I enlisted in the US Army, signed up for Paratrooper School (like my Father did in WWII) and Ranger School. They sent me to Germany since my year older brother was already in RVN. One Thursday we make a daylight jump. I am in the loft shaking out my chute to clear any creases (one does not want a stress point in a parachute from a crease). This pfc comes in asks for me and tells me the1st Sgt wants to see me. I report, and he hands me a 3-day pass. That does not happen. I say thank you, and he tells me Monday at 7am I start clearing, the Company, then Battalion, and then the Division. I have orders for RVN. Yippee! Airborne Rangers do not train eleven months to parade around in Germany. We train as specialized small (mostly six man Teams) Recon Units.
So, I arrive in Cam Rhan Bay. Next day, we are in formation and there are about eight busses lined up. This Staff Sgt is reading names and handing out our records and a bus number. He calls my name, hands me my Packet and says Bus Four. 1st Air Mobile Cavalry. I tell him I need to go to the 23rd Inf Div, the world famous Americal, in Chu Lai in I Corps. He asks if it is my birthday? I say no, and he says get on Bus Four, NOW!! We chat a minute and I tell him my brother is in Chu Lai attached to the 23rd. We go to the Office and he checks. Yes, he is; and now we need to see this Major, the CO. I repeat my story, and he tells the SSgt to get my orders changed to the 23rd.
Next day I am in Chu Lai at the Replacement Depot. This other Ssgt asks the formation who is his "Problem Child?". I raise my hand. He asks for the details, and I tell him. Back up a minute. When I arrive home on leave, I ask my parents not to tell my brother I am coming. I tell them I want to surprise him. My Father looks at me and says, "Oh, he'll be surprised alright..." My Older Brother was a Triage Medic. When choppers brought wounded servicemen in to 27th Surgical Hospital he had to separate them into three groups.
Group One, get them into surgery immediately we can save them.
Group Two, wounded but they can wait a little until Group One are saved.
Group Three, these brave soldiers and marines are going to die; and the only thing that can be done is to place them in a darkened room and call the Chaplain to give them the last rites.
It is the ugliest job in the world, and he had it every day for a year. He never recovered from that.
I served three Tours, two in Chu Lai (for sixteen months with the 23rd), and nine in Danang when the Army split the 106th Light Infantry Brigade off from the 23 and sent us up North to take over the 1st Marine Recon Battalion's AO. Twenty-five months and ten days altogether.
My brother and I both made Sgt, I guess the Army liked our job performance. We were both in I Corps, along the Ho Chi Minh Trail where they sprayed all the Agent Orange. I brought agent Orange with me. About twenty years afterwards I started having health issues. Five Agent Orange Endoma surgeries (the VA does not like to use the word "Cancer") later I have had two surgical procedures, to remove half my Thyroid each time, Gall Bladder, a growth on my Kidney, and finally Prostate Surgery. I am lucky there, I have not had any organs infected I cannot live without yet.
And yet, I am very upbeat about life. The day I turned seventy, my lovely wife asked me what the Bible said. When I said man's life is three-score and ten, she laughed and told me that I was now on the "Bonus Round...". I will be 76 in September, and I still have four rifle projects underway. And, yes, I am on the Bonus Round. I told my wife to start planning my 80th Birthday Party.
God's not done with me yet; so y'all are just going to have to put up with me awhile longer.
God Bless all of you,
Rich