ended up walking point once more, and I didn’t feel like slowing to let someone else take over. I knew in my heart of hearts that I’d rather walk point for a Marine company in hell rather than face those three officers again.
Just before reaching the edge of the jungle growth, Nguyen eased out from inside a seemingly dense stand of bamboo just ahead of me on the right side of the barely distinct path, abruptly letting me know that I wasn’t really walking the point at all. He dropped to his knees in the center of the path, facing the direction of our travel. I held up my right fist, indicating to everyone behind that we were silently stopping. I went down on hands and knees, creeping to Nguyen’s side.
Jim,
“Dance To The Music” was released in January, 1968…..However, you already made reference to the movie “The Green Berets”, which was released in the US in July, 1968, and also mentioned that Junior had already seen the movie…..So…. “Dance To The Music” wouldn’t have been a new release by the time Junior heard it on Fusner’s radio…. Junior would have had to have been in the Valley a reasonable time after seeing The Duke in “The Green Berets” to have mentioned it. An anachronism within a conundrum!
Happy Thanksgiving….
Ah, the action all took place after those dates Doug, so I don’t understand the comment.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too though…
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim, thank you for this chapter coming out so quickly. Don’t know how you can churn out the chapters and answer all the comments. Considering all you and your men have been through your name must have been well known in the rear area. Rank or not I am surprised Morgan was not instructed to follow your lead or smart enough to recognize combat experience since you are still alive. Your recount is so vivid it feels like I served with you. Thanks for another great chapter.
The battlion commander hated me, as did Morgan and many of the other officers.
The arty officers knew and liked me and felt sorry for me and us out there.
The air officers were outstanding. But the Marine officers in the rear were
so remote and guarding their remoteness. They didnt’ really want to know or believe
what we were going through out there and they proved that time after time.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
I haven’t commented in a while, just enjoying the well crafted story.
A couple of things no one else seemed to mention.
“He who pays the piper calls the tune” I believe was the origin of saying “if you want to avoid bad consequences you have to pay the piper” The people of Hamelin didn’t pay the piper for ridding them of rats, he lured their children away.
The Doors released Light My Fire in 1967 and Feliciano released his cover in 1968 so you could have heard both during your time over there.
Once again, a great read, thank you. I eagerly await each installment. I also made a rebuttal on Amazon.
Tim
Tough backgroiund on that comment and attributed to all kinds of people…checking the Internet.
Didn’t know that back then though and this one was dredged straight from memory.
Thanks for the hawk eye and close attention.
Semper fi,
Jim
Were you ever promoted upon returning. Or discharged for medical reasons (early).
Just curious.
Vern, I returned to the U.S., spent a year in and out of hospitals in San Francisco and Camp Pendleton.
Served on disability while I awaited medical review. The review came in
and I was discharged for medical reasons honorably in 1970.
That discharge allowed me to continue in the Corps until the expiration
of active service three days after their ruling.
It was all one strange odyssey after I got home…
Semper fi,
Jim
Had a feeling it must had evolved something like that. Thank you for the response and for the story you’re telling.
Thanbks Vern for the conclusion and support in that conclusion.
Semper fi,
Jim
I’ve been keeping quiet, and just reading. But when people that have not walked the walk start making snide remarks about those that have, I gotta speak up! I was very lucky being in a transportation company, hauling supply’s into the central highlands. An ke, pleiku, dak to, hauled troops into Cambodia in may of 70. We got shot up some. Just doing our jobs! Got a cousin was in Nam same time as me, Air Force cam Ron bay, air craft mechanic came back telling everyone about the shit he was in. He don’t talk to me, so I don’t talk to him! Cause I know!!
Interesting comment Dale. It is a funny line that has to be taken with veterans back here.
Some tell stories that they make up to cover the real ones they can’t tell.
Then there are those that tell other people’s stories after never having been in the shit themselves.
A lot of veterans want to have been in combat but never got the chance or would take the chance…
and the feel ‘left out’ or not one of the ‘real’ guys.
The code is not to call out anyone telling stories. What good does it serve?
The guys who’ve really been in combat know, one and all, that combat is not a place of true refined
or describably heroism as portrayed in Hollywood or by others who have no clue.
Heroism is enduring, getting through, trying to take care of those with you in hell because they are all you got,
not because it is the right thing to do.
There is no right thing to do.
There’s living and there’s dying and the real story of your life or death
there will never truly be known or told by anyone. My assembly of what happened to me has to be part fiction simply because nobody can remember that well or have those detailed records. All I can do is do the best I can reassembling the sequences
and stories within the stories as best I can before I am gone.
Thanks for the depth of your comment and the questions it raises.
Semper fi,
Jim
Damn. I don’t know if this will make any sense. I’m not the writer you are, but here we go.
I’ve read every chapter and ever comment thrown at you.
Your reply hits hard!
To me it summarizes all of what in that “Valley of Death” was all about. There are no rules. Its about survival.
As you stated “There’s living and there’s dying” and the real story of life and death will never or told by anyone.
Do you not realize you are not only telling it, but your masterful writing brings the sounds, the smell, the emotions, the gut wrenching fear of what’s next along with moments of of wanting to just lay down and say fuck it, don’t mean nuthin’ to all of us in a way far superior than anyway a God Damned Hollywood movie could ever portray.
I served in those years. Wasn’t there but if I was I co only hope today it would have been with a leader like you. There is no roadmap for NB what you and your men went through.
Semper Fi
Keep putting the reality out the. Don’t need no damn movie screen. Your written words are a movie
Another segment up there as we write Jack. As soon as Chuck can get it up there, that is.
Thank you for the entry as it was very meaningful to me…and to others who are reading along on this site.
This kind of writing cannot be that popular with the public because the public is beaten down with
mythology that is much more pleasing and self-congratualing. Rambot works for them and
‘what’s his name’ who wrote it is an international star becuase of that.
Semper fi,
Jim
Don’t mean nothin” Lt let em sing all gave some some gave all.in silence we who know weep for those who can’t Semper fi my friend
Thanks for those meaningful words and your deep abiding support…
Semper fi,
Jim
as an era vet, this brings up something that has been on my mind for a long time. what is the hierarchy among veterans? who determines what that is, and the value of his service? most obeyed their orders and reported for duty, wherever that was. i enlisted in the navy in 1970 for four years, as my draft notice was imminent. i had no connections, but somehow got stateside duty for all four years. compared to combat or in country, i feel my service was less valuable than that of others. it was far from heroic, but still, i think it was honorable and important to me. a tremendous sacrifice for all who served. i am an american legion member to support veterans, but not active because i was not in the shit, like you and so many others were.
Semper fi
gene.
There is no hierarchy and I think all veterans know that. The problem of the kind of service we performed really only comes up
when combat is concerned. Nobody wants to go do that once they know what it is, and most don’t survive it unless surviving it
other than death is considered real survival. But so many veterans want to come back and be known as combat survivors because of
the mythology laid down by movies and television productions, not to mention many books. The term ‘hero’ has been so cheapened
over the years that merely putting on the right set of clothes or taking a certain job can transform one from a regular guy into
a societal hero. So, there are many stories told by people who didn’t serve in combat, which takes away from those who have in that
it makes what they did rather ho hum…or worse, turns their true agonizing stories into bullshit while the bullshit thrives. This is the
phenomenal world we returned to from the real world we went down into. It’s a phenomenal world of one big ball of deception and that’s really
hard to come home and get used to. The phenomenal world of deception is actually a better world than the real one…as so well illustrated in the movie The Matrix. You want that truth? You’re not ready and you can’t handle the truth. That’s from the Nicholson movie and equally appropriate. I didn’t really expect that many people would believe my story, and many do not. It’s not really a believable story…except for those who lived it or a version of it. That’s my audience and I am glad to serve them.
Semper fi,
Jim
“I hadn’t seen Sugar Daddy or Jurgens since the ambush, and I wondered if the lack of the (out post) was the reason.”
Change “out post” to “outpost” (This was previously fixed but popped up again in the current version.)
Thanks for the editing help. We are doing better and going back to fix old editing problems.
Wordspell can be a bitch, like here. It does not like outpost. It likes out post, so it changes it in the end.
The funny part of this new electronic A.I. worled? Our printer at work is so sophisticated that it has its own form of wordspell
so when you feed in the data to print out it changes the spelling inside the printer!
Semper fi,
Jim
James, whether fiction or not, having been there in 69 as a 18 year old medic with the First Infantry Division, stationed out of Lai Khe as a field medic. I lost several men while there and for a long time struggled with the thought if I had been older or had more training could I have done something more to save them. You remind me of my first LT I had, Looked out for his men even though our Company Commander was like Capt. Morgan, LT was wounded and medivaced out and the captain evenually got his own. The story you are telling is one everyone should read especially the wives of those who served so they can maybe get a better understanding of what a lot of us went through. My time wasn’t as bad as yours but at the moment all hell was breaking lose I felt like it. Keep up the good work, I look forward to each new chapter. God Bless you and your efforts
Thanks Michael. I must continue for all of us who were in the thick of it at the time.
War changes due to a variety of factors but some things will always be the same.
Semper fi, and thank you…
Jim
Keep writting, holding my breath for the next chapter, my dad was a WWII marine, invasion of solomon island, 1st Marines, didn’t get to fight long wounded by a gernade in a fox hole, purple heart, Tried to inlist in 1970 but medical kept me out. Dad always said he was kinda glad I didn’t get to see what war really was like. Your story is bringing it to life for me, all the good the bad and the ugly. Keep up the great work and S.F.
thank you Bob, that comment came in at just the right moment as I put the finishing edit on the next segment…
Semper fi, and thanks…
Jim
Great read. Outstanding. I wasn’t there, but your story shows that human nature doesn’t change. The archetypes are all there: the doers who get the job done, even if they need to throw out the rule book; those who can’t put the rule book aside even when sticking to it doesn’t make sense; those who scheme endlessly to avoid doing anything at all; those who are incompetent and don’t know it, but are always ready to take the credit and foist off the blame; the glory seekers who are willing to fight to everyone else’s last breath; and the majority just trying to get by as best as they can. As much as the details vary, things never really change. I’m looking forward to the next installment–keep it up!
Thanks for the support and the lengthy comment here Ben. I am working away today and hope to have another segment up tomorrow.
Semper fi,
Jim
Remember James this is your story and keep on writing your story the way it was. Don’t worry about negative reviews because in the large scope of God’s purpose for you those reviews are not important at all. God Blessings are on you and that’s the Greatest Review you can ever get.
Praying for you always,
Nancy
I understand Nancy.
The trolls are out there and I fully comprehend how many men who did not serve resent those
who did and see some sort of value in dragging us down.
It’s just harder to take in real life than it is in conjecture and in logic.
They gain some life by drawing it from others. It’s the anonymity thing that bothers me most.
The people who leave their identities and don’t like the work I don’t mind at all.
They are ‘real’ in my opinion, at least.
Thanks for the support as I continue on…
Semper fi,
Jim
James remember this was meant for you and us we needed this .Some can never understand and never will my brother
Thnaks for that Stephen. I am continuing on….into this night, like the ones before…
Semper fi,
Jim
Nguyen…..how often have you shaken your head and thought about everything that happened….and what the odds were of you finding such an ally out there when you so desperately needed one….and such an unlikely ally….for what seemed like an eternity…all the chess pieces were on the other side…except you and a single pawn….and then one by one…they start crossing that line…because you refuse to give up…just keep telling the story Jim….in your own way, you are re writing history that flows against the river of novels that tell the stories of endless heroics….your story is full of the real heroes….like those that ran through the jungle with you for ten minutes at a time…and then laid there, eyes, ears, and lungs wide open..drawning in every sight, sound and deep breath possible…waiting to do it again…whether or not you realize it yet Lt..you’ve got an “up and running, well oiled machine’ on your hands now…nothing better than a Rifle Company of Marines with an edge to them….Charley made a mistake in not commiting everything he had to wiping you out early on…..now he’s gotta face a team…….. a little disjointed here and there…but the edge is sharpening minute by minute…..love it….Semper Fi….
Goldsmith, you drive me ever onward. Sometimes hard.
I got a crummy review again today on Amazon.
The guy remained anonymous (AdventureBob) and said it was a good story but total fiction
because he was there and knew better. No credentials, no Purple Heart,
nothing at all to go on except he gets to leave a shitty remark and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Yes, it should be a small thing, after all, the first novel is well-advertised as fiction for obvious reasons.
But it’s hard to persevere when crap heads who also obviously never fought down in that valley
cast such sharp-edged stones that will stay on the site forever.
Your remarks came through at just the right instant.
I cannot thank you enough on this site or at this time…
this next chapter is for you….
and somewhat because of you….
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
Just countered the negative review on Amazon
Now that was unexpected and nice Tomas.
Unfortunately, those ‘troll’ types an cause no end of havoc and why they are
allowed their anonymity is not understandable.
It’s okay for writing articles or junk you don’t want to
be pursued over, but when you are writing to criticize you should be in the
clear with your identity in order to allow for any comeback.
You can’t really reply to people hiding behind a moniker like AdventureBob
and operations like Amazon should know better.
Thanks a million for wading in because I really can’t do it myself.
Semper fi,
friend,
Jim
Just keep telling the story James fuck the asshole on Amazon he probably wasn’t even over there,i would kick his ass myself if i could find him.
Now that made me laugh. You can’t go chasing down the critical commenters even
when they are trolls and have no credentials at all. It’s the anonymous ones I really
can’t take. They get to attack and usually, they are cowards and were back then too.
Thanks for that kind of support. Uncommon.
Semper fi,
Jim
Day 17, part 2 – You have a John Wayne quote, “A man ought’a do what he think’s is best,”
This should read, “A man ought’a do what he thinks is best,” since think is neither possessive nor a contraction here.
Minor edit to a great story.
Thank you, Navy Dan
Noted and corrected.
Semper fi,
Jim
I’m checking everyday for the next day, got to see what the Lt is going to do. This is a great read for me who’s read countless books on the wars. Former 0311 Sgt. who knew since he was 15 yrs old he had to experience being a US Marine. Missed the Vietnam war by 10 yrs, served in between, missed Iraq by another 10 yrs, count my blessings everyday. Great book, I fight vicariously through you.
Semper Fi
Joe
Now that’s a great comment Joe and I can’t thank you enough. Just laying it down as I remember it
and it was one hell of a run…
Thanks for commenting like that on here and for fighting that war ‘through me.’
Semper fi,
Jim
Somehow came in on the last two segments. So I must buy the book!
Semper FI Marine.
1971-1973 USMC Sgt
Thanks Tom, for buying the book. Can’t reach a large audience because I don’t have a ‘real’ publisher but
the veteran’s I reach make it all worth it…
Semper fi,
Jim
Former Army, of a somewhat later era (served in Grenada). Your narrative of this time, these places, is an astounding work. I can’t express to you just how much I am looking forward to the next installment. Booyah, Hooah, and keep writing.
Thanks for the grand compliment and for coming on here to write it Christopher! Much appreciate it, as I continue through that valley of death.
Semper fi,
Jim
Just a minor edit. “The jungle ahead of you, all the way to where the river hits the cliff, is teaming (teeming?) with gooks”. Thanks again for another exciting read!
You are most welcome Bob, while I am thanking you for the edit we didn’t catch!
Semper fi,
Jim
Two questions
If Jugens and Sugar Daddy ran two companies, Who ran the rest
Stevens was yours.
Sugar Daddy and Jurgens ran platoons, of which the company had four. Stevens was
my Scout Sergeant and interpreter…
Semper fi,
Jim
Yes the VC and NVA listened to our radio traffic. At issue is how actionable was the information gained. In this instance most likely the intercept operators were not with the NVA maneuver element. If they had comms with the guys moving on the ground then the possibility for quick reaction existed. This also supposes the intercept guys understood English. Others can comment on NVA radio equipment at the company and battalion level. The bad guys can really mess you up if they come up on your freq to jam your communications. More actionable info comes from disclosing future plans such as a helo insertion a day away & etc. The bullshit freq used by the company RTOs for gossip could be a major source of leaks. I’ve heard it commonly was the highest freq on a PRC-25. (Internet search says 75.95 MHz) Few paid attention to COMSEC. Westmoreland was a believer. Current radio gear uses encryption and frequency hopping.
Was the concrete runway at the location of the old SF camp? If so, that could be where a Skyraider pilot earned the Medal of Honor for landing during a battle to rescue another pilot.
This installment was posted on Facebook. I went back to day 1 and have read it all – most through the night and into the next night. I’ve not read most of the comments, many of which are filled with memories of those who were there. Anything more I can think to say seems so trite. A virtual handshake to you and a sincere desire that you “Be Well.”
PTSD I am aware of two excellent modalities for dealing with PTSD. E-mail me off list if you have any interest.
Now that is a lengthy and very informative comment about the communications over there.
thanks for the intensity of your interest and the compliment. And many many thanks for the revealing facts.
There are only so many things I came to know in my short time over there…
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
Thank you for sharing more of your experiences.
As for Capt. Morgan, he sounds to me like the text book example of “one who becomes fragged”. I hope he eventually outgrew his selfishness, as he definitely sounds like a threat to human life.
Jim
I don’t think it was selfishness.
I think it was his reaction and expression of the intense fear
we all felt in one way or another.
Thanks for your conclusion and your support on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
Damn. I was Army, with a unit commander who was a Marine Captain. He compared more to Morgan, lacked our respect. Your writing is riveting, I look for it every day when I go online. Respecting you for your leadership skills over there and your documentation here. Outstanding.
Thanks for the compliment Marshall and the insight…
Semper fi,
Jim
Can’t wait to get the whole book. BTW, noticed in past episodes and it’s probably a typo but medivac should be spelled medevac. JP
Yes, that is the correct spelling. I simply never seem so in my mind when I write it.
Thanks for helping with the editing.
Semper fi,
Jim
Typos?? Hellfire, I read it so engrossed in the telling that I never even noticed them until others rightly pointed them out !!
OFS !!!
SEMPER Fi
Thanks Sgtbob. Much appreciate that and helps me to persevere….
Semper fi,
Jim
SHACK 👍👍👍👍👍
Doc
I am not sure what those thumbs mean but they are all pointing up! So, yes!
Semper fi,
Jim
It’s easy to read through the typos for as I read it’s like being there,the incessant rain it never gives up. Like all good Marine’s. Waiting for the second ten days,first ten was one of my best reads ever. Semper Fi LT
Thanks Tucker, it’s hard to measure up to that deep a compliment and I thank you for that.
I am writing away tonight. Motivation is everything, in this huge endeavor too…
Thanks for that…
Semper fi,
Jim
Stay motivated. Best combat writing ever.
Many thanks Joseph, that’s a tough compliment to live up to but I will continue to do my best.
Semper fi,
Jim
From memory, “If you want to dance to the music, Don’t you know you got to pay to the Piper” was by The Chairmen of The Board?
Sly & Family Stone had a song titled “Dance to the Music” but
it never included any reference to The Piper.
I believe Chairmen of Board was group you meant to cite?
Nit-Picking I know, Waiting for next C
hapter… Thank You!
Jim K.
No, I was not trying to reference the song lyrics to the quote but instead to have the quote stand alone
but the music having motivated it. I was not clear, hence your comment…and sometimes I don’t get it right!
Thanks for catching that…
Semper fi,
Jim
I hadn’t seen Sugar Daddy or Jurgens since the ambush, and I wondered if the lack of the (out post) was the reason.
Change “out post” to “outpost”
The damned Word correction does that Steve and even when you go back you have to X out their
preferred version. Pain in the butt and you can’t disable it. What we put up with today because
machines are a long way from being intelligent.
Thanks for the help, and writing it on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
Sure hope you can take of business while they’re exposed in the daylight. Even if you do it’s gonna be a long night.
Choose your dance partner wisely.
Semper fi
The nights and days blended when it came to contact.
Seldom did we fight in the day unless it was dusk or dawn.
They knew the night and the Starlight Scope made a difference
but we didn’t have enough of them and they were not
really flexible field devices friendly to jungle treatment or the moisture.
Thanks for the post…
Semper fi,
Jim
Oh my the thoughts in my mine , back when I in Army Company and the way that rumors , and scuttle butt ,was we were to bug out to where ever and surprise or back up whoever ; so came down to a few in the company were not being to secretive about offing our CO. It was not at hard for me to figure out who! One day I was stopped by a Col. ,Major, Cap. and a Msg. have you heard of anybody say any thing about Killing your Cap. I said as matter of fact yes I have , will you give us there names? No Sir not at this time if the rumors are true and we bug out and the Cap. goes with this Com. then I’ll let you know . And if it comes down to it I would take them out myself but I don’t think I’d have to because I believe they would be cowards anyway. The Col. says you don’t like those individuals , what do you think of your Co. , fist I trust about 10 in this company with my life, the rest not as far as I could throw them , as far as the Co. goes I may not agree with some his statements he is my Co. until relieved . One of might of been the Maj. asked if I was sure about taking some out my self ; I said to preserve the Com. yes it wouldn’t be a hole lot difference then shooting squirrels out of trees back home. The three seemed satisfied went on their way. Oh we never bug out!
Wow, what a revelation and I can’t thank you enough to doing your best to describe how you experienced things.
Thanks for the different perspective and for having the courage to write it on here…
Semper fi, brother,
Jim
One wonders what the stress level of the marines was, who did not know what was taking place on their double time move? One would guess that Fusner kept them advised with his radio antics, when possible.
One would also guess that Jurgens and Sugar Daddy, have moved their men back near the Ontos for extra security. It will be interesting to find out if they were able to cross the river successfully.
Morgan had to swallow pride when he got his orders from command, to join your operational move. The best way for him to deflect the criticism for loss of men, was to point the finger at you and your decisions. His threat to take you out, could be very detrimental to his health and welfare in the very near future.
It must have been a pleasure for you to see the Gunny coming around to your line of thinking, especially about Jurgens and Sugar Daddy. When they put his butt in danger, it then becomes a different story. But then, their mentality could very well resolve the problems faced with Morgan and his assistants. Now wouldn’t that be a twist of fate?
J, the usual in depth penetration and comprehension of the situation as it has been described.
I am not sure I experienced much in the way of any pleasure over there unless you consider that
anything that reduced the tremendous gut level of terror might be defined as pleasurable…
Semper fi,
My friend,
Jim
Only 17 days in county, and you already are “A force to be reckoned with”. I know Pilots and NCO’s, I just bet that word about your abilities are already being noted in rear areas. O clubs and NCO clubs are great for that sort of chatter, not to mention the RTO hotline.
There was a guy who became the first American Ace in the war flying his phantom.
Col. Olds, I think his name was.
The only big names that came out of the Nam from ground pounding were those
with big enough ranks to get in front of the press and talk the talk.
If you walked the walk out there then nobody in the rear talked about you, I believe.
This was not that kind of a war. Only back here is Rambo a big name for a ground soldier in Vietnam.
The character written by a recessive namby-pamby author living in Santa Fe
who’s never been in the military, combat or in a fight in his life.
That’s the reality of the phenomenal world back home. Killing civilian because they cut your hair?
I don’t think so. Going into the forest and fighting the police and killing them
and then somehow being forgiven for such conduct back here because your killing skills are so needed.
I don’t think so. Rambo was and remains a piss poor of example of what it was like to come home.
That series didn’t a damn thing but make it look like Vietnam combat vets were highly strung idiots just
waiting to go fatally postal at any flashpoint or with the slightest provocation.
Nothing could have been or is further from the truth.
Reality.
Coming home.
Really….
Semper fi,
Jim
SHACK Lt. if you look at the “Rules for Communist” that kind of cinema propaganda is used to discredit the American fighting man. They did a great job on the minds of the gullible.
Doc
Thanks Roger, I am working away to get the material out and worry about the effects later on.
The best idea is to stop reading reviews in places where they do not have to reveal who they are.
Thanks.
Semper fi,
Jim
Love it I don’t read much but 30 days is a book I’m enjoying
Thanks Jack and for mentioning that compliment on here too…
Semper fi,
Jim
Well LT, you have certainly made it worth surviving open heart surgery and finishing this saga with you. I read the last installment while still in the hospital and wanted to reply but the morphine made it a bit tough to type with swollen hands and IV’s hanging from them. This installment is even better. So, with my new cow valve and plumbing, I report back to duty with your permission.
Man, it is so good to read that last comment SSGT. I said a prayer, but always wonder about the reception of my small seeming desires in this
world of vast pain and suffering. Thanks for chiming in and liking the last segment.
You most certainly return with my approval and permission. OUT FUCKING STANDING….
Semper fi,
Jim
Another brilliant chapter. That Morgan is an ass. Probably got well decorated. Looking forward to the next chapter, as always. A map would help. Kind of got lost a while back, as to where on the river everything is happening.
Thaks again for this.
Kmball
Thanks so much Kimball. Maps will be part of the second book as it comes out, by popular demand!
Semper fi,
Jim
{“}C’mon you lazy assholes, if you’re gonna dance then you’ve got to pay the piper.”
Add quote mark.
Noted and corrected.
Thank you, Steve
Semper fi,
Jim
To this day I still shake my head in disbelief over some of the things we said over the radios in an attempt to throw the NVA off…. I wonder if they ever figured out what a “blue feature” was? Or.. how many yards there are in the length of a football field? I listened to one such conversation when an advisor with an arvn unit estimated their distance southeast of a hilltop as being approximately 15x the distance from the pitchers mound to home plate! Still a riveting read!
Thanks for that funny comment LaVoie. There was a Lovoie in PLC in 1968, but never mind.
The radio traffic was kind of informal and made to work by the different entities using it.
Incomprehensible unless you were an RTO, much of it. Thanks for coming on here to write this…
Semper fi,
Jim
The voice of Bother John came out of Fusner’s transistor radio, after he fiddled with the knobs for a few seconds. The song he played was a new release called Dance to the Music.
Should that be Brother John?
Thanks for noticing, Michael.
So noted and corrected.
Semper fi,
Jim
I have really enjoyed this book from the time I found it and can’t wait to reread it all at once when it’s done. Is there any chance that could include a map at some point? With all the movement up and down river, I’m starting to have a hard time visualizing where the enemy force is moving in this part of the chapter. Can’t wait for you to get back to the runway!
There will be maps in the second book at it comes out. Yes, I understand the difficulty of
orientation, although it is kind of hard to put maps up here and keep them in front of everyone.
Semper fi,’and thank you for bringing that up.
Jim
Funny thing about that map, I just hang onto your belt with my eyes shut tight, don’t know where I am, don’t care! Just get us out!
The A Shau down at the bottom doesn’t really call for a map except if using for the purposes of artillery or air
registration. The valley runs north and and south with the river running up and down swirling around the center.
The wall on the western side is closer that that on the eastern side simply because the river tends to move closer to
the western side there and travel is much more accommodating than the heavy jungle. Much of the jungle on the eastern side,
preferred by the NVA was unexplored with little in the way of paths. They had tunnels there though.
Semper fi,
My friend,
Jim
http://www.tom.pilsch.com/AirOps/Maps/AShau_area-lodens-remarked.jpg
http://www.tom.pilsch.com/AirOps/AShau-3.html
Here are a couple links maps of the valley. I saved them to my bookmarks and can open one up when I am reading the LT’s work. Easy to switch back and forth.
Welcome Home
Glenn.
Thanks Glenn. These are great and I am so happy you found them for everyone…
Semper fi,
Jim
Really enjoying your story but I remember too much sometimes. And all these people correcting your spelling really talk about being a little anal.
Actually, the people correcting are helping us get the final product just right.
In fact, outside of Chuck’s hard work, they are our editing team. Our only editing team, so
I must say thank you to them. Hope the comments do not annoy some people over much.
Semper fi,
Jim
Was drafted in Dec. ’72. Lucky lottery no. 95. Last number to tumble out of the cage, ever. Ended up in the Infantry and the jungle. Know something about slithering and sliding under a triple canopy at night. Know something about sleeping in the red mud with the creepy-crawlies during a monsoon rain. Know something about humping a prick 77. Know something about C’s tucked into a OD green sock and tied around the neck, or the waist, or tied to web gear. Know something about peaches pears and pound cake. Lucky Strikes green or red and worthless matches. Know something of the girl back home and Dear John. Two years and DEROS. Know nothing of combat. Good on ya Lieutenant. Good on all of you that did your time in the dirt.
The dog. Many, you can lay some interesting words and phrases down, like you’ve done here.
Read this three times. Yes, to all of it. You were there in the shit. It just sticks out all over
to those of us who know, and share, and understand. Thanks for this. I am printing it out…
Semper fi, brother
Jim
By my rough count, you’ve got a reinforced company out here already following along to every word and in turn feeling every lung-searing step of you and your Marines. One of your other readers said it best, we all feel like we’ve been caught up in your writing of the story. It has to be a very unique process you’ve evolved here, and is itself a sign of the times we live in. And even though I’m repeating myself, I honestly don’t know how you manage to reply to all of our comments so faithfully. It’s not like you’re not continually writing in several other venues. I salute you Strauss!
John, I also write a weekly newspaper, almost the whole thing myself,
correspond in cursive (making my own weird envelopes) with four people,
write short stories and keep a running journal.
Vietnam gifted me with the inability to sleep long periods. So I write.
Thanks you for the compliment built into your comment and the usual intelligence and careful care in your words.
Thank you, my friend…
Semper fi,
Jim
Can’t wait to finish the read.
Thanks for the compliment Klaus and for writing it on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
I wonder how many lost their lives to friendly fire because someone didn’t know what they were doing when they called in support from the big guns.
Bobby, that’s why there was so little artillery called in and why the batteries in the read always had plenty
of ammo. Harassment and Interdiction fire was invented to get rid of some of that oversupply of artillery inventory…
Thanks for the accurate questioning comment…
Semper fi,
Jim
I so look forward to each chapter. I bought the first volume and will the next two.
Thanks for the loyalty and support and for buying the book. Working away to finish book II now.
Thanks for the compliment too…
Semper fi,
Jim
Yet anothet great installment…wow and Thank You.
Thanks for that neat compliment and your thanks. It’s really my thanks to you guys or I’d never have gotten this far.
Semper fi,
Jim
James, its another good read. Thank you
Thanks Tim, I am working away again to get another segment up as we close on the end of the second book.
Semper fi,
Jim
advantages, would have figured out the slaughterhouse Kilo would be setting itself inside of.
Should not end a sentence with a preposition. Sentence needs rework.
Restructured.
Thank you
Semper fi,
Jim
Maybe style and tone are appropriate, Tom. Folks don’t speak the proper king’s English all the time. Being a writer myself, I sorta liked it…
But don’t mind me, James Strauss. Your story is excellent.
You can’t use the vernacular of the time effectively.
For one thing the “F” word gets real old really fast, less so verbally than in print, but still.
Also, the audience is much better appreciate to read ‘up’ rather than ‘down,’
and that’s part of the authors personal choice.
I have not written this to be an international bestseller.
I just don’t care enough or want to cave in enough, or work hard enough to put up with what that would mean.
That means you get it the way I choose to present it.
I respect real readers and care about the others…
but not to the same extent.
Semper fi,
Jim
I think I hear my Momma calling, may I be excused? I don’t think I’m gonna like what comes next! I served under two officers that clueless. One was just dumb, the other was so easily flustered that we couldn’t imagine him in the shit. I do understand how blessed I was to see S. Korea. Thanks Jim, take a breath.
As usual Walt, great stuff and I thank you so much. Taking a breath but keeping on writing away.
Semper fi,
Jim
independently forge some hew alliance with him, and I knew it. (new alliance)
There fire ended our move. (their)
Rivetiing as usual!
Noted and corrected.
Thank you,
Semper fi,
Jim
Again, outstanding !
Thanks for the great Marine Corps kind of compliment. Much appreciate it, especially since it is made in public on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
and you wrote “he was to independently forge some hew alliance with him” I do believe that you meant NEW instead of HEW
Thanks Ray, Corrected!
Outstanding as usual.
Thanks for that compliment and also the continuing nature of it…
Semper fi,
Jim
You wrote ” I wondered if the lack of the out post was the reason.” I do believe that outpost is just one word…
Thanks for the correction. Wordspell does not agree with you but you are correct.
Thanks for the editing help…
Semper fi
Jim
Another outstanding segment again Jim…it’s hard to deal with idiots like Morgan…You have to watch and wait for them to screw up hoping their screw up doesn’t affect you or your men. Someone made a comment about officer training…when I was in basic, they tried to get me to go to OSC…back then after 12 weeks training you popped out as a butter bar and went straight across the water into combat. I obviously turned it down…but I can’t believe that the training received in 12 weeks was anywhere near what should have been required…I guess that’s how you ended up with the level of stupidity found back then…
I anxiously await your next instalment…and you spoil us by squeezing this one out so quickly.
Thanks for the support and the compliment Mark, and the extensive nature of your own revelations.
Without you guys this would be just another war novel…
Semper fi,
Jim
We grumbled to each other… but we followed our officers…most were good,,,we would fudge a little once in awile on our ambushes….but our LPs were where they were supposed to be,and we never let each other down… never saw half the crap that you were putting up with…quite often we would complain because we hadn’t seen any action for three or four days…when we were in the crap…time seemed to go faster..and gave us something to talk about when there was a lull …what had happend from others perspective
Thanks, Bill, for your take on how it was for you.
Much appreciate the differential opinions we get on here because
there were so many wars fought within the war over there.
Semper fi,
Jim
ok Lt you got the VC coming at you and Morgan coming up on your back door. I think I read it right you are down by the river the VC are up by the cliff you say that the VC knows where you are they don’t they don’t know about Morgan is coming up on you. They do now because he gave himself up by what he said on the prick 25. Right their he shows he is not very smart our his radio man is a new bee. I was their in 65 and your their in 68 am I right. We where just getting the crap started and you fell into the real crap it must have been a total hell hole.
Yes, it was a total hell hole down there.
You saw the beginnings and the glimmering of it.
I wonder to this day how many of our guys that valley ate alive.
Thanks for the comment and extensive nature of it on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
great last two segments lt, what Morgan said don’t mean a thing ,stay strong.
Semper fi
Thanks Stephen, for the attaboy and the will to stay at it…with your shoulders for support…
Semper fi,
Jim
“Brother John coming out of the radio instead of Bother John.”
Your usual great job. Thanks
Thanks for the help on being part of the editing team. Nobody caught that one!
Semper fi,
Jim
Thank you so much for the quick turnaround. Got my adrenaline fix early. Each installment is such a quandary.Just like a kid with candy. Gulp it right away or save it and savor the story a bit at a time.
Working to get the next one out Kirby and thanks for being there to so willingly receive it…makes it a little easier to write it.
Semper fi,
Jim
Come on Baby lite my fire there’s going to be rosated VC and NVA for Supper. Give them Hell Lt.
That was another Brother John song of the time. Jose Feliciano, as I recall.
Thanks for that this night and I am writing away…
Semper fi,
Jim
Give them hell JUNIOR !!! Sorry could not resist !! SIR
Thanks for that Harold and no apology necessary. Nobody calls me Junior anymore, now that I would not mind!
Funny how real life is…
Semper fi,
Jim
That was a quick one right after the last chapter, your on a roll, thanks for another great read.
Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, I am on a roll. Semper fi,
Jim
Excellent as usual, sir. I noticed one typo talking with capt Morgan… “And now here you come gain, avoiding contact while we take it in the ass. ” should be again…
Thank you for your service and this…
Thank you, Steve,
duly noted and corrected.
Chuck
“Editor in background”
Another great chapter Sir, seems you are putting them out faster now. Good to hear, can’t wait for the next update. Hope all is well. Semper Fi
Thanks for the compliment Robert and your enthusiasm for reading more. I am on it right now…
Semper fi,
Jim
I don’t think the “ring knockers” had as long a life span as the college bred lt’s. Fortunately we saw very few officers in the adviser world. Mostly Warrent Officers and senior NCO’s ran things in the Royal Thai Army and Montagnard Camps I served with.
You were fortunate not to get the FNG officers like me. I knew nothing and the new ones can’t possibly.
There was no Thirty Days for me to read before going in and if there had been it would not have been really findable,
like my books will not be either.
The famous people write and people will still believe what they write…
and maybe they will even steal from my work and that might actually help!
Semper fi,
Jim
wow! don’t know how you kept from killing Morgan.
Sometimes it was hard but also remember that Morgan was surrounded by his own Marines and they might have taken kindly to having their commander killed. Just because we saw him as a complete prick did not mean that they did…
Semper fi,
Jim
James tell me something. Were there really officers who were so damn stupid they talked about there movements and placement in the field on a Prick 25 radio? I have to assume the answer is going to be yes. And if so why weren’t they taught that radio comms weren’t secure? And why in the hell would they not just assume so anyway? Was the officer Corps not that well trained? I only ask because I was a hairs breathe from getting drafted and going to Nam. I always thought we had really good officers and NCO’s and grunts on the ground so I wasn’t going to join but if drafted I wasn’t really going to worry about getting killed because I was going to follow orders and reasoned that would help me survive. Sorry I just started wondering these things after the way Morgan treated you. By the way. I would have followed you to hell and back. Your my kind of leader.
Certain things happened at certain times depending upon the situation.
For example, we played Fusner’s radio when we should not have at all but we also knew that the enemy
knew where we were already when we did that. When we moved to that ambush to save Kilo we didn’t play anything.
You could use positions in code fairly easy with the radio and available maps (the maps were 1:25,000 and really excellent)
but a lot of Marines didn’t know how to do that and didn’t want to learn.
Officers, like Morgan, were the worst when they got on the radio because usually the RTO would save the unit by knowing better.
Fusner was very sensitive to that sort of thing and saved me a few times.
The emotions of combat also cause you to make many mistakes that you’d never make in training
or analytically just in thinking about it. I now remember some goodies that I can’t believe I made in the heat of the moment.
That part about Morgan is forgivable.
Semper fi, and thanks for the most interesting comment…
Jim
Jim, will you be publishing this in its entirety? I’d be thrilled to buy a copy.
-John Harding, Sgt USMC 2001-2009
The Thirty Days Has September will be published in 3 volumes because of length.
The First Ten Days has been available since April in paperback and digital
on Barnes&Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thirty-days-has-september-james-strauss/1126185490
and Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Thirty-Days-Has-September-First-ebook/dp/B06XX31982
The second Ten Days will hopefully be completed in September.
James you’ve over compensated for the this Captain. We both know that there were officers who commanded with their egos verses their training and in-country common sense and they made a point of refusing to listen to the people who had the experience to to help them make those critical decisions and many very good people were killed because of them; and we both know what usually happened to them. Love your writings and your courage to share your experiences.
thanks Pigpen. Overcompensation is a word I must think about. Over there, in the heat of it, a whole lot of ‘out of line’ thinking and acting went on.
Knee jerk reactions that would be regretted for life but by young men not knowing that at all. I thought that if I got home then I could put it all behind
me quite nicely. Didn’t work out that way, of course.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment and writing it on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
Another incredible episode…
Thanks for the quickness…
Hard to figure out which battle you are juggling the most…within you, within the company, with the quirky Kilo commanders or with the NVA.
A constantly ever-changing and challenging battlefield environment.
All the ingredients for delivering an a$$ whooping to the real battlefield enemy are coming together…but for some reason I feel it will not be easy nor painless due to Murphy’s law.
God Bless, LT.
Thanks for the compliment Walter and I am turning it out as fast as I can.
There was no predicting back then, with much of any dependability though.
Semper fi,
Jim
Didn’t expect this chapter to arrive so quickly, thanks for your hard work. Great writing as always, and many possibilities to weigh for the next chapter.
Thanks Patrick, a lot depends on what is in the chapter and also what is going on in my life as I write it…
Thanks for the compliment…
Semper fi,
Jim
likely to take Sugar Daddy out as he was to independently forge some hew alliance with him, and I knew it.
* hew
Great great great entry
Thanks for the compliment and the analytical analysis, and for taking the time to write it here.
Semper fi,
Jim
Quick turn around on this chapter Jim! The river and the cliff walls create a nice little playground for you and Charles to play in! Unless Morgan’s attitude changes I don’t see him as an asset to your company unfortunately. I wonder what Nuygen is thinking about that! You would have been a breath of fresh air in my company Jim! I’d have gladly served under you! Semper Fi!
Forgot to mention how shocking it is for Captain commanding a USMC rifle company to be so damned undisciplined on the radio! Guess we’ll find out if Chuck has a prick 25! Semper Fi Jim!
It happened all the time over there, not just with officers either.
Charles was very good at homing in on our plans if he could make them out on the radio.
And they had plenty of Prick 25 radios. The civilian population sold them, along with guns and ammunition
at night. Just the way it was…
Semper fi,
Jim
Thanks Jack, as usual. Yes, some chapters come easier than others and some fit right into
the chinks and valleys of everyday life out here which is anything but retired and relaxed for me where I am…
Semper fi,
Jim
I feel the suspense building up with each posting. I cant believe the CPT is not a team player. He seems to take every opportunity to see the negative in his peers; and as a company commander you were definitely his peer, and in many ways his superior. AS usually another great read. Thanks again.
There are only tribal teams that form up in real combat because there is no preparation for
the real thing, not in these wars of today and I’m not sure about the wars of the past.
So many personnel go to the zone but only a few actually go out and fight in the shit.
How can you ever true those two experiences up? Thanks for the comment and the compliment written into it…
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim,
Another fantastic segment. I really appreciate the work you are doing. God bless you and thank you for your service.
One typo I noticed:
“forge some hew alliance” Should be: “forge some new alliance”
Thanks Ed, for the compliment and then the editing help on top of that.
Without you guys this would not be nearly the work it has become. How do I thank you all?
Semper fi,
Jim
(Bother) John came out of Fusner’s transistor radio, after he fiddled with the knobs for a few seconds. The song he played was a new release called Dance to the Music.(brother)
Had to read it twice so as to not miss anything.
What a quick follow up. Truly a cliff hanger filled with another turn from Sugar Daddy and his crew. He is fast becoming more of a liability then an asset. Captain Shovels seems to have a death wish.
Thanks for the compliment and for the help with editing. Working away on this end…
Semper fi,
Jim
Another great segment Jim the more I read I think this should be required reading for all OTS candidates. Thanks once again for writing your story and for your service!
This will never be required reading for any military but will be likely read by some wanting to add a patina of
reality to their otherwise uninspired work. Ready for that because I am putting it out on here. Some best seller will be based upon
my work, but that won’t be the first time. Life is like that back here. Sometimes more honest in combat.
Semper fi,
Jim
Thank you for posting another segment so fast, made my day and I’m sure lots of other vets also. This last two segments so gripping. Can’t understand why your not being supported by the rear when obviously two companies of US Marines are in deep shit and fighting like hell to just survive even if it’s just one more day. Which it is. Read all the comments after each posting even go back and check to make sure I have not missed any. Adds so much to the story and are so powerful in supporting the story. Thank you LT once again. Stay safe.
It is amazing how this site has developed right along with how the chapters are being written and put up.
I never figured it would be anything like this and it has been so interesting. Thanks for the compliment, as well, and for making it on here.
Semper fi,
Jim
Damn Lt. Another good read!
Thanks David, means a lot to me to have you guys send in the compliments.
Facebook has them too, although I don’t respond to all of them like I do here.
Many of those guys and gals are not reading the work, just commenting about military service
and who they were with. I prefer the real deal here….
Semper fi,
Jim
Morgan is such a big asshole he should crawl up into it and get the fuck outta the way.
It was hard to deal with higher rank in combat when it was so fucked up.
Even harder with some of the high ranking men in the rear who acted like horses asses back there
to anyone coming in from the field. Thanks for pointing that out…
Semper fi,
Jim
Another new phrase I will attribute to you Lt. “Home was in my pocket”. My most profound thanks Sir.
One of those screenwriting lines or tag lines wherein the screenwriter has to clue
about the lines importance until long after having written it…
Thanks for quoting that and making it special, at least to you and I…
Semper fi,
Jim
Amazing as always James! Thanks!
You are most welcome Jerry. I do work at it every day and wrestle with trying to get it as right as I can get it.
Thanks for the compliment…
Semper fi,
Jim