Sparrowhawk
11-10-02, 07:43 AM
AT WAR DURING THE CORPS BIRTHDAY ` 35 YEARS AGO
SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME AGO, BUT TO ME IT WAS ONLY YESTERDAY.
I have placed this story here for those wishing to respond or share their story about rememberance at celebrating the Corps Birthday when in the service.
From my book Dreams of Glory (c) by Cook Barela
We swept through the area and recovered 67 enemy rifles, grenade launchers, a number of satchel charges, and captured 36 NVA regulars. Altogether, over 250 NVA soldiers had surrendered. More than six hundred homes had been burned to the ground by the NVA/VC. They had killed more than 200 civilians, wounded another 60, and a hundred more were missing. India Company suffered four WIA's, none of them serious, and no KIA's. 1st platoon had no casualties.
Late that afternoon, as we turned toward the road to Liberty Bridge, we could see that it was burning. It must have been hit, I thought, but found out later that a Seabee using a welder had accidentally set the bridge on fire. When we returned to the area, Battalion HQ had beer brought in small wagons pulled by two jeeps. They were filled to the top with ice-covered beer, and were ours to enjoy. There was more beer stacked inside the jeeps. We were told not to worry about standing watch that night. The tank platoon that had accompanied us on the sweep would be manning our perimeter for the night. Such were the bennies of war.
the Seabees cooked up steaks bar-b-que style out in the open and we were fed like we had never had been before.
While our company was credited with the annihilation of the Lap Duc NVA/VC Battalion, I felt bad that I hadn't fired a round. We had been the blocking force and the enemy never made it the last 200 yards to where we were before the jets finished them off.
We spent that afternoon celebrating, and while the company commander and our Lieutenant may have thought we were all happy in celebrating our victory, we were more elated to have the rest of the day off and not have to stand watch that night.
Late into the night the sounds of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones played in the background, while we all sat around enjoying cold beer. Our reward for the devastation we had inflicted upon the enemy.
The more we drank, the braver and more foolish we became. We started telling war stories and soon we were all sh it faced, falling down drunk. We drank and cursed. We slurred our words and we talked about swabbies. we talked about the dumb Seabee that burned the bridge, about stupid Lieutenants, and captains who were more interested in medals than in their men.
By nightfall the talk turned to cowards in the Corps, and Lieutenant Colonel Chesty Puller, the Marine Corps' most decorated hero, who once said, "You ain't a Marine until you've done time in the brig."
We talked about being busted and who had been busted the most, as well as who had done the most time in the brig. Corporal Dumont won that distinction and we cheered and slapped him on the back and drank to the little Frenchman, who didn't like being called Frenchy.
We drank to little Sergeant Isaac, the skinny four-eyed Jew. We drank to his Bar Mitzvah and to the wife he didn't have. We talked about love and war. We also talked about girl friends and wives who were unfaithful. Women who never loved us back. We compared gooks we had killed and the ones that got away. We traded back and forth the enemy weapons we had captured; knives, helmets, pistols, carbines and brand new AK47's that could be traded for the permission to write to a Marine’s sister.
Later, Jones and Keeton got into a fight over the music box and Marty cried over having shot a hole in Jones’ 45-rpm records.
At Midnight those of us who could, said goodnight to Chesty Puller. Aggie and I slept outside next to our gun, and as we talked he lit a cigarette, I was too tired and drunk to tell him that he ought to cup his hands over a cigarette when he lights it. So the Gooks won't shoot at him. But figured that's ok.
If the gooks shoot at us, Aggie will kill them, I passed out.
~~~~
Happy Birthday MARINES, all this is what we are all about!
Cook
__________________
SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME AGO, BUT TO ME IT WAS ONLY YESTERDAY.
I have placed this story here for those wishing to respond or share their story about rememberance at celebrating the Corps Birthday when in the service.
From my book Dreams of Glory (c) by Cook Barela
We swept through the area and recovered 67 enemy rifles, grenade launchers, a number of satchel charges, and captured 36 NVA regulars. Altogether, over 250 NVA soldiers had surrendered. More than six hundred homes had been burned to the ground by the NVA/VC. They had killed more than 200 civilians, wounded another 60, and a hundred more were missing. India Company suffered four WIA's, none of them serious, and no KIA's. 1st platoon had no casualties.
Late that afternoon, as we turned toward the road to Liberty Bridge, we could see that it was burning. It must have been hit, I thought, but found out later that a Seabee using a welder had accidentally set the bridge on fire. When we returned to the area, Battalion HQ had beer brought in small wagons pulled by two jeeps. They were filled to the top with ice-covered beer, and were ours to enjoy. There was more beer stacked inside the jeeps. We were told not to worry about standing watch that night. The tank platoon that had accompanied us on the sweep would be manning our perimeter for the night. Such were the bennies of war.
the Seabees cooked up steaks bar-b-que style out in the open and we were fed like we had never had been before.
While our company was credited with the annihilation of the Lap Duc NVA/VC Battalion, I felt bad that I hadn't fired a round. We had been the blocking force and the enemy never made it the last 200 yards to where we were before the jets finished them off.
We spent that afternoon celebrating, and while the company commander and our Lieutenant may have thought we were all happy in celebrating our victory, we were more elated to have the rest of the day off and not have to stand watch that night.
Late into the night the sounds of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones played in the background, while we all sat around enjoying cold beer. Our reward for the devastation we had inflicted upon the enemy.
The more we drank, the braver and more foolish we became. We started telling war stories and soon we were all sh it faced, falling down drunk. We drank and cursed. We slurred our words and we talked about swabbies. we talked about the dumb Seabee that burned the bridge, about stupid Lieutenants, and captains who were more interested in medals than in their men.
By nightfall the talk turned to cowards in the Corps, and Lieutenant Colonel Chesty Puller, the Marine Corps' most decorated hero, who once said, "You ain't a Marine until you've done time in the brig."
We talked about being busted and who had been busted the most, as well as who had done the most time in the brig. Corporal Dumont won that distinction and we cheered and slapped him on the back and drank to the little Frenchman, who didn't like being called Frenchy.
We drank to little Sergeant Isaac, the skinny four-eyed Jew. We drank to his Bar Mitzvah and to the wife he didn't have. We talked about love and war. We also talked about girl friends and wives who were unfaithful. Women who never loved us back. We compared gooks we had killed and the ones that got away. We traded back and forth the enemy weapons we had captured; knives, helmets, pistols, carbines and brand new AK47's that could be traded for the permission to write to a Marine’s sister.
Later, Jones and Keeton got into a fight over the music box and Marty cried over having shot a hole in Jones’ 45-rpm records.
At Midnight those of us who could, said goodnight to Chesty Puller. Aggie and I slept outside next to our gun, and as we talked he lit a cigarette, I was too tired and drunk to tell him that he ought to cup his hands over a cigarette when he lights it. So the Gooks won't shoot at him. But figured that's ok.
If the gooks shoot at us, Aggie will kill them, I passed out.
~~~~
Happy Birthday MARINES, all this is what we are all about!
Cook
__________________