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| Vietnam diary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 	This is my memory of major events of my days and nights in Vietnam. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On Aug. 9 1965 I embarked on board the USS Vernon County LST 1161 at Naha. Okinawa arrived and disembarked at Chi La, South Vietnam on Aug. 16.1965. I participated in the following major operations: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ;"Starlight" 18th Aug to Aug. 24th 65 "Piranha" 6th Sept. to 10th Sept 65 "Black Ferret" 3rd Nov. to 5th Nov.65 "Harvest Moon" 17 Dec. to 21 Dec. " Long Lance" 5th Jan. to 8th Jan.66 " Mallard" 10 Jan. to 18th Jan. 66 " New York" 4th Mar. to 7th Mar. 66 "Troy' 8th Mar. to 11th Mar.66	 |
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| I will try to recall as much as I am able to. On Starlight I was on an LSD and early in the morning after arriving on site overnight we got on a Amtrac or as they were called floating coffins and headed for the beach, after landing and finding no resistance we moved inland. I was caring a heavy PRC 10 (a radio used to call in artillery fire if needed.) All of a sudden all hell broke loose our column was receiving incoming small arms fire then recoilless rifle fire and mortars. Then a 57 round hit the turret of the tank as a mortar landed on top of the Amtrac in front of us and it killed a Lt. as the only thing I saw was his helmet turned inside out. We returned fire and took cover as best we could. I thought hey they are trying to kill us. At that moment it became clear that all that training was not the same as the real thing, it was not even close. We took care of where the incoming fire came from. That night as we prayed we would make it another day as an aircraft called "Smoky the Bear" dropped flares to light up the black sky. The rest of the battle has all melted into that first day and night. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ;On "Piranha" it was just down the beach from "Starlight" I was with NGF and FAC (Naval Gun Fire and Forward Air Control) So I just saw some small incoming fire as we worked together to call in our fire and close air support. We had found whole hospitals built underground. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ;On " Black Ferret" I was airlifted by chopper to a landing zone and set up a perimeter around the LZ with just small arms fire. Again I don't recall much as they all started to look the same we go out loose some and go back to where we started and gain nothing! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On " Harvest Moon" We landed in a sandy area just off of highway #1 and set up camp. Then as night came so did the incoming mortars and as they did I had to run over 200 ft. of open space. I then took over a radio for 3.2 mortars to return fire as their radio operator had froze. He was unable to take a fire mission from the forward obser. Who was On the line. We finally got some return fire to silence the incoming fire. I might add that most of the times it was raining like hell and I don't think I was ever dry from that day on. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ;On "Long lance" Choppers from Danag airfield lifted us in. As we reached our landing zone. It was under fire by mortars so we were kicked out of the choppers as fast and safely as it could be done I remember trying to get out of the muddy rice paddy ASAP. As I tried to reach the dike I saw a mortar land 3 feet from me and as I jumped out of the way (a lot of good that would have done) it was a dud so I just got splashed with mud. As we started to move away from the LZ we were ambushed and hit pretty hard. The point did not notice the tree line marked by the VC so they knew when to open fire on us. That evening as I held a wounded Marine in my arms as we waited for the med. evac, from a LZ marked by sterno cans He passed away in my arms and only I was waiting for the chopper. The next day as we marched back from the where the operation began. Sgt. Harris was just in front of me when he steeped on a 155 land mine that knocked me on my ass as the Sgt. Was blown in half by the blast that allowed only the top half of him land right in front of me. He died a short time later and I will never forget the look on the chopper pilots face as the blades blew off the poncho that covered his remains. As we kept marching back we received small arms fire. We had to call in close air support when pined down by that fire. We even had to be air lifted C rations and ammo. at night as it was the only time they could take a chance doing it. The most I remember was all the dead VC bodies rotting in the hot sun and I can never get the stench out of my mind. The next day when we tried to get a body count we found none, so we looked for a mass grave about a 1/4 mile we found 18 pulled there with meat hooks. Nice way to treat their dead! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On "Mallard" I do not recall much as I was on sweeps daily between these operations. Every few days, I would go out with a company as artillery support. I remember on Christmas Eve. 1965. I spent the night in a rice patty humming a Christmas carol with another Marine as the warm rain fell during radio watch. That day we had received small arms fire from a hamlet called Hoe Voc. We then call HE fire to level the place. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On "New York" and "Troy' as I think they were one after the other or one into the other. We were airlifted to Hue / Phu Bai airfield. We were then airlifted by chopper to the north to engage the NVA . We were in and out of major firefights with close air support and my artillery being called in on them I also remember the big rounds from a battleship going over our heads. Then as we walk out I saw my first bombing from B52s on the mountain next to the one we were on it was scary to say the least. That is to see a green mount then it was brown as all the jungle was blown away. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| One day I was flown to a grunt company on hill 22 to go on a sweep the next morning. That was never to be as the VC hit us at 2am. While mortars fell they attacked the barbwire. To this day I don't how I was not hit or even scratched as I had to fight hand to hand (me or him forgive me God). The next day as we lined up the dead VC we found that one was their barber who cut their hair by day and tried to kill them at night, nice War! That's why that to this day I do not like a kid to point a toy gun at me. Why I hate getting wet in the rain, the sound of hueys or even gun salutes done at funerals. After all these years I still flinch as each round goes off. There were many patrols that I had been on that were daily firefights. I went on a night ambush that took us 3 hours to get to where we set up. It took us only 30 min. to get back to their CP in the daylight. All night as we were waiting to spring it we put up with leeches and the deep cuts we received from the elephant grass we had to grab to get down the slop. I had to hold too many wounded marines as we waited for the chopper. It hurts still to this day to know some who asked how they were I told them they would make it knowing I had lied. To this day I do not know if they made it or not as I was just sent with them for a patrol. I never got or took the time to find out and now it's to late! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chaplain Howard Flexer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USMC combat Veteran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| June 17 &; 18, 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Vietnam 65-66 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||