Semper Fi

[thedrifter]

Semper Fi
Posted Monday, August 4, 2008


For those of us old Marines who fought the 77-day siege at Khe Sanh during the TET Offensive of 1968, there is an annual reunion, held in various cities. This year's was at Reno, Nevada. For me, this one was most convenient, being well within driving range. In past years, I've been to one in Chicago and another in Charleston. Not everyone goes each year, due to time, expense and logistics, but I think we had close to 100 at this one.


This year's was special in that it marks the 40th anniversary of the fight for Khe Sanh. Among our brothers were 4 of us from "K" Company. Randy Mapel, Jim Dalto, Larry Heyne and myself. ("K" Compamy defended Hill 861 during the siege).


I'd seen Randy 3 years ago, when "Pop" Salinas & I flew back to Vietnam to climb 861 again, but I hadn't seen Jim or Larry since 1968, when we were there the first time.


It's sort of comical at these reunions, to watch everyone squinting at each others name tags, to see if you know anybody. Graying, balding, bearded or a little pot-bellied, no one really looks the same after 40 years!


This year's event, for me anyway, was a lot more than just handshakes, hugs and war stories. It was a getaway from the lunacy of the Idaho Statesman, letters to the editors, rebuttals and blogs, CNN, and liberals in general.


You see, bullets and mortar rounds quickly separate reality from rhetoric. During the re-union, of which I was there for the last 3 days of, politics occasionally came up within the many circles of discussion, and surprisingly to my readers, the old Bazookaman here only had a small part in it. He listened more than he talked. Really wasn't much to add.


When you're in a banquet hall with the guys you fought alongside, you don't need to explain to ANY of them about leadership in the Oval Office, what really needs to be done, and how Bush's war is indeed another Vietnam!


To be sure, when you write as often as I do, you naturally attract the "armchair quarterbacks"...........those media followers who are suddenly self-appointed experts. It wasn't that long ago (and some of you may recall) when I wrote to the Statesman about those first aid kits donated to the Vietnamese Communists by the students of Berkeley college. Some little dweeb who thinks current events is what you get from watching "The View" wrote in and said that couldn't have happened and that I was just lying about that. I immediately rebutted that, but their liberal Statesman Editor "doesn't allow rebuttals." (Pretty convenient, eh?)


When I mentioned that at the re-union to my fellow bro's who ALL remember those kits................well, I won't say on this public blog what they said, but it's not hard to figure out!


During the re-union, there were several young folks who dropped in for short visits. They'd heard about the Khe Sanh re-union going on at the Silver Legacy, and just stopped by to say thanks for the sacrifices. Very nice gestures, and considerably warmer than the reception we "baby killers" and "village burners" received 40 years ago when we came back.


Marine presence was obvious when I first drove into the Silver Legay's parking garage. Every 6 or 7th car had a Marine Corps window or bumper sticker. There was NO ONE in our banquet hall or hospitality room who WASN'T wearing a Marine cover (hat), a Khe Sanh patch, pin, or combination of all three. Of course, there was a mini "PX" set up, so we could re-supply with more of the same.


But as I said earlier, the best part of THIS one, was being around my old war buddies again, where there was never a need to explain or defend my positions on Iraq or anything pertaining to it. Everybody there had "been there and done it." Everyone in that banquet hall knew the only difference between our war and THIS one, is the location. No one trusted Obama. Few trusted McCain except to say that he's probably the "lesser of the two evils" which is a quote I've come to loathe.


Aside from the concerns, it was a great re-union, and for me, a breath of badly needed fresh air, and temporary separation from some of the idiots I've been dealing with these past many months. The Khe Sanh re-unions will die out eventually, as WE do. A few came in wheelchairs (adorned with Marine Corps stickers, mind you....). A few are missing limbs and many are facing serious health problems, but at the banquet, as at EVERY banquet, we all raised our fists in a unified "OOOH-RAH!!"


It's a Marine thing. If you haven't been, you couldn't know. Just like these "military experts" and "journalists" (the armchair quarterbacks I mentioned)...........if you haven't been in the trenches, shut your moronics mouths, because you don't know SQUAT........(and that ain't exactly the word I MEANT to use!)


So, with goodbye handshakes and hugs, so ends another one. 3 days of sanity. 3 days of truth. 3 days of reality with the tightest bunch of brothers there could ever be. I fired up my old VW, topped it off at $3.79 a gallon (in Reno), and came home to my wonderful wife, who had to work and couldn't go with me this year.


But I'm in a great mood right now. Always the case when I return from one of these. I always come back with a healthy dose of what's right, what's true, what's American.....but we're so outnumbered by fools in this country.............and now it's Mountain Home again.....and it's Monday. I haven't read the Statesman yet (I'll probably just skip to the comics and crossword puzzle). For SURE, I'm not gonna watch the news tonight. Ain't even gonna turn the TV on. I might not even write another blog, unless I can find a subject goofy enough for EVERYBODY to understand.


This re-union WAS necessary!

Ellie

[Nick Valdez]

As I read you short story (ha ha) just kidding, it was great. It brought me back to my days in Viet Nam. I was not at Khe Sanh but I sure could relate to what you were saying. Don't stop writing, as the years go by there are less and less of us around. I'm a Catholic Deacon and today I did a wake service and grave side service for a vet at a military cemetery. He was Army, but does it make a difference?
God Bless you and Semper Fi.