Hue City, Tet 1968

[Captain Kirk]

Looking for any Marines who fought in Hue?

[Mongoose]

It was before my time, Doug. But I can't say enough about the Marines that did. It was a piece of hell no one saw coming. You and Russ have nothing but my greatest respect and Honor. Love you'll brother!

[Captain Kirk]

It was before my time, Doug. But I can't say enough about the Marines that did. It was a piece of hell no one saw coming. You and Russ have nothing but my greatest respect and Honor. Love you'll brother!

Thanks Bro. Just started a FB group for Hue survivors. looking to see if I can find any more.

[advanced]

Yeah, Hue certainly took away my innocence, if I ever had any. I'll get on FB one of these day's Doug, it's just that this site takes so much of my time I'd hate to think of what FB would do. But over time, I've been known to change.

Thanks for the kind words Billy.

[FistFu68]

For those of You Brave Marines that Fought there Life has a Certain Flavor the Protected will Never Know!!! Semper Fidelis

[advanced]

For those of You Brave Marines that Fought there Life has a Certain Flavor the Protected will Never Know!!! Semper Fidelis

Fist, you're talking about Doug there, I certainly wasn't brave. I sure kept my head down a lot. Problem was it was a turkey shoot in the beginning with us being the turkey's. But, you know us Marines, we turned it around and did a major kick ass. Capt Kirk and I didn't know each other then, he was on the south side of the river and I was on the north.

I certainly do appreciate every day of life though.

[qz2026]

Yeah, I was on Coco Island (about 20 clicks northeast of Quang Tri) when the $%#@ hit the fan. Next day the CO sent me to Hue to get the mail with a .45 and a box of ammo. We had a chopper refueling area on the island so I jumped on a chopper and went in. What a CF Hue was. Anyway, I wanted to get out of there fast so I went to the chopper area to hitch a ride and got my ass busted by the CO because I had no orders. Damn!! Had to take the first convoy north after TET started first up the Perfume River (which didn't smell like perfume) then a ground convoy. We got ambushed three times on the way up. Snatched a Thompson off the LST though. When we got hit in the LST, the Navy guys were loading up their M-14 mags with all tracers. Couldn't understand why their barrels were red hot... The 40mm canons, on the other hand, were awsome.

[advanced]

With the Holiday and all today the Legion in Venice has a good feed every year. I met a Master Gunnery Sgt this afternoon that was a Gunny with the 1st Marines at Hue. We talked about a half hour, he was bringing up stuff that I hadn't thought of in years. He was in from 1950-86. Before I knew it we had about 7-8 men around us listening to us. That MstGuns knows how to play an audience. What a day.

[Captain Kirk]

With the Holiday and all today the Legion in Venice has a good feed every year. I met a Master Gunnery Sgt this afternoon that was a Gunny with the 1st Marines at Hue. We talked about a half hour, he was bringing up stuff that I hadn't thought of in years. He was in from 1950-86. Before I knew it we had about 7-8 men around us listening to us. That MstGuns knows how to play an audience. What a day.

Great Bro! Had my share of cool encounters so far this Veterans weekend. I'll share a few later. Blessings to all my Nam Warrior brothers!

[Zulu 36]

Of course I was too young to be at Hue during Tet 1968, but I have studied the battle extensively. Quite a fight. My hats off to everyone who fought there, Marine and Army.

I knew a probation officer who had been an Army captain. He was winding up his tour by working as an aide-de-camp to some Army general and they paid a visit to Hue when the first mass graves were found of the massacre victims in early 1968.

First some background:

One night, as a cop, I had the dubious pleasure of entering a house via a bedroom window to search for the body of an old woman. I found her by accidentally stepping on her face (long, long story, but she was covered and partially hidden by her nut-cake son). When I stepped on her face and felt a crunching that struck me like I just stepped on eggs. I also knew I had found mom. She had died of natural causes, it turned out.

A couple of days later in court, the probation officer pulled me aside and asked me what it felt like when I stepped on the woman's face and I told him of the egg analogy.

He went, "Oh, thank God! I though I was being a really sick person all of these years."

As it turned out, as he and his general were walking to view a mass grave, they walked over another, hitherto un-located mass grave. He said he thought he was stepping on eggs until they did some digging and found they were stepping on decayed faces and crushing the facial bones. All of those years, I don't know why, he always felt he was a strange person for thinking of eggs when he was crushing faces.

I didn't give stepping on the old lady's face much of a second thought, it wasn't something I would have done on purpose, but I suppose stepping on dozens of massacred people is a different thing. He had been a combat infantry officer, but the stepping on faces experience was the one that gave him the most nightmares.

He told me a couple of months later that he hadn't had the egg/faces nightmare since we had talked. Funny how the human mind works. I was glad to help.

[Captain Kirk]

Thanks for the story Zulu

[rethomasHST]

Yes, I was in Hue with Hotel 2/5. Fought our way to MACV then on to the river the first day. Stayed in Morin Hotel building over night. Had trouble with a sniper on the top floor of the west end of the building. We were in the east end and kept taking fire until one squad got him. I still have trouble standing in front of an open window sometimes due to the sniper incident.
This was my first operation. Woke me up real good. Jungle was a welcome site after spending 17 days in Hue.
Semper Fi

[Captain Kirk]

Robert, I know several guys from Gulf and a couple from Fox including me. that was some tough stuff. I have several stories of my combat experiences posted here including my Hue City stuff.

[rethomasHST]

Captain Kirk, I was a 1381 and 1371. When did you go through Combat Engineering school? I was there in Sept through early November 67.

[Captain Kirk]

Robert, I went through Engineer school at the same time as you. I was with 1st engineers in Nam. B co 2nd plt. Clyde Dillenburg, Gary Lamore were my corporals when got there in late December 67 spent a brief time at An Hoa , An Loc doing mine sweep on Liberty Bridge Rd. Then North to Hi Van Pass. then to Hue City. Got wounded badly by mortar 21 June 68 just outside Phu Bai. Seems we got a lot in common. I'm also the Chaplain for Marine Corps Engineer Association.

Great to know you. Bet we have met before.