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(Helicopter whirring)
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(radio chattering)
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We had been out on a search
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and the battalion had called down
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and told us to move to a
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because they would have
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move us back to a base area.
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And from there we would launch into
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And as we were getting ready to go back,
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and we're moving in a column of twos
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cutting our way through the jungle.
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And we had stopped.
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and all the way back down the line,
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each of the following three platoons
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are broken out column
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And then about every hour,
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and we'd stop and
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And each platoon would put
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or the left flank to
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in case the enemy slipped up on us.
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I remember standing up
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And we began to move out.
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And way back in the back,
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his name was Fritz,
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and he went up to squad
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"We've left the two guys back
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They haven't come back in,
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And the squad leader just sort of
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I mean, the troop is moving,
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And he said, "Oh, it's okay,
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They'll be here."
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And so we moved.
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And so after a while,
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and went up to the next guy
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and all this time we're still moving.
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And finally the patrol leader
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he says, "Sir,
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And so we halted the column
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and I went back to where
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and we sent a fire team of five guys out
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to see if they were still there.
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And there they were about 50 yards out,
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laying down on a trail protecting us
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and we'd gone off and left them.
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I turned to Fritz,
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and there was the squad
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and on either side of his collar
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He was a Sergeant.
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And I took his stripes off of him
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and I said, "You're relieved.
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And I turned around and there was Fritz,
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the guy who had alerted us,
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and I reached down and pined the stripes
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"Fritz, you're a Sergeant
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And he did.
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He had them dig deep that night,
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had them check their grenades,
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make sure everything was safe.
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He would be killed on the 29th of June.
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(Sombre music)
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[Shawn] That's my father in 1966.
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He survived two tours of Vietnam
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and three helicopter crashes over there.
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He commanded troops in combat
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with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
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He earned the Silver Star,
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the Army's third highest honour
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the Distinguished Flying Cross
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the Bronze Star for valour in combat,
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which he earned seven times,
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and the Purple Heart for
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That's me in 1966.
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For most of my life, I really had
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Yes, I knew he had been in Vietnam,
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I thought he had a desk job over there.
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I suppose I was like a lot of
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You took what your
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He didn't talk about the war.
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During a recent trip to the
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I started asking him questions
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and he agreed to tell me
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(Soft music)
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(triumphant orchestral music)
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It seems like all my life
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I was prone to something to
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At an early age I went to
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in St. Petersburg, Florida,
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and then for college
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As soon as I graduated,
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in the Army, and then I was off.
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And it seemed to me that
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if I wanted to advance,
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if I wanted to learn
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about being an infantry officer,
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about being an Army officer,
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I needed to be where the battle was.
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And I requested assignment to
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And that was all well and
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and told my wife what I had done.
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Then my husband came home
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for Vietnam and he
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And I thought, I didn't know
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volunteering for Vietnam or
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I think maybe telling me he volunteered
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was the craziest thing. (Chuckles)
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In fact, I remember very clearly
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I wrote down on a piece of paper,
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I promise I will not
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[Shawn] My dad invited me
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to go to the 173rd
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to meet some of the men
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so I would have a better understanding
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of what they experienced.
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It had been 50 years
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since they had been in Vietnam together.
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I got out of high school in
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I joined the Army.
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I went down to a recruiter.
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My dad was a career Marine.
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My mom and dad had to sign off
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when I got out of high school and,
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I was drafted, I got my high
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and my draft papers in the other
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and I was off and running
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I enlisted in the army
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still in high school.
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I'd always wanted to
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and I wanted to become a
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I had started working at
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right out of high school and
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Was drafted about a year later.
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I was graduating high
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and a good friend of mine decided,
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that we wanted to enter the military.
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I joined shortly after high school.
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It was a 4th of July.
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I was out with some of the
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and we weren't paying attention to
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and we hit the back of the
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and we locked our bumpers together.
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So my dad said it'd be a good idea
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to go and talk to him and apologize.
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He sat me down at a
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We started talking and right
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I'll never forget it.
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It was a poster of a Golden
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I went home that night
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"So what'd you do today?
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I said, "I did."
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He said, "Where?"
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I said, "United States Army." (Laughs)
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I had a buddy that had agreed
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to go in the military
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cause we were both in the lottery
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and he was a student
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And September when I got
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I called him and he said,
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My grades are good and I'm
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Well, I had my doubts about that.
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Gus wasn't a good student.
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But Gus got drafted and
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And when he came home for Christmas,
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I was home from advanced infantry
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And Gus was having a hell of a time
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cause that military school
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So he didn't go back to Fort Benning.
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He committed suicide on
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And his funeral was on Monday
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and I had to be back at Fort Jackson,
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so I missed his funeral.
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So I started my whole army career out
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with one of the biggest traumas
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you can imagine in your life.
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(Soft combat music)
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Getting to Saigon when
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was a really exciting experience,
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but you didn't know what to expect.
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And they ushered us into
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and they put us in a circus tent.
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The mortars hit the tent and
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and there was a lot of
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So they got who was able
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We loaded buses and left Saigon,
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40 or 50 miles an hour right
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And our first look at Saigon
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was just by the lightning flashes.
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There was a heavy storm
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Appropriate for us. (Chuckles)
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I got to A Company on March 15th, 1966.
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The next morning I got up,
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I was on my way to breakfast
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and there was a couple of guys
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listening to the firefight that
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That was my first experience
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with even being associated
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I can remember my response
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to the Company armourer at the time.
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I said, "I don't even
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And he said, "Just wait a
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Well, when I first got there,
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They had a major engagement
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while we were down in Tan Son Nhut
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and they were coming
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and got ambushed on a
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I don't know how many were killed,
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but many, many were wounded.
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And so when we got up there,
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When we first got in the Company area,
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we heard some choppers coming
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all the guys that had
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started coming in and they
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And the looks on their faces,
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Everybody looked like
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and nobody talked or anything.
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It was just pretty damn scary.
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And then they came back and
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and then I was the FNG. (Chuckles)
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Yeah, but it was an experience.
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Great group of guys.
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Made some of the best
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That was my first night in Vietnam
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and I spent about probably
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before it got daylight and I got up
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and started looking around
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It was a desolate place.
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All them old tents looked
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but nobody lived in them but
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That's where we'd go get rested up
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and take a shower and get our C-rations
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and the brass would get the orders
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and we'd load up and go out
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and do another search and destroy.
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That's about all we did.
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The officers had their own officers club
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and they kept their liquor
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We were coming back
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and noticed that the hinges
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were pinned on the outside of the door
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with a padlock on the handle,
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so we took the pins out,
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went in and stole a whole box of liquor,
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different bottles,
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They never realized anything was gone,
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so we did it again at
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The third time we went back,
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the hinges were on the
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Now, that was fantastic. (Laughs)
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That was probably the funniest
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that we got away with the
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(Helicopter whirring) (radio chattering)
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After about three weeks in the country,
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for a week at a time or more
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and spend a few days
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Your first patrol when
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you're just nervous
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what the hell you're looking for,
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And you think any moment
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you're gonna get ambushed and blown up.
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[Terry] Triple canopy was
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but you heard every little bug, insect.
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It was constant, you were soaking wet
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all the time from sweat
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As time went on, the old guys
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for a month or two would
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and what you're doing and
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that were gonna keep you alive.
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You caught on quick.
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It was a matter of life
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So I was on radio watch one night,
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Sergeant Brown was over here,
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I was next to him and
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spread out a little bit.
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And I heard this strange noise coming
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and it was in the trees.
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I couldn't figure out what it was.
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And it got louder and it got
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So finally I woke up
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"Sergeant Brown, Sergeant Brown,
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I don't know what it is."
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And he looked at me and he said,
281
00:13:48,085 --> 00:13:49,705
"It's monkeys, get under your poncho."
282
00:13:49,755 --> 00:13:52,836
And so we rolled over under the poncho
283
00:13:52,886 --> 00:13:55,748
I mean, it must've been
284
00:13:55,858 --> 00:13:58,209
and they're crapping on you
285
00:13:58,319 --> 00:13:59,432
And finally they left and he said,
286
00:13:59,482 --> 00:14:00,935
"Okay, you can come up now.
287
00:14:00,985 --> 00:14:02,897
And we were just covered
288
00:14:02,947 --> 00:14:04,358
And I said, "Does this happen often?"
289
00:14:04,408 --> 00:14:06,237
He said, "Yeah, every once in a while
290
00:14:06,287 --> 00:14:07,406
you'll get stuck with it."
291
00:14:07,456 --> 00:14:09,034
And he said, "They just
292
00:14:09,084 --> 00:14:10,787
and they're extremely noisy."
293
00:14:10,850 --> 00:14:13,358
And it was a little bit terrifying to me
294
00:14:13,436 --> 00:14:15,982
because I had no clue what
295
00:14:17,772 --> 00:14:20,592
You moved along in areas hopefully
296
00:14:20,881 --> 00:14:24,184
where you had a lot of cover.
297
00:14:24,325 --> 00:14:26,985
Many movies depict infantry
298
00:14:27,035 --> 00:14:29,020
and moving across open fields.
299
00:14:29,231 --> 00:14:32,454
We did our best to never do that
300
00:14:32,504 --> 00:14:34,917
unless there was no other way to do it.
301
00:14:35,171 --> 00:14:37,547
Sometimes you had to
302
00:14:37,765 --> 00:14:41,163
and unless you wanted to spend
303
00:14:41,241 --> 00:14:42,631
you had to go across it.
304
00:14:43,702 --> 00:14:46,606
You tried to avoid any trails
305
00:14:46,656 --> 00:14:49,403
and that's when you really
306
00:14:49,445 --> 00:14:54,445
for trip wires or pits
307
00:14:54,984 --> 00:14:57,377
Most of the patrols were very slow.
308
00:14:57,427 --> 00:15:00,174
If they weren't slow,
309
00:15:00,224 --> 00:15:03,848
The reason they were slow is
310
00:15:04,132 --> 00:15:07,202
You had to put out flank security,
311
00:15:07,249 --> 00:15:08,148
security in the rear.
312
00:15:08,198 --> 00:15:09,525
You had maybe a couple of point men
313
00:15:09,575 --> 00:15:12,417
that would go ahead and
314
00:15:12,464 --> 00:15:14,925
and look for enemy and
315
00:15:14,964 --> 00:15:18,042
Whenever the point man
316
00:15:18,092 --> 00:15:20,777
he would stop and you'd investigate it.
317
00:15:20,941 --> 00:15:23,894
And sometimes you get yelled
318
00:15:24,155 --> 00:15:25,525
"Move it up, move it up, move it up."
319
00:15:25,575 --> 00:15:27,653
And to your people
320
00:15:27,695 --> 00:15:29,495
"Yeah, you're not down here."
321
00:15:29,770 --> 00:15:31,932
You move as fast as you safely can.
322
00:15:32,045 --> 00:15:33,917
We seem to just hit a lot.
323
00:15:33,963 --> 00:15:35,300
There was always
324
00:15:38,691 --> 00:15:42,355
guys leaving and new guys coming in.
325
00:15:44,202 --> 00:15:48,535
Young kids, we were all 18, 19 years old
326
00:15:48,585 --> 00:15:50,497
and you got very close.
327
00:15:50,547 --> 00:15:54,964
Tried not to 'cause you didn't
328
00:15:55,014 --> 00:15:57,677
cause it'd hurt when they got killed
329
00:15:57,727 --> 00:16:00,745
but you couldn't help but make friends.
330
00:16:00,870 --> 00:16:02,395
It wasn't about communism;
331
00:16:02,445 --> 00:16:06,862
it was about being airborne infantry.
332
00:16:06,912 --> 00:16:09,128
I was an enlisted forward observer.
333
00:16:09,247 --> 00:16:11,097
It was just an adventure
334
00:16:11,165 --> 00:16:15,167
and I was having a good old time
335
00:16:15,331 --> 00:16:18,601
And then when you get in a fight,
336
00:16:20,206 --> 00:16:23,058
I don't think the reality of war
337
00:16:23,235 --> 00:16:26,233
had really struck any of us.
338
00:16:26,283 --> 00:16:28,612
All our middle names were John Wayne
339
00:16:28,662 --> 00:16:30,728
and we were gonna end all this crap.
340
00:16:32,659 --> 00:16:36,331
And that lasted until that
341
00:16:40,184 --> 00:16:42,021
Then reality did strike.
342
00:16:44,902 --> 00:16:46,731
(Light tense music)
343
00:16:46,781 --> 00:16:49,238
And the orders came
344
00:16:49,347 --> 00:16:51,620
we were gonna leave out
345
00:16:51,748 --> 00:16:53,994
I passed it down to my platoon leaders,
346
00:16:54,044 --> 00:16:57,918
"Once we're there, I want each
347
00:16:57,968 --> 00:17:00,964
I want the first platoon
348
00:17:01,141 --> 00:17:04,431
I want the second platoon
349
00:17:04,481 --> 00:17:08,183
I want the third platoon to remain
350
00:17:08,279 --> 00:17:09,941
and then I'm gonna keep
351
00:17:09,991 --> 00:17:12,652
under Lieutenant Vendetti
352
00:17:12,956 --> 00:17:14,533
Once battalion clears us,
353
00:17:14,583 --> 00:17:16,454
I want each of you three platoon leaders
354
00:17:16,504 --> 00:17:19,418
to start moving to the west
355
00:17:19,468 --> 00:17:21,547
to see if you can find
356
00:17:21,597 --> 00:17:23,342
The battalion commander
357
00:17:23,392 --> 00:17:26,640
a thousand meters apart
358
00:17:26,690 --> 00:17:28,560
It's gonna be a problem later on.
359
00:17:28,610 --> 00:17:30,314
If we're a thousand meters apart
360
00:17:30,364 --> 00:17:32,235
and each company was doing that as well,
361
00:17:32,285 --> 00:17:33,737
we would cover more area.
362
00:17:33,787 --> 00:17:37,244
We would have a chance to screen out
363
00:17:37,294 --> 00:17:39,660
to make sure we didn't
364
00:17:40,643 --> 00:17:41,794
[Shawn] Did you want your platoons
365
00:17:41,844 --> 00:17:43,172
to be a thousand meters apart?
366
00:17:43,222 --> 00:17:44,222
No.
367
00:17:46,826 --> 00:17:48,283
We never did it again.
368
00:17:49,688 --> 00:17:53,331
June 28th, we had come to this area,
369
00:17:53,658 --> 00:17:55,886
we'd been moving around
370
00:17:56,012 --> 00:18:00,581
and we came to this area
371
00:18:00,631 --> 00:18:02,925
Now, my platoon was set up on a ridge.
372
00:18:03,167 --> 00:18:06,191
There was a valley, there was
373
00:18:06,323 --> 00:18:08,681
It went into a village and a road
374
00:18:08,870 --> 00:18:11,870
and there was a road that came
375
00:18:12,136 --> 00:18:14,356
And when we got off the helicopter,
376
00:18:14,406 --> 00:18:16,862
it was dry next to a
377
00:18:16,912 --> 00:18:19,613
where we were supposed
378
00:18:20,454 --> 00:18:22,581
and it was supposed to
379
00:18:22,683 --> 00:18:25,706
before we made the charge on the 29th.
380
00:18:26,639 --> 00:18:29,136
But when we got in the rubber trees
381
00:18:29,269 --> 00:18:32,558
and we got comfortable
382
00:18:32,608 --> 00:18:34,979
and got ready for the rain,
383
00:18:35,089 --> 00:18:38,695
some of the second platoon
384
00:18:38,745 --> 00:18:41,408
They had been in a mess
385
00:18:41,458 --> 00:18:42,828
and they were worn out
386
00:18:42,878 --> 00:18:44,958
and they did a lot of stuff
387
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,540
So they told us to go
388
00:18:48,598 --> 00:18:50,133
and they were gonna take our position
389
00:18:50,183 --> 00:18:52,647
and rest up in the perimeter.
390
00:18:53,858 --> 00:18:55,728
So that kind of pissed everybody off.
391
00:18:55,778 --> 00:18:59,026
And I had just gotten my tent set up
392
00:18:59,076 --> 00:19:00,821
and I couldn't wait to get my boots off
393
00:19:00,871 --> 00:19:03,082
and get in there and
394
00:19:03,136 --> 00:19:04,629
before I had to do guard duty.
395
00:19:05,019 --> 00:19:08,019
And they came up and I
396
00:19:08,097 --> 00:19:11,902
"Now this is my place and it's
397
00:19:12,011 --> 00:19:13,929
put you own up but
398
00:19:13,979 --> 00:19:16,699
with them muddy boots
399
00:19:17,019 --> 00:19:19,858
We had had lots of villagers
400
00:19:19,908 --> 00:19:21,918
cause there was this trail
401
00:19:22,660 --> 00:19:24,617
And they weren't armed.
402
00:19:24,832 --> 00:19:26,037
And I remember seeing pieces
403
00:19:26,087 --> 00:19:27,873
of white tape on some of the bike tires,
404
00:19:27,923 --> 00:19:30,183
which we at the time
405
00:19:30,574 --> 00:19:32,591
Cause I learned this later going back,
406
00:19:32,641 --> 00:19:33,843
this is how they did it.
407
00:19:33,972 --> 00:19:35,304
Count the number of revolutions of
408
00:19:35,354 --> 00:19:37,642
the tire multiplied times the
409
00:19:37,692 --> 00:19:38,978
and you've got the distance.
410
00:19:39,028 --> 00:19:43,954
A rough distance from where you've got
411
00:19:45,230 --> 00:19:48,371
(Explosions booming)
412
00:19:48,421 --> 00:19:50,313
Right when the sun was breaking,
413
00:19:51,844 --> 00:19:54,090
we received two mortars,
414
00:19:54,140 --> 00:19:56,293
I don't think it was one,
415
00:19:57,688 --> 00:19:59,340
right in our lines.
416
00:19:59,651 --> 00:20:06,441
It a killed Jesse Felder
417
00:20:09,587 --> 00:20:14,045
And all we heard was the bloop,
418
00:20:14,095 --> 00:20:19,898
It was a mad rush to get our dead
419
00:20:20,391 --> 00:20:24,578
cause I helped carry Felder
420
00:20:28,916 --> 00:20:31,375
and his arm fell out, hit me on the leg.
421
00:20:31,796 --> 00:20:34,385
(Sombre music)
422
00:20:35,738 --> 00:20:40,273
I went on the LP and I was out
423
00:20:43,055 --> 00:20:45,259
It never occurred to me
424
00:20:45,341 --> 00:20:49,048
to where we were until we went back in
425
00:20:49,121 --> 00:20:51,166
the morning of the 29th.
426
00:20:53,264 --> 00:20:58,432
It was my hammock that the
427
00:20:58,654 --> 00:21:02,370
and Felder died from the mortar blast.
428
00:21:02,647 --> 00:21:04,338
And that's where I'd have been
429
00:21:04,748 --> 00:21:07,161
if they hadn't taken our position.
430
00:21:07,281 --> 00:21:08,566
If they'd have been on LP,
431
00:21:08,616 --> 00:21:10,996
I would have been there
432
00:21:14,670 --> 00:21:16,916
So I had that to think
433
00:21:16,966 --> 00:21:20,127
we got on the chopper that day.
434
00:21:21,641 --> 00:21:23,887
[Bill P.] And I remember us
435
00:21:23,937 --> 00:21:29,135
going to another area,
436
00:21:29,307 --> 00:21:32,557
and then being split up into platoons.
437
00:21:32,830 --> 00:21:37,112
I met some Lrps,
438
00:21:37,339 --> 00:21:39,793
that were there because they briefed me
439
00:21:39,843 --> 00:21:41,589
and they told me they'd
440
00:21:41,639 --> 00:21:43,073
and they hadn't seen a thing.
441
00:21:44,068 --> 00:21:47,942
Now, knowing now what I know now,
442
00:21:47,984 --> 00:21:51,362
how they didn't see
443
00:21:51,908 --> 00:21:53,159
I don't know how they did it
444
00:21:53,221 --> 00:21:56,979
because there was a whole large
445
00:21:57,293 --> 00:21:58,747
He said, we've been out
446
00:21:58,797 --> 00:21:59,957
and it's pretty quiet.
447
00:22:00,007 --> 00:22:01,168
And as he was getting on the chopper.
448
00:22:01,218 --> 00:22:02,128
He said, "Oh, by the way, " he said,
449
00:22:02,178 --> 00:22:03,047
"There's an old path over there
450
00:22:03,097 --> 00:22:04,823
and there's some footprints.
451
00:22:05,225 --> 00:22:06,637
We couldn't find the end of it."
452
00:22:06,687 --> 00:22:07,847
And he said, "Oh yeah, one more thing.
453
00:22:07,897 --> 00:22:09,752
There's some commo wire out there."
454
00:22:09,901 --> 00:22:13,151
And he said, "We never
455
00:22:13,909 --> 00:22:16,330
And all of a sudden I'm like, "Hmm."
456
00:22:18,251 --> 00:22:21,916
(Soft tense music)
457
00:22:21,966 --> 00:22:24,714
It had rained for two days previously,
458
00:22:24,764 --> 00:22:27,844
and so we started out
459
00:22:27,894 --> 00:22:28,929
I believe, four groups,
460
00:22:28,979 --> 00:22:30,700
but I was part of third platoon
461
00:22:31,682 --> 00:22:35,651
and we were probably out for
462
00:22:35,701 --> 00:22:41,010
I use the word stumbled,
463
00:22:41,087 --> 00:22:43,049
Vietcong battalion base camp.
464
00:22:43,174 --> 00:22:47,635
[Mike S.] We had come across some trails
465
00:22:48,016 --> 00:22:53,018
and it was pretty muddy and
466
00:22:54,968 --> 00:22:58,684
The front squad had noticed
467
00:23:00,533 --> 00:23:02,069
a latrine
468
00:23:02,252 --> 00:23:06,251
that would be used for a larger element.
469
00:23:06,301 --> 00:23:11,471
We were getting ready to
470
00:23:11,838 --> 00:23:13,776
and the firing started.
471
00:23:14,150 --> 00:23:15,602
Don't remember exactly,
472
00:23:15,652 --> 00:23:19,568
but maybe four or five shots
473
00:23:19,618 --> 00:23:23,815
And then shortly after that,
474
00:23:24,712 --> 00:23:26,620
It was horrendous gun fire.
475
00:23:26,807 --> 00:23:30,256
And they just opened up on
476
00:23:30,306 --> 00:23:33,956
Small arms, machine guns,
477
00:23:34,695 --> 00:23:38,039
pretty much wiped out the
478
00:23:38,890 --> 00:23:41,312
The first time we knew that
479
00:23:41,367 --> 00:23:43,866
was not because of radio
480
00:23:43,916 --> 00:23:45,156
we could hear it.
481
00:23:46,093 --> 00:23:47,706
And then the communications
482
00:23:47,756 --> 00:23:50,378
and the platoon began to
483
00:23:50,428 --> 00:23:52,006
and it was a large force
484
00:23:52,056 --> 00:23:54,499
and within 30 or 40 minutes
485
00:23:55,515 --> 00:23:58,015
They were in deep trouble
486
00:23:58,707 --> 00:24:00,617
Sergeant Morris came back
487
00:24:00,906 --> 00:24:03,361
and I believe he was wounded
488
00:24:03,499 --> 00:24:05,991
and told us to dig in the best we could.
489
00:24:06,041 --> 00:24:09,164
I remember trying to dig
490
00:24:09,214 --> 00:24:11,084
but it kept filling with water.
491
00:24:11,134 --> 00:24:14,281
From then on, the firing
492
00:24:14,406 --> 00:24:15,927
That's the thing I remember the most.
493
00:24:15,977 --> 00:24:17,764
The sound of the 50 calibres.
494
00:24:17,814 --> 00:24:19,643
Even the trees falling.
495
00:24:19,693 --> 00:24:22,941
[Mike T.] I was probably
496
00:24:22,991 --> 00:24:24,652
They shot the two guys on point
497
00:24:24,702 --> 00:24:27,132
and people were hit left and right.
498
00:24:27,293 --> 00:24:30,124
And there was an ant hill
499
00:24:30,218 --> 00:24:35,210
And I laid down behind that thing
500
00:24:36,057 --> 00:24:39,957
I think that cord will probably
501
00:24:40,059 --> 00:24:41,141
And he had it stretched
502
00:24:41,191 --> 00:24:42,645
as far as it would go and standing up,
503
00:24:42,695 --> 00:24:43,911
talking on the radio.
504
00:24:44,532 --> 00:24:47,153
Next time the fire came, it hit him.
505
00:24:47,231 --> 00:24:49,918
And I remember turning around
506
00:24:50,004 --> 00:24:53,356
and his rifle was slung on his shoulder.
507
00:24:53,883 --> 00:24:56,296
And it looked like to me
508
00:24:56,346 --> 00:24:59,098
and his arm was hanging on
509
00:24:59,226 --> 00:25:01,306
We heard gunfire; it was quick.
510
00:25:01,356 --> 00:25:02,683
It was very fast.
511
00:25:02,733 --> 00:25:05,364
It was (mimicking gun
512
00:25:05,645 --> 00:25:08,068
And right away I knew from
513
00:25:08,118 --> 00:25:09,363
that that's not a good thing
514
00:25:09,413 --> 00:25:11,576
cause then you know what's coming next.
515
00:25:11,626 --> 00:25:14,874
And then all of a sudden
516
00:25:14,924 --> 00:25:17,462
(Gun firing)
517
00:25:17,512 --> 00:25:19,549
And they were calling for
518
00:25:19,599 --> 00:25:22,028
"We're surrounded, we need help."
519
00:25:22,223 --> 00:25:25,143
And Captain Kelley was on
520
00:25:25,193 --> 00:25:26,395
he just told all of us,
521
00:25:26,445 --> 00:25:29,193
"Everybody now,
522
00:25:29,243 --> 00:25:30,737
[Jack] We're all gonna kind of converge
523
00:25:30,787 --> 00:25:32,282
and see what we can do to
524
00:25:32,332 --> 00:25:33,785
that was in so much trouble.
525
00:25:33,835 --> 00:25:36,206
[Bill V.] We just moved out
526
00:25:36,256 --> 00:25:37,857
We'd never run that fast
527
00:25:38,607 --> 00:25:41,271
with rucksacks on our
528
00:25:41,552 --> 00:25:44,451
And when we got close
529
00:25:44,647 --> 00:25:48,068
had us drop our rucksacks
530
00:25:49,412 --> 00:25:51,277
And I have no idea who it was.
531
00:25:51,327 --> 00:25:55,053
He said, told somebody
532
00:25:55,501 --> 00:25:56,829
To guard them.
533
00:25:56,879 --> 00:25:58,249
And at the time I thought,
534
00:25:58,299 --> 00:26:00,342
"God, I wish that would have been me."
535
00:26:00,845 --> 00:26:02,537
Later I'm sort of glad,
536
00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,262
who would want to be left out
537
00:26:05,312 --> 00:26:06,748
I'm so glad it wasn't me.
538
00:26:07,061 --> 00:26:09,854
You'd see a grenade come
539
00:26:09,904 --> 00:26:13,787
and come in and you'd
540
00:26:14,754 --> 00:26:19,105
The mortar rounds were worse,
541
00:26:19,367 --> 00:26:21,906
and then you just had to wait and try
542
00:26:21,988 --> 00:26:25,378
and hear it come through the trees
543
00:26:26,102 --> 00:26:28,348
[Jack] The enemy actually
544
00:26:28,398 --> 00:26:30,226
This was a battalion size unit
545
00:26:30,276 --> 00:26:32,857
against this platoon of 30 or 40 guys.
546
00:26:32,907 --> 00:26:36,530
[Bill P.] To this day,
547
00:26:36,580 --> 00:26:40,207
the gunpowder smell, the smoke.
548
00:26:40,422 --> 00:26:42,749
Everywhere you looked,
549
00:26:43,510 --> 00:26:45,058
bodies, the wounded.
550
00:26:45,324 --> 00:26:47,426
Some of the guys that took some hits
551
00:26:47,467 --> 00:26:51,384
that were probably really
552
00:26:51,443 --> 00:26:54,418
and, unfortunately, that just drew fire
553
00:26:54,532 --> 00:26:59,683
and most of those ended
554
00:26:59,714 --> 00:27:00,878
just because of that.
555
00:27:01,011 --> 00:27:03,199
There's two things that
556
00:27:03,269 --> 00:27:05,878
One was, "Medic, " and the other was...
557
00:27:05,928 --> 00:27:08,636
There were several that would say,
558
00:27:08,851 --> 00:27:12,457
I distinctly remember tracer rounds
559
00:27:12,566 --> 00:27:15,378
hitting between myself and the M60.
560
00:27:15,683 --> 00:27:19,213
At that point I was hit
561
00:27:19,287 --> 00:27:22,589
in front of us and stunned me.
562
00:27:22,683 --> 00:27:26,368
And I went the rest of the
563
00:27:26,426 --> 00:27:30,785
Then we came across some
564
00:27:31,761 --> 00:27:34,214
We thought that'd be a good place to be.
565
00:27:34,276 --> 00:27:35,853
And as soon as we got close to them,
566
00:27:35,903 --> 00:27:38,441
they really opened up on us.
567
00:27:38,491 --> 00:27:40,426
They had that whole area covered.
568
00:27:41,347 --> 00:27:44,536
We moved back and at that time
569
00:27:44,586 --> 00:27:45,663
I knew I was in trouble
570
00:27:45,713 --> 00:27:47,458
just 'cause I couldn't get my breath
571
00:27:47,508 --> 00:27:51,956
and I could hear the
572
00:27:52,184 --> 00:27:55,516
So I had something...
573
00:27:55,558 --> 00:27:58,062
My lung was opened up.
574
00:27:58,237 --> 00:28:00,491
Luckily it was just one. (Chuckles)
575
00:28:00,743 --> 00:28:04,023
There was a big termite mound,
576
00:28:05,126 --> 00:28:07,872
probably a four foot in diameter
577
00:28:07,922 --> 00:28:10,586
by three foot high dirt mound.
578
00:28:10,636 --> 00:28:14,763
And I started pulling
579
00:28:15,938 --> 00:28:20,044
Hido and Fritz, they were the first two
580
00:28:20,906 --> 00:28:23,419
and they were pretty shot up.
581
00:28:23,676 --> 00:28:27,305
Fritz was just bleeding out.
582
00:28:27,368 --> 00:28:30,477
There wasn't much I could
583
00:28:32,055 --> 00:28:35,851
he was missing an arm.
584
00:28:40,861 --> 00:28:45,010
I tried to get that stopped
585
00:28:45,049 --> 00:28:48,284
"It's getting so dark in here,
586
00:28:48,334 --> 00:28:53,301
And I kept trying to get
587
00:28:54,241 --> 00:28:55,785
and he just bled out.
588
00:28:56,996 --> 00:28:59,987
I was in a position where I
589
00:29:00,057 --> 00:29:02,978
that was happening and
590
00:29:03,020 --> 00:29:05,237
I had my radio and then I made contact
591
00:29:05,284 --> 00:29:08,990
with the artillery folks and
592
00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:10,660
that lasted about 10 minutes,
593
00:29:10,710 --> 00:29:12,997
putting in some test rounds
594
00:29:13,047 --> 00:29:15,586
to sort of get a bearing
595
00:29:15,636 --> 00:29:19,678
And my estimate was, they were
596
00:29:19,728 --> 00:29:22,108
So I told them to drop a hundred
597
00:29:22,381 --> 00:29:23,685
and they got in a discussion with me
598
00:29:23,735 --> 00:29:25,981
and I found out later
599
00:29:26,031 --> 00:29:28,131
had done a couple of
600
00:29:28,178 --> 00:29:30,231
but they got in a discussion with me
601
00:29:30,490 --> 00:29:34,092
about whether that would be too close.
602
00:29:34,154 --> 00:29:37,256
And at the time, this horrific fight
603
00:29:37,428 --> 00:29:39,215
and my response to him was,
604
00:29:39,265 --> 00:29:41,022
"We're on the point of being overrun,
605
00:29:41,115 --> 00:29:45,029
drop a hundred and fire,
606
00:29:45,610 --> 00:29:48,232
And then they tried to overrun us.
607
00:29:48,282 --> 00:29:49,986
(Gun firing)
608
00:29:50,123 --> 00:29:52,741
They first opened up
609
00:29:52,791 --> 00:29:55,990
and then the 50s and fired
610
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,600
One of the rockets landed right
611
00:30:00,639 --> 00:30:02,009
in the middle of us.
612
00:30:03,228 --> 00:30:05,654
I remember an arm flying by me.
613
00:30:09,592 --> 00:30:14,725
Then that's when they really opened up
614
00:30:15,602 --> 00:30:18,475
Fortunately, we were able to repel that.
615
00:30:18,674 --> 00:30:20,837
Someone said, "Why isn't
616
00:30:20,887 --> 00:30:22,422
And I said, "It's because
617
00:30:22,472 --> 00:30:24,339
He said, "Bring the radio over."
618
00:30:24,602 --> 00:30:27,432
And so it was about 40, 50, 60 feet.
619
00:30:27,482 --> 00:30:29,270
And so I left.
620
00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:31,741
By that time, my M16 was jammed.
621
00:30:32,511 --> 00:30:35,745
So I was in between
622
00:30:35,874 --> 00:30:39,664
And I actually left the
623
00:30:39,714 --> 00:30:42,587
and I went across this area
624
00:30:42,637 --> 00:30:43,800
They had deep bunkers,
625
00:30:43,842 --> 00:30:45,590
overhead cover that they had built in,
626
00:30:45,684 --> 00:30:47,722
trenches going from position to position
627
00:30:47,772 --> 00:30:49,808
so they could move about and fire.
628
00:30:50,151 --> 00:30:52,147
I remember that several of my guys
629
00:30:52,197 --> 00:30:54,151
reported that they had,
630
00:30:54,201 --> 00:30:56,011
they had cut out through the brush
631
00:30:56,247 --> 00:30:57,199
so that they could fire through that
632
00:30:57,249 --> 00:30:58,701
and they still had protection
633
00:30:58,751 --> 00:31:01,191
and camouflage so that
634
00:31:01,449 --> 00:31:04,378
And I took the radio
635
00:31:04,428 --> 00:31:07,051
and first thing he said before
636
00:31:07,101 --> 00:31:08,762
he says, "Where's your rifle?"
637
00:31:08,812 --> 00:31:11,309
I said, "Back jammed behind the tree."
638
00:31:11,359 --> 00:31:12,478
Then he said, "Okay."
639
00:31:12,528 --> 00:31:13,965
He said, "You leave the radio here
640
00:31:14,011 --> 00:31:17,831
and you get back and put that
641
00:31:18,058 --> 00:31:20,041
So I went back and I
642
00:31:20,136 --> 00:31:21,787
but I was in a process
643
00:31:21,837 --> 00:31:23,685
when I got shot the first time.
644
00:31:25,284 --> 00:31:27,175
Then we were getting low on ammo.
645
00:31:27,261 --> 00:31:29,970
So I was crawling up front,
646
00:31:30,020 --> 00:31:34,284
and taking the ammo off the dead guys.
647
00:31:35,573 --> 00:31:36,701
Also,
648
00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:39,495
taking
649
00:31:41,792 --> 00:31:43,553
battle dressings off of them,
650
00:31:44,632 --> 00:31:47,755
because we were all out of those
651
00:31:47,853 --> 00:31:53,049
and the wounded guys needed
652
00:31:53,899 --> 00:32:00,596
First time I get shot, I got shot in
653
00:32:00,703 --> 00:32:02,518
all I was doing, I couldn't breathe.
654
00:32:04,043 --> 00:32:05,747
It was like blood in and blood out.
655
00:32:05,797 --> 00:32:08,471
That was the time that I
656
00:32:10,775 --> 00:32:14,291
Next thing I remember is James Miskel
657
00:32:14,604 --> 00:32:19,182
on the other side of the M60
658
00:32:19,534 --> 00:32:23,135
He pulled the plastic wrap
659
00:32:23,414 --> 00:32:27,705
He packed the wound with gauze
660
00:32:27,755 --> 00:32:29,876
or whatever was available
661
00:32:29,926 --> 00:32:32,381
and he put the plastic over that
662
00:32:32,431 --> 00:32:34,593
and then wrapped it tightly.
663
00:32:34,643 --> 00:32:36,022
When I had been hit,
664
00:32:37,190 --> 00:32:38,851
I was having a lot of trouble breathing
665
00:32:38,901 --> 00:32:41,816
cause both bullets had
666
00:32:41,866 --> 00:32:45,072
and both had hit ribs
667
00:32:45,122 --> 00:32:47,786
And then all of a sudden I had
668
00:32:47,836 --> 00:32:52,503
And I did what 50% of the people did.
669
00:32:52,553 --> 00:32:54,006
I called for the medic
670
00:32:54,056 --> 00:32:56,951
and someone, I don't know who,
671
00:32:58,799 --> 00:33:00,753
And we were out of morphine
672
00:33:00,819 --> 00:33:02,699
and the medic had been killed
673
00:33:03,824 --> 00:33:07,214
and there was none left in his bag.
674
00:33:07,746 --> 00:33:10,112
So I went up farther up
675
00:33:10,170 --> 00:33:14,921
and that's where Charlie
676
00:33:14,963 --> 00:33:19,430
and some of the other guys were
677
00:33:20,674 --> 00:33:23,547
And what had happened
678
00:33:23,613 --> 00:33:25,483
in this right-hand pocket
679
00:33:25,533 --> 00:33:30,493
and I had been hit
680
00:33:30,543 --> 00:33:32,722
and when I pulled the compass out first,
681
00:33:32,808 --> 00:33:35,582
it was all gnarled where
682
00:33:35,970 --> 00:33:38,508
And then the bullet came out up above.
683
00:33:38,613 --> 00:33:40,805
And I had this big
684
00:33:40,855 --> 00:33:42,199
where the bullet came out.
685
00:33:42,274 --> 00:33:44,770
But what it had been,
686
00:33:44,820 --> 00:33:46,022
and the only way I can describe it
687
00:33:46,072 --> 00:33:47,859
is if you take a baseball bat
688
00:33:47,909 --> 00:33:48,945
and just hit someone in the chest.
689
00:33:48,995 --> 00:33:50,372
That's how it felt.
690
00:33:51,583 --> 00:33:54,372
And the bullet went out
691
00:33:54,422 --> 00:33:55,874
It was deflected, I believe,
692
00:33:55,924 --> 00:33:58,355
by the compass because the
693
00:33:58,722 --> 00:34:00,091
I dropped the compass.
694
00:34:00,141 --> 00:34:01,553
It would have been the
695
00:34:01,603 --> 00:34:02,471
but that's what you do.
696
00:34:02,521 --> 00:34:03,974
And I dropped the compass.
697
00:34:04,024 --> 00:34:06,753
And I thought everything
698
00:34:06,971 --> 00:34:09,831
And I didn't have the rifle
699
00:34:09,985 --> 00:34:12,566
but then right after that,
700
00:34:12,624 --> 00:34:14,495
and then I got shot twice in the back.
701
00:34:15,230 --> 00:34:16,414
I was out of it for a little bit,
702
00:34:16,464 --> 00:34:19,706
but I do remember being
703
00:34:19,784 --> 00:34:23,344
pretty much the rest of the time,
704
00:34:23,394 --> 00:34:26,402
and getting weaker as the time went on.
705
00:34:26,683 --> 00:34:30,175
Remember being very low or out of ammo.
706
00:34:30,241 --> 00:34:32,653
It was real apparent that
707
00:34:32,703 --> 00:34:33,865
and that I needed to get out of there.
708
00:34:33,915 --> 00:34:35,785
And there were two
709
00:34:35,826 --> 00:34:41,347
two black guys that were
710
00:34:41,847 --> 00:34:43,299
And they said, "Why don't
711
00:34:43,349 --> 00:34:44,134
come over here?"
712
00:34:44,184 --> 00:34:45,595
And I can remember,
713
00:34:45,645 --> 00:34:47,099
and it wasn't the brightest
714
00:34:47,149 --> 00:34:49,566
but I asked him something like,
715
00:34:49,932 --> 00:34:53,063
And they said, "Get the F over here."
716
00:34:54,412 --> 00:34:56,700
So I crawled over there
717
00:34:56,750 --> 00:34:59,664
I couldn't stand up any more
718
00:34:59,714 --> 00:35:03,933
And that's where I spent
719
00:35:04,081 --> 00:35:06,260
As we were moving towards them,
720
00:35:06,310 --> 00:35:08,515
And we were getting very close to them
721
00:35:08,565 --> 00:35:10,017
and then there was a...
722
00:35:10,067 --> 00:35:12,423
I couldn't tell you how many
723
00:35:12,508 --> 00:35:14,031
and they started shooting at us.
724
00:35:14,259 --> 00:35:18,074
And one of them was blind from
725
00:35:18,485 --> 00:35:20,563
and one of them had been
726
00:35:20,755 --> 00:35:22,541
and of one of them's name was Leon Exum.
727
00:35:22,591 --> 00:35:24,954
The other one,
728
00:35:25,095 --> 00:35:30,688
And all we had left, they had
729
00:35:31,093 --> 00:35:32,795
There was an M79 grenade launcher.
730
00:35:33,548 --> 00:35:38,111
So the three of us in kind
731
00:35:38,599 --> 00:35:40,511
put that M79 into play.
732
00:35:40,835 --> 00:35:42,246
And I had been shot in the right side
733
00:35:42,296 --> 00:35:44,392
but I can put my arm up like that.
734
00:35:44,676 --> 00:35:48,299
The guy that was blind actually propped
735
00:35:48,349 --> 00:35:51,341
the M79 grenade launcher on my elbow.
736
00:35:51,605 --> 00:35:53,309
And the guy who had been
737
00:35:53,334 --> 00:35:55,808
who owned the M79,
738
00:35:55,989 --> 00:35:57,651
he actually gave the guidance
739
00:35:57,701 --> 00:36:00,949
and we would pop off a round
740
00:36:00,999 --> 00:36:04,029
We did this until we
741
00:36:04,130 --> 00:36:07,865
What I do know is the Vietcong,
742
00:36:07,985 --> 00:36:10,997
they have the same routine
743
00:36:11,059 --> 00:36:14,141
because we were causing some damage
744
00:36:14,191 --> 00:36:17,560
because after the rounds would go off,
745
00:36:18,084 --> 00:36:22,751
There was a small gully
746
00:36:22,832 --> 00:36:24,552
as long as we didn't stand up,
747
00:36:24,615 --> 00:36:27,424
we could crouch down and move along.
748
00:36:29,068 --> 00:36:33,887
And when we got toward
749
00:36:33,937 --> 00:36:35,607
where we could get out of it,
750
00:36:36,731 --> 00:36:39,486
everybody checked their self,
751
00:36:40,784 --> 00:36:41,967
got ready to go.
752
00:36:43,121 --> 00:36:47,879
And that's when John
753
00:36:48,193 --> 00:36:50,336
He went up out of the ravine
754
00:36:50,386 --> 00:36:53,884
and as soon as he got both
755
00:36:53,934 --> 00:36:55,553
he got killed.
756
00:36:55,603 --> 00:36:56,843
Shot in the neck.
757
00:36:57,566 --> 00:37:00,113
(Sombre music)
758
00:37:03,654 --> 00:37:07,493
When the third platoon initially
759
00:37:07,550 --> 00:37:10,372
it was because their
760
00:37:10,419 --> 00:37:15,091
some enemy latrines and
761
00:37:15,141 --> 00:37:18,180
The point squad was led by
762
00:37:18,412 --> 00:37:20,616
He immediately found it,
763
00:37:20,702 --> 00:37:21,952
told him the enemy was there.
764
00:37:22,077 --> 00:37:24,734
No sooner had they reported that,
765
00:37:24,944 --> 00:37:27,842
and eventually they got surrounded
766
00:37:27,957 --> 00:37:29,869
But Morris again took his squad,
767
00:37:29,919 --> 00:37:31,702
He found the enemy was firing at him.
768
00:37:31,881 --> 00:37:33,501
He and two other guys moved out behind
769
00:37:33,551 --> 00:37:35,797
from where they were and
770
00:37:35,847 --> 00:37:37,467
Later on, the enemy put a 50 calibre
771
00:37:37,517 --> 00:37:39,680
and tried to put it in
772
00:37:39,820 --> 00:37:42,015
He and another guy,
773
00:37:42,116 --> 00:37:45,422
The other guy was killed in action,
774
00:37:45,547 --> 00:37:47,500
I remember him coming back to us
775
00:37:47,703 --> 00:37:51,328
and I'm fairly certain he was,
776
00:37:51,378 --> 00:37:54,166
but he was probably seriously
777
00:37:54,216 --> 00:37:56,337
and he spent most of his time at that...
778
00:37:56,585 --> 00:37:58,257
From that point forward,
779
00:37:58,307 --> 00:38:00,971
he spent most of his time
780
00:38:01,021 --> 00:38:02,307
working with that group,
781
00:38:02,357 --> 00:38:04,144
although he continually made rounds,
782
00:38:04,194 --> 00:38:06,240
made sure everybody was okay.
783
00:38:07,116 --> 00:38:09,382
Assigning firing lanes.
784
00:38:09,812 --> 00:38:12,368
Making sure everybody had areas covered.
785
00:38:12,418 --> 00:38:15,625
But Morris was, he was an
786
00:38:17,578 --> 00:38:18,630
He was an infantryman
787
00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,998
and intended to do everything
788
00:38:25,276 --> 00:38:27,021
to make the mission work.
789
00:38:27,132 --> 00:38:28,664
He was that kind of guy.
790
00:38:28,773 --> 00:38:32,824
I can remember Charlie
791
00:38:32,874 --> 00:38:34,285
at the Vietcong saying,
792
00:38:34,335 --> 00:38:38,890
"Come on, I've only got one good
793
00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:41,048
And they were actually
794
00:38:41,098 --> 00:38:45,974
And I believe that it was
795
00:38:46,024 --> 00:38:48,186
as a paratrooper, as a warrior.
796
00:38:48,236 --> 00:38:52,486
It uplifted me to hear
797
00:38:52,536 --> 00:38:54,449
Me and somebody that came up behind
798
00:38:54,499 --> 00:38:57,234
Showalter advanced toward the fire
799
00:38:58,298 --> 00:38:59,626
and we didn't go that far
800
00:38:59,668 --> 00:39:01,750
before we ran into Morris and Coney.
801
00:39:02,007 --> 00:39:05,929
And Morris looked like a pin cushion
802
00:39:05,979 --> 00:39:08,429
and it looked like he
803
00:39:08,523 --> 00:39:09,978
Both of them did.
804
00:39:10,257 --> 00:39:12,492
He would be hit at least
805
00:39:12,554 --> 00:39:14,077
by individual weapons fire
806
00:39:14,171 --> 00:39:16,788
and he'd be covered with
807
00:39:16,913 --> 00:39:19,497
or other mines or things like that.
808
00:39:19,547 --> 00:39:20,445
He was wounded.
809
00:39:20,624 --> 00:39:25,258
I tried to get Charlie
810
00:39:25,308 --> 00:39:27,513
and he was having no part of that.
811
00:39:27,563 --> 00:39:29,850
And he said, "No,
812
00:39:29,900 --> 00:39:30,811
I'm staying right here
813
00:39:30,861 --> 00:39:32,710
until everybody else is gone."
814
00:39:32,906 --> 00:39:35,399
Morris didn't want to go out.
815
00:39:36,890 --> 00:39:38,157
Your adrenaline is going crazy,
816
00:39:38,207 --> 00:39:40,036
your heart's pumping
817
00:39:40,086 --> 00:39:42,023
is get there because
818
00:39:42,085 --> 00:39:43,459
You want to get there;
819
00:39:43,509 --> 00:39:45,255
And I could hear,
820
00:39:45,305 --> 00:39:48,298
I could hear some of the radio
821
00:39:48,368 --> 00:39:51,225
and they were really in a point
822
00:39:51,275 --> 00:39:53,353
where it was almost over for them.
823
00:39:53,529 --> 00:39:56,431
Now, I know we were very low.
824
00:39:56,509 --> 00:39:59,806
and the only ammo I had
825
00:39:59,963 --> 00:40:02,827
And then we were really
826
00:40:03,083 --> 00:40:09,038
And I was stacking dead bodies
827
00:40:10,336 --> 00:40:12,975
That was gonna be our final stand.
828
00:40:13,225 --> 00:40:15,631
The guys that were wounded...
829
00:40:16,014 --> 00:40:20,803
We all had grenades and very few rounds.
830
00:40:21,592 --> 00:40:23,578
So the next time they hit,
831
00:40:23,628 --> 00:40:25,791
we'd get as many of them as we could
832
00:40:25,841 --> 00:40:29,186
and then use the grenades on ourselves.
833
00:40:41,955 --> 00:40:43,847
But thank God we didn't have to.
834
00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:48,428
The enemy react to what you do.
835
00:40:48,593 --> 00:40:53,061
And that's what your job is as
836
00:40:55,169 --> 00:40:57,248
is to communicate with
837
00:40:57,321 --> 00:40:59,943
that makes them think that
838
00:41:00,032 --> 00:41:01,788
you have more guns than they do
839
00:41:02,079 --> 00:41:03,530
or you're badder than they are,
840
00:41:03,580 --> 00:41:05,009
and they're gonna get
841
00:41:05,139 --> 00:41:09,751
The Vietcong, one of their
842
00:41:09,801 --> 00:41:11,795
any time they felt that
843
00:41:11,881 --> 00:41:13,279
they would immediately
844
00:41:13,334 --> 00:41:15,595
These guys were professional soldiers.
845
00:41:15,645 --> 00:41:17,592
They weren't gonna stay
846
00:41:17,693 --> 00:41:20,498
I didn't have a battalion,
847
00:41:20,561 --> 00:41:23,493
So I figured the only way we're
848
00:41:23,634 --> 00:41:25,740
is to make them think
849
00:41:25,938 --> 00:41:30,282
So I took my 20 to 30 guys
850
00:41:30,340 --> 00:41:32,461
which is a very,
851
00:41:32,511 --> 00:41:33,720
cause there was nobody behind them.
852
00:41:33,775 --> 00:41:35,216
But I put them all on line.
853
00:41:35,266 --> 00:41:39,265
I took the two M60 machine guns
854
00:41:39,315 --> 00:41:41,269
so I could concentrate the fire
855
00:41:41,319 --> 00:41:42,898
and we just move forward
856
00:41:42,948 --> 00:41:46,738
like you see in the
857
00:41:46,788 --> 00:41:48,992
Move forward in a single
858
00:41:49,042 --> 00:41:51,943
firing like hell with
859
00:41:52,190 --> 00:41:54,129
and darn if it didn't do the trick.
860
00:41:55,029 --> 00:41:59,138
The NVA or VC, the enemy,
861
00:41:59,188 --> 00:42:01,015
than we were because generally the way
862
00:42:01,065 --> 00:42:03,529
you tell how big a unit is,
863
00:42:03,863 --> 00:42:06,263
A platoon usually has
864
00:42:06,341 --> 00:42:08,435
A company will have
865
00:42:08,622 --> 00:42:12,138
A battalion could have 18 to 20,
866
00:42:12,176 --> 00:42:14,046
depending how broad it was,
867
00:42:14,174 --> 00:42:16,380
just moving through a jungle area.
868
00:42:16,646 --> 00:42:19,255
And I wanted them to think
869
00:42:19,552 --> 00:42:24,568
And obviously they did because
870
00:42:26,388 --> 00:42:28,997
We were just laying there waiting to
871
00:42:32,084 --> 00:42:33,888
hit them one more time.
872
00:42:36,310 --> 00:42:38,846
I could hear the steps
873
00:42:40,392 --> 00:42:42,630
and I was kind of zeroed in on that.
874
00:42:42,927 --> 00:42:45,732
And then all of a sudden
875
00:42:46,027 --> 00:42:47,615
come out of the brush.
876
00:42:53,292 --> 00:42:54,701
Damn good feeling.
877
00:42:55,754 --> 00:42:57,863
When we finally got to third platoon,
878
00:43:00,805 --> 00:43:05,637
the first person I saw was Mike Sturges
879
00:43:05,957 --> 00:43:09,160
First platoon had made it into us.
880
00:43:10,855 --> 00:43:13,269
The first guy out was Woody Davis.
881
00:43:13,371 --> 00:43:16,527
And he looked up at me
882
00:43:16,621 --> 00:43:22,512
and that's when I've
883
00:43:22,594 --> 00:43:25,508
at that time where he was thinking,
884
00:43:25,825 --> 00:43:28,426
"If I could just get up,
885
00:43:30,207 --> 00:43:34,027
And then later we were
886
00:43:34,066 --> 00:43:36,715
and he told me that he
887
00:43:39,606 --> 00:43:41,759
and until he saw the top of my helmet,
888
00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:44,558
he was gonna use those six.
889
00:43:45,548 --> 00:43:48,449
He could hear me coming,
890
00:43:49,556 --> 00:43:53,699
So that's when I said maybe
891
00:43:54,742 --> 00:43:57,480
"Thank God I didn't pull
892
00:43:58,625 --> 00:44:00,801
At the time, I didn't know Woody.
893
00:44:02,481 --> 00:44:04,441
I know they just secured,
894
00:44:05,715 --> 00:44:07,840
new medics got us patched up.
895
00:44:08,118 --> 00:44:09,358
He got medevaced.
896
00:44:10,262 --> 00:44:17,535
And the next time I saw him was at
897
00:44:17,783 --> 00:44:20,223
We were standing at one end of the bar
898
00:44:21,153 --> 00:44:25,488
and this guy kept staring
899
00:44:25,603 --> 00:44:29,860
The reason I knew it was
900
00:44:30,812 --> 00:44:35,808
fussing with his boot or
901
00:44:36,248 --> 00:44:40,121
And he looked up,
902
00:44:40,167 --> 00:44:43,191
and I said, "Holy shit." (Laughs)
903
00:44:44,088 --> 00:44:45,160
Yeah.
904
00:44:45,277 --> 00:44:48,777
And then he just dropped his
905
00:44:51,926 --> 00:44:54,140
And he says, "You don't
906
00:44:54,190 --> 00:44:55,517
And I'm like, "No."
907
00:44:56,598 --> 00:44:58,379
And he said, "I'm Woody."
908
00:44:58,582 --> 00:45:04,207
He said, "I was the first
909
00:45:04,613 --> 00:45:07,340
And he said, "I'll never forget
910
00:45:10,090 --> 00:45:14,449
the look on your face of
911
00:45:16,566 --> 00:45:19,030
We've shared a lot of beers since then.
912
00:45:24,004 --> 00:45:28,223
And then I realized that we were really
913
00:45:28,591 --> 00:45:30,316
There was riblets of blood in it.
914
00:45:34,184 --> 00:45:37,523
(Tense emotional music)
915
00:45:39,831 --> 00:45:40,831
Sorry.
916
00:45:44,769 --> 00:45:46,565
And then we started seeing teeth.
917
00:45:47,417 --> 00:45:49,413
And what I mean by that is
918
00:45:49,463 --> 00:45:54,589
we started seeing gray faces smiling,
919
00:45:55,466 --> 00:45:57,053
it was the third platoon.
920
00:45:57,987 --> 00:45:59,557
First thing I saw when
921
00:45:59,607 --> 00:46:02,612
was five bodies laying
922
00:46:02,675 --> 00:46:06,323
I mean, it was just horrible
923
00:46:06,870 --> 00:46:10,128
The ground was moist, soggy, discoloured,
924
00:46:11,315 --> 00:46:12,807
and I didn't realize it.
925
00:46:12,940 --> 00:46:17,362
For a while it took me to
926
00:46:19,914 --> 00:46:22,815
partially on top of one
927
00:46:25,102 --> 00:46:26,491
He was dead.
928
00:46:27,411 --> 00:46:31,272
There was so much dirt,
929
00:46:31,413 --> 00:46:36,249
I didn't even realize I was
930
00:46:38,606 --> 00:46:41,237
And that's where I spent
931
00:46:47,533 --> 00:46:49,954
It was just a really, really bad day,
932
00:46:52,209 --> 00:46:53,840
especially for those guys.
933
00:46:54,338 --> 00:46:57,552
(Soft emotional music)
934
00:47:00,683 --> 00:47:04,767
When I got up to Morris and Cooney, there
935
00:47:04,817 --> 00:47:11,640
that were either moaning
936
00:47:11,710 --> 00:47:14,843
or there was somebody trying
937
00:47:14,905 --> 00:47:18,296
and it was just a mess, it was carnage,
938
00:47:18,417 --> 00:47:20,171
but the fighting was over.
939
00:47:20,841 --> 00:47:24,256
That's when the realization
940
00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:27,725
really just slapped
941
00:47:27,943 --> 00:47:30,197
God darn, it was...
942
00:47:34,616 --> 00:47:38,358
One of my buddies that I
943
00:47:38,459 --> 00:47:41,495
Carl Fishburne,
944
00:47:41,554 --> 00:47:42,798
We were talking about and he said,
945
00:47:42,848 --> 00:47:45,155
"Is that the night we
946
00:47:47,658 --> 00:47:48,617
Yeah.
947
00:47:59,022 --> 00:48:03,947
(Soft tense music) (radio chattering)
948
00:48:09,022 --> 00:48:10,053
[Bob L.] Somebody was on the radio
949
00:48:10,107 --> 00:48:12,575
calling for medevacs and stuff
950
00:48:12,614 --> 00:48:14,525
so you couldn't land any choppers.
951
00:48:14,575 --> 00:48:16,321
[Bill P.] They cleared an
952
00:48:16,371 --> 00:48:18,350
to drop a basket down.
953
00:48:18,536 --> 00:48:21,287
I remember being loaded
954
00:48:23,787 --> 00:48:25,529
[Jack] Some of the unique
955
00:48:25,576 --> 00:48:27,842
that you normally don't think of
956
00:48:27,936 --> 00:48:29,772
is our Chaplain, Conrad Walker.
957
00:48:30,029 --> 00:48:32,303
When the battle took place,
958
00:48:32,686 --> 00:48:35,440
When we eventually got our landing,
959
00:48:35,490 --> 00:48:37,131
where we're gonna lift
960
00:48:37,156 --> 00:48:38,982
and winch and things like that.
961
00:48:39,272 --> 00:48:41,744
He carried just about
962
00:48:41,794 --> 00:48:44,207
I joined him, but we carried
963
00:48:44,257 --> 00:48:45,584
but he was with every one of them.
964
00:48:45,670 --> 00:48:48,068
We called him our shepherd
965
00:48:49,392 --> 00:48:52,373
[Carl] But all the people we
966
00:48:52,490 --> 00:48:56,105
the Chaplain loaded them
967
00:48:56,155 --> 00:48:58,276
That helicopter had a spotlight.
968
00:48:58,326 --> 00:49:00,531
I don't see how he could
969
00:49:00,573 --> 00:49:02,021
but we threw smoke
970
00:49:02,084 --> 00:49:04,288
and he put the gurney
971
00:49:04,338 --> 00:49:06,998
and we'd load it and he'd pull it up
972
00:49:07,092 --> 00:49:10,021
and all day until we
973
00:49:11,670 --> 00:49:13,229
The battle for most part is over now.
974
00:49:13,311 --> 00:49:15,474
We got some sniper fire coming
975
00:49:15,524 --> 00:49:17,060
They haven't completely given up.
976
00:49:17,110 --> 00:49:18,813
And while we're carrying
977
00:49:18,863 --> 00:49:21,444
we'd bring the helicopter
978
00:49:21,494 --> 00:49:23,740
but again, it would
979
00:49:23,766 --> 00:49:28,225
and we would tie one of our
980
00:49:28,299 --> 00:49:30,169
and they would just
981
00:49:30,219 --> 00:49:31,630
Not infrequently,
982
00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:33,693
but a lot of times we'd
983
00:49:33,817 --> 00:49:35,353
And they'd just about drop the guy.
984
00:49:35,413 --> 00:49:36,824
They'd say, "Well here,
985
00:49:36,898 --> 00:49:38,428
And the Chaplin would say, "It's okay.
986
00:49:38,776 --> 00:49:40,188
It's okay. Don't worry about it.
987
00:49:40,238 --> 00:49:41,566
Just bring him on up here.
988
00:49:41,616 --> 00:49:43,303
We'll get him on this helicopter
989
00:49:43,745 --> 00:49:45,532
So even under fire, he didn't move.
990
00:49:45,582 --> 00:49:46,818
He was there. He was a rock.
991
00:49:47,178 --> 00:49:48,327
For his action on that day,
992
00:49:48,377 --> 00:49:50,624
he would get the Silver
993
00:49:50,674 --> 00:49:51,783
One brave guy.
994
00:49:54,451 --> 00:49:57,407
I wasn't medevaced out
995
00:49:57,457 --> 00:50:03,131
They put me in a body bag
996
00:50:03,386 --> 00:50:05,631
and then tied the rope
997
00:50:05,722 --> 00:50:08,511
and lifted me out.
998
00:50:08,561 --> 00:50:10,056
I don't know which was worse,
999
00:50:10,106 --> 00:50:13,605
the firefight or dangling on
1000
00:50:13,655 --> 00:50:17,111
just knowing that there
1001
00:50:17,161 --> 00:50:19,082
and they were gonna open fire.
1002
00:50:20,334 --> 00:50:21,661
Then I saw a clearing
1003
00:50:21,711 --> 00:50:24,490
and there was a dust
1004
00:50:24,744 --> 00:50:27,909
It felt like we were doing
1005
00:50:27,990 --> 00:50:31,765
but that pilot just
1006
00:50:31,815 --> 00:50:34,695
right next to the medevac and,
1007
00:50:36,490 --> 00:50:38,026
off I went.
1008
00:50:38,076 --> 00:50:41,428
(Helicopter whirring)
1009
00:50:41,474 --> 00:50:44,317
It was really a relief to
1010
00:50:44,391 --> 00:50:47,638
To know I was back on the
1011
00:50:48,203 --> 00:50:50,467
I remember them working on me.
1012
00:50:51,740 --> 00:50:53,903
Sticking a large tube in my side
1013
00:50:54,233 --> 00:50:56,608
and I probably passed
1014
00:50:56,633 --> 00:50:58,754
or either they put me out.
1015
00:50:59,093 --> 00:51:00,695
Cause the next thing I,
1016
00:51:00,745 --> 00:51:05,093
at least another day,
1017
00:51:05,670 --> 00:51:07,921
And I never saw those guys again.
1018
00:51:08,509 --> 00:51:09,713
And that's sort of the nature
1019
00:51:09,763 --> 00:51:13,803
of what happens in a
1020
00:51:13,853 --> 00:51:17,186
you go to one hospital,
1021
00:51:17,527 --> 00:51:20,038
I ended up in Japan for 108 days
1022
00:51:20,235 --> 00:51:22,600
and that's why I have one picture of me
1023
00:51:26,461 --> 00:51:29,292
and that's because all my pictures
1024
00:51:29,451 --> 00:51:31,906
were in the base camp and
1025
00:51:31,972 --> 00:51:36,972
None of my equipment ever
1026
00:51:37,189 --> 00:51:39,128
I enjoy coming here to these events
1027
00:51:39,778 --> 00:51:42,784
because it's important,
1028
00:51:44,952 --> 00:51:48,253
it's an opportunity to touch with people
1029
00:51:48,393 --> 00:51:51,284
because like I say, I have one picture.
1030
00:51:51,741 --> 00:51:52,850
And that's it.
1031
00:52:02,155 --> 00:52:03,566
So we got into their perimeter
1032
00:52:03,616 --> 00:52:04,902
and sent my medic over there
1033
00:52:04,952 --> 00:52:06,659
to start working on the wounded,
1034
00:52:06,997 --> 00:52:08,867
start assessing the wounded,
1035
00:52:09,168 --> 00:52:11,935
put men around it to secure the area
1036
00:52:15,640 --> 00:52:17,482
and started looking
1037
00:52:17,568 --> 00:52:19,471
and making sure everybody
1038
00:52:19,521 --> 00:52:21,309
That's when I found Sergeant Morris.
1039
00:52:21,359 --> 00:52:26,646
He was laying on his back
1040
00:52:26,802 --> 00:52:27,880
He looked dead to me.
1041
00:52:27,936 --> 00:52:29,371
If I had to bet, I'd say he was dead.
1042
00:52:31,039 --> 00:52:32,931
He had two sucking chest wounds.
1043
00:52:33,768 --> 00:52:36,315
I also noticed that his hands...
1044
00:52:37,163 --> 00:52:38,550
It's why I thought he was dead.
1045
00:52:38,600 --> 00:52:40,560
His hands were not moving.
1046
00:52:40,938 --> 00:52:44,027
In each thumb contained grenade pins.
1047
00:52:45,516 --> 00:52:47,262
He had thrown so many grenades
1048
00:52:47,289 --> 00:52:48,825
and had been wounded so many times
1049
00:52:48,953 --> 00:52:49,905
he didn't have the strength
1050
00:52:49,955 --> 00:52:51,966
to take the pins off his fingers.
1051
00:52:58,309 --> 00:53:01,315
His thumbs were filled
1052
00:53:02,855 --> 00:53:06,103
So, I walked up to him and kicked him.
1053
00:53:06,153 --> 00:53:07,605
I kicked him in his feet,
1054
00:53:07,655 --> 00:53:10,786
kicked him in his boots just
1055
00:53:13,483 --> 00:53:14,987
He opened his eyes...
1056
00:53:17,341 --> 00:53:18,961
He opened his eyes and he looked at me
1057
00:53:19,011 --> 00:53:20,560
and he put his arm up and saluted
1058
00:53:20,585 --> 00:53:22,581
and he says, "All the way, sir."
1059
00:53:22,726 --> 00:53:26,734
(Triumphant instrumental music)
1060
00:53:30,366 --> 00:53:32,361
You could have knocked
1061
00:53:32,411 --> 00:53:33,405
when he did that.
1062
00:53:33,455 --> 00:53:35,159
So I went, "Holy shit."
1063
00:53:35,209 --> 00:53:37,496
And I started yelling for a medic.
1064
00:53:37,546 --> 00:53:40,168
This guy was above and
1065
00:53:40,218 --> 00:53:43,174
I remember that on the
1066
00:53:43,224 --> 00:53:44,761
when we were trying to
1067
00:53:44,811 --> 00:53:46,833
and get the rest of our killed out,
1068
00:53:47,810 --> 00:53:50,521
he was wounded and I went by him.
1069
00:53:50,825 --> 00:53:53,068
And the first platoon
1070
00:53:53,118 --> 00:53:55,466
and Lieutenant Vose had checked
1071
00:53:55,665 --> 00:53:57,535
And I went by him and
1072
00:53:57,585 --> 00:53:59,956
and he was moving and
1073
00:54:00,006 --> 00:54:01,417
How could he... bloodied,
1074
00:54:01,467 --> 00:54:04,507
he just looked like a sieve
1075
00:54:04,557 --> 00:54:07,554
And I said, "Sergeant, are you okay?"
1076
00:54:07,604 --> 00:54:08,848
And I knelt beside him,
1077
00:54:08,898 --> 00:54:10,644
and he looked up at me and he reached up
1078
00:54:10,694 --> 00:54:12,605
and he grabbed me by the collar here.
1079
00:54:12,630 --> 00:54:13,949
And he'd yanked me down
1080
00:54:14,568 --> 00:54:16,248
and he said, "Captain."
1081
00:54:16,580 --> 00:54:18,826
He said, "I want you to
1082
00:54:18,876 --> 00:54:19,974
I said, "Sure."
1083
00:54:20,036 --> 00:54:22,366
He said, "Promise me you won't
1084
00:54:22,759 --> 00:54:26,013
until all the rest of the
1085
00:54:26,474 --> 00:54:28,857
Please don't leave anybody behind.
1086
00:54:29,313 --> 00:54:32,018
Please sir, don't leave anybody behind."
1087
00:54:32,068 --> 00:54:34,022
And I said, being all knowledgeable,
1088
00:54:34,072 --> 00:54:36,091
being a captain and knowing everything,
1089
00:54:36,159 --> 00:54:38,521
I said, "Okay, Sergeant,
1090
00:54:38,580 --> 00:54:39,865
Cause see, I already
1091
00:54:39,911 --> 00:54:41,411
This guy was just shot to pieces.
1092
00:54:42,672 --> 00:54:44,380
And we lifted him out last.
1093
00:54:44,916 --> 00:54:49,115
A year later, I received a call
1094
00:54:49,309 --> 00:54:52,098
"The President of the United States
1095
00:54:52,148 --> 00:54:54,435
Do you think you could come
1096
00:54:54,694 --> 00:54:57,318
And I said, "Well,
1097
00:54:57,519 --> 00:54:58,679
And I went to Washington
1098
00:54:58,744 --> 00:55:00,833
and I saw the president
1099
00:55:01,207 --> 00:55:03,044
place around Charlie Morris
1100
00:55:03,231 --> 00:55:05,450
the Medal of Honour around his neck.
1101
00:55:05,694 --> 00:55:08,583
And I thought, as great as that was,
1102
00:55:08,888 --> 00:55:12,178
the thing I remember is not
1103
00:55:12,228 --> 00:55:16,404
but Morris saying, "Sir, please,
1104
00:55:16,592 --> 00:55:17,875
Take me out last."
1105
00:55:20,294 --> 00:55:24,982
My claim to fame in Vietnam
1106
00:55:25,660 --> 00:55:29,138
And I would say, look up June 29th, 1966
1107
00:55:29,219 --> 00:55:31,800
and look up Charles B. Morris and realize
1108
00:55:31,850 --> 00:55:34,810
that I had the privilege of
1109
00:55:38,654 --> 00:55:40,442
One of the things that
1110
00:55:40,492 --> 00:55:44,958
there is a horrendous
1111
00:55:45,859 --> 00:55:47,246
You don't feel bad necessarily,
1112
00:55:47,296 --> 00:55:50,724
it's just that you're exhausted
1113
00:55:50,969 --> 00:55:54,388
because your adrenaline's
1114
00:55:54,727 --> 00:55:56,747
and so when it stops,
1115
00:55:57,023 --> 00:56:00,279
you just may pass out or
1116
00:56:01,198 --> 00:56:02,802
I was exhausted
1117
00:56:03,117 --> 00:56:07,161
and I just remember laying down
1118
00:56:07,677 --> 00:56:08,565
It was over.
1119
00:56:11,255 --> 00:56:13,463
I think that what happened
1120
00:56:13,513 --> 00:56:16,677
we had them surrounded or a
1121
00:56:16,727 --> 00:56:17,721
and that's when they ran.
1122
00:56:17,771 --> 00:56:19,182
They took off.
1123
00:56:19,232 --> 00:56:22,480
Or they didn't realize they
1124
00:56:22,530 --> 00:56:25,927
I think that was what it was.
1125
00:56:26,379 --> 00:56:29,009
It was A Company. (Laughs)
1126
00:56:30,663 --> 00:56:35,021
We ended up having a reputation.
1127
00:56:37,503 --> 00:56:39,511
They called us No DEROS Alpha.
1128
00:56:39,980 --> 00:56:43,224
That means that if you were
1129
00:56:43,416 --> 00:56:47,427
you very possibly didn't get to serve
1130
00:56:47,591 --> 00:56:49,624
You left before your
1131
00:56:51,836 --> 00:56:53,163
one way or another.
1132
00:56:54,264 --> 00:56:56,562
My wounds weren't bad enough
1133
00:56:58,508 --> 00:57:02,639
to be evaced out of the country
1134
00:57:04,110 --> 00:57:05,396
Got out of the hospital
1135
00:57:05,446 --> 00:57:08,608
and I think I was in the
1136
00:57:09,454 --> 00:57:10,737
and got hit again.
1137
00:57:12,376 --> 00:57:14,213
That was the last one.
1138
00:57:16,425 --> 00:57:18,225
I got out of there then.
1139
00:57:18,537 --> 00:57:19,697
I was reading the paper,
1140
00:57:19,723 --> 00:57:21,819
sitting at the kitchen table one morning
1141
00:57:21,897 --> 00:57:24,767
and realized I was reading an article
1142
00:57:24,817 --> 00:57:29,061
about a firefight that
1143
00:57:29,342 --> 00:57:31,613
And then pretty soon there was a quote
1144
00:57:31,663 --> 00:57:34,869
by Captain Jack Kelley
1145
00:57:34,919 --> 00:57:36,373
who commanded this Company
1146
00:57:36,423 --> 00:57:38,750
that had been in this
1147
00:57:39,640 --> 00:57:42,866
That was really scary, but I thought,
1148
00:57:42,913 --> 00:57:44,585
at least I'm reading
1149
00:57:44,657 --> 00:57:46,983
So I know he made it through it.
1150
00:57:55,833 --> 00:57:57,953
I didn't enjoy the war.
1151
00:57:58,089 --> 00:57:59,834
I didn't join, I got drafted
1152
00:57:59,884 --> 00:58:02,005
and I was doing what a
1153
00:58:02,055 --> 00:58:03,319
was supposed to do.
1154
00:58:03,428 --> 00:58:06,501
Go and do what you're told
1155
00:58:07,782 --> 00:58:09,134
That's why I went.
1156
00:58:09,569 --> 00:58:12,692
I wasn't looking for any kind of glory.
1157
00:58:12,742 --> 00:58:16,079
and do my part and get my ass back home.
1158
00:58:16,751 --> 00:58:18,403
When I got out of the service,
1159
00:58:18,461 --> 00:58:20,751
I pretty well just put it behind me.
1160
00:58:21,172 --> 00:58:26,095
I think it obviously had a
1161
00:58:27,001 --> 00:58:30,017
I think I knew what I did not
1162
00:58:30,126 --> 00:58:33,775
and that was be a PFC. (Chuckles)
1163
00:58:33,825 --> 00:58:35,236
When I came out of high school,
1164
00:58:35,286 --> 00:58:37,760
I probably would have not
1165
00:58:38,432 --> 00:58:41,416
Family really couldn't have
1166
00:58:41,486 --> 00:58:43,971
Once I was wounded and became eligible
1167
00:58:44,887 --> 00:58:46,967
to go under the Disability Act,
1168
00:58:47,017 --> 00:58:49,471
which pretty much paid for
1169
00:58:49,521 --> 00:58:53,205
I'm gonna take advantage
1170
00:58:53,230 --> 00:58:56,728
So I went back, picked up
1171
00:58:56,910 --> 00:58:58,071
You know, I'm blessed.
1172
00:58:58,121 --> 00:59:01,760
I've never had a single
1173
00:59:01,919 --> 00:59:03,268
And I'd be in the hospital
1174
00:59:03,334 --> 00:59:05,680
and guys would wake up in
1175
00:59:05,766 --> 00:59:07,130
and I knew what was going on.
1176
00:59:07,180 --> 00:59:08,383
They were dreaming.
1177
00:59:08,571 --> 00:59:10,626
But I've talked to some therapists
1178
00:59:10,688 --> 00:59:14,243
and what they say is
1179
00:59:14,268 --> 00:59:17,579
are fortunate where they
1180
00:59:17,992 --> 00:59:19,321
that they can't pull it back out
1181
00:59:19,371 --> 00:59:22,619
and they said that might
1182
00:59:22,669 --> 00:59:24,163
I got out with a disability
1183
00:59:24,213 --> 00:59:29,173
and I ended up the first
1184
00:59:29,223 --> 00:59:30,675
that got out of school
1185
00:59:30,725 --> 00:59:34,107
and I wouldn't have done that
1186
00:59:35,197 --> 00:59:38,523
I carried the guilt a long time
1187
00:59:38,625 --> 00:59:41,656
before I shared it with a
1188
00:59:41,791 --> 00:59:47,031
I still sleep in a chair;
1189
00:59:47,118 --> 00:59:49,101
That's where I sleep
1190
00:59:51,226 --> 00:59:54,888
I didn't know if I was gonna be able
1191
00:59:54,938 --> 00:59:58,269
because I let this
1192
00:59:58,319 --> 01:00:01,023
for 52 weeks in a row
1193
01:00:01,062 --> 01:00:02,992
And he knew what he was doing.
1194
01:00:03,463 --> 01:00:06,025
He's a clinical psychologist.
1195
01:00:08,131 --> 01:00:11,337
The guy was able to take
1196
01:00:11,387 --> 01:00:12,171
and play with them.
1197
01:00:12,221 --> 01:00:13,424
When he put them back,
1198
01:00:13,474 --> 01:00:16,346
they didn't have as big
1199
01:00:16,396 --> 01:00:18,114
before I talked to this guy.
1200
01:00:19,486 --> 01:00:23,502
So the things that bugged
1201
01:00:25,260 --> 01:00:29,572
for 45 years, they got a
1202
01:00:38,188 --> 01:00:41,987
[Bill V.] I went back in '99
1203
01:00:43,198 --> 01:00:46,279
I was really a little apprehensive
1204
01:00:46,329 --> 01:00:49,370
because I didn't know what
1205
01:00:49,669 --> 01:00:50,829
[Bill V.] We were able to get
1206
01:00:50,879 --> 01:00:54,205
to the June 29th battle site,
1207
01:00:54,665 --> 01:00:57,370
which is now a rice paddy.
1208
01:00:57,475 --> 01:01:00,588
Totally cleared,
1209
01:01:00,915 --> 01:01:03,646
We weren't able to get out to it
1210
01:01:03,688 --> 01:01:07,354
because the flooding and
1211
01:01:07,745 --> 01:01:10,620
and we were done humping
1212
01:01:12,371 --> 01:01:16,830
We went to visit the 3rd
1213
01:01:16,998 --> 01:01:19,411
and that's where they brought everybody.
1214
01:01:19,476 --> 01:01:23,517
Now, it's a North
1215
01:01:23,567 --> 01:01:26,026
Upstairs were where the wards were.
1216
01:01:26,224 --> 01:01:28,487
That's where the museum is now.
1217
01:01:29,696 --> 01:01:33,995
And I could just feel the
1218
01:01:35,237 --> 01:01:37,104
and really getting nervous.
1219
01:01:38,387 --> 01:01:43,355
But we went in there and there
1220
01:01:43,447 --> 01:01:48,229
and Colonel and just one
1221
01:01:48,481 --> 01:01:51,088
that were running the museum.
1222
01:01:51,363 --> 01:01:54,604
And through our interpreters,
1223
01:01:54,721 --> 01:01:57,082
And it was really interesting
1224
01:01:57,132 --> 01:01:59,721
hearing their perspective of the war.
1225
01:02:00,101 --> 01:02:01,679
When we met this guy out there,
1226
01:02:01,807 --> 01:02:06,725
he had been a VC and he was now
1227
01:02:06,775 --> 01:02:09,299
And we talked about the war, battles,
1228
01:02:09,354 --> 01:02:11,610
and I asked him if he
1229
01:02:11,660 --> 01:02:12,737
and he kind of looked at me like,
1230
01:02:12,787 --> 01:02:14,248
"You stupid American.
1231
01:02:15,250 --> 01:02:17,127
You fought a battle out here.
1232
01:02:17,546 --> 01:02:19,250
I lived here my whole life.
1233
01:02:19,300 --> 01:02:23,516
I fought battles out here
1234
01:02:24,524 --> 01:02:25,511
He was very nice.
1235
01:02:25,561 --> 01:02:27,768
He wasn't arrogant.
1236
01:02:27,983 --> 01:02:30,855
We were able to meet up with
1237
01:02:30,905 --> 01:02:34,526
at a dinner and talked a lot more.
1238
01:02:34,565 --> 01:02:37,284
And one of them stated
1239
01:02:37,334 --> 01:02:41,375
to meet the Americans,
1240
01:02:41,425 --> 01:02:45,884
And he said something that
1241
01:02:45,934 --> 01:02:48,473
is that we were just all young men
1242
01:02:48,523 --> 01:02:51,916
doing what our countries told us to do.
1243
01:02:55,213 --> 01:02:57,604
And that really (chuckles)
1244
01:02:58,180 --> 01:02:59,180
rang true.
1245
01:03:03,294 --> 01:03:06,205
It was a great experience for me
1246
01:03:07,475 --> 01:03:10,486
because I let a lot of hatred go.
1247
01:03:10,776 --> 01:03:12,610
That was a very good catharsis.
1248
01:03:13,487 --> 01:03:15,205
Get rid of those old ghosts.
1249
01:03:21,168 --> 01:03:23,674
I've been back to Vietnam
1250
01:03:24,258 --> 01:03:26,697
And I went back the first time
1251
01:03:27,556 --> 01:03:30,783
with an objective of trying to find
1252
01:03:31,855 --> 01:03:33,786
where I'd been hurt and
1253
01:03:33,859 --> 01:03:35,312
It was just something in my...
1254
01:03:35,362 --> 01:03:39,445
I was driven and it got in my
1255
01:03:39,495 --> 01:03:40,906
And I wanted to go back
1256
01:03:40,964 --> 01:03:43,879
in 29th of June and in Silver City.
1257
01:03:43,921 --> 01:03:46,500
Jack Kelley had given me the maps
1258
01:03:46,550 --> 01:03:47,794
and that's what I had to work with
1259
01:03:47,844 --> 01:03:50,133
because we didn't have GPS back then
1260
01:03:50,183 --> 01:03:53,431
and it took me three trips
1261
01:03:53,481 --> 01:03:55,602
What we all remember as the jungle
1262
01:03:55,652 --> 01:03:59,307
and the clay bottoms and all
1263
01:03:59,376 --> 01:04:00,955
And then I had an urge to try
1264
01:04:00,980 --> 01:04:03,560
to get guys involved to do
1265
01:04:03,643 --> 01:04:05,370
because in the big city they got a lot
1266
01:04:05,420 --> 01:04:08,710
of opportunities Saigon,
1267
01:04:08,760 --> 01:04:12,217
But out in the country,
1268
01:04:12,267 --> 01:04:15,556
And so we got together and
1269
01:04:15,606 --> 01:04:17,142
that allowed some of these kids
1270
01:04:17,184 --> 01:04:20,182
during that same wet weather
1271
01:04:20,244 --> 01:04:22,674
rather than to shut down
1272
01:04:22,744 --> 01:04:25,700
And we built a dormitory
1273
01:04:25,861 --> 01:04:28,665
so that kids that came from a distance
1274
01:04:28,715 --> 01:04:30,835
because school buses and transportation,
1275
01:04:30,885 --> 01:04:31,901
they're too poor for that.
1276
01:04:32,158 --> 01:04:36,971
We were able to build a really
1277
01:04:37,850 --> 01:04:39,352
that allowed kids from the country,
1278
01:04:39,402 --> 01:04:42,525
poor kids to come in
1279
01:04:42,575 --> 01:04:43,777
Quick aside, you're not allowed
1280
01:04:43,827 --> 01:04:48,795
to name anything after
1281
01:04:49,358 --> 01:04:51,734
But what we did do when
1282
01:04:51,793 --> 01:04:54,219
was we put Malcolm Berry,
1283
01:04:54,274 --> 01:04:57,102
and he was actually what I
1284
01:04:57,440 --> 01:05:00,103
and we put his name on the bridge.
1285
01:05:00,192 --> 01:05:01,854
And so if you go up the
1286
01:05:01,896 --> 01:05:03,682
not a plaque because they
1287
01:05:03,740 --> 01:05:07,013
We had it engraved in a stone
1288
01:05:07,373 --> 01:05:08,658
but they put his name on the bridge,
1289
01:05:08,708 --> 01:05:10,912
and they put it on the side.
1290
01:05:10,962 --> 01:05:12,318
That's kind of cool.
1291
01:05:18,724 --> 01:05:22,184
After the war, I was constantly fighting
1292
01:05:22,234 --> 01:05:26,067
because of all the anti-war protestors
1293
01:05:26,117 --> 01:05:29,708
and sticking up for my brothers.
1294
01:05:30,000 --> 01:05:33,505
After a while, I was
1295
01:05:33,536 --> 01:05:36,646
because they were talking
1296
01:05:36,776 --> 01:05:38,786
You just couldn't get away from it
1297
01:05:38,833 --> 01:05:41,411
so I just finally started
1298
01:05:41,504 --> 01:05:46,224
and didn't even tell
1299
01:05:50,288 --> 01:05:54,079
I went on like that
1300
01:05:54,129 --> 01:05:57,752
Then through the association
1301
01:05:57,794 --> 01:05:59,665
hooking up with the guys again
1302
01:05:59,723 --> 01:06:02,094
and feeling relaxed and at home
1303
01:06:02,144 --> 01:06:04,181
and kind of unloading everything
1304
01:06:04,231 --> 01:06:06,599
that you'd been stuffing for years,
1305
01:06:06,685 --> 01:06:09,279
it seemed like we had all done that.
1306
01:06:10,810 --> 01:06:16,177
We used to call them beers and
1307
01:06:16,756 --> 01:06:19,341
A lot of bad memories from
1308
01:06:20,806 --> 01:06:24,054
But I never got wounded or
1309
01:06:24,104 --> 01:06:25,806
I really didn't know if I wanted to go
1310
01:06:25,856 --> 01:06:26,933
and my wife finally convinced me,
1311
01:06:26,983 --> 01:06:28,144
she said, "Why don't you go?
1312
01:06:28,194 --> 01:06:29,898
She said, "It could be good for you."
1313
01:06:29,948 --> 01:06:30,733
And I did.
1314
01:06:30,783 --> 01:06:31,985
And I got in there
1315
01:06:32,035 --> 01:06:34,656
and I think it was the
1316
01:06:34,706 --> 01:06:36,077
and I walked in with my bags
1317
01:06:36,127 --> 01:06:37,474
and I could hear all
1318
01:06:37,559 --> 01:06:38,964
It was very loud in there.
1319
01:06:39,006 --> 01:06:40,668
When I walked up to check in,
1320
01:06:40,718 --> 01:06:43,633
"Well, you can't check in right now
1321
01:06:43,683 --> 01:06:46,179
because the rooms are
1322
01:06:46,229 --> 01:06:47,515
She said, "Just leave
1323
01:06:47,565 --> 01:06:48,935
We'll get it to your room
1324
01:06:48,985 --> 01:06:51,064
and come to see me when you're done
1325
01:06:51,114 --> 01:06:52,865
and we'll give you a key at the desk."
1326
01:06:53,075 --> 01:06:55,363
And I walked into the bar and
1327
01:06:55,413 --> 01:06:57,075
and I grabbed it soon going to the bar.
1328
01:06:57,125 --> 01:06:58,870
And as luck would have it,
1329
01:06:58,920 --> 01:07:01,279
the guy who was next
1330
01:07:01,800 --> 01:07:03,337
And I didn't know him at that point.
1331
01:07:03,387 --> 01:07:04,715
Well, I did, I knew him over there,
1332
01:07:04,765 --> 01:07:06,927
but when you don't see somebody
1333
01:07:06,977 --> 01:07:10,308
So he was talking, he was drunk
1334
01:07:10,521 --> 01:07:12,747
He looked at me and he said,
1335
01:07:12,818 --> 01:07:13,732
And I told him.
1336
01:07:13,782 --> 01:07:14,985
He said, "What company were you in?"
1337
01:07:15,035 --> 01:07:15,819
"A Company."
1338
01:07:15,869 --> 01:07:16,863
"What battalion?"
1339
01:07:16,913 --> 01:07:17,948
"2nd Battalion."
1340
01:07:17,998 --> 01:07:18,833
"Me too."
1341
01:07:18,880 --> 01:07:19,618
"So What platoon?"
1342
01:07:19,668 --> 01:07:20,454
I said, "Second."
1343
01:07:20,504 --> 01:07:21,414
"Ah, I was in first".
1344
01:07:21,464 --> 01:07:23,529
"So you must know Leo?"
1345
01:07:23,677 --> 01:07:24,419
"Yeah."
1346
01:07:24,469 --> 01:07:25,997
He said, Leo "French' Pellerin."
1347
01:07:26,247 --> 01:07:27,716
So anyway, we hit it off.
1348
01:07:27,810 --> 01:07:29,679
And a bunch of guys came
1349
01:07:29,729 --> 01:07:32,059
and I think it was
1350
01:07:32,109 --> 01:07:34,099
when I left the bar to go upstairs.
1351
01:07:34,208 --> 01:07:36,484
I had no idea where I
1352
01:07:36,646 --> 01:07:38,571
But that was my first reunion
1353
01:07:38,621 --> 01:07:41,619
and I had so much fun in
1354
01:07:41,849 --> 01:07:43,289
that I said, "Yep, I got to keep going."
1355
01:07:43,450 --> 01:07:46,837
So since 1985, I've probably only missed
1356
01:07:46,887 --> 01:07:48,716
maybe four or five reunions.
1357
01:07:49,833 --> 01:07:52,306
I met James Miskel for the first time
1358
01:07:52,356 --> 01:07:54,310
in 50 years last night.
1359
01:07:54,360 --> 01:07:56,481
So I had a good conversation with him.
1360
01:07:56,531 --> 01:07:58,401
He told me I was actually
1361
01:07:58,451 --> 01:08:02,630
that was pulled out just because
1362
01:08:03,085 --> 01:08:04,031
I just
1363
01:08:06,138 --> 01:08:07,458
love these guys.
1364
01:08:07,677 --> 01:08:08,838
Every one of them.
1365
01:08:09,247 --> 01:08:12,303
Some of them were, to be polite, jerks,
1366
01:08:12,353 --> 01:08:14,771
but most of those guys
1367
01:08:17,974 --> 01:08:21,904
And you can tell Lieutenant Vose
1368
01:08:21,954 --> 01:08:23,533
And like any group of soldiers,
1369
01:08:23,575 --> 01:08:26,531
you get the disputes and
1370
01:08:26,589 --> 01:08:28,375
That stuff went away quick.
1371
01:08:28,425 --> 01:08:31,089
I think we had great
1372
01:08:31,139 --> 01:08:33,802
And the troops would do anything
1373
01:08:33,852 --> 01:08:35,055
When they carried me off there.
1374
01:08:35,105 --> 01:08:36,308
And I remember how they carried me off,
1375
01:08:36,358 --> 01:08:39,647
I didn't see the picture
1376
01:08:39,697 --> 01:08:42,027
I had been shot in the right side
1377
01:08:42,077 --> 01:08:43,696
and there was a big
1378
01:08:43,746 --> 01:08:45,116
And I'd been shot in the chest
1379
01:08:45,166 --> 01:08:46,677
and there was a big
1380
01:08:46,740 --> 01:08:50,752
And so when Jack gave me that picture,
1381
01:08:50,802 --> 01:08:53,089
I went out and had it blown
1382
01:08:53,139 --> 01:08:56,802
because it was just kind of cool
1383
01:08:56,981 --> 01:09:00,521
and I wouldn't have that
1384
01:09:01,911 --> 01:09:03,401
[Jack] All these guys
1385
01:09:03,451 --> 01:09:07,013
the names like Ferguson, or Ron Sedlack.
1386
01:09:07,091 --> 01:09:09,591
All these names are just stories
1387
01:09:10,107 --> 01:09:13,224
And I think about the
1388
01:09:13,497 --> 01:09:16,969
and I think about the
1389
01:09:17,019 --> 01:09:19,435
and how things would
1390
01:09:20,108 --> 01:09:21,269
I can't imagine.
1391
01:09:21,319 --> 01:09:23,319
I look at my family and my children,
1392
01:09:24,630 --> 01:09:26,427
just a stroke of luck I'm here.
1393
01:09:26,740 --> 01:09:32,357
Oh, I'm just very proud that I was able
1394
01:09:32,758 --> 01:09:39,841
the most highly decorated combat brigade
1395
01:09:40,849 --> 01:09:43,227
I'm proud I got to be a part of that.
1396
01:09:43,277 --> 01:09:47,466
And the men that were in
1397
01:09:48,496 --> 01:09:50,700
I think A Company was unique.
1398
01:09:50,750 --> 01:09:52,704
I know we had the highest casualty count
1399
01:09:52,754 --> 01:09:56,146
in the year that I was there,
1400
01:09:56,193 --> 01:09:58,716
We always did whatever
1401
01:09:58,766 --> 01:10:01,786
And I'm very proud of what I did
1402
01:10:01,880 --> 01:10:04,376
and proud of all my brothers
1403
01:10:05,487 --> 01:10:06,654
To the herd. (Chuckles)
1404
01:10:10,037 --> 01:10:11,448
[Shawn] Through this journey,
1405
01:10:11,498 --> 01:10:13,333
I learned more about my dad
1406
01:10:13,544 --> 01:10:14,956
although I will never truly be able
1407
01:10:15,006 --> 01:10:17,506
to understand what he
1408
01:10:18,635 --> 01:10:22,185
My father's only sibling died before
1409
01:10:22,854 --> 01:10:28,107
But what I discovered through this
1410
01:10:30,493 --> 01:10:34,501
(Triumphant instrumental music)
1411
01:11:14,954 --> 01:11:16,927
After 50 years,
1412
01:11:18,419 --> 01:11:19,896
Mainly of remembrance.
1413
01:11:20,339 --> 01:11:22,615
First of all, the guys
1414
01:11:22,849 --> 01:11:24,610
Lord help me not forget them.
1415
01:11:25,628 --> 01:11:27,372
For the guys who were
1416
01:11:27,437 --> 01:11:31,052
because of that, don't forget them.
1417
01:11:31,277 --> 01:11:34,458
For kids who will never know
1418
01:11:36,177 --> 01:11:37,406
For the heroism that I saw on that day
1419
01:11:37,456 --> 01:11:39,877
and that I remember, don't forget that.
1420
01:11:41,464 --> 01:11:45,170
For His word that says,
1421
01:11:45,220 --> 01:11:47,763
But that a man would lay
1422
01:11:47,910 --> 01:11:49,071
I saw that.
1423
01:11:49,098 --> 01:11:50,552
I remember that.
1424
01:11:50,847 --> 01:11:54,814
(Triumphant instrumental music)
90991
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