I knew a guy who was killed the day after he arrived in country (in Nam).
There is an old saying: If you are going to get killed, it’s better to get killed the day after you arrive than the day before you leave.
RIP.
Man that’s cold.
True, but cold.
We had two guys arrive from Danang and arrive in our battery area the same day they arrived in country.
For some incomprehensible reason, those two were sent out on our afternoon security sweep. Within just a few minutes, their squad was taken under fire (our local VC used our patrols for training) with at least three machine guns using different colored tracers.
One of the two new guys jumped up to be with his buddy and ran the 40 meters or so to be with his buddy, while we yelled at him frantically to get down. He jumped up just as he got to where his buddy was crouching and one bullet hit him through his upper leg.
It was a simple through and through, no major vessels hit, no bone - but he was medevaced out again - less than 24 hours in Vietnam!
He didn’t spend enough time to qualify for the Vietnam Service Ribbon - but he got his Purple Heart!
“I knew a guy who was killed the day after he arrived in country (in Nam).”
I was in basic at Ft. Polk and training at Tigerland when I read “Johnny Got His Gun”.