A Shau Valley Archives - Page 16 of 22

THE ELEVENTH NIGHT SECOND PART, 30 Days Has September

I finished the letter home. It wasn’t my best work because I kept nodding off. Nodding off but not sleeping. I nodded through the letter, forgetting about what I was going to tell my wife, instead going into detail about how much Casey reminded me of Kramer, the major at the Basic School who’d hated me.

THE ELEVENTH NIGHT, 30 Days Has September

by James Strauss | 165 comments

There was no hooch for Captain Casey. The remnants of his tent lay scattered about the sand, a testament to the power of the Chicom 82mm mortar rounds that had impacted, taking Billings’ life with them. Only Billings’ bloody poncho survived, along with some...

THE ELEVENTH DAY THIRD PART, 30 Days has September

by James Strauss | 214 comments

“There’s a lesson to be learned from this and I’ve learned it oh so well,” was coming out of any number of small radio speakers when we marched across the perimeter and into the temporary encampment Captain Casey referred to as his command post. I walked in the lead...

THE ELEVENTH DAY SECOND PART, 30 Days has September

by James Strauss | 135 comments

I took my binoculars and played with the focusing knobs to bring in the landing zone far below. I was trying to get a clearer view of why there was stuff piled up around the edges of the zone, but I couldn’t make out what they were. The Gunny walked over and took out...

THE ELEVENTH DAY, 30 Days has September

by James Strauss | 157 comments

I felt a large hand grip my left bicep, as I stood gazing with Fusner down into the hypnotic A Shau Valley below. The hand gently guided me backwards. I didn’t resist, turning to see the man I already knew the hand had to belong to. “Why do you suppose this clearing...