It all began as a misunderstanding.
Second Platoon was flown into a firebase on a "shit hook" where we were supposed to CA out & join up with the rest of Delta Company. We were advised that there would be a case of beer & a case of Coke waiting for us on the chopper pad.
Well they weren't waiting! We searched for the Redlegs to have a word with them, but they seemed to have disappeared. Finally, we found a Redleg Captain, who was indignant that we could even suggest that Artillery would steal anything from Grunts!
Then we noticed 2 cases of beer on the side of the chopper pad with a tag attached to them. The tag read,
"Major Reich! RUSH! 1/501!." WOW! Major Reich must have heard what those naughty Redlegs did to us & rushed 2 cases of beer out to us! I guess he couldn't find any Coke but it's the thought that counts. I have to say that it really did amaze us that the Major took time off from his strenuous duties, supervising saluting back at Sally, to send us the beer. What a guy!
We CA'd out of the firebase and hooked up with the rest of the company in the foothills a little south & west of Sally. Almost immediately we stumbled across a well supplied hooch. We grabbed the 2 "civilian" gooks who were taking care of the pigs, chickens, rice, etc. There was a little confusion while this was going on, there was sporadic fire, and some gooks might have gotten away. In the middle of this Major Reich must have changed his mind about giving us the beer! (Indian giver that he was!) He was calling on the radio, numerous times, while we were sweeping the area, demanding it back! He ended up causing even more confusion, since the Captain didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about. The Major actually threatened that we would never get resupply in the field again!
We were really disappointed in the Major! What was with this bipolar attitude? But he did rush the beer out to us to begin with (right?) so we felt a little sorry for him.
Since we had to kill the livestock anyway & knowing his Arian heritage, we decided to send one of the dead pigs back for him along with the 2 detainees. Just so he would know that it was us who had sent him the present of the pig, we attached the tag he had put on our beer. Someone with a less than refined sense of humor wrote on the back of the tag "A Swine for a Swine".
You know, Major Reich never even thanked us for that pig!
Nick & The Snake!
Second Platoon had set up in a tree line between 2 rice paddies for the night. The rain
was heavy, you couldn't tell where the land ended & the rice paddies began. Everything & everyone was soaking wet.
Needless to say, there was a bit of excitement after that. And when Nick told his tale of night terror, the platoon went into hysterics! From that day forward, Nick was always advised of any frog sightings in his vicinity.
Nick (Nicholas Garcia) extended his tour 2 months to get an early out from the Army. Nick was killed April 22, 1969, by a
misplaced artillery round, on a hilltop somewhere near firebase Bastone. April 22 was the day Nick was scheduled to return to the
world before he extended his tour.
Mad Dog!
It's so fucking boring around here during the day.
Our squad was pulling guard at the Navy ramp in Hue. This was one of the duties that went with stand down at Co Co Beach. We liked to volunteer for this detail because of the great nightlife at the ramp. Boom boom girls, weed & all the free beer you could drink! They actually unloaded the beer off LST's & left it there for us to guard! But the days were hot, dusty & boring.
A few of us were hanging out by one of the smaller walk in gates, just bull shitting around, when we noticed 5 or 6 Navy guys. They were running around between the hooches, yelling & carrying on. It looked like a conga line from hell! They seemed to be running one behind the other, sweating & staggering from the heat. They were all armed with some type of weapon or other. I saw a shot gun, an M14, a club, and one guy had a meat cleaver!
Now this looked interesting!
As they passed behind the hooch nearest us, a dog ran out from the other side of the hooch, right past us, through the gate into the street.
They were chasing a dog!
The swabbies told us it was a mad dog & they were trying to kill it. We told them "We can do that for you! That's what we do best!" So we set our sights on the mutt.
Now, across the street from the ramp is the University of Hue. The University had been closed down since Tet & was being used by the military. The dog was up against the 6 foot concrete wall that ran around the University, right at one of the 2 openings on this front section of the wall. At the same moment that 2 of us let loose with short bursts, the dog scooted around the wall & a Navy Ensign came ditty bopping through the opening. He did a little jig (no fooling!) with dirt kicking around his feet & smoke puffing off the wall to the side of him. I couldn't believe it! Missed the dog & the Navy guy!! Definitely had to resight my weapon!
The Ensign ran across the street & stopped right in front of us. Red faced, body trembling, his mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out! In order to help him focus his thoughts, I pointed at the Navy dudes, who were slowly backing away, & said, "They told us to do it!"
Now this he could handle!
Without a backward glance he descended on the hapless seamen. We moseyed off to the bunker at the main gate to see if anything was going on.
It's so fucking boring around here during the day.
Harvey Sullivan
D/1/501
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