God Bless
Posted on 05/13/2017 3:21:41 AM PDT by Chainmail
Thank God we still have Marines! Welcome home!
Thank you Sir, and God bless.
What kind of round do you think hit you? The way you describe it it doesn’t sound like you were hit with a Ak 7.62 x39. Sounds like you were hit with something larger.
Thank you for your service and your story. Too many of our generation were oblivious to the reality of what was happening in Vietnam Nam. We need more stories from those who served, as a reminder of our complacency at home, in the face of Communist aggression. Our political leaders failed us and our Media manipulated the masses into abandoning one of the most respected goals of our country, freedom. Again, thank you, Sir. I humbly apologize for any mistreatment you may have received at the hands of the ‘snowflakes’ of the past.
Tremendous account of combat, up-front and personal! Its amazing how combat will change a Man’s outlook on life! Everyday battles are Chronicles of Heroics, Loss and Camaraderie! Always, the ending is the same: “I’m sure glad I survived” and “I’d give anything to serve with those brave Men again”!
I found, most comforting, the description of your captured, wounded, enemy assisting in your evacuation. I”ll bet you would love to know what happened to him.
Thanks!
Terry L Walker
CWO5
Marine Gunner
USMC Retired
1974-2008
Thank you and God bless you.
Still have it - it has hurt to some degree for the 50 years and about 30 years ago I had a large blood vessel blow out in the wound site - but I still made it through 24 years more of the Marines, including lots and lots of 3 mile runs.
Have to be stubborn, I guess...
Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.
Thank you for your service and sacrifices Marine. Welcome home.
God Bless and Thank you Sir
And mcnamara
Thank you.
Welcome home.
Yesterday is was 46 years that I left Vietnam. Never saw combat.
all CAR awardees are my heroes.
Semper Fi.
God Bless You, FRiend, and thank You.
God Bless
Yeah, but had LBJ pulled out of ‘Nam, McNamara wouldn’t even be part of the discussion.
mac’s deadly deeds were already done
Thank you, Sir, for your sacrifice 50 years ago, but also for sharing your story today. What you have shared with us today will touch more lives than you can imagine.
Thanks for sharing your story...and being willing to fight for freedom...hope your health is good and you live to tell this story over and over.
Although I;m a vet, I have nothing to tell that can compare with your experience. Thank you.
I celebrated my birthday this week, and the 40th anniversary of my first ARTEP as a Chaparral Platoon Leader.
"Celebrate" might seem an odd adjective, considering I flunked it. However, it was a defining experience in my life. The morning of the ARTEP, I was installed as the platoon leader, in addition to the platoon I had led for four months.
For weeks afterward, the fecal matter rolled down on my head. Finally, I got irritated enough to tell my BC, I get it, but if it's all on me, then stay the hell out of my way and let me do my job.
Over the next 18 months, I took 3 more platoons successfully through their ARTEPS, including one with 3 "Acting Jack" squad leaders.
It wasn't unusual for me to get off on the wrong foot with my superiors. However, once they saw how I applied myself and how I worked with my NCOs, we usually got along great. I really got off to a rocky start with my last Battalion Cdr in Germany...lol. However, we ended up getting along so well that I went to work for him back at Fort Bliss as his Operations Officer.
Unlike you, my stories are interesting only to me, but the lessons I learned from them have enriched my life.
I never saw combat, either. Closest I got to it was as an Augmentation Reserve Force commander for a local Nike Hercules site. Basically, it consisted of taking 40 air defenders who hadn't undertaken small arms tactics since Basic Training, issuing live ammo to them, and conducting an exercise inside the security perimeter where nuclear weapons were stored.
In addition to that, it was observed by evaluation teams from USAREUR or Department of the Army.
During my last of 6, I got into it with the team chief, a Lt Colonel. Once notified, we had four hours to assemble, train, and move the 40 men with two towed Vulcans to the site. I felt pretty good, we got there 30 minutes early. The team chief disagreed with me, and I was incredulous. He didn't like my explanation, that I held them back for extra training. I think my reasoning was logical and understandable.
At the outbriefing for this nuclear surety inspection, the Nike Herc battery's entire chain of command was there, all the way to the Deputy CG of 32nd AADCOM. The team chief made one last comment about my ARF's "late" arrival, which elicited muffled laughter from the officers of the NH battery: i.e. if that's all he had, everything was golden...for them.
When the team left, BG Archie Cannon went up to the podium, looked directly at me and said, "Lieutenant, I'll take that hit for you. Anytime you want to give your soldiers extra training, you have my permission."
That made everything...golden...lol.
Recalling all the things that could have gone wrong during those six missions, I'm exceedingly grateful, no one was ever injured, nor was a round ever discharged.
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