Too Close For Comfort

My Time in Viet Nam..The DMZ

Page 2

15 Jan 67: ‘Well, they changed the word again. We’re suppose to stay here at the Dong Ha - Cam Lo area until we go to Okinawa, two months from now. Last night Cam Lo and the Rock Pile and Camp JJ Carrol, plus the oil dump near the beach, got mortared by the NVA. The rounds fell short of the perimeter, so no one was injured. Two platoons in Mike Company (3/4) are going on a operation against about a Battalion of NVA near Cam Lo. North Vietnam is building up their manpower here in South Vietnam. They’ve got about 7 Divisions of NVA right now here in the South. That’s about 250,000 men. Lima Company is loosing her Captain. Third Platoon her 1st Lt., 1st Sgt, Gunny and several squad leaders today. They're all rotating back to the states. But I know for sure that after we come back from Okinawa, we go down to the Mekong Delta. After 6 months here with 3/4. I’m going to try and volunteer for one of two things, I Corps, which helps guard the govt., and military installations, or CAC, which guard villagers, eating and sleeping and communicating with them.

An out post near the lines at Dong Ha.

18 Jan 67: ‘Yesterday I sent a package home. All it had in it was some film, my little Bible (I didn’t want it to get ruined over here, but I still have my bigger Bible here), my poem book, a picture with some painting on silk, (two portraits that is) window billfold, a small knife, some rounds. .50 cal tracer, 7.62 cal. and a AR 15 round. They all have the powder taken out of them. I hope that you write and tell me if you received it. I sent it parcel post. We might move to Cam Lo on Jan 20th. But we may get mortared while we’re there. Mike Company, that’s out there now, got mortared three times since the Christmas holidays.

Fred said that the Coral Sea was going back to California on February 27, and will be there until July and then back here again.

Yesterday, we had a pretty nice day. It began to clear up and the sun came out for a change. But toward evening it started getting colder and clouds began to appear. The word changed about us going to Cam Lo. We’re going back on operations. That’s in the GP tents. But while we’re there, we’re going on a few operations. They’re abandoning Com Lo, pulling out since it's been mortared 3 times. One of our companies platoons is at the Cam Lo bridge, about one mile below Cam Lo hill. I thank the good Lord that we didn’t go out there.’

Waiting to be choppered out on a operation.

30 Jan 67: ‘Well, this might be a long letter, because I’ve got a lot to talk about. Eight days ago I received your package with the film in it. Thanks for the film. I had a chance to take pictures of this operation we were on. It lasted 8 days. Started out a Battalion size operation, and then company size. We killed 11 VC and lost 3 KIA’s and 12 WIA’s. We choppered out near the DMZ. We didn’t go no more than 500 meters when they hit 2nd platoon. Two wounded there, one in the foot, and one in the leg. The VC opened up with carbines, netted 3 VC. The next day we went about 3,000 meters more and 3 VC opened up on us with a shycon rifle (Russian made). There we had 1 KIA and 1 WIA. Before that three guys were wounded when they hit a booby trap in the trail (81mm mortar round). On the trail we found two shycon grenades. Next day nothing happened, but we went through a lot of jungle. The fourth day we set in at a village and 2nd platoon went on an ambush and before they got to the sight they got hit by the VC moving toward them along the trail. We had 1 KIA and 3 WIA, but we killed a gook. Two days later we went out on another company size operation for three days. The next day (2nd day) we started out and the VC opened up with carbines and machine guns. That was a little too close. I could hear the bullets over head and hearing them hit in front of us. They also sent in some mortar rounds. Only 3 WIA’s. We killed about 5 VC.

We're being supplied by choppers here.

Part of the operation down into the valley.

This is the scene from on top of the mountain we were on. See the mountains of Laos in the background.

Right now we’re at Dong Ha resting up. In three days we go on a two day operation in the same area. Tomorrow we go on a convoy to Phu Bai. I took two rolls of slides with 40 pictures on each roll. I’ll send them to you as soon as I get paid. One roll is scenery pictures, the other one is operation pictures. I read in the Stars & Stripes the other day that a six and half foot boy married a three foot eleven inch girl, very unusual. I received the church paper with my words in it. It's very unusual to read your own words in print. We have C-ration can openers that we open the cans with.’

Some of my Marine friends at Dong Ha.

1 Feb 67: ‘We go on an operation tomorrow. Two Company sizes. Our last operation before the Tet holidays. It starts Feb. 8-12. You want to know how they make decisions on operations over here? The CG and the CO and all the big wigs have a big party and get drunk and make decisions on who goes in where and when.

The Chaplain’s supposed to speak to us about something this morning. The Chaplains over here read prayers out of books and alot of them smoke. I wouldn’t trust them to preach the Word. The Chaplains speech was on the Tet holidays. They have some funny and unusual traditions over here. We go on a 5 day operation tomorrow at the mouth of the river. They think we might find supplies and equipment at some of the villages there. Then we come back here for the holidays.’

5 Feb 67: ‘Well another busy week has gone by. We went on another Battalion size operation. We swept some villages along the ocean. We choppered to the mouth of the river and from there we took Amtrak’s up the ocean front.

We crossed rice paddies where you sunk up to your knees in mud. Tomorrow we go on another operation out by Cam Lo; a two day operation, running ambushes and patrols. We’re supposed to be in on the Lunus New Year. There’s supposed to be two platoons of VC out there. On the operation the days were real cold and windy, especially by the Ocean. Today it cleared up and became a little warmer.'

A Marine talking to some young children at the mouth of the river. Sampans beside the waters edge.

Marines riding on top of a Army twin 40 tank (Doggie Duster).

A tank dug in at the mouth of the river

8 Feb 67: I received your letter today. Sorry I haven’t written in a long time. I’ve been on several small operations. The last two days we went out to the Cam Lo area on an operation. The squad I was with killed one VC and wounded two others. We ambushed them in daylight, like they do us. A Chinese rifle captured during the ambush.

You know its God’s grace that we haven’t seen much action where we are now. We made a few contacts, but not much. Since 3/4 has taken over the chow hall here, the food's been getting better. We had halibut today. Now and then we have steak. Tonight is Lunus New Year, and we’re suppose to be at truce at midnight tonight. Already a recon patrol was hit by VC and the standby platoon has been choppered out to the sight. During this time is when NVA and VC can move down South without interference from the U.S. troops here.’

13 Feb 67: 'Well, I guess I’m getting lazy in writing. I haven’t written in the last two or three days. Yesterday we went on a convoy to Phu Bai. The sights were outstanding and it was my first trip to Phu Bai. We went through Hue City. It's a modern city with modern conveniences. They have beautiful apartment buildings. Plus there’s a very huge and beautiful Catholic church there. The women are very beautiful too. We had fun on the convoy. Between Dong Ha and Phu Bai is hill 326 where 3rd Bn 26th Marines are. where the VC attacked one part of it. We had to load our Bn gear on 6 x 6 trucks there. Coming back we had fun looking at the girls along side of the road. While on the convoy, it rained all the way down there and taking pictures on a moving six by isn’t easy. When we got back to Dong Ha, I received four St. Valentine cards. We got some sodas too. The mess hall is serving better chow now. Tonight we had spare ribs, potatos, beans, and cherry pie. Tomorrow we go on a two day operation near Cam Lo.’

More pictures of the convoy. An ARVN outpost. A down town village. Going across a bridge over a river during the convoy. A bridge blown by the VC the day before. A village market place.

Huey gunships flying in support of the convoy.

14 Feb 67: ‘There hasn’t been much that has happened since I last wrote. Today we were supposed to have gone on a two day operation, but it was raining and the choppers couldn’t get off the ground, so we didn’t make it. We were put on a 15 minute standby notice. For the last few days it's been raining and also it's been pretty cold...at night especially. Tomorrow we go on a operation if it clears up. The operation will take place about 3000 meters from Dong Ha near a NVA base camp. We’re suppose to clear it out. You know it's very hard to write something home, when nothing interesting happens. In 45 days we go to Okinawa to train for jungle warfare. Then after that we come back to South Vietnam to the Delta, but then I’ll be getting short over here. Only 5 months 20 days left. So far I’ve been over here for 3 months. I have to go now. Love your son, Daniel.’

This is Dong Ha village along the Cam Lo River bank. Here is a picture of me with a Vietnamese interperter at Dong Ha.

For the rest of February, Lima Company was assigned as a blocking company, running patrols around the perimeter of Dong Ha, and if not on patrols, doing work details around the Company area at Dong Ha. On the morning of February 27th, Lima Company got the word that a Marine Recon team was trapped near the firebase Gio Linh. So, we boarded choppers and were choppered out to the area near Gio Linh, where we met up with 5 tanks that would go with us. Gio Linh was a few miles east of firebase Con Thien. This firebase is just south of the DMZ. The gun team I was with was in the lead squad. We had a tiger tank, just ahead of us, we were following. The lead tank started across a dryed sandy creek bed, and it got bogged down, and while trying to get out of the creek, it broke a track. Some of the Marines were riding on some of the other tanks. The platoon commander, a Lt., told our gun team to stay with the tank and to protect it, in case the enemy tried to attack it. The vegetation was so thick where we were all you could see was a trail leading off into the thick brush. The Platoon Lt. took a few rifle men and went ahead on the trail to see what was ahead of us. They had gotten no more than 300 yards when they ran into the enemy. We could hear the shooting from where we were next to the tank. From the reports that I heard, the Lt. tried to take a .30 cal machine gun emplacement with a shotgun he was carrying, and he was killed; so was his radioman. Earlier in the month, his radioman told me ‘That damn Lt. is going to get me killed yet.’ Earlier in the sweep toward the enemy sight, the same Lt. handed me a chocolate bar out of his C-rations. He said to me, ‘Here, you want this, you might need it.’ It was hard to believe an hour or so later he was dead.

I remember another time, earlier in the month of February, that we went on a sweep through a village near Dong Ha and our company was on the north of the village on a hillside overlooking the village, and another company on the hill south of the village. Then one company swept through the village checking out each hut. They received some sniper fire in the village and the Lt. stated ‘Damn, Why aren’t we the ones down there.’ He was a Gung Ho Lt. that got himself killed trying to win some medals. We had alot of officers like that. Winning medals was more important than trying to save their men’s lives.

We placed our gun facing down the trail in case any of the enemy would come that way. Our platoon sargeant came along and told us we had to make a 360 perimeter with the company. First they had to use the other four tanks to knock down the vegetation by going around in a circle. As we ran toward the perimeter and our position, the NVA fired at us, and we could hear the rifle rounds go over our heads... ping, ping. I believe our gun team was placed in a position where we faced the southwest. There was so much vegetation that it was hard to tell directions. We dug in, and the roots and vegetation were so thick that we couldn’t dig a very deep fox hole; maybe three feet deep. They placed a tank on each corner of the 360 perimeter, and the broken down tank in the middle of our perimeter. Our 60 mm mortar team was placed toward the middle of our perimeter also. So was the command post, where the officers were. To the right of our gun position, one of the tanks was positioned about 100 yards to point out ward toward the enemy or the thick vegetation. On each side of the tank, some of the riflemen dug in. The other gun team was placed on the other side of the tank. There was about two or three riflemen positioned between our gun team position and the tank. Some of the men couldn’t even dig in; the roots and vegetation kept them from doing it, so they just laid flat on the ground, with their weapons ready. There was a tank to the left of our position also, about 200 yards. It was getting dark by the time we got our fox hole dug and could get in it with the Machine gun on top of the fox hole. There were three of us to fit into that little fox hole. We decided to stay awake until about midnight, and if nothing happened by then, to have one on watch, and the other two slept. I ended up with the last watch, which was in the early morning. One of the crew woke me about a little before 6am on 28 February. I barely got my eyes opened when a RPG round hit the tank to the right of us, blowing it up. The tank commander came out of the top hatch, and he looked like a torch, on fire. The round had set off some Willy Peter rounds inside. Some of the riflemen nearby tried to save him, but the NVA opened up with small arms on the tank, and it was almost impossible to get near it. When the tank got hit, several riflemen laying next to the tank received shrapnel from the round. Some of them were wounded, and they pulled them back toward the center of the perimeter, so corpsmen could work on them. It was early dawn when the tank was hit. Daylight finally came and the firing ceased some. We were told to open up with our machine gun on a suspected sniper area. The NVA lobbed in about 10 mortar rounds on us to quiet us. One round hit about 6 feet from our hole, wounding me and the gunner. The other rounds hit other places in our perimeter. I did not know that I was hit, until the gunner looked at me and said. ‘Man, your face is bleeding.’ I was hit in the left upper cheek area and in the left upper forearm near the shoulder and the left elbow by shrapnel. I did not know I was hit there either, until an hour later, when my arm went dead, and I couldn’t hardly use it.

Finally after the shooting ceased, they called in medivacs to get us out of there. I was flown down to Da Nang hospital with the rest of the wounded. The more seriously wounded were flown to the USS Hope, the hospital ship just off the coast line of Vietnam. Later I learned that we clashed with a Battalion size NVA unit, about 500 strong. I guess they called in Kilo Company and Mike Company, who were standing by in Dong Ha. Also a unit of South Vietnamese troops. We went out in the field with 235 men, and five tanks. Later, my parents sent me a newspaper clipping on the event from their local newspaper.

To read the newspaper clipping. Click here.

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