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the photo of tiny looks a lot like my machine gunner in c2/1 in 1969. who is tiny? i was a squad leader. my name is mark tucciarone aka TOOCH
Short Round,
Always felt second platoon was the top platoon but I am prejudice but they did take care of me for a year.
done////me too//
larry–thanks for your comment about the 28th, but doubt any type medal would be appropriate for a situation like that. like to think i did the best i could under the circumstances. sure glad no 1 was KIA. .i sure appreciated the guys that got over there to also help out. think most were from 2nd platoon. i remember al firman as 1. glad we have this site to keep in touch with each other . HI to fran–be well
trying again
SR i would like to thank you again for all u did 40+ yrs ago//i probally wouldn’t be here typing this if you hadn’t done all you did///i think you deserve a medal
We operated all around Mary Ann for a couple of months before that big attack. The whole battalion was shifted down there from of Antenna Valley.
On our last operation there, just before going to the DMZ, Musquez and Slim Straven’s jumped a VC ambush and captured a couple of them. One of them was “persuaded” to talk and essentially gave up the whole plan for that attack about a month before it actually went down. I understand that intelligence was fowarded up the chain of command, but apparently nothing was done with it.
That’s not really surprising, though, as we all know the terms “military” and “intelligence” are mutually exclusive.
I read the March VFW magazine article “Terror at Mary Ann”. It’s quite a story where firebase Mary Ann overran on March 28, 1971. We pulled guard duty a time or two at Mary Ann. C Company from the 1/46 was the line company that was on guard duty at the time. It brings back a memory or two.
the wk of the 28th is when i met the col[ [si] in the hosp. in Chu-LIA recupirating from that booby trap i want to thank you again for all u did that day sr//u ever get your medal?
bill b brings up an interesting topic–how we each had our own reactions to the hazards of being grunts. took me years to recognize how scared i was when the last medevak came in on 16 mar 70. i was holding doc descateau when it finally dawned on me–the chopper might/could set off another booby trap–and me and doc would be in the blast zone. thankfully there was no blast. i was with doc cause i was looking for a medic for tiny who had a shrapnel wound in the shoulder. doc was a lot worse off.my squad, and me, getting hit on the 28th of march–bouncing betty-again brought home the uncertainties of being in booby trap areas. we endured best we could.
Terry and LT…….I was at Ft Lewis from about July 70 to 1 June 71…… Larry… The nicknames must have been ironical…..like Big Ugly, because I was big and handsome.
lt–ain`t that asking a bit much –asking a grunt to remember what year ? 71 does sound correct. HI to tai–hope all going well.
Terry,
Did you screw up the date you got out in your previous entry? I didn’t get to Lewis until Jan 71!
So Bill, That probably was you that I saw and talked to at Lewis. I knew I had talked to a guy from the company, a rather tall big guy but could not put a name to himm till now. I ended up there my last few months and got out Feb 2 70Didn’t know path crossed with Lt, but didn’t hang with occifers much. One guy was cool, a Lt Crouch. He liked to drink , heaven forbid, and seemed to think we enlisted were more fun at it. Curious!
Both
Sorry, Larry, I must be mistaken…My bad, as they say now. Well I definitely remember meeting Rex and Doc..( the one with the craggy face) ……Which nickname did you put on me, Lurch or Big Ugly?
Bill,
Glad you recovered. Glad they did not send you back as they could have. I was happy not to get that purple heart. Truthfully, my whole year felt my purple heartI would be for KIA rather than a WIA and it would happen when walking point or my squad was on point. Instead, God saw to punish my wife with 44 years of putting up wiyh me.
Bill,
I wish I knew all you guys were at Lewis as it would have been a quite a reunion ! Thank you for asking about Tai. She is making good progress. We go back to see her neurosurgeon on Monday and I suspect our next step is going to be where there go into her back under Xray and insert a balloon to lift the crushed vertebrate and then fill it with some ty;pe of cement. It is supposed to work pretty well and should hopefully reduce future pain. Hope all is well with you! Any way we could drag you to Killeen TX in Sep? I’m sure Pancho would love to see you again as well as the rest of the bunch!
Bill: I wasn’t one of the ones you ran into at Ft. Lewis. I was stationed at Ft. Carson and never visited Ft. Lewis. If I had ran into you, I would have remembered someone from my own squad. I don’t forget someone I put a nickname on.
SR…You can burn off a whole lot of leeches in 2 months….and I would not have re-upped if they made me a General…..LT, I ran into Rex, Doc, and Larry Harper one afternoon at Ft. Lewis, but they did not remember me. ….I was an FNG and… boom….I was gone. That’s the way it goes. How is your wife doing after the accident?
dang bill–what a bummer tour–only 2 months. you make the big time as a grunt then miss out on some of the memorable benefits. from what i heard-remfs had to pay mama-sahn to wash their cloths. we got ours washed for free–all day long,sometimes weeks, during monsoons.we didn`t have to wait in mess hall lines,we had our food right with us–unless the resupply bird was a few days late–but hey, no sense spoiling us.dang,only 2 months–didn`t get to pick or burn off very many leeches in that short a time..only 2 months of free malaria pills ? how did you ever keep from re-upping ?
Hey you old Irishman,
Did you survive St Patrick’s Day? I’m sure you did as you are a pro and not one of those amateurs when it comes to some of that stuff. I was stationed at Lewis from January 1971 to I believe Sep 1974. Surprised our paths never crossed! It is a small world sometimes but others not. I would have thought you would have gladly traded your wounds for a few months more of “mild” discomfort and Beans and Meatballs.
Take Care of Yourself Brother!
Hi Bill…..Yes I went back to the world. Spent a few months in the hospital then finished up my two years at Fort Lewis. It was a lot tougher for guys like you… staying in the field…..sleeping without a bed…eating out of cans…not knowing what was going to happen next……I was very lucky…Hope everybody hat a happy St. Patrick’s day.
Bill,
Where you shipped home after these wounds. If so a tough ticket home.
I was hit in the stomach and both thighs after being in- country just a bit over two months. I consider myself extremely fortunate that I did not have to do a full one year tour……. It is hard to believe it is 41 years…..May God bless the dead, the wounded, and the survivors.
lt—yes–casualties were near 20 from those booby traps–41 yrs ago today, on a hill we never should have went up.
Guys!
Today is a day that will last in infamy in the history of C/2/1! RIP David Walden. Wayne Peagler and Ga! God Bless all the others who were wounded and hope you continue to recover! Never forget the day!!!
finally back in AZ where i now have weeds all over the place. at least it ain`t bamboo. terry, next time my dear wife suggests a florida visit i will be on her AWOL list.
lt–i have a couple arm scratches but nothing like a hump thru elephant grass.how did roger rate a medevak ? i had the “runs” for 5 days in may of 70 in hiep duc A.O.–doc said 1 more day then i could get a medevak .of course then the pills finally kicked in and no sham time–typical grunt luck.
hope tai is getting better–dishwashing can be rough on officers, or so i heard.
chuck still swinging from his 1 inch vines ? he gains any more weight he`ll need steel wire rope, not vines.
got news today that rick perkins–C-2/1, 1st platoon, got there 22 NOV 70–is going back to the V.A. hospital in dayton ohio and probably will be transferred up to cleveland V.A. again. he now has a heart monitor from his febuary surgery in cleve V.A.his ticker ain`t workin all that good. i suggested he get a mental monitor also.
Ben and Marilyn,
Tai got the lovely get well card you sent her today. Thankn you so much for your uplifing thoughts. It answered my question as to whether or not you were still in Florida or not. I don’t remember where you said your daughter was at in cheesehead land but if you are going to be anywhere close to us please stop in as we would love to see you both. I am already doing and have been doing the housework and dishes for a long time.
Love to you both!
It’s Festival time on PBS (fundraising). Tonight they featured the Folk song era, many of which were war protest songs. As the video scanned the audience, I looked for myself and noticed the innocence on the faces of the young men. We crossed that line and became part of the War Machine – forever changed. They also played video of the same groups performing today and as they panned the audience there were old men crying. I imagine they had feelings similar to mine. We had a unique experience (sometimes painful). We are a unique brotherhood. Love you all, Brothers.
Larry, lucky you! I’m talking September, reunion time, good time to get away before our year around rain starts again.
Terry: What’s your Texas time. I will be back down at Port Aransas, TX in one month.
I guess the fact Chuck was wounded a bit lower put a crimp in everybody’s typing skills, or we are just identifying. Anyway, the weather in Seattle is wet (surprise) but not white so Spring is on the way and that means fishin’ season is fast upon us and I’m happy. Soon it will be Texas time, looking forward to that!