Vietnam Lima 3/3 Hill 22 March 1966
3rd Plt was on stand by, we had been on hill 22 for about a month and our mission was to sit in reserve and wait for someone to get into trouble. When to sh!t hit the fan, we would get on choppers and go in as a reserve force. Most of our action at this time was in and around hill 81.
We had just been assigned a new platoon leader fresh out of OCS. This guy was green, mint green – not OD.
Approximately 3 days after he was assigned to our Plt, we were called out on a mission. Seems that a day patrol had run into a large VC force and needed support. So off we went on a short chopper ride.
The choppers set down in the middle of a rice paddy, the LZ was not hot. The Lt formed us up in a line with about 20 feet between each man and we began to march across this rice field to the village area where to firefight was.
As we neared the small village we came under fire, and what this 2nd Lt did next, still amazes me today.
As we were taking cover positions behind a dyke, the LT went to the front, ordered us to stand, fix bayonets and charge the village.:rambo:
Here we go, an entire reinforced rifle platoon mortars and all, charging on a dead run, through the rice paddy’s about 300 yards to this small village, all of us yelling the classic Marine Growl as loud as we could with the LT up front leading the charge. Short of training exercises, I’ve never seen anything like before or after.
Half way across, we tripped a couple of booby traps, but fortunately for those who tripped them off, we were moving so fast that when they exploded, we were far enough ahead of the blast that no one got hurt. This did however slow us down enough for the Plt SGT have a word with the LT.
Instead of attacking the village head on, as was the LT’s plan, we encircled it, took cover, and sent out a recon patrol to eyeball the unit who had called us in. As it was, they were safe, seems while we were charging the village, they had slipped back to a defensive position, outside the village.
Now the LT wants to continue our attack on the damn village, so he and the Plt SGT argue a little about sound military tactics. The Plt SGT won the toss and we called in a 155 strike and sat back and watched the fireworks.
After the artillery strike, we went in and counted only 8 VC bodies but found several tunnels that we quickly destroyed with C-4.
No Americans were killed and there was only one WIA with a minor gunshot wound.
I’ll say one thing positive about this 2nd LT. He had Balls! Unfortunately, he was KIA in early 67.
I’ll never understand how the brass figure it’s ok to take a college boy, run him through 90 days of OCS and then send him right into a war zone and place him in charge of 30 + combat troops. This practice was responsible for many unnecessary combat casualties.
In 11 months of Combat, this was the only time we were actually ordered to fixed bayonets. What would we have done without 2nd Lieutenants?
Semper Fi,
Bob
How about some Double polished bars?
This happened about a month after Charles S. Robb, Lyndon B. Johnson son-in-law became India 3/7 Company Commander. the story is included in my book, <b>“Dreams of Glory” © </b>
<hr>
Aggie (tired aggie), had gotten a game of monopoly from the states and while he, I and Ira Rahm were playing a game aggie got a bright idea that we should take the Monopoly play money down the vill to Mama-son and use the play money to buy some goods from her.
"Hey," Aggie argued, "she charges us a dollar for that watered down soda, and charges us a lot for a bar of soap or other things."
All three of us went down there and we bought all sorts of stuff, with the money. At first mama-son, said the money was no. 10 (bad money), but we convinced her that it was new MPC money (Military payment certificates,) and the same, same as US Paper money.
Well she finally allowed us to use the money but she wanted our names, so Rahm wrote them down for her on a piece of paper and she kept that.
About an hour after we had gotten back to Hill 65, we heard that Mama-son was at the CP complaining to the Co, which was Captain Robb.
One of the lieutenants went around the Hill with mama-son trying to find the Marines that had done it, but he was unsuccessful.
The word was passed for the Marines to fess up, and nothing would be done, they just wanted Mama-son reimbursed. Of course no one went forward.
After awhile, Captain Robb, decided that he would take care of the matter and called for everyone on the hill to muster into formation, including artillery, mortars and engineers assigned to Hill 65.
As everyone fell into formation, of course Rahm, Aggie and I were hiding in our bunker, where we could see everything that was going on.
Mama-son, the captain and a lieutenant then went down the formation looking for the Marines that had done that, but Mama-son couldn’t find the Marines that used Monopoly money instead of MPC, or Vietnamese currency.
Just about the time, they were ready to give up; Mama-son remembered she had the names written down on a piece of paper. She gave it to the lieutenant, but Robb quickly took it away from him and said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Alright, since none of you came forward, and did what was right. I want these Marines to step forward and I assure you, you will be held accountable.” Robb head held high then began to read the names Rahm had written down for Mama-son.
"Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett," he never finished reading John Wayne’s name, before the whole formation had busted out in laughter.
Mama-son was escorted off the hill, and nothing more was ever said.
No rank insignia! Must be a sh!tbird Private!
For a while there at HMT-301, a pilot training squadron, every work center would get stuck with an "OIC". One of the butter-bars trying to become a Marine Corps helicopter pilot. Ya always got the usual suspects, too. Some'd try to take charge, and didn't know nothin'. Took awhile to get those sorts straightened out. Every so often ya got a good one. When one'd finish the course one way or the other, we'd get stuck with another one! Once in awhile we'd get two of them! Hydraulics T/O was 26, if I remember right. Had a Captain as our real OIC. He was smart enough to stay outta our way. Never saw him unless ya screwed up. T/O for the squadron was somewhere around three hundred. We always had about eighty officers runnin' aound! I guess they hadda do somethin' with them when they weren't flyin'!
I remember one day walkin' to a bird on the flightline, I met a new guy. Clean coveralls, and polished safety shoes. Didn't have to worry about LOX on helcopters, so polish was OK. Well, the Marine wasn't wearin any insignia. I figured him for a downwardly mobile type of guy, and I sked him, "What work center do ya belong to, Private?" He responded, " I'm with flightline, Sergeant." I said "Good deal, welcome to the squadron. Watch out for the Gunny in yer shop. He's good Marine, but he don't put up with any ****!"
A couple days later, I saw this same Private on the flightline, not wearin any ear protection, safety shoes untied, and leavin' a fire extinguisher out in the taxi area where a returnin' helicopter might hit it or where it might get smacked by a piece of GSE gear. Well I called that Private over, called him to, and proceeded to ream his a$$ out in proper Marine NCO fashion. I listed all of his offenses one by one, questioned his heritage and whether his mother would ever have any pride in her Marine son, and other words of comfort along the same vein. His only response when I was done was to sound off, "Yes, Sergeant, I'll do my best not to let it happen again."
Two days later, during our weekly inspection formation, I noticed that Private standing in the officers ranks wearin butter bars! Seems he was on the flightline on his own time in order to learn more intimately the aircraft he would soon be qualified to fly.
I never asked him about the butt chewing I gave him and I never apologised. I never caught any flack over it either! A few weeks later the CO learned that some of his pilot trainees were doing this and put a halt to it. However.....if yer ever on a flight line and don't see insignia on a Marines uniform of the day......if yer not careful, ya might not end up as lucky as I was! LOL
