Category: Vietnam

Elegant Tailor

A lot of Marines bought clothes, mostly suits and sport coats at a place like this around Da Nang. I got four. Three suits and a sport coat. Measured and tailored to my fit. They were made in Hong Kong. I had mine sent directly home. They fit perfectly and I wore them for years, all gone now as I've put a few pounds on. But my wife still remembers one of them and to this day kids me about the blue plaid suit. She didn't like it. She's probably right but I will never admit it. read more

Doc Hall

I just finished reading this week's (25/26 June) newsletter, and in response to "MARINE Jim McCallum's (the ole gunny)" post concerning corpsmen, I thought I'd share a photo of "Doc" Hall. He was the ranking corpsman assigned to Lima 3/7 during the approximately six months (late December '66 to early June '67) that I had the privilege of serving as that company's Artillery Forward Observer from India 3/11. With a little luck, maybe one of your readers also served with him, and can give me an update on him. read more

Operation Colorado

Operation Colorado, August, 1966, 1/5 and 3/5, and don't recall who all else. I had left MCRD SD with orders to Staging Bn, etc. earlier in the year… and a couple of other DI's that I knew got orders to the I-I staff with the Reserve Engineer company that was based at Fort Omaha… smallish installation, mostly brick buildings, probably has some interesting history. My pregnant wife and toddler daughter were to be well cared for, as her parents had plenty of room at their house in Omaha, basically just a mile or two up 30th from the Fort. So far, so good… then, on the 9th of August, somewhere northwest of Tam Ky, in the wee hours, we took mortar and recoilless rifle fire. Long story short, I managed to make an up close and personal connection with a few mortar fragments… not a BFD (although Joe B might have thought so), and it was what used to be recorded as "WIANE" or "Wounded In Action, Not Evacuated". (have hurt myself worse when shaving with a hangover… and a 'safety razor') However… I had neglected to check the "Do Not Notify NOK in case of… whatever… box on the old RED. (Record of Emergency Data) form… so… that meant the finely functioning bureaucratic chain would swing into action, because our Doc filled out a medical tag, generating a TWIX (Naval Message) to the Casualty Assistance folks nearest my NOK (Next Of Kin)… that being, of course, the I-I staff at Fort Omaha. These guys are Marines… and we take care of our own… goes without saying. Soooooo… when the TWX is on the message board first thing in the morning, the guys read it… and since it happens to be someone they know, they swing into action immediately!… by calling the house, identifying themselves, and asking my wife if she is going to be home later in the morning because they need to come talk to her… at about 06:30 in the morning… as she is standing there with my daughter hanging on to her nightgown, holding my by then six-day old son in her arms. They showed up in a sedan promptly at 0800. Wife has always referred to that period as the longest hour and a half in her life… had the name on the TWX been unfamiliar, I am sure that they (the CACO team) would have handled the situation in routine professional fashion… but when it's somebody you know… it's a little different. At the time, I could have gone full Gy Ermey on them… later, as an I-I, having to make injury/death notifications, gained a new understanding of one of the hardest assignments (IMHO) that the Corps can assign. read more

IOD Sites

Here is your intrepid editor standing watch at one of the IOD sites 40+ years ago. I don't remember which one. Actually I don't remember the names of any of them. I visited all of them over a 4 week period to help with comm issues. Does anyone remember the names of these hills with the IODs. There would be 8-10 grunts, a Sgt or SSgt and a Lt. Usually a couple of 60's and a .50 Cal., that was it. read more

Lieutenant Of Marines

By Bryan J. Lash

The sixties brought us many things: women's liberation, free love and draft dodgers. More importantly, America was involved in helping the fledgling democratic Republic of Vietnam withstand attempts from the Communists of North Vietnam to conquer them militarily. America sent its bravest and brightest to assist and train the Vietnamese. Unfortunately, history will probably show that most Americans opposed this action. This is a story that chronicles the experiences of one man's journey to be a U.S. Marine during this time in history. It covers his time as a boy, through college, to leading the world's finest fighting men in combat. He discovered many life lessons along the way, not the least of which was the real meaning of the famous Marine motto: Semper Fidelis.
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After the Rush

After the Rush represents author Lanny Martinson's debut into the literary world. His gritty, tell-it-like-it-is style leaves little to the imagination in his no-holds-barred account of a young man's journey into manhood. Although the book is fiction, it's based on actual events experienced by the author or his fellow Marines who served in the Vietnam War.  read more

Into DaNang Without A Pass

One pic of DaNang Airbase. The other two are from inside DaNang city limits. E5 and below were not allowed into DaNang without a pass. But formalities are not a problem for my buddy LCpl DJ Huntsinger, later SSgt. He invited me to go to DaNang with him. Sounds great let's go. We get a few hundred yards from the gate to DaNang and he says we need to wait here. I say wait for what. A ride he says. He finally tells me what he is about to get me into. Being a dumbazs LCpl also, I agree. read more