171 days, 14 Dec/67, Thurs.
I lost both the screws out of my glasses yesterday, and went into Cu Chi
today to get them replaced. I got a bottle of 100 – shouldn’t run out any more!
Maybe I can go into business?
I saw Broton. In two days he goes to Japan for recuperation, and there’s
a chance he might be sent to the States; maybe in time for Christmas.
It should be a good night to sleep. The moon’s out and it’s cool. You ought
to see the moon here. It makes so much light when full on a clear night that
you can distinguish colors or read a newspaper without straining your eyes –
it’s amazingly bright (not unlike myself).
It’s been so “cold” here at night, I’ve had to wear a T-shirt to bed and
use a wool blanket. By morning we’re freezing. Temperature? About 64 degrees,
but in the morning we have our sleeves rolled sown and sit together wrapped in
a blanket till 9:00, when it gets warmer.
They say it’s like this in the hot season – blistering in the day and cold
at night. When it rained all the time the temperature varied from night to day,
but not by very much. At least I can freeze at night and it seems like December
instead of August, but the illusion is gone by 12:00 noon, as it becomes worse
than August. Christmas in “August”; can’t use artificial trees – the plastic
melts and the aluminum foil rusts! Ho, Ho, Bob
170 days, 15 Dec/67, Fri., 169 days, 16 Dec/67, Sat.
The President of S. Vietnam visited Bao Trai today (16th). To
provide maximum security during his short visit, (about 2 hrs, from 8 a.m. to
10) we have been out since 10:00 yesterday morning, all night last night, and
didn’t return to B.T. until 1:30 this afternoon, except for 45 minutes
yesterday for dinner.
Yesterday morning and afternoon we mostly walked and rested every other
hour (missed lunch). They let us come in for dinner – generous of them – but we
were right back out again for an all-night ambush.
The ambush was unique in that we actually stayed in the same place all
night; no walking around like we usually do. Nearly everyone went to sleep – I
couldn’t see any wisdom in that, so I forced myself to stay awake all night.
Didn’t see anything – should have slept.
In the morning they brought out some egg sandwiches and coffee for
breakfast, and we spent the rest of the morning lying around waiting for word
on then we could come in. it was a long, sleepless, 27-hour mission.
I don’t know why it is but it seems every time a VIP comes to town, CRIP
has to leave. I thought we were pretty important and people (VIPs) who come to
BT want to see us; Gen. Westmoreland came especially to see us, and they went
us out anyway on a nothing. I guess it makes them – the higher brass – look
good.
“Where’s CRIP, Major?”
“They’re out on another dangerous mission in defense of their country (and
my coming promotion – Eh, eh?) Gen. Westmoreland, Sir.”
168 days, 17 Dec/67, Sun.
Today, for the most part, has been a day of cancellations. Everything began
at 5:30 in the morning when we got up for breakfast, and the hurried to the
airstrip. After a 4 hour wait our mission was called off, and we went back to
BT on a standby basis. Another ARVN unit was in heavy contact near the river,
and our choppers had been released to support them.
Back in Bao Trai, we were called twice only to have the mission cancelled
before we got outside the gate.
During the day, the ARVNs had been pretty well shot up by the 269th
VC battalion. There were 5 US gunship helicopters lost (all personnel rescued –
some with wounds). All the ships involved – 12 troop carriers and 7 gunships
(including the lost 5) received hits from ground fire. I haven’t heard any word
on how the ARVNs or VC got along.
Anyway, just before evening chow, we were called again out to the airstrip.
There were 8 shot-up airworthy choppers waiting to take us, according to the
original plan, out to where two of the gunships ware still down. The ground
fire had been too intense for the big Chinooks to pull them out as they did the
other three.
We, without the S-2 who flat refused to go (Colonel Nanh refused for them)
were to gout and set up an all night ambush to secure the 4 mini-guns on the
chopper.
Can you imagine 35 men in the swamps; in an area where gunships couldn’t
even get by; in the middle of a VC battalion on an all-bight A.P.?! One of the
basic rules of an A.P. is “don’t let the enemy see you move into your AP site”,
and we were going in on choppers! It was like a bad dream which is more
important: 35 men or two helicopters?
While we waited for the go-ahead at the chopper pad, Colonel Cassidy – our
head man, the one who sets up CRIP operations, got into the act and said that
he didn’t want us committed unless lives were directly at stake - not just
machinery. Hooray for Colonel Cassidy!
The plans changed. For a half hour, gunships, jets, and artillery pounded
the surrounding area with everything available. Then two shoppers went out with
two mechanics on board. With gunships overhead, the mechanics were dropped in.
they removed the mini-guns and radios in record time and again were lifted out
and back to the strip where we were waiting.
If they had been pinned down by fire, we would have had to go and get them
out.
Our night isn’t over yet. We have to go out again in 20 minutes; hope it’s
cancelled, too. So far, we’ve been scheduled for four missions today, and
haven’t gotten any farther than the airstrip.
167 days, 18 Dec/67, Mon.
For all this month, it has been known that the VC are planning a large
mortar and ground attack on the 18th – today. I want to believe that
the attack on the 12th was this planned for the 18th. At
any rate, we’ve got to be ready. Last night was more or less a practice for
tonight. We set up defensive positions at each end of town. At one end were 2
106 jeeps – one borrowed from another unit – a gun-jeep and our ¾ truck with
.50 caliber mounted on. That was the end where the attacks on BT usually come
from. At my end, we had a 106 and one gun-jeep, plus an ARVN outpost with an
armored car and two .30 caliber machine guns.
All as practice as well as security in case they hit on the 11th.
The plan on both ends was if we received any fire, the machine guns and
individual M-16s and M-79s were to provide strong covering fire, while the 106s
shot 2 or 3 beehive rounds at the suspected area, and then we all were to head
back into town (only 100 meters away in our case).
A beehive round from the 106 can be set for an air burst at any given
range, up to 1700 meters. When it explodes, 2000 steel darts are sprayed in all
directions. VC have been found with their arms pinned to their bodies or their
bodies pinned to trees, after being hit with a beehive.
We set up regular guard shifts, and had a, thankfully, uneventful night.
Today we’re resting. Tonight is the night – pray for peace. If the attack comes,
it’s supposed to be a bad one – I’d hate to see any worse than the night of the
12th.
Oh. Yes, I got a letter from Marlynn today. She says she doesn’t read my
letters anymore, because they scare her (scare myself once in a while). I’ll
write directly to her and try to be gentle.
Gently, Bob
166 days, 19 Dec/67, Tues. (200 days in-country)
Last night we spent securing Gladys. Two 105 batteries (12 guns) and one
155 mm batter (6 guns) moved in yesterday to support the 1/27, which was in
contact all day with the 269th VC battery. It was another long, cold
night, pulling two hours of guard around the artillery’s perimeter and then
trying to sleep the rest of the time. I felt pretty safe, however. We were
sharing a bunker with 4 artillery people at our position.
There was one minor problem with the whole arrangement. The battery
commander came by and said that we either had to seep with some overhead cove
or stay awake all night. We couldn’t very well make the artillery people leave
their bunkers, so we had to find someplace else nearby to sleep. The bunker was
only big enough for 4 people to sleep comfortably; of course, if rounds began
coming inc we could have squeezed 3 more it.
They were only there on a temporary basis, so there were no large bunkers
or tents. The only thing nearby was a large armored vehicle, which looked like
a truck, but ran on tracks. Their Lt. said we could sleep in the back of it.
Fine idea, but . . . We opened the door
and found the thing was nearly full of 155 Howitzer rounds. The clown wanted us
to sleep in a track full of live artillery shells – when the possibility of a
mortar attack was very high!
“No Smoking Within 50 Ft.” signs all over it, in big red letters, and the
man says go ahead and sleep in this! One mortar, one bullet, could hit that
thing and . . . You guessed it; we had
not overhead cover so we stayed up until about 1:00, when we decided the man
was asleep and went to sleep under the stars – near the bunker, though.
Nothing happened all night to us or to Bao Trai. It was supposed to have
been a bad night, but I guess Charlie figured he’d be better off in bed.
We slept and loafed all day today, and the artillery moved out. At the
present time, the VC are having a large fire-fight between themselves (we can
actually hear it here in Bao Trai). We’re helping out, however. One side of the
VC is being “supported” by gunships and the other is receiving direct “support”
form US
artillery. It’s the least we could do.
We’ve got a new Lieutenant. He’ll be here for a couple of weeks working
with Straub. Straub leaves the first part of January, and this guy takes over.
He’s fresh from the States, but was an instructor in the Ranger school at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He must know something at
least. I hope he’ll be better than Straub. I really haven’t tried to form an
opinion of him yet – I even forget his name.
165 days, 20 Dec/67, Wed.
We had a lazy morning, but in the afternoon, we all grabbed shovels and
filled sandbags for a wall around our tent and green hutch. We had the whole
thing done in 3 ½ hours; quite a job. I guess those mortars landing in the
compound made somebody realize the need for protection.
I was very pleased to get your letter. I’m sorry my letters scare you and
Marlynn, but things are what they are. My R&R will be in Hong
Kong (I’ll probably get bombed by the Red Chinese). I had these
choices: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Hawaii, Australia, Tai Pei, Bangkok, Singapore,
Penang (Malaysia), The Philippines, and Kuala Lampur. Also there are 3-day
leaves in Vang Tao – Vietnam.
I picked Hong Kong because it’s
inexpensive and also a large well-known place. All the others, Tokyo,
Hawaii, Australia,
are expensive and the rest are cheap but hardly heard of (bet you can’t guess
where Kuala Lampur or Penang are).
Really enjoyed the news about Marlynn and Jere. I guess I’m not the only
bad shot – I messed a gook and Jere missed a deer. I hope he continues to out
maneuver the Army. Dating Jan and Suzie – outstanding; who’s Suzie?
Jere might do well to hang on to the ‘Beam. I wouldn’t want the car –
rather have a brand new one – but if I end up getting a Tiger, maybe I could
buy or trade some parts.
I’m hoping for a quiet Christmas, although it’s terribly difficult to
believe that it is Christmas. There are Christmas songs on the radio, but they
don’t seem to mean much in the 90 degree weather. There is none of that
Christmas feeling – and it’s not just the temperature. No parking lots filled
with pine trees, no house decorations, no crowded stores, no snow; somehow it’s
just not the same. It’s like the song says, “I’ll be home for Christmas; if
only in my dreams”.
164 days, 21 Dec/67, Thurs.
Sandbagged all day today, nearly have the hutch and tent completely
surrounded. I sleep better now.
It’s a fact, if they learn when Bob Hope will be in Cu Chi, ever effort
will be made to get us in to see him! Oh, how I wish I had a telephoto lens.
He’s in Vietnam now (first
stop, Da Nang,
up north) and plans on coming to Cu Chi, but never says when.
News on the radio says entire 25th infantry division leaving Vietnam! That’s
all I heard I asked around and someone said that they (we?) were going to Hawaii to “re-group” and
then . . .? It’s the first and only time I’ve heard of this. It’s supposed to
take place the 18th of Jan. So I guess I’ll just sit and wait.
Wonder how long it takes to re-group? Wouldn’t it be loverly if it took 4 ½
months (time left as of 18 Jan.)? I’m sure the time would cont o the Vietnam tour.
Hmmmm . . . Shorter than I think? Bob
No comments:
Post a Comment