It was an impossible mission but there was no other way. Nobody in the company was going to make it up the backside of Hill 975 without getting blown to smithereens no matter how it was done. The first time they’d gone up the back side of the connection plateau had probably worked because NVA forces occupying the outside and inside of the tip of the plateau never dreamed there was a rapid, nearly impossible, way for anyone up there to get back to the bottom unscathed.
I could not take Zippo with me because he was simply too big, and Fusner wasn’t going to be able to move up through the muddy, slippery, dark and forbidding chute wearing a radio, and the other junk he needed to stay in communication. Therefore, he wasn’t necessary. There would be no communication. Nguyen and I would go alone and we could wear nearly nothing. When things were slippery then only slippery worked. Slippery with plunging fingers and digging toes. No boots. No Colt. No M-16. Not even a K-Bar. My biggest worry, after the gnawing fear of going up that chute in the dead of night, was making sure the Army reconnaissance teams located at the top, if they were still alive, would not shoot us on sight, or even without seeing. There had been no fire from or on the top of the hill since the RPG incident claiming Captain Chance’s life, however. It was likely that the force at the top was following radio silence, or only keeping their radios on in a receive mode.
Jim] Have you read [when heaven and earth changed places] Le ly Hayslip a great reed.I would like to hear from some combat vets that has read her works.Shes like you in not leaving anything out from being a vc to screwing a couple of marines for some good money to help her escape from the hell she was going through. I’m still in the woods every morning trying to kill some turkeys.I come back every morning waiting on the next chapter.Had Judie back in the hospital for a weak but now back home and getting stronger.All I got for now so get back to work.Semper fi OL;Om
I like the part about you being in the woods trying to kill turkeys that are alluding you! Like he old days.
Thanks for the writing and the thoughts you send my way…
Your friend,
jim
LT…I’m confused on he hill numbers. In one chapter it is 975, later you said hill 974.
Great writing and great story
You very well should have been confused.
I made an error in writing the past couple chapters without being around the staff.
It was Hill 975 as shown on the map.
Thank you for your support
Semper Fi
Jim
When is the next chapter coming?
Working on getting one a week completed, if all goes well.
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim] If your dead ignore this post otherwise get back to writeing.Turkey season is about over and jude is much better.Hope all is ok with you. OL;OM
I am not dead yet, Omer. But here I am writing away on the next segment and back to you.
Semper fi, my good friend…
Jim
I haven’t commented in a while but who the hell wasn’t scared especially if you walked or crawled through the bush like we did. You writing about going back up that hill brought back so many memories of trying to going up hills during the monsoon. One step forward and three back. Falling down the hills with a 90lb ruck wasn’t any fun.I will say I think that fear helped me control it later on in my life. I spent over 18yrs in Law Enforcement after my military service. I saw a lot of shit in those years also but I wasn’t really scared when shit was happening. It was after everything was over and I got to thinking what could of happened is when the fear hit. Lot different when I was in Nam. Me like most of your readers read and reread your episodes and of course all the comments. It’s nice to see how well you have connected with the Vets and non Vets on here. Keep up the great work and we are anxiously awaiting for the next episode.
Now that’s a deep and significant comment Gordon. Revealing of your own service over there, of course but the words of truth so filling the paragraph.
I read it three times and finally took it all in. Brother.
Semper fi,
Jim
Doesn’t sound like the A Shau Valley was rock ape habitat.
Now, I don’t really know what to make of that comment but it’s cool, nevertheless.
There rock apes was a phrase that floated around the AO BUT NOT ONE i used or had much exposure too…
Semper fi,
Jim
They are large aggressive and territorial monkeys. I’ve heard various accounts of them screaming at night outside fire bases. Fredrick Downs, in his memoir, The Killing Zone, describes what his platoon thought was a VC attack only to find the next morning that they had shot up a bunch of rock apes.
Wow. The attack of the rock apes. Never heard of that but what the hell?
Strange shit went on in that jungle, especially at
night…
Semper fi,
Jim
They had rock apes up on Monkey Mountain in DaNang. Naval Support Activities had a camp at the bottom of the mountain (Camp TienShaw). I was a SeaBee working on a rock crusher up on the top of the mountain. (MCB-5) !966. The apes were short and stocky. About 400 pounds. The perimeter lights would draw them in at night and a few got shot. They were quite aggressive if you got too close. And yes, they would throw rocks back at you when we tried to scare them away. lol
Thanks Jerry for the compliment of your writing on here. I never dealt with the rock apes but heard about them later on.
Thanks for the material and putting it up for all of us to read.
Semper fi,
Jim
Your recounting of the accent of that hill to find the soldiers brought back a flood of memories. The day president Nixon ordered the bombing of Hanoi and hyphong my ship was U.S. Hamner DD214 was lane guarding the carrier when commander Moss crashed in hyphong harbor. None 0f the300 men on board gave a second thought to saving him. When he was on board being rushed to sick bay he looked like a drowned rat and I wont foreget the 100yd stare. His wife sent a care package to everyone on board, if they read this on behalf of my fellow sailors thank you.
Thank you, Alan, so much for your rendition of what happened to you aboard the DD214.
Funny name for a ship!
Anyway, sounds like the commander was on lucky hombre to have your guys on hand to pull him out.
Semper fi,
Jim
USS Hamner was DD718
Oh, okay. When I was the DD214 I started to laugh at the coincidence of that. It would be just like the Navy.
Thanks for the correction…
Semper fi,
Jim
After my third reading, what if at least a few of those suprised NVA following you down the chute were a few surviving special forces left over from the slaughter on the top of that hill.
Read on!!!
Semper fi, and thanks for the interest….
Jim
Can’t read on when we are still waiting or the next chapter! Any ideal when it will be posted?
As usual, there you are right at the gate, waiting for it to swing open and the stallion run free.
I am working on it.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jim
Im assuming the fallen on top the hill were done in without a firefight or was it to far away to hear gunfire? Most intense reading ever i shouldnt hav had that last cup of coffee i feel like i need some beetlnutt
Thanks for the terrific compliment in your words here Justin!
Much appreciate and helps me get on with it…
Semper fi,
Jim
Jim] I’m a beliver that as most of us that enlisted at 17 or 18 brouth the rath of God down on us because of our own naivety.Call me stupid but my hope was to go to nam and kill the commies none of us were aware of the reality that lay ahead of us.Its like most of life the only trouble in life is the trouble we voluntarily brough on ourselves.I told both of my boys that went to Afganistan an Iraq not to do what they coluldnt live with later in life.My old company commander got the 2 books you sent.He made it through two tours.He said its been a great read. semper fi omer
Thanks Omer. Hope your old C.O. enjoys the read, as indicated. You are a force here and in a lot of lives Omer.
Love you man…
Semper fi,
Jim
of all the shit i did in nam for the 5 months until i was wia i always had a weapon with me, even when sneaking a 4 hr r and r in a off limits village i carried a knife and my friend his by default highly illegal .45. that means holes, rafter spaces, pissing in the jungle, wtf ever. fortune being whatever it is I never met, heard of or assumed anyone could experince this much (convulted?) combat, so far in less then 30 days. however i do enjoy your story, you can tell an engaging story.
James, that’s a pretty interesting analogy…your comment about the comments and the potential meaning of them. Another, more detailed and living
version of the wall. Lots and lots of silent warriors, like on the wall, not commenting but taking in all the comments made. Picking and choosing between
those they might think are valid and real and those that are only close or not at all…And there’s a strange responsibility I (and Chuck) have to respect
and continue that. Whom could ever have predicted back when the first comments were made, or that accidental nature of how I was writing the segments, putting
them up for the vets who can’t afford to buy stuff, and then receiving a running commentary not only of experiences over there but of advice and counsel on what
I might be writing next. This is so different.
Semper fi, and thanks,
Jim