I had the leg strength. I’d always had the legs. The records that had fallen to me in the obstacle course, running, and other military skills during officer candidate school and the Basic School had all been functions of lower body strength and agility. The glacis was a challenge more of balance than it was strength or agility, however. Each step sideways, face and the front of my torso pressed hard into the flat rock, had to be negotiated hesitantly but with pressing haste. There were Marines higher up than and many lower down the angle of our climb.
Climbing in the night was a risk, since the enemy, once it figured out that we were doing, could fire indiscriminately at the rock face, and be almost certain to hit Marines unable to gain any cover or move much of any distance in any direction from where they would be trapped. However, even though supporting fires would be on station, active, and very effective, a single sniper during daylight hours could decimate the company in a much more devastating way. Plus, hunkering down at the base of the face, which at its lowest point where they were, lacked the cave-like fold of undercut earth that the canyon wall had provided further up the valley.
LT
Thank you for your service to your men in the valley and to all of us who have followed you through your second ‘HELL’. You have helped heal many of us (The silent readers) and enlightened others on what war is about. Thanks from a 30+ year Army vet that has seen wars come and go from Nam through Afghanistan. Many different types of vets, but all hide the horrors.
Grand kids bought me the hard copies of Thirty Days 1st and 2nd. Waiting for the 3rd to complete the set. Then when C19 lets you, will meet up with you on one of your tours, to get them autographed.
Keep up the excellent work on “The Cowardly Lion”. ( Not a coward writing it)
Thanks so much for your comment Arby. The third should be here in hard cover by next week.
You can order through the website or you can pay by check with a note and check sent to 507 Broad Street,
Lake Geneva, WI. 53147.
Semper fi,
Jim
Is that it? That’s the end?
No, you must read on. The Cowardly Lion continues the saga after the nightmare of the 30ieth day. Read on, please.
Semper fi,
Jim
LT,
Read every word from the very first. Sometimes difficult, sometimes painful but always brilliant. Served with the 1st Mar Div, arriving Da Nang 50 years ago this month. Fortunate I never was in you “Valley”. Thank you for excellent writing. Look forward to The Cowardly Lion. I’m sure I will identify with that, as well.
Doc 70.
YEs, that last chapter was sure tough. It took me months to write and then rewrite it so many times, until my wife simply sent it off without my knowing.
She’s been there all the way along. I just wish every vet coming home had a Mary waiting for him…
Semper fi,
Jim
I finally finished your story. I had to stop because I new what was going to happen and I could see it all as it was taking place in my mind just like I was watching it on tv. Lt. You had a bad time like a real nightmare but the best thing out of it you got to come home to your family and tell your story to the world. Semper Fi.
Thanks Walter, much appreciate the comment here. Yes, the finish was hard, now and back then too…
Thanks for coming along for the ‘ride,’ and hope you follow The Cowardly Lion coming out later this week (first chapter) too…
Semper fi
Jim
change of email address notice. I don’t want to miss anything. former address was xxxx.cox.net, but now xxx.windstream.net
Bernie,
Chuck checked and it shows you unsubscribed this address today?
Let’s start over
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Thanks for your support.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim, as you know I am a slow thinker. I like to let what I’ve read “percolate” and process it from all vantage points. All I can tell you is that I have been overwhelmed by your story from the beginning. I have no point of reference to anchor your story to. All I can do is simply tell you that I am honored that you allowed me to accompany you on this journey. I think there are several topics that we disagree on, but I know you have earned the right to hold those different points of view, and fought for my privilege to do the same. Thank you for taking me on this journey.
It has been the exercise of my entire life to get this series written and now out. But it’s been very healing and formative, as well, and I did not expect that. I also id not expect ever to finish, as I closed on the final chapter. That same wife I wrote to all those times while down in the valley, had everything to do with this being finished. She also sat at a formal party wherein one veteran, not of the war, criticized the work as not being possible or accurate. She spent ten minutes with the guy, at which point he left never to be seen again. Her perspective was from her experience of living through it all with me. Undeniable and powerful. Thanks for the neat compliment and for writing it on here. Yes, I am not the conservative I once was and hope to be again…but the party and its beliefs will have to come back to me as I am not going to them.
Semper fi
Jim
Have followed your every word and am stunned to tears as I read the last chapter. I looked Fussner up on the Vietnam Memorial and said a prayer for him and his family from a Grateful Nation.
I was 6-10 years old when my father did two tours in Vietnam. He would write us weekly on the stationery you described. I am now the keeper of all those letters as my mother passed years ago. I also have the log books that he kept of his battles and it reads nothing like the letters. The letters seemed so hopeful and refreshing.
His logs read like your story. They are blood and mud stained and describe the carnage of a young Infantry Officer losing hundreds of soldiers in the mayhem of war. The disparity between his letters home, his log books, and media articles seem like they come from different worlds.
He never spoke of the war. The pain was buried deep. But I wanted to learn what he did to earn Silver Stars, Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts. I had to know why his emotional pain was so deep. Even though I went on to do 20 years as a soldier, my wars were nothing compared to what the combat vets of Vietnam endured. Your books and experience helped educate me.
I vividly remember my mother reading the letter to us when my father was shot in the neck. I did not understand what wounded meant–I only knew about the neighbors’ fathers who were killed. I assumed that all wounded people also died. Fortunately, my father recovered and finished out his military career–but he never spoke of it.
You bring the war to life as no one ever has, in so many horrifying ways.
I cannot relate to your pain or burden, it is so much deeper than I can ever comprehend. But know that so many of us try to understand. You and your men are remembered daily by so many of us and we pray you find peace.
We have learned as a Nation to never treat our warriors like we treated our Vietnam veterans. I hope we can ease the pain of you and your men and their familes.
Stay Strong
I hope you don’t mind that I put this comment up on the Facebook site. Everything you wrote, what a wondrous tome about your own life and
also so complimentary about the work. My sincerest thanks.
Semper fi,
Jim
Semper Fi, Marine. Post away
Jim,
Thank you so much for this story that I’ve been enjoying for the last couple years. I’m about to go back and start from the beginning. Can’t wait for part II to come out to see where you go from here. Do you plan on having an audiobook for this in the future?
Thank you for your service and everything you have endured because of it. I can’t even think how putting these words to paper effected you. I look forward to possibly meeting you on your road trip, should we ever get back to normal(probably right after the election). If you ever need a driver, let me know.
Cpl Beach (US Army K-9 92-97)
We absolutely need a driver. Most of us think we can drive a big rig
but the truth is we need somebody who really does have experience and will keep the thing on the road and safe.
Thanks so much.
And thanks for the kind words and compliment and for putting it up on here.
The first chapter of The Cowardly Lion will go up next week and I look forward to your comments on that.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
James, I bought the first two books and want to buy the third. When will it be available? This was a great story, well written. Thanks.
It should be available in print within 3 weeks as of today.
We will announce on Social Media and our subscribers will also get notice.
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Semper fi,
Jim
Thanks Lieutenant!
That had to be a “copper plated bitch” to live over.
Outstanding story!
At that time, I was section chief, gun #1, “C” Battery, 1st. Bn.,14th Marines, (Reserves) and our 105 mm was only good for about 11 klicks, at max (charge 7).
My next enlistment, I volunteered to be a Scout Sargent, so I suspect the 25 klick range you gave, comes from a 155, or 175 mm, gun.
Great story, well told. I am “standing by” for the epilogue!
Actually, the guys back at battery would occasionally fire charge 8 and 9 if conditions warranted it as both of those ‘overcharges’ do not
exceed the cupric pressure maximums of the chamber or tube of that very tough gun. Charge 8 was supposedly good for 18 clicks and 9 for 25. I was on the receiving
end of the fire in Vietnam. In training, at Sill, we never exceeded charge 7. I never received charge 9 rounds. That was the talk back then, however.
Semper fi, and thanks for being one of us…and writing on here.
Jim
“Weight Of Memory” – the final episode title of the Ken Burns Vietnam War story. This last chapter helps me understand what that title means, and why finishing this story was so hard. Thank you for sharing it all with us.
Ken Burns, in order to get his material, had to use a lot of mythological constructs to support the military
and I did not, not that I didn’t support and enjoy the work he did.
Thanks for the comment and mentioning him.
Semper fi,
Jim
LT,
Congratulations on finishing the third book!
I can’t wait to read The Cowardly Lions to see what happens to the others.
Cheers,
Clair
Next week, I will put up the first chapter of TCL (The Cowardly Lion).
Thanks for the support and kind words here…
Semper fi
Jim
Jim, I took a day before writing to understand my mixed thoughts of the war of our generation experienced and so vividly written here. Never have I been more affected personally by any publication. Sorrow for those young men killed, wounded & the living combat veterans still involved with their unshakable memories. Anger that they were in Vietnam and left with a total conviction that war is to be avoided unless circumstances directly confronts our county. I recognized early in your writing that your writing & experience would impact many people, combat veterans & people in general who did not have a clue. Thanks for your strength in writing and delivering a perspective to all that have read your series. As others have expressed, God may have spared you to have enlightened us all. Looking forward to Cowardly Lion.
Yep! One quart and two days to read. It was with extreme pleasure to have served with Marines and to have helped in any way I could. I have had to keep my memories locked away in a safe place.It’s very nice for you to be able to share yours. Semper fi, Doc Reinhardt
LT, I haven’t chimed in here for some time as you have had quite a cadre of editors and assistants that have along with you ‘Been There….Done That’. After finding your post of the third day in the beginning the last 3 and 1/2 years ago we have done a lot of living on this side of the valley. Me with my Open Heart Valve and Aneurysm surgery and you with your challenges. For a time I wasn’t sure if we would reach this point at all or together. I congratulate you for pushing through the many obstacles both external and internal and getting us to this point in the story. Hate having to wait for the Lion to get the many questions answered.
Here it is 2:30 AM. I reread the last chapter about 2 hours ago and went to the garage to think and smoke. A few names came to mind like Navy corpsman Joe Doc Baker killed by small arms fire while helping his marines, WO Tex Yonika shot down flying a small nibble chopper searching for enemy positions. Then I wondered why God spared some like you and me. Had we been able to continue the fight we may well have been KIA. I believe He spared you to write these books for many reasons. Yes, they brought back some demons we wish not but they did much more good. Many of the demons have been accepted by some, many were brought together here even though we never have and never will meet in person. The books will also give some an idea of what war, especially the war of our generation was like. This history will now be known forever. We are different, I keep my demons inside, you have hopefully released yours at least partially. My VA shrink, a pretty young lady, says I’m depressed and have anger issues. I’m not depressed but there are anger issues that are probably rooted in my 2 tours. Really, what the hell could she know from books and liberal lectures? We are getting up in age and it all of us will be gone before too many more years, glad the books will be out there and on the internet forever.
Fussner’s father ~~ a classmate and neighbor was killed in Nam on Christmas Eve while I was home after my 1st tour. It was suggested my family not show up at the funeral and the neighbors never spoke to or acknowledged me or my family again. Grief? We came home and their son did not? Maybe I’ll ask my shrink one day! A lot of shit going through my head tonight, guess I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight if sleep comes at all.
Thanks jaw. Thanks doesn’t quite get it, I know. These are tough emotional times that also dredge up our emotions burned in from the past. For me too.
Thanks for writing what you wrote and the great compliment of putting down that my books might be a window to the past for those coming in the future.
Semper fi, my brother and friend,
Jim
Will there be anything more about afterwards? Did the Gunny make it? Did Jergens make it, etc.?
Glad you’re continuing to write
Welcome Home Jim. You most definitely earned that Freedom Bird ride.
Glenn.
Will write more later. Gotta get my poop in a group first.
My ‘bird’ was a Starlifter, and I rode home in a plastic bag attached to the fuselage wall loaded on morphine. The good news was that my wife was waiting
at Norton AFB for me. The not so good news was that I had changed so much she literally could not identify me and we had to talk a bit to allow her to make
sure. Who says people don’t change!
Semper fi, and thanks for the comment, of course.
Jim
If every a story demanded an Epilogue this one does.
You attached us to the other characters like Gunny and Nguyen and then leave the scene with us assuming the worst????