The start of meade river / 1968 - Page 3
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  1. #31
    An HOA, I remember sitting on the steps in front of my hooch in An Hoa that night looking toward the river and watching the puff show. Firing streams of bullets down on the river area. I have always wondered what was going on that night. LUCK IN WAR., They wanted to send me to go to language school. I did not want to waste their time, I flunked Spanish twice in school. Some Remington Raider put back into my old M.O.S. . Pure luck, that I was not under puff with you , Jack.Welcome Home, I know how hard it was to get home. Bill


  2. #32
    Every night I ever spent at An Hoa I saw constant lume in the sky. The old saying was that whenever Da Nang was getting rocketed An Hoa was either getting their wire probed or they were getting a full blown ground attack somewhere on the wire.

    My time at Meade River got real exciting after the 1st of Dec 68 when we hit the Hook. With the New Jersey and the B 52s and the napalm runs, not to even mention the deafening sound of small arms. I remember the night before we and the 3/26 over ran the Hook they had, I guess arvan's, on loudspeakers telling the NVA we were coming in and taking the place in the morning. The NVA was being told to either surrender or die, no prisoners. Well, I'm here to tell you those NVA, just like at Hue, stood their ground and duked it out with us.

    Ever wonder what went through the minds of all the Marines that were out in that shivt night after night, especially on the pitch black nights. Every night out in the bush we positioned ourselves off of a path in ambush position, half of us awake and half trying to get some sleep. Hard to get much sleep with only 6-8 of us at any time in my squad. In the summer in that heat I'd try to cover up with my liner to keep the bugs off, except in the rain with lume or the moon up above us. Those liners would reflect the light so we'd just take whatever MN felt like giving us.

    All kinds of things would go through my mind, memories from home, memories of the weeks and months before. All my bud's that were now gone. I don't remember getting that scared very often, I guess you just get used to it. As our company and squad were always getting fng's I always hoped the new guys could hold up. They were all very afraid in the beginning, I'd often tell my friends to thank God for the new guys or they'd be getting more of us. It was always hardest when one of my good bud'g got it.

    During the days we were always very aggressive hunters, looking for the NVA, and when we or another of our squads found them we'd hope to hell that we'd get reinforced most ricki tick. Many squads didn't make it.

    When I got out of the MC and went back home I became a city cop in Memphis. I remember thinking when I 1st heard about I PTSD, Id'd think hell no. The squad cars we used to drive back in 1970 were the big 69 Fords. If you were riding in those cars the passenger dash was big and curved toward the windshield. The blue lights were up on the roof and were round. Our shotguns were locked to the dash standing upright. I remember on every hot call with with the blue lights sweeping around in a circle and the shotgun in front of me that I was on another chopper going into another hot LZ. On those choppers, mainly 46's Marines sit down on these low seats against the wall and we'd hold our rifles upright in front of us. So, here I was flipping out in a PTSD dream over and over never even knowing it. We MPD officers made boo koo hot calls in those downtown precincts. I loved being a cop has I had to continue having my adrenalin rushes. I was addicted to violence. And, I'm very proud that I learned how to take the bad guys alive, instead of just killing everyone like I learned in the Nam. Just saying.


  3. #33
    Like Russ had said before, Meade River was the one place where I thought I would never live through. The way the Hook was laid out, you never knew where the shet would hit the fan next. The NVA were fierce fighters and deserved respect for their do or die attitude. No pussies in that group.


  4. #34
    Marine Free Member FistFu68's Avatar
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    Puff the Magic Dragon

    Tightening the Noose~~~~~~two or three days later,Right across the River late afternoon;all Hell broke loose small arms Ak-47’s.My squad leader comes crawling next too Me.He goes we gotta Hat Up.A Force Recon Team was heading outta the Hook AO and got Ambushed.About 10 of Us led by 1st Lt.Brian Webber double timed throw a rice paddy through another USMC Company who was a Blocking Force...it was almost Dark by then.A CH-46 that was the Extraction bird for the Force Recon team while on the ground got Hit.The Force Recon Team was just about 50’yrds from the Chopper and the NVA lit them UP...We dug in Cause F-4’s where doing Gun runs with the Cannons F-En the area up right in front of Us.We started digging little Holes and Using Heat Tabs in front of Each of Us,so Puff could See Us..waiting for the Arrival Of Puff once again Who was on call for Us...That Chit going on around Us in a Circle ⭕️ was the Most Crazy Chit I’d ever experienced as I’m sure it was for the other Marines that where there...it went on for Hrs...At Sunrise We retrieved the KIA Bodies of that Team...Another Crazy Day and Night for Me...Meade River Madness


  5. #35
    We finally got the NVA out-flanked on 3 sides and was pushing them toward the River, the fighting was intensified to the point where there was instances of hand-to-hand. The NVA was desperate at this point and nothing was off the table. They were given several chances to stop and walk out alive, but, I think they had already tossed that prospect out the window. It was at this point that I got out of this nightmare with the help of a mortar round. However, the fight continued and we prevailed. The 3/26 although depleted as hell, was then ordered up to the Northern Bunkers where it was a repeat of the Hook. I'm not real sure, but I think this was around the 10th of Dec.


  6. #36
    Marine Free Member FistFu68's Avatar
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    Go Pi$$ UP a Rope Sniper~~~one Helluva Night Cold and Wet and Starving...No Biggy got a JOB to Do...India 3 had just a Huge Treeline many Booby Traps moving towards a Railroad berm...Treeline funnel’s down along side of the Railroad berm...about 15wide for a whole company too Hump thru.It was my time too Walk point again~~~getting my Mind Right and Vision down...see 6 AF Wild Weasels not very high above Us going so slow thought they where gonna stall~~~a few seconds later they Drop ordnance that looked like Large Darts with Fat bodies on Em.Then I feel a Chopper turbulence churning Up the Air...a Huey is about 50 yards from me too Me left landing On the Top Of The Railroad Berm...really Foked with My Concentration and Vision blowing all that Chit in the Air...then Two Men Jump Off the Skids crouching as they move forward.Division Sniper Team sent from ? First thought I’m my Head Stupid Fen Move HotShots...I told Em this area has not been cleared of Booby Traps...One Of Yells Back Fuk You and Flips Me OFF...I just smile and Told Em Go Pi$$ UP a Rope Sniper...LoL a Second later there was a Big Boom...They had stepped on an Anti Tank Mine...that Huey that dropped them off was called back too Pick Em as a medivac they where both very bad off...Then I look in front of Me,I see a little thing shining at Me like a Diamond...a OD Trip Wire had a Nick in it exposing bare Shiny wire...that wire led too a Claymore along side of Trail right next Too Me,then I had Pucker Factor and Instant ERECTION that was wired too a Big Bomb Of Unexploded Ordnance from a B-52...It was a Great feeling when the Whole company behind Me in a Long Rat line~~~passes Up a Big can of Apple Juice and Pogey Bait...I wasted Cold and Hungry for the Rest of The Day !!


  7. #37
    Marine Free Member m14ed's Avatar
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    My cover is off to you MarineVeterans of
    them field ventures.........
    Sure was a *itch knowing just where you were
    trying to watch back home in the world on TV....

    Newbies kept changing the names......

    this place and that....



  8. #38
    To those who have read this post, the stories coming from these three Grunts. WOW!! Guys, let it out. Operation Meade River was pure hell for Marine Grunts in 1968. I have the honor to start this post,and give you a view of what real Marines went thru in Vietnam. There are many stories to be told. May this be the start of some other Marines to open up and let their stories out. Bill


  9. #39
    Marine Free Member m14ed's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by billcpoulton View Post

    the stories coming from these three Grunts. WOW!!

    Guys, let it out.

    Operation Meade River was pure hell for Marine Grunts in 1968.
    I have the honor to start this post,
    and give you a view of what real Marines went thru in Vietnam.

    There are many stories to be told.

    May this be the start of some other Marines to open up

    and let their stories out.

    Bill
    I'm not out to take anything away
    from anybody that went anywhere
    in RVN.....

    I didn't mean it that way-

    WE agree -

    "Let it all hang out "


    Shouldn't take a Battalion Beer Blast



  10. #40
    Marine Free Member FistFu68's Avatar
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    I don’t care for most People

    Nobody ever asked what good I did,just how many people I killed ? I’m Gone~~~~~~~


  11. #41
    Ed, please don't think there is any thing wrong. No one one feels that way. We are good. Jack, I know the good you and all grunts have done. Nothing but respect. When I fish, if I see people. I move. Bill


  12. #42
    To those who have read these posts,the stories coming from these three Grunts. Wow!! Guys let it out. Operation Meade River was pure hell for Marine Grunts in 1968. I have the honor to start these posts and give you a view of what real Marines went thru in Vietnam. There are many stories to be told. May this be the start of some other Marines to open up and let their stories out. Bill


  13. #43
    Jack, whenever I was asked how many people I killed I'd tell them just enough to come back home. Even my oldest grandson asked me that question. I went to the weekly VA counseling groups for about 4+ years back in the early 90's. There were mixed service people there, The Marines that I met from the line companies were very different from the others in the counseling groups, most of them were hard corps like us. Watching them I began to see that those "therapists" didn't have a clue how to help us. Eventually they just pensioned us off.

    I wouldn't take the VA's drugs or enter into their 30 day resident programs, the doc's and therapist told me that I self medicated and until I stopped they couldn't help me. I stopped looking for help from the VA early 96 and haven't been back.

    One of my sisters used to tell me that I had a dependence on woman as I always had one or more woman in my life. One thing I did find out in counseling was that my biggest fear was from something I had seen a number of times in the Nam. One of our small squads being overrun with everyone dead except for the last one, who'd be all fuvcked up and unable to do himself. He was always easy to spot because how the gooks totally fucvked him up before killing him. I found out that deep in my mind having women with me I was never alone, never the last man. The way we can live shivt out as a result of that damn war. And to think I always though I had all those woman because I just likked pusssy. Just saying.


  14. #44
    Marine Free Member FistFu68's Avatar
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    I hear You Brother Russ,they tried shoving that Counseling down my throat in that time frame You mentioned.I didn’t have anything to prove or anyone to impress.Had a PHD Doctor thought She was The Chit,it was all book knowledge,I had too Reluctantly tell Her,Her knowledge of a Real Deal Combat Veteran Marine was an Insult too My Intelligence.She goes You won’t Fit Into this Program and Group...I’d don’t take their Meds never will,I’ve never been a Druggie.Men like You & I have been too Hell and come out the other Side~~~not many are Alive that went into the Hook Brother...a lot of Marines in my Company where Hill 881S Khe Spahn Vets...putting them in a Poncho still reminds Me of What the Real Deal was all about !! We are Survivors Russ,No VA Horsechit will ever Matter too Men like You and I and others who lived through Hell on Earth...BTW I love Pu$$ also,the better looking the better lol


  15. #45
    Marine Free Member FistFu68's Avatar
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    Oh I know how too Spell,hard doing these Comments when I’ve got a 10 wk old German shepherd Pup clamping On too My Paw He’s My Psyche Doctor lol Aye Aye Semper Fi


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