On 11 February I was sent to Fire Support Base Charlie 1 outside of Gio Linh, near the DMZ. 13 February my base was hit by a heavy ground attack at 2210 hours. We were in a TOC firing a time on target. My Captain was training me. Then NVA cut the wires to our radio and ANPRC-37. My Captain told me to give him my personal M-16. I told him to go get his own at our bunker. He told me to go to the top of the TOC with a Prick-25 to call artillery on the edge of our fire support base.
A South Viet Nam 1st Division soldier went with me with his carbine. A 4.2 mortar was firing flares over our base as well as other fire bases to keep us lite. I was calling in artillery to the edge of the fire base. The 1st Division soldier tapped me on my shoulder and pointed to the helocopter pad. An NVA had come though the bunkers and ran to the pad and saw the TOC. He started running toward us. I picked up my M-16 and shot at him and missed. I fired again and hit him and he blew up because of his satchel charge. All night NVA kept coming toward us and I perosnally killed 32 my third day in country.
The next morning I walked to the Southern edge of the fire base and saw a white person come out of the trees looking toward the fire base. I pulled my .45 and shot at him and the round kicked up dust at his feet. He pulled his own pistol and shot at me and just missed me. I gave him the finger and he gave me the finger and walked back into the jungle.
We were sent on a patrol just south of Fire Support Base Alpha-2. I was placed up the trail to take out the point man if he came back into the ambush site. About an hour later a point man came thorugh and walked up the hill. The main body of about ten porters came through the kill zone and the ambush was sprung. A few seconds later the point man came running back and I stood and fired at him from eight feet away. Dust, blood, guts, uniform, bone and teeth got all over me.
When we got back to Gia Le. I was assigned to an I.O.S. system. An E-6 was placed in charge. It had 20 power ships binoculars, a lazer range finder, night observation devise and a diflection and azmiuth read out. We were sent to Fire Support Base Birmingham. One day a one star General showed up and wanted a briefing. The E-6 was not to be found and I gave the General the briefing. He looked thorugh the scope and spotted two VC on the hillside and I let him call in the fire mission. Later that day I was called back to Phu Bai and promotted to E-5 on the spot and give charge of the I.O.S..
I was asked to go look at Fire Support Base Arsenal to pick a site for our I.O.S.. I got to the fire base late in the afternoon, found a good location but it was too late to go back to Birmingham. Bad mistake. The fire base was hit hard by a ground attack. The NVA took out the number 6 gun with sappers and a mortar FO on top of the out house. Next day we went to push all the NVA back toward the fire base so the artillery could hit them. No luck, they were all gone.
We took the I.O.S. to Arsenal. Then to Fire Support Base A-4 or Con Tien as otherwise known. This base came under 122 Katashu rockets many times.
Then we took the I.O.S. to Fire Support Base Veghel. I then turned the I.O.S. over to the4 108th Group. Then I was asked to be a FO/RTO for the 101st LRRP Teams. This lasted about two weeks.
I was given the chance to fly for the 220th Bird Dogs out of Phu Bai Air Base. I flew as many as 5 three and a half hour missions every day. We flew artillery strikes, directed air strikes and did recon missions.
U2A3
&
T2A3
McChord
Air
Force
Base
At
Corning
Airport
Feb 8,
1970