The strangest entry we ever made
Normally it was a straight shot. The chopper(s) would all of a sudden bank and hit the LZ and then we made like kids leaving a store with unpaid goodies under our shirts.
A few times we were trucked to a spot and then we made the long walk in.
Repelling was done but not often.
At least a few times we came in from the water.
But the strangest was during Operation Hastings.
By this time we knew we had been chasing a full NVA Division. By now small teams going out were pretty much useless. There were NVA everywhere. 10,000 NVA can fill up a lot of space.
But there was an ARVN group of some sort (maybe 100 men or so) that made a nice slow walk every night before dusk. Walk out a ways. Then turn around and walk in. Maybe a mile in one direction or a bit more.
The head of that SVN group knew that they were being watched every time they went out. But they were never hit. Seen as harmless I would guess.
It was decided that maybe 30 of us from Alpha would walk out with them. Then as it got real dark and they were returning we would just drop off into the bush and stay there. Hoping the NVA would not see that the SVN unit was a handful of men short.
It actually worked.
We walked out (as we found out later) directly in front of the command group for the 324B Division. Right at the base of the hill they were encamped on.
Absolutely no doubt in anyones mind that we were being watched that whole walk out. But after it became pitch dark we were good to go.
What I read decades later was this: The ARVN Officer in charge was livid. He thought it was the dumbest move ever.
He spoke very good English. And he said to Capt Best and Lt Buhl---"30 Marines? Tomorrow I will be back to collect your focking bodies"
He certainly could have been right.
That next morning the grunts arrived into the area. And Quang tri turned into an absolute killing field.
Operation Hastings became the largest and bloodiest USMC Operation of the war up to that time.
WE were very very lucky. Some truly scary times.
