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Once, in AIT, I was talking to some guys who were not from New York (where’ I’m from). The were going on a pass. I didn’t know if a third guy was going, so I asked “Ismikegoinwiches?” For some reason, nobody understood me!!! So I had to break it down and talk slow so normal humans could make sense of it. Is….Mike….going….with…yiz? I realized I even had a hard time with yiz. But it is another New Yawk version of “Youse”.
My daughter-in-law is originally from New Orleans. She recently announced that she had finally purged “y’all” from her vocabulary. I complained that she should keep it and get it back in there to maintain the connection to her true and wonderful home town.
I stand by that. We shouldn’t all sound the same, unless yiz all wanna soun like new yawk.
Jim,
When did you ngo to Basic at Ft Dix? I was there from May-July, 68.
Rick,
I was there from the end of April, 68 until the beginning of Sept., 68. How did we miss seeing each other.
We probably did see each other. I was in Basic training and, as were most, scared to death, because I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into.
Remember the Joe Pesci movie where Fred Gwynn , the judge , can’t understand what Pesci is saying…”the two utes”…..he was trying to say “youths”…..I hope everyone had a happy Easter.
Happy Easter to all yall…..
As we say in Kentucky where I grew up “Happy Easter” yall but here in Yankee country it is “youse guys”.
Having spent my first 44 years on the south side of Chicago, youse guys is burnt into my vocabulary…. You gotta a problem wit dat…… LOL
Chuck,
“youse guys” don’t know proper English. Ain’t “yall” had no learn en?
Does anyone have any stories you may think are humorous now like the Christmas that the chopper circled with red & green smoke with Santa waving? Here is one of mine.
My first CA would be from LZ Ross to an LZ called Ryder. I came in country on 11/5/68 & arrived on Ross during the 3rd week of Nov & was the FNG. Ross was on top of a mountain which we could see from the valley were Ross was located. Patrols would run off of it into the valleys after B52 strikes. We were supported by a 105 which was airlifted up. After they were done with Ross it was destroyed until the next time it was used. I help build it up at least one or two more times. I had already earned my CIB from a patrol off of LZ Ross when we took sniper fire.
My rucksack must have weighed a 75 lbs. I carried the M-79
We went to the chopper pad and waited to CA to Ryder. I didn’t know exactly what was exactly going on and nobody told me. I was told to get off the chopper as fast as possible as we were most vulnerable set up a defensive position for the other landing crafts.
We boarded the choppers. We circled the LZ and the gunners fired into the tree line trying to draw fire. We made a slow, casual descent to Ross. It was anti-climatic in the extreme because of the fear and terror I had built up in my mind.
The choppers hovered 6 or 8 feet above bomb carters, destroyed bunkers & debris. They could not go any lower. The door gunner motioned with his hand; “Out. NOW!â€. He wanted me to jump with my rucksack at that height. I thought he was kidding! He wasn’t kidding. I jumped & landed with a very heavy thud in what I think was an artillery carter full of water and mud. My pack went forward and I landed face down with a face full of mud. Not very pretty.
The FNG first CA and the rest of the guys thought it was hilarious. I was not laughing then but later after many other experiences it became funny even to me. An Abbott & Costello moment.
That’s exactly what happened on my first CA too, but it was to Antenna Valley, not an old firebase. We flew out of Baldy to an LZ full of old punji sticks about 6 feet tall, so the chopper couldn’t go any lower. We all just sat there looking down, not knowing what to do next, until the door gunners started yelling and cussing. I was the FNG, so I waited for the older hands to do something, but they were as confused as I was. So, I jumped and landed in a pile. Everybody else followed, thank goodness. I really didn’t know if we were supposed to jump or not and was afraid this period of hovering was a deception for the VC and that I’d be left alone when the birds went on to somewhere else. 🙂
This was in very early December, 1970.
That calls for a round of Cokes.
With whiskey.
I got rolled by a gang of children in a Danang cathouse. Does that qualify as a humorous story? 🙂
Gary,
Several questions:
1) What is a cat house? Weren’t you too big to get in?
2) How old were these kids?
3) Getting rolled! Is that like were kids roll you down a hill?
4) How could a big tough killing machine grunt get rolled?
Location: Outside the wire at XXIV Corps HQ. I should have been too big to get in, but …..you know…
Age: The oldest of the 12 or 15 of them might have been 13.
Rolled. As in, tackled back onto a futon and dog piled. 🙂
How? Uh…do you know much 12 or 15 kids weigh collectively? And, it’s difficult to fight back, let alone give chase, with your pants down around your ankles.
I shall only reveal the rest of the story in Seattle.
At my first Standdown after drinking a few beers I got tired of being called a FNG and hit the guy it didn’t last long before Capt. Morris stepped in and said if we wanted to fight it would be with him. We declined the offer we were drunk not crazy. The guy never called me a FNG again.
I also remember a jeep ride to Chu-Lai guarding a prisoner was expecting to be shot at any time.
I remember being in one fight on stand down. Believe it or not I did not start it. We finally were separated. It was a draw.
As I recall Terry’s correct, had to check our weapons at Standdown and there was a lockup in the area. And it was a good thing. I remember some serious fisticuffs with our surrounding neighbors. With late night drunken card games, we were easy prey for the shammers hang’in back in their rear areas just outside our hootches.
I rode the convoy back to Chu Lai several times, and although I don’t remember for sure, I can’t imagine not carrying my 16 on that ride. I think it just became another appendage.
I remember we could also hitch a ride on the Colonel’s bird if he was loggering over at Hawk Hill. The pilots loved to play on those runs and scare the liv’in dodo out of the passengers when the boss was gone. A little rice paddy surfing..
We obviously needed all weapons on HH manning the bunkerline, but not sure if we had to leave them at the bunker. I think for some activities we did, and some we didn’t.
I drove the road to Chu-Lai several times, I’m thinking it was maybe 20 miles. Only times I got shot at on those many trips my sidekick was Ty Harper! Twice! A regular lead magnet was he. I think a select number of us kept our weapons on the standown trips because there was an armory at the beach area. I had a shift there to watch over it because the ROK’s would come sniffing around to pick up anything not nailed down if they could. Somebody wanted me to carry a 45 around the Hill when we came in because I carried the 79 in the field. Can’t remember if I did ‘tho as I did not like it. When I came out of the field I don’t remember carrying the 16 all the time but we were so used to it by then maybe we did.
Hope you learn to stay a safe distance from TY like 1/2 mile!
In my defense, it didn’t help matters any that Terry kept standing up and saluting me as we drove through the Bowling Alley!
What a good friend showing the proper respect for an officer at “all” times.
Thanks Larry,
I remember being there after Heip Duc & maybe one more time after that before I left the field around 11/16/69.
Larry,
I was never on a duce and a half in Vietnam. Always choppered. How far from Hawk Hill to Chu Lai. I must not have been to a stand down the short time I was on Hawk Hill. Anyone know when we started building Hawk Hill? Larry we always called our LZ’s by their last name only just as we called each other by our last name and not putting our rank in front. I was Beckum & not Spec 4 Beckum.
My DEROS date was July, 1970 and I got to the company the first part of August, 1969 and we was still at Baldy. In fact when I got to the company we were on bunker duty at Baldy. There was one of our brothers, Rodney Engle that was sleeping on top of a bunker in a cot and he got hit and killed by one of those arty canisters of an illumination round. We went to Hiep Duc the next day and got our butts kicked. On about August 25, 1969 we came back from Hiep Duc with the half of the company we left with and got in a bunch of FNG’s. I think the next time we came out of the field, we went to Hawk Hill and put up the perimeter wire around Hawk Hill. This was probably about October, 1969 when we had to help build Hawk Hill. The jarhead’s took over Baldy.
As I remember the road trip to Chu Lia was probably 40-50 miles. I am quite sure we did not have our weapons on those duce and half’s because I know someone would have come up something to shoot for whatever reason they could come up with.
Bill:
I think we turned in our weapons to go to stand down at our company headquarters on Hawk Hill or LZ Baldy. I looked at some of my photos taken on the duce and a half going to stand down and I do not see a weapon one.
By the way why was it Hawk Hill and not LZ Hawk Hill? All the other places were LZ something.
I do not remember any rules on carrying weapons or ammo while in the rear area. I know we never checked in our weapons. I know you did not just let them lying around all the time, so I assume that we carried them with us all the time. We must have done something with our weapons as I do not remember taking them in the mess hall.
It is funny how much we forget. I mean it was only 46 years ago. I am guessing but we had to have our weapons with us all the time while at Hawk Hill since we were protecting the bunker line. I do remember getting a haircut and a shave and telling whomever I was with that if the barber (Vietnamese) cut my throat, he was to shoot the SOB. Never trusted the barber. As for Chu Lai, I would think we had to check our weapons someplace. I would think that would be in Chu Lai since we had to travel down Hwy 1 to get there. Will have to look for that picture of Harper and Grose on the 2 1/2.
When I first got there, we kept our weapons at Hawk Hill too. But, one night Chewie and some other guy got into a running gunfight with each other and certain people began “playing” with C-4 and doing stuff like blowing up a piss tube, so they started making us turn them in. We’d have go to the arms room and draw weapons before we went on the bunker line.
I rode the daily convoy to Chu Lai a few times and can’t remember taking a rifle. In fact, I don’t remember anybody on the truck being armed except maybe the driver. Given the tenor of the times, that’s probably a good thing since guys would throw stuff at Vietnamese walking along the road. If they’d had weapons, they’d have probably just shot them instead. And, some ARVN would often take a potshot at us as we crossed over the bridges they were guarding. If we’d had weapons too, a nice firefight between allies might have broken out.
Question of the day! When I was there 11/68-11/69 I went on 3 or 4 “stand downs” in Chu Lai where we got clean clothes, free beer, & entertainment. I also would call my wife on “MARS”.
Here is question. We were not allowed to carry weapons while there that I remember. Where did we turn them in & get them back from? Don’t remember!
When we were on LZ Ross we could carry all the ammo we wanted when wandering the LZ during the day. It was a rather small LZ. On LZ Baldy our clips had to be in our pockets. Nothing in the chamber. I carried 1 magazine in my pocket or 1 canister round when I was carrying the M79. What was the rule on LZ Hawk Hill when wandering the LZ? Do not remember.
Your wife is from Mars!!!!
Yes she is! She has been strange ever since we met in 1963!
Don’t know about most of you but I remember always carrying my .45, loaded. Guess they let us in case we needed to defend ourselves after doing something stupid to you guys.
I had two weeks left and was in the rear at Hawk Hill. I went to the pad later on and saw all the personal effect that were sent in. I mostly remember the sick feeling. Being short kept me safe but didn’t stop me from suffering from that stuff, for those guys. But I can’t complain. I was done and heading home in one piece.
March 16, 1970 was a day that is burned into the minds of all who were there. RIP Sfc Walden and Sgt Peagler! Prayers for the long recovery those who were wounded that day!
A long very dark and ugly day in our history together.
I have only been there every day since that day. It’s like groundhog day.
That day will always be dark, especially for those of you who were at the “scene of the crime”. A deep regret that I was not with you guys then. Being on the helipad waiting for the wounded pales in comparison to experiencing it. Unfortunately, Chuck, there is no understanding merely an acceptance that things happen that we can’t control. We can only work to NOT let them happen again.
On that day, Hoang’s leg was pretty bad so I cut it off at the knee. After carrying him to the medivac, I grabbed his leg and threw it on the chopper with him. Not sure what I was thinking there……
Ty,
We all did the best we could under the situation we were in, our training, and our age. I still beat myself up over Vietnam even though I can not change the past. Even though I was not there at that time I know you gave your best for your men and you are well respected by your men.
Kind words. Thanks, Bill. The respect is mutual. I was the luckiest officer in the US Army. I served with the most heroic, competent and compassionate men anyone could ever be assigned too.
This was a rough week back in ’70. I was XO then and you guys went through another fiasco. My best to those of you who were wounded and my prayers for those we lost.
Hell or high water, Martha and I
well be at the September reunion.
Great! Looking forward to seeing you again.
No, Short Round I have not gotten the spring planting done. We could get a freeze as late as mid April here in Colorado and a freeze will kill corn. Also the ground temperature has to be north of 50 degrees before corn will sprout. We will get started in the last half of April if the conditions are correct. Right now we are getting all our corn ground fertilized.
Terry, can’t confirm making the September Reunion. Have to get new program started for my son this Summer. Best of luck to Bob Morris.
will be back east in Sept. so will have to fly to Seattle–from Pittsburgh-ugh. will see how things go.
larry–the spring planting done yet ?
Captain Morris is recovering from a broken leg, needed a 3 inch steel plate to keep things together– bone had shattered.
I also would like an idea of how many would be coming in RV’s so we can arrange a close site near the hotels. We’re excited to hear folks are looking ahead to this reunion!
Would like to have a possible count of folks coming into Seattle for this falls reunion. This would help to decide where a good location for a selection of hotel accomadations for all. We are trying for the weekend after Labor day and so far we have several good possibilities. We’ll keep you posted, more to follow, thanks.
I am in Terry!
Unless something comes up, I’m in. My wife probably won’t come, but you never know.
Terry count me in.
Terry,
Barring any health issues or such Tai and I will attend!
I plan on going .
Tiny and I are looking forward to it.
Brothers have sure been quiet since I mentioned in my last post about Malaria tabs. Sorr, nothing personal.
My wife used to send me Maxwell House instant coffee. It was a real treat, considering the C Ration crap. SSG Murtland (Plt Sgt) and I would heat water with C-4, and after we drank the coffee, I would pass out the Malaria tabs. Fun times, Fun times!
That Chili sounds good with Wonder Bread with a hot beer in triple canopy jungle!
It was, until the time we got set up late. It was already dark when I fished out a new loaf of bread and covered it with cold chili, which everyone wanted one of. Nearly the whole loaf and 2 cans of chili disappeared. But, the next morning when we saw the bread, a lot of us got sick and started throwing up. This loaf hadn’t made the trip well and it as just solid, black mold. LOL
In those days everything tasted good! You have heard of the “5 second rule” Then we had no rules when it came to food from the world.
Hey Cap, that’s a neat and funny story. I will probably tell this to other Nam brothers. I enjoyed seeing this!
Help yourself.
Better yet, I’ll come to Seattle and tell it myself. I can fly round trip for $219, so there’s no excuse not to make this one, is there?
Black loafs matter…..
Good one Chuck!
LOL Shame on you. 🙂
My Mom sent Wonder Bread. She’d wrap it in plastic and 2 or 3 layers of aluminum foil and it would get there just fine, usually. And, cans of Hormel Texas Style Chili.
My Mom used to send me packages which had the following: Jiffy pop, a Manhattan in a can, pumpernickel bread in a can, Velveeta cheese, salami in a vacuum packed bag, little pickles in a jar, pudding in a can and Q-Tips. Life was good in South Vietnam. Bicycle Corp. had send me “Aces of Spades†death cards. The packs had secret weapon printed on them. I still had a pack.
So you were the guy that brought the cards. I recall them being effective.
I GOT A BOTTLE OF WINE AND 2 WINE GLASSES FROM MY DAD FOR MY 22nd BIRTHDAY. NEVER DID FIGURE OUT THE GLASSES, DID NOT USE THEM.
For quite awhile a lot of my buddies thought I had odd request for my care packages. I always requested and got onions, hot sauce, heinze 57 sauce, worcestershisire sauce, and other sauces. Then I shared my care packages with my buddies to add to C Rations. After just one letting them have some of my care package stuff, I became a very popular guy. But no one other than me ever got onions, they was the best condiment.
Don’t forget the 6 pack of Coors.
My Dad sent me a pint of Kentucky Bourbon packed in a loaf of bread! Another time my Dad sent me a “Bowie Knife” which I asked for to use. My wife sent me banana putting baby food jars because I like bananas. My in-laws sent me a couple of Playboys because I like to read the articles and jokes. The rest of the guys were “crude” and looked at the pictures. Told them they would go blind or was that later after looking at the pictures.