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Thanks LT. I was just thinking about that the other day.
Bill,
That’s a hard one to answer! That probably might have been a target but it wasn’t a rule. I guess a lot of it depended upon attrition and the needs of the field units vs staff jobs in the rear. When you add up my total time in the field with various rear postions I held it came out to be that or maybe just a little more field time. I would bet there were LTs that might have spent their whole tour in the field.
LT,
I have a question for you. When I was there 11/68-11/69 the word was officers only got six month in the field and six in the rear. Do you know if that was true?
hope this finds the Harpers out of reach of the raging Wildfires
Ni wildfires here. I live on the plains and no trees. It is just flat and dry here. Thanks for your thoughts.
Click here: Hmong pilots saluted in Maplewood – TwinCities.com —not sure if this will work–might need to email me for the link if interested. back in 2,000 we had a company reunion in the twin cities and went to a hmong restaurant for dinner. still not sure what we ate, but was better than most C-rats. liberty willie helped put that reunion togther–R.I.P. willie
Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads, Grandpas and Great Grandpas out there! Enjoy your Day!!
Lt it sure is nice when you can eat the good stuff again. Glade your feeling better.
Gall bladder is gone! All seems well! Look forward to no pain after eating greasy food!
Rick: Were you with C Co. when we went to the DMZ in early ’71? We had a medic whose name I think was Yubeta. He was with 3rd platoon at the time he got hit and had to give himself an IV. I’d like to find him, but am unsure of the spelling of his name or his first name or where he was from. I think it was either Tucson or El Paso.
Does anyone else know who I’m talking about?
Gary,
No, I don’t know. I got there towards the end of the year. One of the problems that we all had was the fact that sometimes we didn’t even know the real names of the Grunts that we served with. I knew guys named, “Truck Driver”, “Dallas”, etc. Most of the medics were known as “Doc”. I only remember the name of two of our medics. One name was McManus. I replaced a Company medic named (I think), Jung at Cco. I was with Cco when we went to Phu Bai (Hill 180), and also when “Heavy” was killed.
Jung treated me in the field for an eye infection and celluitis on my leg. My squad did the( LZ) for the day Heavy was KIA and I think 3 WIA. No real LZ. They couldn’t land too many trees and taking fire. 3 WIA went first extracted by cable. Then they wouldn’t come back for Heavy, taking to much fire. Some Colonel heard and sent his chopper in. Hooked Heavy up and we hauled ass out of there.
Jim,
I remember that day like it was yesterday. It’s funny how some things stay with you and other things seem to fade. Seems to me that it wasn’t long after that we were moved to Phu Bai and were told that we were going to be trucked to a hilltop small fire base, (Hill 180)? A couple of the grunts asked why we were being trucked, when Grunts walk to where they are going. Soon after that, there was a story in US newspapers that a unit refused to deploy to a site in Vietnam. Unbelievable!
rick–by any chance–did you know a “doc” kavasne who was in C-2/1 –i think in late 71 or early 72. i met him in cleveland ohio some years back. not sure about the spelling of the last name.
S.R,
I’m not sure of the name. I was a platoon medic and then moved to Company Aidman towards the end. I continued on as Company Medic till they stood down “Gimlet”.
My Grunt Platoon SGT was SSG Murtland, and C 2/1 Commander was CPT Cato.
Rick,
Medics had a most difficult MOS for which I send my deepest thank you. Was fortunate I never needed one in 54 weeks in the field but it was a big comfort knowing they were there.
Thank you for all your years of service.
Bill,
Its great that you made it as long as you did without needing a medic. I know of too many that weren’t as lucky. I think about them (and ALL of my brother grunts), every day. My only regret is that I didn’t keep in touch with many of them.
Thank you for that, Bill. I was a combat Medic with Charlie Company right up to the bitter end. When our unit was transformed into 1 final Batallion. I believe the term was Operation “Gimlet”. I thought that when they finally stood that down, I might go home, but, no, they sent me to The Hospital in saigon till I reached the end of my tour. What a difference that was, going from the Grunt Life to the Hospital. I ended up staying in Maneuver units till I retired in 1992. Thanks, also Jim, for reminding me how much a simple shower changed our outlook.
Jim,
That is what makes us brothers with each other and every “grunt” in every war ever fought.
As far as remembering stuff. As a 90mm guy, I was not in the field all the time. I didn’t see as much s…t as you guys who were out there all the time. I saw some and was in the mdidle of some. But, i can honestly say, that, home 42 years now (back in the world as we used tos ay) and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of something from Vietnam. Other than jumping at every loud noise (to this day) and one or two “flashbacks” I came through pretty much OK but still, not a day goes by that something doesn’t trigger a memory; sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes just appreciating icewater and daily shower.
Larry,
I didn’t see Dan Roczniak on the Taps list yet!
I have finally got the Taps and KIA list corrected and updated. If anyone sees any errors or omissions, please let me know.
I want to thank LT Ruesch for his generous donation to the web site and another to the Rimmer Scholarship fund. Postage and paper to send reunion notices and internet expenses do add up. You ended a long drought, thanks again, Ken!
NBC Dateline tonight, 8:00 Central, is the Tracie Richter case I mentioned a while back. Local people we know.
Well said Short Round!
May God Bless all veterans and may our dead brothers rest in peace.
chuck–remember that phone cal you were gonna give me, about 6 months back ? well my phone has been turned off the last 2 months, so don`t call now.
gary–in a sense i know what you mean. as i/we get older we realize more and more what the grunts that paid the ultimate price–are now missing–never had the chance to live thru to a full life–and all that goes thru life–good times and not so good times. it`s life, though good, brings with it a heavier burden of grief over the years, for the brother grunts not here. hope i expressed this ok. rest in peace to those not here.
Yeah, I don’t want to forget either and I don’t want anyone else to forget too. Of course, they will with the passage of time. Within 100 years, there won’t be anybody alive anywhere on earth who remembers us personally and all we living and dead Veteran’s of Vietnam will slip into permanent obscurity.
But, sometimes remembering is like a burden I’d like to lay down for awhile.
I shed tears every memorial day, not only for the guys we lost there and many afterwards but also for the current group of soldiers and marines who lead the current day fight. It takes a strong man to go through 3, 4, and even 5 deployments leaving their families and risking their lives for what??? I watched 60 minutes tonight and saw the young soldiers who lost limbs, sight and suffered severe PTSD go on a trip back to Iraq to try and let go. The young PTSD guy featured was on a major guilt trip because his LT died and not him.
Gary, to answer your question, I never get weary of remembering and I NEVER want to forget the sacrifice of those who came home in caskets rather than Khakis. We have a whole new breed of those who gave the ultimate to remember as well as our guys.
RIP brothers on this Memorial Day 2012!
It’s an interesting question, but one I understand. I really didn’t want to remember for 40 years, like many others. But then I was fortunate to be part of Ben’s scholarship presentation at the Oregon IL HS for the Doc Rimmer Senior Bronze Star awards.
I believe every one of us is deserving of this, but we received a standing “O” and hugs and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house after Ben and Gary’s presentation. That’s a game changer and it tells me this: Maybe we don’t want to remember, but I think we’d like somebody to remember what we did; the price we payed, and surely our brothers who payed the ultimate price….. And guess what….they really, really want to remember.
It is our legacy and at this point in time and in our lives, we are arguably the only ones that can keep those memories and that legacy alive. And I believe we can do more of Ben’s work through CharlieGrunts.
till we get Alishimer’s
Memorial Day always makes me wonder: Does anyone else sometimes just get weary of remembering?
Happy Memorial Day to all yall…… A special thanks to all that layed down their lives for us…
Bill Shepherd:
It would be an interesting coincidence if there was a second Jim Armstrong in Charlie Company.
I was third platoon leader from the begining in 1965 until after Camp Drum.
My time in Vietnam was mostly in Hq and A 2/1, again third platoon, “Fighter Alpha Three-Six” if anyone remembers the early call signs.
could you e mail the password for viewing roster sorry i forgot. lt shepherd
jim armstrong i believe you were my rto i thought you were wounded when marty tripped the bobytrap that wounded me,him, our medic and several others day after thanksgiving 69.good to hear that you are ok lt shepherd
LT:
Both Bill Porath and Don Hooper were in my squad. Don came to my squad after the booby traps about wiped out my squad when we lost Bill Connley, Eduardo Martinez, and others. Don came in with Jim Grose and Dwight O’Brien. Don was at the Decatur reunion in 2006.
Bill came to my squad in late January or early February, 1970. And, yes I gave him his nick name “Doofâ€. That’s another story for later. I would love to see Doof and I hope he can go to the Rapid City reunion.