RIDING SHOTGUN WITH SGT. Errbee INTO HUE CITY, Feb. 68

[billcpoulton]

We left our base,Gia Le. Up on the hill over looking the Perfume River going into Hue City. We shared the hill with Navy Sea Bees and Army 101 st Airborne. Drove down the dirt road Towards Phu Bai. There was a mountain with Antennas on our right. Later I found out that Special Forces Were guarding that hill. Then down the road to Route One. On our left was an Arvn camp. With Tet starting, they removed the camp in about two weeks. To the right , down the road on the left was the Mac V compound, S.F.s and SOG. We turned left driving to Hue City. Every time going into Hue, we picked up Aust. cameramen hitching rides. They were making money with their pictures of our war. Our goal was to get to the outdoor sports stadium, up the street from the Mac V Compound. Checked on all the heavy equipment for repairs. Then drove back thru Hue to Gia Le. The city looked like Europe in W.W.II. The ride back into the dark was a wild one. We took this ride about eight times in Feb. . Sometime in March, I went to see a friend of mine in Phu Bai. He told me ,he had to get something out of a 34 chopper. But he didn't want to go back into it. I said I would do it. When I walked into that chopper, the floor had about a 1/2 inch of dried blood covering all of floor. As I walked on the floor, the blood came up. The smell ,I still smell to this day. The guys who fought In Hue City, gave their all and more. No one has more respect for them, then I do. Bill

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[Cpl Keller]

I have the utmost respect for all of you who were sent to that hellhole, and upheld the traditions of the Corps.

As long as "reparations" are the in thing, I think all Vietnam Veterans should be first in line due to the sacrifices made, and the despicable treatment received upon returning home.

[Mongoose]

Michael, I'm going to get me some reparations .......cause I'm going to be like Ed. I'm going to identify myself as an oppressed black man......just saying....

[advanced]

I'm going back 2 school so I can enter all the girls sports events and beat them all as I'm currently ID'ing myself as a woman - a lesbian.

[oldtop]

come on, Russ, WE ALL know that you (like me, Billy and others) have been lesbians since our 18th birthday, if not even sooner... ( I personally identified that trait in myself at the age of 12, to the delight of all the females in my neighborhood and junior high school).....

[advanced]

I was a little late William, I didn't become a man, I mean lesbian until I was 14. That's when I joined the Heart Breakers Club. I din't join the life takers club till I was 20. Better late than never I always say. But I more than made up for it.

Good to see you back brother. S/F

By the way Bill, I was in that shivt hole on the other side of the river with the 1/5. That's where I became a Marine.

[billcpoulton]

Welcome home

[oldtop]

thanks, guys... Russ, I missed that trip by about 5 weeks... rotated back to the world right before New Years, 1968............ I do have some photos of the "Imperial Palace" in Hue from BEFORE TET, the place was amazing... enough GOLD artifacts laying around that place to fund a small country for years.... (I'd hardly be surprised if at least a few Marines managed to come home wealthy men after that palace was destroyed, must have been nugget sized pieces of gold everywhere, if one had time to look....)

[advanced]

You didn't miss anything William. I didn't see any gold, a little busy. We didn't directly make it into the citadel, we had to take that damn tower 1st so we were some days before that part of our attack began for us. I guess any gold was already taken.

Bill mentioned the smells. I used to tell people that the ground was white (from all the maggots on the gook bodies laying everywhere). After some days, even though it was miserable and cold to us, those bodies would just pop open. When we ate we had to hold the can between our knees, eat with our filthy fingers and swat the masses of flies with the other hand. I refuse to eat canned chicken or turkey anymore.

And the SMELLS. All I'll say is that in my counseling back in the early 90's I found out why I could never change my babies diapers as I would become deathly ill. As many of you know when men die they often shivt and ****s all over themselves. That with all the smells of death surrounding us continuously deep in my mind I would later go into those flashbacks like when as a cop I'd make the scene of some old person found dead in their apt after 3-4 days. Funny, I used to tell folks I never had flashbacks.

One good thing about Hue is that that's where any fear left me. Hell, being afraid after the 1st day did nothing but make you hesitate like a fng. Tending to freeze made you a target. That's where I learned to hate and love (my brothers) to the extremes. enough of all that. S/F

[billcpoulton]

Russ,I hope I didn't open the wrong post. There are a lot of people out there who have no idea about the price paid for their freedom. Now they are showing up from within. Stepping on our flag in front of you or a lot of us, would change their world forever. Bill

[Mongoose]

Well Brothers, seems like we are drawing a lot of attention from the Left. They seem to think that we are so evil, we can't be trusted with guns anymore. We are now recognized by the Red Flag flying over our head, instead of the American Flag we fought and died for......just saying.....

[advanced]

No Bill, you didn't open the wrong post. I went through about 4 years of counseling back in the early 90's. Haven't been to the VA for PTSD since 95. I found out that they can't really help guys like us. They kept telling me that I thought I was immortal. I know better than that, but I do know I'm a hard sonofabiitch to kill.

One night after a group session at the VA a friend of mine from the Nam, a 5th Marine regimental scout sniper and I were having a couple of beers and I told him that I was being told that I hadn't hit bottom yet. He laughed and reminded me that "men like us don't have a fvcking bottom." I remembered that at the moment he said it, changed my life.

Billy, I know, we the TRUE Patriots now being branded with all these bogus names. It doesn't bother me, I know who I am. I'd much rather have the red flag over my head than have a yellow flag down my back, or worse wave a white flag. Remember our old expression "Ain't so bad."

[billcpoulton]

WHO is saying that we are recognized by the red flag flying over our heads? Have you seen that they say we are doing what they really are doing. I know who is flying the red flag !!!!!