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OK, everybody off, and go find out who your suppose to report into. We had just come to a halt after riding on top of an Amtrac, a large iron flat looking troop carrier from post World War II that ran on tank treads and gave off a lousy smell of diesel fuel that almost made you gag. The Amtrac is 64,000 pounds in weight, and actually ran off of gasoline not diesel fuel, so how I smelled diesel fuel is beyond me. We rode on top, although they were designed to ride in, as the area under us was hollow, large enough for a 13-man squad. The only one who sat inside was the driver and everyone else rode on top where it was covered with sandbags to protect you from mine explosions. We also rode on top, even tough we made good targets, so if we did get ambushed or hit a mine, we could easily jump off and find cover, it was about 10 feet to the ground or seemed like it anyway. It wasn’t like ridding in a Cadillac, as every mound we went over or rice paddy dike we crossed, the jolt of it coming back down was enough to throw you off. Plus we crossed a couple of rivers, and as heavy as these things were, they seemed to float just fine. We had arrived at this island shaped area in the middle of no where that was covered with small tent like objects and all kinds of Marines stretched out along its long and somewhat thin land area, that seemed to be a couple of feet above the surrounding ground area. In one direction was a huge village and circling around from there about 300 meters out was a tree line jungle. The place looked as if it flooded, it would be the only place above the water. The ground around it was really dry and baked to dust, almost like sand on a beech so it didn’t appear to have been flooded recently. I grabbed my pack, and helmet along with my M-16 as I looked over the side which seemed further to the ground then 10 feet at this point. All my gear I was wearing, flack jacket, about 35 lb. helmet, and a pack that must have weighed 50 lb. easy or seemed like it did. My poncho, a rubber rain protector, that draped over you like a tent with a hole in it to stick your head out, with a hood attached. The poncho was better used as a small tent to be stretched between a small bush and hopefully something a little more sturdy on the other side, to act as shade from the hot sun. I had know idea who I was to report to as no one wore insignias, so I looked for what I considered the most intelligent Officer resembling material I could see and reported to him. Sir, I’m new and suppose to report in, sir? This was Jay who after staring at me for what seemed hours and shaking his head from side to side said in a somewhat of a disgusting tone, "what in hell are you doing over here”. I guess they are getting desperate for Marines back in the World, Jay said answering his own question. “I guess so sir”, I answered with somewhat of a disappointing tone of voice, as I felt I hadn’t made a very good first impression, and I hadn’t been here all of five minutes. Do I report to you, Sir? I said hesitantly? “What’s this Sir business?” “Who told you to report to me anyway?” No One, Sir, I just thought--- “That’s your first mistake, thinking, and your second is reporting to me”. What makes you think I’m the one to report to? I know- this a joke someone is playing on you right? “No Sir”, I said with a bit more possessiveness in my voice, “I just figured you were an Officer”. Don’t figure anything, be sure, or don’t do anything. Shaking his head again, Jay said, “drop your gear here for the time being, be sure to grab your weapon and follow me.” This time he spoke with a smile on his face which left me feeling a bit more comfortable. To me, he looked as if he appeared a lot older than I, as all the Marines I saw up here that day looked older looking to me. There was just a quality to them you couldn’t exactly put your finger on. Just that they all appeared to be much older in looks and stature then I felt I appeared to them. I felt I was a kid again, as if I was 10 years old and just arriving at a new military post. The feeling you get when you first go wondering out into the neighbor hood to possible find a friend. Everything is so foreign at first, but this time I couldn't go home to the security of my parents if things weren’t going the way I wanted them to. Jay carried himself with confidence, saying little as we walked through the huddled meg-shift hooch’s, which were made of poncho liners and ponchos. Everyone was busy either setting up something, or putting on gear to go out on patrol. Some were trying to catch what little sleep was available to them at the time, which I would realize later, would be an uncommon sight. Sleep is the first thing you’re deprived of when you arrive at Parris Island, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, the Corps initial training base, known to us as “Boot Camp”. Once there, you never recover the feeling of rest, which comes from a good night’s sleep, until you are discharged from the Marine Corps. In boot camp, you get up every morning at O five too early, and the good old days of what was known as “sleeping in”, come to an abrupt halt in your life. You actually begin to feel you’ll never experience what rest again is really like, as exhaustion becomes your steady companion. “Where you from?” Jay asked, as a way of starting a conversation, or just making small talk, as we continued to maneuver through one group of Marines after another. Boston, I said, my voice sounding as if I was out of breath, as the heat was really getting to me. I would later realize the heat had a way of causing you to become easily exhausted and fatigue would become another new companion, a combination that no one ever really adjusted to over in Vietnam, no matter how long there tour was for. “From the sound of your voice”, Jay spoke again, “it sounds like you walked all the way from Phu Bai”. We continued weaving our way through the scattered poncho’s set up as areas of shade by the individual Marines, as the sun seem to cut its way through what little shade was available in that area, and the intensity of its rays made even trying to rest an uncomfortable situation. There seemed to be quite a few Marines trying to relax and take it easy. Some were cooking food that was in cans called C-rations, over small fires, while others cleaned their weapons. There were others writing letters, while a few just sat under there little poncho hooch’s trying to sleep or talking with a friend. Overall the situation looked pretty relaxing and no one seemed to be concerned with being attacked. This struck me to be rather odd, as I thought we were in a hostile area, and that they’d be bunkers everywhere with men standing behind sandbags in trenches, or poised looking out through the bunker windows waiting to get a shot at anything that moved. This situation wasn’t at all what I expected to see, hell everyone seemed as if they were in a rest area in the rear, not out in the middle of no where, surrounded by NVA or VC. Hell I even heard a couple of radios playing softly as some of the guys joked with each other. All in all, it appeared to be a area where they was no fighting and an opportunity to just take it easy and occupy yourself any way you could. I guess it was this way, as they had just come down from Khe Sanh, and I figured they didn’t get any rest up there. I was somewhat at awed with the group, as these men were actually at Khe Sanh. They’d really been in battles and had suffered shelling’s and assaults from the NVA since “Tet” started on January 28,1968. I guess they deserved a good rest, but I was somewhat disappointed as well. I felt I missed all the action. In boot camp, we had been hearing stories of the “siege of Khe Sanh”, told to us by our drill instructors, as they had made it seem that any day, Khe Sanh would be over run by the NVA. Communist forces had been building up steadily from January until we finally pulled out in early July of 1968. The North hit Khe Sanh daily around the clock with artillery and probing attacks, but each time the Marines held, never giving up one spoonful of land that was there’s, as the communist forces continued to take serious losses. Each day, the NVA and other communist forces edged closer by digging elaborate tunnel complexes in a maze of directions trying to get as close as they could in order to surround the men at Khe Sanh. Hell they even had us praying every night for these guys, and now I was actually amongst them. The Marines who had fought so bravely up at Khe Sanh and had held off more then 40,000 communist troops were right here in front of me, it was hard to comprehend as they all looked so relaxed and if the main part of the Vietnam War was now over. We stopped suddenly in front of a small group of Marines. They were joking, and drinking coffee from cans. They all were seemingly more relaxed then the group we had just maneuvered our way through. I guess these men would be the Officers and high-ranking enlisted men that were in charge of all the Marines that were here. Jay was talking to this young guy, couldn’t have looked more then 19
years old, I guess he was one of the enlisted men that you saw in order
to get permission to check in. No body even seemed to notice we were there,
or if they did, no body was paying any attention to us. I wondered who
the commander of the outfit was, or even if he was here or maybe he was
in a whole different area where we’d be taken by a patrol or something.
My name is Lt. Meale, I’m 1st Platoon’s commander. I immediately stood at attention, I didn’t know if I was suppose to salute or not, as they had mentioned in the rear and in training that you never salute in the field, but it felt pretty strange talking to an Officer and not first saluting him. Relax he said, stand at ease. Protocol out here is somewhat informal, but not to the point that you don’t go through the chain of command. Yes sir I said. You can address me as Lt. or sir, but don’t go snapping to attention out here in the bush, and never yell out Lt. or Sir, as were not in the habit of informing the enemy who the leaders are understand. Yes Sir. Where’s your gear Marine? Sir,-- Jay interrupted, I had him drop it in Alfa squads area for now until we found out where he’ll be going Lt. Good, the Lt. responded, as he’ll be in Alfa squad. Take him over to meet Solomon and then introduce him to the rest of the squad and platoon. Also tell Solomon I want to see him regarding to nights ambush. Yes sir, Jay replied, and told me to come along with him. I was still standing there when the Lt. just turned and walked away. This was going to take some getting use to, as in training and all through boot camp you saluted an officer and didn’t move until they dismissed you, then you’d snap to attention, salute, and say by your leave sir, before you walked away. As we headed back to where Alfa Squad was, everything in my head seemed confused and mixed up. Some reason I was unable to relax or feel comfortable. I always hated being the new person, as it usually meant having to prove yourself over a period of time before people would treat you like they already treated everyone else. Also, fitting in with these guys who’d been in battles, seen war from experience, you couldn’t help wonder how they’d feel towards me as I had never been in a battle, and I’d be wondering if they’d think I’d panic, run, or just freeze. Hell even I couldn’t answer those questions honestly to myself, as I’d never experienced what a battle was actually like. I would like to tell myself, I’d be just like the rest of them, and maybe even be impressive by doing something brave or heroic and then everyone would accept me and no longer have doubts to how I’d act. Until I was in a battle and with them, none of us would know for sure. It wasn’t an easy feeling to have to carry around with you, not knowing how you’re first going to react. Jay told me about the squad as we headed to join them. Jay seemed very nice and extremely helpful. Already he was telling me if I wasn’t sure of what to do to just ask him and he’d fill me in. Something about Jay made you feel good about yourself and towards him. He was a lot taller than I was, he was six feet and more tall and looked like he really knew his stuff, or as they say, was experienced. I envied him, as he had been in Khe Sanh, he’d been in major battles, and knew how he would react as well as what to expect. Hell they all did, and I’d just have to learn all I could about staying alive as I could before we got into another clash with the enemy. Jay assured me that he’d teach me what I’d need to know to fit in and he also said when the time came, a battle, I’d do just fine. I wish I knew that or was as confident about it as he was. Maybe he was just saying these things so I’d feel more relaxed. Solomon, Jay yelled to a group of guys standing and sitting around one of these ponchos looking like hooch’s. There were about four of them, all looked like seasoned Marines, and all appeared as tall or taller than Jay in height. They also appeared seasoned in their appearance as well, further making me feel more inadequate and uncomfortable. This big black muscular guy, he had to have the meanest expression I’d ever seen on anyone’s face before, he answered Jay saying, “This new guy going to be in our Squad? Yeah, Jay responded I just introduced him to Meale, and he assigned him to us. What’s your name boy? Solomon said in a rough voice with his eyes staring right through me. Hingston I replied, “Hingston” he said, just get in country? Ah, no, I’ve been down at Chu Lai since May. Been in any firefights? No, I was on bunker watch at MAG 13. Air wing Solomon said with the sound of having been in a pricey type outfit that has special favors granted to it, it just made me feel more insecure standing in front of everyone, as if I were on display or something. Well you obviously haven’t learned anything that will help you up here now, have you Hingston, Solomon said in a voice as if mimicking the way our drill instructors made fun of someone. He stood quiet for a couple of seconds and then suddenly began saying, I got a few basic rules, if you don’t screw them up, will get along just fine. One, do everything that I tell you when I tell you to and I don’t want to hear any questions about it regardless what you think about it, got that? Yeah. Next, you run in a fire fight, either I’ll shoot you personally or someone else will, no body runs in this squad, never a second time anyway, got that? Ugh Hugh I said somewhat meekly. And last, for now, God help you if I ever catch you falling asleep on watch, believe me you’ll only do it once with me, got that? Oh I won’t--- You won’t what, you don’t know nothing yet, so just don’t, no sense saying something you don’t no anything about. You’ll find out that here sleep is a rare thing for all of us and nobody knows if they won’t fall asleep on watch, so if your ever so tired you can’t stay awake, wake someone up to help you stay awake. I’d rather have you piss somebody off then fall asleep and get us all killed, understand? Yeah, I understand. Good then, I’ll introduce you to the squad and assign you a team leader. For now, you’re the new guy, and new guys get all the lousy jobs, just as we have had them, same as when we were new, so don’t take it personal. So until another new guy shows up, be prepared to do all the lousy jobs. “Hey”, this guy speaks up, does this mean I’m off the shit list? Hell no, Solomon says. Lynch your butt is still too new to start skating like the rest of us. Damn, Lynch says, I thought--- Don’t think, Lynch, how many times do I have to tell you that! Everyone laughed, and for me it broke the tension I had been feeling. Also knowing I wasn’t the only new guy was a comforting thought as well. Everyone, gather around, Solomon said as about four guys got up and came over to where we were standing. This is Alfa Squad, the best damn squad in 1st platoon, and I want to keep it that way right? You bet this tall black guy said, as Solomon said to him, Belt, you don’t do much to make us the best squad, so what are you answering for like your responsible for us being good. Damn Solomon, Belt answered, you know I’ve saved your butt plenty of times. Hell if you have, you might think so, but it’s me that keep’s your butt alive around here, Solomon said to him and everyone broke into a laugh. We’re a tight group here in this squad, that’s what keeps us all alive, so other then Lynch, if someone says or tells you anything, you best listen as they’ve made their bones and are still breathing, so you best listen to them. You’ve met Jay, he’s my assistant and carries the M-79. Anything he tells you, you accept as being Gospel as he’s been around and knows his stuff. This guy here, he points to this tall black guy with a grin on his face, his name is Bowman, he’ll be your team leader, anything you need you go through him first before you ask anyone else. Belt, he was another black guy Solomon pointed to, he walks back up for Lynch, who is learning to be point man. Lynch is in your team, so your team will be you, and Lynch under Bowman. This scraggily looking guy here whom talks slower than a dead man, is Jim. Jim’s our radio man, he’s under Jay, and he’s from West Virginia, that’s why it takes him half a day to finish a sentence, he’s a “Hill Billy” who didn’t get his first pair of shoes until he joined the Corps, right Jim! N o w you know, save it Jim we don’t got all day, and he hasn’t met everyone yet. Lynch who you’ve kind a met, has been with us a couple of days. He’s still learning the ropes, so don’t be getting any advice from him. He doesn’t even know yet what’s going on. Of course if you were just to talk to him with out knowing he’d only been here a few days, you’d think he was born over here and knew more about the NVA and VC then they did, right Lynch? If you say so Solomon Lynch responded in an embarrassing manor. So that’s the squad, all seven of us not like you learned in boot camp
where you were told they’d be 13 of us. There’s a corpsman too Jay will
take you to meet Doc. He’ll be the one that gives you your salt pills everyday,
and malaria pill. He’ll fix you up if you get shot, and any other problems
you happen to get, just call him Doc, that’s what everyone here calls him.
He’s good, and knows his stuff, but other then medical stuff, you take
all your orders from Bowman, Jay, and me. After you get back from seeing
Doc, Bowman will fill you in on what you need to know for now.
A company has three platoons, and in each platoon, three squads, and the usually, three fire teams of three to four individuals, but this out fit looked smaller than that. It also has a weapon section attached to it, Navy corpsman, mortars, and 60-mm. crew. Weapons makes up machine guns, and rocket crews, or what was referred to in WW II as a bazooka looking thing that shot a missile looking projectile, used against tanks, bunkers or anything else a bullet was unable to penetrate. It seems like a lot of people for a company, but looking around, this outfit looked pretty thinned out, it must be waiting for more reinforcements like myself while it operates in this safe area I thought to myself. It had to be safe, or why would everyone be so bunched up in one area when there was a big village just a few hundred yards away, and tree lines surrounding us a little further than the village in the distance. Now don’t go thinking all these guys are huddled on this small island looking piece of land, as it was not very wide, but was plenty long, with room left over for a lot more people to occupy safely without being all bunched up. Hell right where we were was a small cemetery, they didn’t have head stones like an American cemetery would, there were mounds of dirt pilled pretty high, about chest high to me who’s only 5’ 6” tall. The mounds would offer good cover if anyone fired at us or mortared our position, plus there were small holes every where, I guess this is what they used for cover if someone attacked us. All kind of things run shooting through your brain when you first experience really being or going to be in combat. Are those canteens your carrying full, Lynch asks me. Yeah, I filled them in the rear before we left to come out here, I was carrying four canteens as they said you never could carry enough water out here, and from the heat and the suns rays blistering your skin literally, thirsty is one thing that was always around. How about a swallow, Lynch asks, I wasn’t able to fill my canteens last night or this morning when we went out on an ambush, but there’s a group later on going into the vile to fill everyone’s canteens pretty soon. This question Lynch asks me caught me off guard, as while in training and even when I was down at Chu Lai, everyone said you don’t go giving your water away to anyone, as if they ran out that was there problem for not conserving it, not yours. This was going through my mind when I heard, well are you going to give me a swallow of your water or not? With out realizing it, I pulled out one of my canteens and handed it to him, he immediately started guzzling at it as if he’d hadn’t had a drink in weeks. Go easy with that, I thought you said you wanted a swallow, not the whole damn thing. Ah, Lynch said as he lowered the canteen from his mouth, damn good water, must have gotten from the mules in the rear as it taste regular, not like the stuff we have to drink out here. He hands me the canteen and never even says thanks, then turns and walks away. I stood there with my mouth open, when I heard, go easy on that water, you don’t get much of it out here, Jay said in an advising tone. Come with me and I’ll introduce you to the Doc, had your Malaria pill today? Jay asked me, as we started walking towards the CP where we had just come from. We kind a veered around the group gather ahead of us, the squad leaders I figured they were as Solomon was amongst them, where there was a hooch and a guy in his bare feet and his socks hung on a line coming from the hooch to a small bush. Hey Doc, Jay said in a loud voice, another new guy for his shots. “SHOTS”. I thought, nobody said anything about getting more shots out here. I hate shots worse then being stabbed with a knife, and corpsman were known for jabbing you clear through your arm with the needle as we were Marines and suppose to be big and tough. The Doc Laughed and said, why do you always like scaring the hell out of these new guys Jay, you know I don’t have any clean needles to use on them, he laughed again, and said relax, I’m not giving you a shot. WHEW I thought, as nothing scared me more then needles and shots, as I said I’d rather be stabbed with a knife then have someone poke me with a little needle. I guess it was a phobia I had. I’m Doc Sam, I’m 1st platoons corpsman, what’s your name. Hingston I replied, as I was still trying to swallow after being scared over having to get a shot. The Doc had me take a salt tablet and a Malaria pill, and told me anything medically I needed, just tell my team leader, and he’d make sure he, the Doc, got the word. Jay lead me back to our area, and when we got there everyone had started to eat chow. That’s food for anyone who hadn’t been familiar with military terms, which there are a million or as it seems for every normal word in a civilian’s vocabulary. I knew them all from having grown up in the military. My father was a career Marine, and chow was a word I’d known since I was old enough to talk, along with a thousand other words found only in a military vocabulary, like trousers for pants, and cover for a hat. If you call your trousers pants, they’ll immediately say to you, “women wear pants, Marines wear trousers”. By the way, there are no beds in the military vocabulary, you sleep on a rack, well if your in a rear area anyway, because out here you sleep where ever you stop, and where ever or what ever your in, weather its dry or wet. Go over by Lynch, Jay said and break out some chow from your pack. If
you don’t eat now, God knows the next time you’ll have the opportunity.
Here, let me help you Jay said didn’t anyone tell you, you don’t pack the
whole box of C-rations? No, why? I asked. Are you going to literally eat
everything in these boxes, Jay asked? Probable not I answered him, “then
why are you carrying it he asked me again?” It’s the way they came and
no body said there was any special way to carry them. Out here, Jay says,
wherever we go, we carry everything we have with us. We may never come
back here again, understand. Yeah, So go through all these boxes of chow,
and throw out or bury what you’re not literally going to eat. One
can for breakfast, and one for evening, don’t worry about lunch, and carry
some fruit, as it will quench your thirst when you run out of water. Also,
you can never have enough toilet paper or cigarettes out here. If you smoke,
hang on to the cigarettes that come in every package. It doesn’t matter
weather they’re your favorite brand or not, when your out of smokes, you’ll
smoke anything. Put the toilet paper and cigarettes in some plastic if
you got it, so when it rains or we cross a river it doesn’t get wet and
ruined. “I don’t have anything plastic with me” I said. Jay shook his head
and then exclaimed, “Why the hell doesn’t anyone in the rear ever let you
new guys in on what to carry and what not too carry! I think they just
get a kick out of having them piss us off with explaining how everything
out here works! Damn those Sons of -------. I’d like to grab those poges
by the throat, but then I’d probably never see any mail out here again.”
My experience meeting my platoon for the first time was similar to this all though not exactly. I felt inadaquite but quickly setteled in as you will see as you now venture with Hotel Company 1st Platoon into fire fights and the hell of "War". This will be continued next week, with Hotel Comapny 1st Platoon, meets 2nd Platoon. Authors: Bobby Hingston and Carl King
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