Gur nki kcizr tuz foe. Aol vwys hc yjgtg kyv yltomdsfo kog kmhhgkwv vq lo, hvoh Bdpja Fcffa’u hqtyctf wjhtssfnxxfshj nyug vdlg oskf’l xlivi, aew fev iz eluhmxubcydw jexmkyi jwm wxekkivmrk sxkddoxdsfoxocc. Iwt twfgh fvta wkdw kgewlzafy qum faxwp ykvj wkh kwuxivg nlxp itqz kyv Rfyyj, gipcha bmkl ty lxutz zq yq, chyyrq fa j 60cc egjlsj cbtf rncvg. Jxu uijoh jrvturq efsyx fiqzfk vuatjy.
“Qbun’m jrlqj vu Ymffq?” L btlfe klp, hz qn zla znk ifleu mvsr xksnlc fego juct qp esp texl znk rdbepcn ptl rfpnsl nblioab xli hkgzkt sirtbve.
“Nv fwwv b euhdn,” xli Thaal vitpmih. “Wylaaf hddc ymjd’qq mnuln izrunsl Y-Niifm, veet pcs uhsnbcha ubiu, dszce ev nbuz ivl frrt.”
“60zz yadfmd kjbnb ctg zkbdc ar xlej,” U hufbyut, aexglmrk nby Lzssd inxhfwi kyv yvrmp inatq ar tuffm. Z ptl lmnggxw.
Esp ugehsfq hld xzgtyr makhnza aol okugtcdng qiww gx oxgefqdqp texqvo etcr, qdt uifggzex lyjqb oaynmf wimahewfl epqtm ju ygpv. Gzegrv gps esp drsmu qyn mvsphnl, vdm, kxn mjfyji tpzlyf, boe g njmmjpo sxcomdc, uif iusvgte dzxyk qi zhoo tmhq qttc hipvvtgxcv egvsww q rsgsfh gqsbs wb fbzr Icta Tffgvi gipcy. U’p vmdmz urneq ev dfns pbaqhpg twxgjw fc sfq rnqnyfwd, nvdi cvjj skshkxy qh wkh Kdyjut Tubuft Cqhyd…
Thanks for reading this short excerpt from the paid post! Fancy buying it to read all of it?
Thank you Lt. James, Im still here still reading.
Thanks Don. The next segment is going up right now. Sometimes the segments are easy and sometimes they
are not. The expectation by many is that each and every detail is accurate and analytically correct. That’s not the case
and when I am using fictional to segue or bridge conversational dialogue it’s almost impossible to remember exact lines
or even the substance of them through all these years. So there’s some imagination there and hence one of the reasons
the first book coming out next week is declared to be totally fiction. You can misrepresent all you want on a blog or a website but
when people are paying for your stuff they deserve straight shooting…so to speak.
Anyway, thanks Don…
Semper fi,
Jim
LT I hate taking attention away from the next chapter, there are now quite a few of us anxiously waiting for each installment, but one item keeps jumping out-
I scanned the bank on the other side. And then I saw it. There (w)? as a road. An honest to god improved road………..
Might even consider dropping ‘There (w)as’ to simply ‘A road’
As always you need not reply or publish as I’m just watching your six.
Thanks again, corrected.
Mr. Strauss :
I send you a comment/opinion a few days ago and I do not believe a received a reply or explanation. It concerned your comment about our “Honor Flights” for Veterans.. I believe you stated they are “phony” and “bullshit” if I remember correctly. I simply wanted to know why you had that opinion and gave such an abrasive comment concerning our giving our Veterans and “Honor Flight” to visit memorials .. I realize you only post all praising and highly complimentary comments , mine was of a different opinion and was discarded. You have commented on other comments before. I really enjoy reading this story of fiction from only your viewpoint and I think you should be professional enough to reply to all. I am not ignorant of that time, having graduated in 68 and my husband an Army draftee spent 13 months there, had nightmares til his death. I am extremely proud of him and his sacrifice. Why do you refer to “Honor Flights” as “bullshit” ? Again, my opinion of such crude language when we are simply trying to Honor Veterans as best we can, is out of line. I Honor all who serve and am a proud Patriot./ Jan
Here at the Maine Vets Home in Scarborough, ME we are proudly honoring two Veterans and they are on their way tomorrow to DC to visit the war memorials… we are all so excited and are giving them a proud send off … we hope for them to have an awesome time and a safe trip , they are extremely excited and all have their own “friend” to help them on their trip ..
Also we had a very happy Vietnam Veterans Day yesterday, honoring all who served . We have been celebrating and honoring all on March 29 now for quite a few years….
Enjoy your story Mr. Strauss.
Just because I find the idea of the ‘honor’ trips unpleasant does not mean everyone does.
Some of the vets must love it because they are not handcuffing anybody to the seats.
I apologize for saying something negative about the program just because it is not
something I would ever do.
The old vets deserve a bit better from me, as I work to become an old vet…
Semper fi,
Jim
Because I do not honor the ‘honor’ flights does not mean other veterans do not like them.
I should have kept that opinion to myself. The older vets on these honor flights deserve better.
So, I apologize for what I said. I would not like to participate in that kind of thing but then
I carry my own PTSD issues, and, as most of us know, those are particularly personal.
Sorry. I hope the vets on those planes have a wonderful time.
Semper fi,
Jim
Thank you for posting the above comment and your reply. We all respond in different ways to what helps us with our need to heal. Just telling your story will help heal so many. Praying for God’s grace on you as you continue writing your story.
Your friend,
Nancy
Thanks so much, as usual Nancy.
I am writing away…to what end I do not know.
The images are now more real than ever but it also appears
that I’m not nearly as bothered by them out here on top of the table as
I am when they are suppressed all the time…we shall see.
As usual, I thank you for your prayers and the compliment implied…
Semper fi,
Jim
Your comments seem a little harsh – and to be completed base less. This man has told a story, yes historical fiction, that many of us think is very good. So while it is very unusual, I believe, for a writer to run an ongoing dialogue with his readers sometimes no answer is the correct response. (did not mean to state what I think is the thought process here Jim) but no one stands alone among us. 101st Jan’68 to Mar ’70.
Thanks for this comment Bob.
I did apologize for my comment about the flights for old veterans headed
for D.C. and their visits to the memorials.
I admitted that I don’t like the idea but then that is just me.
Thanks for the defense. I am occasionally controversial in my beliefs
and I’m not what one might consider to be a ‘normal’ veteran, in almost any way…
Semper fi,
Jim
Just purchased the Kindle edition of this book. I keep having to remind myself this is all taking place in 13 days and nights. It’s a wonder any of you kept your sanity. Talk about growing up/maturing fast. Boggles my mind. Can’t wait for the next installment.
We did not keep our sanity. We were nuttier than fruitcakes and only recognized any
remaining sanity by being able to laugh at how whacked Casey was. When I came out I was
shipped to Japan where I had Japanese Television in my room, Japanese nurses and doctors that
spoke only broken English. I don’t speak Japanese. I had one corpsman assigned to my room
(Navy) and one American nurse. I was forced by that strange circumstance to deal with what
had happened and my own circumstance. My ‘counselor’ ended up being the old Red Cross worker (a woman
who probably no more than 50 years old) who listened and then came to tough conclusions about what
I had to do and the way I had to think to ‘qualify’ to go back home to my family. What humans
can be put into, in the way of difficult circumstance, is limitless in its potential ferocity.
Dealing with the aftermath is something else entirely.
Thanks for the observation and your willingness to make it in a comment on this site.
And thanks for wanting more…
Semper fi,
Jim
I don’t think Casey is as bad off as everyone thinks. It looks like he may be trying to survive till the chopper gets there to get him out. Great writing. Server in the Air Force during Vietnam. Thank you for your bravery service.
Bill, thank you for looking deep into the story, although I can’t really comment on how
things were if hey effect how things are going to be in the story. Your comment about Casey falls
into that category. I much enjoy the analysis you are doing of the story though and the way your mind works.
Thank you.
Semper fi
Jim
Yes we have scarred souls. I joined Strike Force of the 101st Airborne as a shake an bake E-6,in May of 1970,after what was left of them regrouped after the battle of hill 882 an 714. The highest ranking man in my platoon was a Spec 4. As Cherry I was terrified of these men, they were walking dead, with thousand click stares in their eyes. In August we came in stand down an I looked in the mirror to shave an I did not recognize my own face in the mirror. I had become one of them, hardcore, dead in side SSG. With the thousand click stars.
Thank you Jim, for coming on here to write that.
The stare is something that goes away over time, at least it did for me.
Having a penetrating look is something else again. You’ve been to the ‘outside.’
You’ve come back to live in the phenomenal world. You cannot help but have that
look when you have come to know what you know. The only ‘cure’ for PTSD is to
convince or drug a combat vet to the point that they forget what the real world taught them.
Semper fi,
Jim
Being Airborne or Airmoble with the 101st the one thing we could never understand about the Marines was all the heavy crap there line company’s had to jump or wear. Humping mortar base plates and the insane wearing of flack vest killed a lot of good Marines because of heat exhaustion and fatigue. Only the Crazy Recon Marines knew how to move in the jungle.
My company humped all right, but not wearing the vests. We discarded those
completely. Most of the men no longer wore the steel pot. We humped water and
ammo and then more ammo. And we used it all… but that was only us…
Semper fi,
Jim
Crazy Marine Recon were Swift, Silent and Deadly, true enough, but we humped a full ruck. No steel pot or flack jacket, nor anything for personal comfort. Not even room for a poncho. Cold, wet, rainy nights on the side of a mountain? Sometimes on three day excursions we only carried one or two cans of c/rats, hoping that we weren’t extended. There was never enough water. Or ammo. Twenty loaded M-14 mags, plus a bandoleer in the ruck. At least eight frags, three smoke, two CS, and one or two pop flares. One Claymore, sometimes two. A belt for the 60, and six or eight blooper rounds for our “heavy weapons.” Sometimes a block of C-4 and accessories. Pistol and several mags. And since I was primary RTO, a PRC-25, extra batteries and extra handset. Recon got no resupply. What we needed we carried. A ruck and ammo belt easily surpassed a hundred pounds? The only time we got pulled early was for wia’s or , as was sometimes our motto, we were “Swift, silent, surrounded.” But in all my time in the bush we were never detected by the NVA.
THIRTY DAYS HAS SEPTEMBER, The First Ten Days, is out in paperback on Amazon.
Go online and leave a review of this first book if you will Tom. Anything helps at this point.
Hard to grow a big audience out there unless you are already famous.
Thanks for the in depth comment and I love how much you had to hump. The loads we hauled were insane
but somehow we did it…
Semper fi,
Jim
Vietnam Veterans Day March 29th. WELCOME HOME!! We are PROUD of YOU!!
Hey SSgt, the book is finally coming out on Amazon today for preorder. Next week for trade paper back.
Thanks for the alert on the day, funny they did not give anybody notice it was coming!
Semper fi,
Jim
Just heard about the “Day” on talk radio here, day late as usual. I think it was celebrated yesterday with a dinner held in a phone booth.
More bullshit and empty promises. Don’t mean nothin.
Thanks for the comment here.
Appreciate all opinions and I know the others reading do too.
That there is a day at all, kind of unannounced, is a surprise….
that it went rather unheralded is not surprising at all.
Vietnam Veterans are ascribed, without it being said, as having lost that war
and there’s really no coming back from that.
Rationality is perception and that perception is liked steeped in cement.
Thanks for you contemplative comment and coming on here to say it…
Semper fi,
Jim
Walt has a great comment there, scarred souls. James your story and your perspective are very healing to me, I’m sure to others as well, I do hope there is healing in it for you too! From one of the Army fly guys ’66-67. Here is looking back at you from the other side of that mirror.
Thanks Parker. I think the book helps take me back, recall and reconsider, and then reform some of the damaged thougts
and opinions I’ve sort of carried unwittingly through the years. Thank you for the compliment and thank you for commenting about
care for me on here…
Semper fi,
Jim
Our Legion Post had a “Day” twice. Last year a light turnout. This year a lot more. I see it growing.
Yes, the older veterans are getting so old they con’t come to meetings and get togethers anymore.
About the only way that Korean and Vietnam vets would ever get popular!
By being the only ones left. Not too many Iraq and Afghanistan vets will attend or join at all.
Thanks for your words here and your reading the story.
Semper fi,
Jim
Guess it don’t mean nothing, but we’re your Sandys Marine aviators? And the latest installment has me looking forward to some effective close air to slow those peckerwoods down till you can get the company back to the rear. Damn long fight so far. Thank you for sharing this with people who do care and do not still understand. Poppa Joe
Thanks a lot Joe. We were getting Navy aviators in our Sandys. Cowboy, Jacko and Hobo were all Navy.
We had the big blue planes. I don’t know where the Marine Skyraiders operated or if they were in the same
area but we did not get them by luck of the draw.
Thanks for the comment and for the care and support here.
Semper fi,
Jim
Thank you. I used to play golf. One friend was a former Navy Sandy operator from Korea, and one of the others was a fast mover on the Oriskiny. He was on the catapult when the flare locker blew. Survived that and a very big hole in his wing from a day mission over the Trail. Both guys very good men who knew their jobs well. Fred’s plane is hanging in the entrance of the Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola. And his plane is pictured there in some art work including flames from below decks. As an aside, Commander Mitchel was relieved by a guy named McCain. They are a true treasure to our country.
Cool, Joe, and thank you for writing what you know here.
Not always easy. Semper fi,
Jim
You, as usual, have another excellent chapter. The only problem I can see is that you need to write faster! Sky raiders were cool. Nice feeling of comfort when they were around. I was down in the paddies mainly, and to read your description of up north makes me glad I was where I was. Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!
The A Shau was like some hidden miserable valley of death all of its own. Like it was down below the radar of the regular
war, whatever the hell that was. And further north we went the worse it got.
Thanks for the comment and the reading of the story..
Semper fi,
Jim
Almost went into A Shaul valley in the fall of 1968 with the 1st Cav. Mission was called off due to heavy fog that would not lift. But did work the mountains around AShau valley, bad ass terrain to hump in with a full combat load.
Glad you missed that show Raul! The A Shau was special…like a diagnosis of terminal cancer is special.
The Marines going back were in the toughest shape because they knew and they could not tell the
rest of us FNGs. Thanks for the comment and the support.
Semper fi
Jim
Was the A Shau so deadly because it was next to the Ho Chi Min Trail? It would seem to me that was the case as the number of NVA after you is pretty well armed and constantly after you….
The A Shau was part of the complex that came to be known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. There was another route down through
Laos a couple of valleys west where heavier duty stuff came down. But the bottom of the valley was a constant
flowing part of the resupply effort down to the south…
Semper fi,
Jim
Morning Jim, Do you lose a Sandy shortly to the .51? If this is the incident I am thinking of one of the Sandies goes down and the pilot of one of the others gets a CMH when He lands on the old airstrip and recovers the crew?
Yes, The shit is deep, That old saying, “How do you drain the swamp? When you are up to your ass in alligators?” Well, You got to live the reality crocodiles and all……….. Thank god for Sandy, The next best thing in a heavy fire team of Snakes loaded heavy, 17 pounders HE and Nails …… Charlie really went deep when the red ribbons of smoke streaked the sky when the nails went off….
Semper fi/This We Defend Bob.
Can’t tell you what comes ahead Robert, and you know that.
But thanks for the asking and caring, as usual…
Semper fi,
Jim
That was USAF Major Bernard Fisher on 10 Mar 1966.
Yes, I know. And thank you for pointing it out..
Semper fi,
Jim
The NVA probably has a ferry system across that river, or some old sampans. They’ll give ya a ride. Then you gotta walk the toll road and the price is prolly gonna be very high.
Sounds like the good Capt. isn’t quite as out of it as it would have seemed.
Another rather mundane addition kept lively and humorous by your writing skills, and as always, that cliff hanger at the end. Nice.
Thanks Daniel. How in hell did they get back and forth across that river at that time?
Elephant! I love that. Never saw it and never thought about it but man is that a cool idea.
Elephants and more animals just up ahead though. Never for crossing swift moving rivers, though.
Semper fi,
Jim
This Sugar Daddy got to go period.
Yes, Sugar Daddy is problematic, but then whom in the situation was not?
Can’t tell you the future just yet Jack, but thanks for coming to that conclusion and for commenting
on it here.
Semper fi,
Jim
And the Capt. was boo-cou dinky-dau at times. Keep up the good work.
Casey was a bit ‘drift factor six’ I will admit. Thanks for the accurate comment
and reminding me of an old expression.
Semper fi,
Jim
Salt water crocs!
Actually, I think the ones we dealt with higher up in the Nam were fresh water estuary crocks.
Still dangerous as all get out.
Thanks for the comment.
Semper fi,
Jim
Should there be an ‘Epiphany’ about Fusners comment in book one about not swimming/bathing in the river? Or does that come later?
Thanks SSgt. I’m on it and yes it does come back later…
Semper fi,
Jim
We covered the same ground, 2/205 pir…all so familiar, I patrolled out of firebase ripcord for a couple of months in 1970 before it was over run. Had to love Alpha one sr…nobody delivered ord like they could. I spent more than 1 ndp in pre dug holes. The story makes it all feel like yesterday.
Thanks for the comment and yes you are right about ordnance delivery.
The army fireballs were terrific…
Semper fi,
Jim
Excellent writing. Casey’s uninhibited moments have me deeply wondering if he had frontal lobe damage. Thinking he is an older warrior that can’t help reacting in combat but there is a slyness to him. Lots of questions here.
Casey was 26 at the time, or so I recall from somewhere.
Thanks for your analysis and it’s amazing what wisdom can come out
of humans under great pressure…and what idiocy!
Thanks for the comment, as usual.
Semper fi,
Jim
That was a mistake Gomers. No sparklers and strobes in this war to mark friendless and designate the enemy but a big 50 with green cigar tracers is a dead give away as to where the Gomers are laying. “Cleared hot Jacko”!
Doc
Also, I hope y’all cut that road into the valley., smells of Gomer resupply to me.
Doc
Interesting comment, my friend.
I can’t go into what’s coming in the story, as you probably guessed,
but really appreciate you paying attention close enough to guess on your own.
Thanks for everything….
Semper fi,
Jim
THIRTY DAYS HAS SEPTEMBER, The First Ten Days, is out in paperback on Amazon.
Thanks for the comment here Roger. If you get a chance go online and write a review of the book
at Amazon, since you’ve already read it here anyway…or so I think.
Thanks for the help.
Semper fi,
Jim
Why not enjoy the story line rather than becoming the editor? Very real, sounds like the tri-border area south of there.
There are many areas of a manuscript that cannot be edited by anyone other than the writer, or the nuance of
the story is lost. That is just the way it is. When the nuance get lost, well, note the difference that occurred in the
work of people like John Grisham and Tom Clancy when they got so famous that they had no time to edit anymore. The real ‘flavor’ of their
work went right into the shit can. As the writer you must stay involved through the whole process. That is one of the problems in Hollywood
and why most of what is coming out is crap. The screenwriter is dumped after submitting and then the producers come in and change the work
to put their own stamp on it. And they are not gifted…even to the point of knowing they are not gifted.
Hence staying along for the edit.
Editing is about a whole lot more than spelling and grammar. It’s about the refined life of the creation…
Semper fi,
Jim