lighten up Francis
Posted on 03/13/2018 1:03:37 PM PDT by Chainmail
Some of you asked me to write some more about my experiences all those years ago. This one is about a close call and my memories of it.
Well, yeah... Wasn't my writing clear enough?
Were we in the habit of only wearing black shorts and carrying submachineguns around our neck?
Hint: we wore green utility uniforms, flak jackets and helmets pretty much full time..
I kind of figured. Sorry for my stupid question.
Thank you for that part of your story. My dad had PTSD from WW2. He was part of the Stalag Left 3 Death March as the Russians advanced. The POWs were marching through snow and were told not to stop for anything or anyone. One fallen man grabbed my dad’s pant leg, but my dad had to keep going or be shot. He kept going, but that man haunted him for the rest of his days. Every time my dad was awakened by a noise, the fear in his eyes was heartbreaking. He passed 20 years ago and I still miss him. We civilians have no idea what young men in wars have experienced. Glad you are around to tell your story.
Thanks for your service and for sharing your story.
Good story. Thank you.
It’s interesting you describe it that way. My wife grew up in a tight ethnic community. There were a group of “uncles”, probably eight or nine of them. Never married, or divorced after a short time.
This group met almost every night at the local vets club. They all held good jobs and never caused any troubles. They were active in the church, doing the grunt work for festivals and doing whatever was needed for the poor and sick. They all died under 70 from a variety of self inflicted causes.
It wasn’t until I asked an inlaw what was the deal with these guys. He told me they all went off to the Pacific or Korea. They never really came home is what he said.
It was heartbreaking.
lighten up Francis
“I wonder what the dog felt, having a .45 fired right over his face.”
“Oh - that’s nothing compared to having a 7.62 round coming in over my face!”
I’m guessing with all of the loud noises on the battle field - a pistol going off in your ear is probably not a whole bunch different than the rest of what you (and the dogs) had to deal with.
I wouldn’t know - thank you for your service. And your great story!
In high school we had a long-term substitute that had been in Vietnam. Every Friday he would spend half the class with his homemade slides and telling stories. (It WAS a history class...)
Sure. Sorry for my cranky response.
Takes a little out of you write about this stuff.
Thank you for your service.
A few minutes later, he was there in the cold with the sentries, arms at the ready, trying to figure out what the noises they were hearing intermittently meant. It seemed as if North Korean infiltrators were slowly creeping through the brush on the nearby hills and ravines to get into position for an attack. Yet searchlights directed at the menacing noises revealed nothing amiss, with neither troops nor animals nor civilians visible.
Should they nevertheless put the base on alert? Or should they take no chances and pepper the hillsides with gunfire? Or should they at least send up flares to get a comprehensive view of the scene? Or were they letting their imaginations run away with them?
Fortunately, my friend the young lieutenant called for a veteran NCO, who quickly came to the gate. After a moment of listening, the NCO declared that they were in no danger. It was just a bone-chilling cold front slowly moving in from Siberia. The noises they were hearing was the vegetation freezing as the cold air hit. A few minutes later, the front arrived as if the door to a deep freeze had opened and theyy had been shoved inside.
Hmmm.....You call names?
That says a lot about YOU, not me, sir! ;-)
I do not mind my own business if I feel that U. S. national security has been violated.
If nobody you ever heard of had to sign such papers then you are very low on the totem pole when it comes to security clearances.
Who is Francis?
Semper fi, good read. ;)
Well, you must have some good stories. It’s a shame you forgot them.
I am pretty sure that a story from a marine in a village is not divulging any secrets.
Maybe you know him as Psycho.
“Well, you must have some good stories. It’s a shame you forgot them.
I am pretty sure that a story from a marine in a village is not divulging any secrets.”
Our ‘enemies’ can glean information from any military story and our ‘enemies’ DO read FR.
Oh, a movie. That is why I have no idea of “Francis” or “Psycho”. I do not waste my time watching ridiculous movies. I have much better things to do with my time.
Got to hand it to you bro, 70 years old and a 15 year old kid must be driving you crazy...........LOL!
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