View Full Version : The Rules of Engagement in Vietnam
Sparrowhawk
08-02-04, 12:41 AM
Found this in some historical disks I have been working on.
Now, they tell us the Rules of Engagements... LOL
Page 1
http://marines.bizland.com/image002.jpg
Page 2
http://marines.bizland.com/image002a.jpg
Page 3
http://marines.bizland.com/image003.jpg
Geee Whizzzz,
Now they tell me!!!!!!!!!!!! DUHhhhhhhhhhhhh
hrscowboy
08-02-04, 12:53 AM
what the H**l is this? I never heard of such a thing. Must be something new huh or maybe no body told us.....
Sparrowhawk
08-02-04, 01:09 AM
Another example...
http://marines.bizland.com/rules.jpg
Namvet67
08-02-04, 10:29 AM
Did you follow those rules Cook? This brings back some memories for sure.
Sparrowhawk
08-02-04, 10:46 AM
Originally posted by gbudd
Did you follow those rules Cook? This brings back some memories for sure.
Didn't need these rules when you did what you knew in your heart was right.
But our new 2nd Lieutenant in Nam every Sunday, in 1968; would call us together and read to us a scale down version of the Rules of engagement.
I don't remember what he said. But, I do remember what we practiced;
If they shot at us, we shot back, if civilians were in the way, they were killed or wounded, but it was war.
<hr>
I do remember yelling at a women running away from our patrol to stop, she kept running and I shot her legs out from under her. Our lieutenant was angry at me, and sent us out to search for her.
I was called to Battalion HQ's to give a reason why. The Village Chief was there and they wanted money for her wounds.
After they questioned me, I added that there two males also running with her and I had shot them as well. This caused an angry exchange between the Village Chief, the women's kinfolks and the Kit Carson scout assigned to 3/7.
Evidently the other two were NVA and had been buried by the village before they came to try and get paid for the women wounds (forgot what they called it). I believe the Marine Corps still paid her $250.00 according to our Command Chronologies reports of that incident.
Rules of engagement needed to be flexiable and I think over all the Marine Corps was very good at this because in the end, we were at war.
Cook
Namvet67
08-02-04, 11:16 AM
Do you remember having to wait for grid clearance prior to your requested fire misssion? I'm sure I handled a few fors you. How was the service?
fulmetaljackass
08-02-04, 12:06 PM
Haven't been there, haven't done that, but things like rules of engagement make me glad for that. I think about standing guard in port in Kuwait and not being allowed to chamber a round unless something actually happened, and I get sick. I think about Marines in Beirut requesting permission to even load a magazine as a terrorist driving a truck bomb sped toward the barracks and I get REALLY sick.
As long as there are politicians nowhere near any kind of danger making the mistake that combat can be clean and sanitary and therefore making rules that tie our troops' hands and get them killed....well....you're d!&n right I would have went if I'd been called, but I redirect your attention to my first sentence.