|
04-Nov-68 |
My first
week in country. I spent it having in country training. The weather is hot. |
|
05-Nov-68 |
I am at
Camp Bear Cat. We had attended classes for security and censors. We went out on a night
ambush and got bit by mosquitos. On 06-Nov-68 I will leave for my regular company. I
ordered some supplies from home, knife, oil stone, and small tools. |
|
09-Nov-68 |
The
weather is hot. There are lots of mosquitoes. Thursday we went out in choppers and set up
in a village. At night we set up an ambush on the dikes. In the afternoon we went swimming
in bomb craters. I ordered fizzies and suntan lotion from home. |
|
10-Nov-68 |
The
weather is hot. The rest of the squad went out on an ambush. I got to watch a boxing
match. |
|
15-Nov-68 |
The
weather is about the same. I had bunker duty. We went out last night and walked in waist
deep mud. |
|
18-Nov-68 |
The
weather is hot during the day and cool at night. Half of the Company went out in the
morning and shot eight VC. The rest of us went out at night to join up. One VC opened up
on the whole Company. One guy got a scratch on his shoulder. |
|
20-Nov-68 |
The
weather is hot during the day and cool at night. We spent a couple of days in the field
with very little time off. |
|
21-Nov-68 |
The
weather is about the same. Everyone is bitching about the mail service. I have to carry an
air mattress to the field. The first time out it got two holes in it. They gave me some
patches to fix it. I met a fellow from Clearfield PA and we talked about home. Half of the
company went out in the AM. The rest of us were supposed to meet up with them in the PM.
Everybody in came and we got two days off.
|
|
24-Nov-68 |
There is
a typhoon in DaNang. We just got back from a three-day Bushmaster. We humped a 50-caliber
machine gun and a 1,000 rounds. We went out on the tracks. We stole some sanpans and took
the 50 across the river. The motor burned up in the sanpan. We found a guy without ID. He
spit on the radio and got ruffed up. We set up for the night and watched for sanpans. Saw
nothing. We rode home on the tracks
|
|
28-Nov-68 |
We came
back from a three-day Bushmaster. We were supposed to check for weapons and an ammo plant.
|
|
30-Nov-68 |
The
weather is cloudy and cool. Thanksgiving it rained all day. On 29-Nov-68 we went out on
Eagle flights. We went across the river and found a lot of bunkers. We blew all of them
up.
|
|
03-Dec-68 |
The
weather is hot, with no breeze. On Sunday we left for a three-day Bushmaster. One group
set up by the river and I got to sleep in a pig pen. We did a cordon and search with an
ARVN company the next day. We had 150 VC trapped, but our orders got changed and we went
back in.
|
|
08-Dec-68 |
The
weather is hot. On Wednesday we went out on Eagle flights. We walked the paddies for nine
hours. Delta Company spotted five VC so we went to help them. We were supposed to have
Thursday off, but we went out at 0600 for Eagle flights. We set up along a river and three
of us went out on an LP for the night. We had a major drag us out to the woodline. The
next day we went out on a 48-hour Bushmaster. We discovered a VC area with numerous
bunkers. We called in a demo team to blow the bunkers. We found numerous trails, and a
tracker team was called in but didn’t find anything. Found an old lady with a store
and we cleaned her out. There is a new Tiger scout in the Company. We found a bunch of
papers but the Tiger scout said they are just doctor’s receipts.
|
|
11-Dec-68 |
The
weather has been the same with nice breezes. We went out on Eagle flights for the day. We
had two landings. One was in an area we were just in. The second was in a woodline near
the base camp. We did not see anything. CBS-TV was in the air taking pictures. Tomorrow
they are supposed to be on the ground with us.
|
|
18-Dec-68 |
We went
to an old ARVN base camp (Thu Thua) that was overrun in April. We were fixing it up and
repairing the burm. We went out on Eagle flights and it turned into an overnighter. Nobody
took anything with them to be out overnight. We went to the Plain of Reeds.
|
|
21-Dec-68 |
We went
out on a 48-hour Bushmaster but came back after one day. We set up in the bend of the
river. At night the Navy got ambushed by VC and we were in the middle. It wasn’t much
fun being shot at by the Navy.
|
|
23-Dec-68 |
We went
out on an Eagle flight. First the Air Force bombed the place then the Artillery shelled
it. We went in and found one POW. Nothing but mud and water. We had to wait an hour and
half for the choppers. We didn’t return to the base camp until 2000.
|
|
25-Dec-68 |
Christmas.
The weather is overcast and humid. Eight Donut Dollies came to camp and sang songs. The
Platoon leaders handed out packages from the Red Cross. The word is some people will get
to see Bob Hope.
|
|
27-Dec-68 |
The
weather is cloudy, lightning and it looks like rain. Yesterday, we went out on a Medcap
with Doc Neaglin. We joined with the rest of the Company and did a Cordon and Search with
the ARVN’s. On the way back in we got ambushed by the VC. We lost two tiger scouts
and a Sargenant. More people were wounded. We called in gunships to help out. The
ARVN’s searched the village and found five dead and one POW. They got credit because
they were hit earlier. I went to see Bob Hope in Dong Tam.
|
|
29-Dec-68 |
The
weather is cloudy with lots of humidity. We lost the CO on 28-Dec-68. We went out o a
Medcap with Doc. He treated two old ladies. Tomorrow we go back to Tan Tru.
|
|
03-Jan-69 |
The
weather is terrible, cloudy and rain. New Year’s eve we went out on Eagle flights and
a 48-hour bushmaster. The first night we had two VC come up on us and in the fire fight we
lost a man, had a man wounded and got one VC. We moved back and got mortared. Another fire
fight broke out and the VC shot up a bunch of equipment. The next night we set up and
didn’t see anything until 0500. They turned out to be an ARVN ambush of 30 men.
|
|
06-Jan-69 |
Rainy
weather, today is nice. 05-Jan-69 we went out on Eagle flights and made three landings. We
did not find anything but several bunkers. Lots of mud and water. I get to pull road guard
duty for one week.
|
|
08-Jan-69 |
The past
two nights the VC attached the base camp. I walked the road with nothing exciting
happening.
|
|
09-Jan-69 |
The
weather is nice and sunny. On the road with two others and an ARVN.
|
|
12-Jan-69 |
It rained
today. 11-Jan-69 a VC was setting up a boobie trap on the road and blew himself up. He was
a tax collector and had not collected any taxes since October 1967. Artillery was shooting
leaflets to the villages.
|
|
18-Jan-69 |
The
weather is nice and windy. We were not supposed to go out yesterday. The rest of the
Company went out and they couldn’t find chopper time to bring them back. But they
found time to take us out. We had to walk back in the next day.
|
|
21-Jan-69 |
The
weather is the same. I spent the day cleaning weapons in the supply room.
|
|
31-Jan-69 |
The
weather is cloudy. We went out on Eagle flights. We found two ammo caches. At the first
one we found numerous full magazines for an AK-47. We also found clothes and a rifle. At
the second we found six full cans of AK ammo, two cans of machine gun ammo and other junk.
We had a steak and beer party the night before.
|
|
01-Feb-69 |
The
weather is nice, reminds you of an autumn day at home.
|
|
05-Feb-69 |
The
weather is about the same. Sunday we went out on an ambush with the CO. We spotted eight
VC but did not get any kills. We had to walk back on Monday. Yesterday we went out on
Eagle flights. We made two landings but did not find anything. Then last night we went out
on an ambush.
|
|
06-Feb-69 |
The
weather is cool. On detail this morning and got the night off. There are rumors of the 9th
going home in July.
|
|
07-Feb-69 |
The
weather is hot during the day and cool at night. Last night we went out on a last minute
ambush. We didn’t go too far. The base camp got hit with 36 mortar rounds. Most hit
outside the wire. We got a new generator.
|
|
09-Feb-69 |
The
weather is about the same. Last night we were on ready reaction. We all went to the flick
and got drunk. We can’t sleep in the houtches anymore. We have to sleep in bunkers or
on the burm. I started carrying the radio. There are only 15 left who can go to the field.
|
|
10-Feb-69 |
Yesterday
we went out with only ten people. We spotted four NVA who crossed a creek. The choppers
picked us up and took us to the other side. The guy in front of me set off a boobie trap.
I got hit in the arm (twice) and in the right eye. We got dusted off to the Third Field
Hospital. The doctor said the war is over for me. |
