Khe Sanh Veterans Association Inc.
Red Clay
Newsletter of the Veterans
who served at Khe Sanh Combat Base,
Hill 950, Hill 881, Hill 861, Hill 861-A, Hill 558
Lang-Vei and Surrounding Area
Issue 55 Spring 2003
Incoming
In This Issue
Notes from Editor and Staff
Web Briefs
Short
Rounds
Memoirs In
Memoriam A Sprinkling
Of Your Poetry
We Get Mail
New Red Clay
Received my copy of the Red Clay yesterday. Boy, I am always astonished at the professional manner in which it is put together. Of all the organizations that I am a member of, your publication is by far the best. Keep up the good work. Don't know how you do it, but maybe you should raise our dues a couple of more $$$.
Ray Provencio
When I stopped at the mailbox on my way into the house tonight I was carrying a copy of a math book to brush up on algebra to help my little one. Low and behold here was my copy of the new Red Clay. Guess which one I read from cover to cover first? No homework tonight! Thanks Tom, Jimbo, and the rest of you fine contributors. I couldn't put it down.
Arty
Guys, That's another fine job all of you did on this issue of Red Clay. Keep up the good work.
Semper-Fi
Big John
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Dear Tom,
Thank you for all of the hard work you and the others do for the Khe Sanh Vets. It is a lot of work. Enclosed please find a check for my dues. I am the Widow of Donald J. Magilligan, Jr. When my husband died in 1989, he was doing heart transplants at the University of California at San Francisco. He was the Chief of Cardio-Thoracic surgery there.
Despite
all, he was able to accomplish, he always said that the most fulfilled
professionally he ever felt was while he served in Vietnam, especially at the
Khe Sanh Base. He was so proud to have been a Mud Marine. Our six children loved
to hear him say that.
Don would tell everyone how much he admired those young warriors. He said, "They did not do what they had to do for love of their God, or for love of country, but for love of each other." Taking care of those young Marines he considered a God- \ given gift. The Red Clay is enjoyed not only by myself, but also by my non-adult kids. It keeps us connected to something that was a big and fulfilling part of my husband's life. I enjoy it so! '
Respectfully,
Danette Magilligan
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Mr. Ernie Spencer,
I would like to take this opportunity to tell you how much I have enjoyed reading the Winter 2002, Issue 54 of Red Clay Newsletter. As a Life Member I have enjoyed all of the previous issues and especially the article "Uncommon Ground: The Marines and the US Army in I Corps." Somehow I missed the original article. Mr. Brush's treatment of the military doctrine problems between the services is accurate, and it high-lighted for me the misapplication of traditional Army conventional war doctrine to a unconventional type of war. Senior Marine strategists insisted that Khe Sanh had little tactical value, and that it was too difficult to support. Since General William Westmoreland was the Commander of American
Forces in Vietnam, alternate strategies put forth by Marine Commanders fell on deaf ears.
To their credit the Marines defended Khe Sanh with great honor, while the Army moved troops to Chu lai and Da Nang to replace Marines supporting Khe Sanh. Today's military historians give Marine, Navy, and USAF fixed and rotary wing aviation full credit, for their role in holding off General Giap's North Vietnamese Divisions that were destroyed in the Siege of Khe Sanh.
My mission during the Siege was to conduct round the clock close air support and air to ground bombing and rocket support to the Khe Sanh area and Hills 861 and 881 north and 881 south held by Marines. I was CO VMFA 323 "Snakes" flying F4 Phantoms out of Chu Lai. For two and one/half months our daily flight frag focused on Khe Sanh along with all other Marine fixed wing air. On 22 Jan 1968,1 was shot down leading a strike on a "suspected" anti-aircraft position southwest of Khe Sanh. Fortunately, my back seater Pete Brandon and I were picked up by a LTH-1 H Army Huey on a unrelated rescue mission, but that is another story.
On a related matter, I am on the Board of Directors of the Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial Park, and we are building a memorial dedicated to the men and women from the Western Slope and Colorado who served in the US Armed Forces during the War. From 1959-1975. All money donated by veterans of that war from anywhere in the U.S. are invited to participate. This memorial is being built by veterans for veterans. I am inclosing a pamphlet for your review. See our Web site www.gi.net/fieldofdreams for more info. The memorial will be dedicated on 4 July 2003.
I am forwarding a check to Tom Eichler for $100 for a Memorial and Remembrance Donation for all of the men that left their mark on the Red Clay of Khe Sanh.
Semper Fi
Harry T. Hagaman
B/Gen USMC, Ret
*****
First, please understand I am not a vet. I was not in the service and I was not at Khe Sanh in 67/68.1 want to make that clear because I know there are a whole lotta "wannabes" out there and I have come across two of them. No names.
It is by shear coincidence that I travel to Vietnam as often as I do and that I always end up in Quang Tri Province. My company was awarded the construction management of Highway 9 from Dong Ha to Lao Bao and as it happens just before my first trip there, I had read "After Tet," in which I learned for the first time the actual location of Khe Sanh and its proximity to Highway 9. So that is how all this began for me. But now, I have read every book about the hill battles and the Siege and impending battle and how you guys fought like hell. I have met and visited with Ray Stubbe in his home in Wisconsin and exchanged hundreds of letters. I have met Tommy Eichler in Chicago. I have had running and lengthy e-mails with Dennis Mannion and took the time last spring to find his letter home inscribed on the Vietnam memorial in NYC near Wall Street. I met Dennis over an e-mail scrap we had about fake dog tags that I bought during my first visit to KSCB.
I am a civil engineer by education, so geography and elevations, compass bearings, etc. are easy for me. I have a good sense of direction, so I can spot most things and ascertain my location so I am not totally useless in the bush.
I have crawled all over the Combat Base by myself and located the ammo dump that blew. I have found grenades and shrapnel and unexploded 105 and 155 shells. I have walked the entire length of the runway and I have sat on the perimeter next to the Rao Quan River manned by C/l/26 (Blue Sector). I have been able to spot and identify most hills occupied by USMC but have not been able to spend enough time over several days to actually explore the ville, the hills, and the valleys. I never have that much time. I want to stay two or three days in KS Ville at the hotel and will do that before the project is over.
I have come to admire all of you and I listen with keen interest to the various tales told. I am a member of the KS Vet organization out of respect for all of you and have made contributions to the magazine. I find all this very fascinating — it is living history. I am pretty sure of my bearings once there, but I could be mistaken from time to time as to landmarks. I am very pleased to relate my incidents to all of you and I will do my best to answer your questions and try to orient you based on what I see. So please do not hesitate to call me or relate your stories. If I can find your old positions, or bring back photos of the various places each time I go there, I will try my best. It's the least I can do. With sincere admiration for you and your comrades.
Gary W. Foster
Stanley Consultants, Inc.
225 Iowa Avenue
Muscatine, Iowa 52761
Tel: 563-264-6305
Fax: 563-264-6658
Home: 563-262-8705
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