Vietnam 68-69

I heard about a new soldier that shot himself in the leg shortly after being assigned to our platoon.  He was one of two guys that joined out 1st platoon.  The guy that shot himself had not even been out on patrol yet.  We didn’t know for sure if it was an accident out not, but we figured that he probably shot himself on purpose.  We figured that he had because we were all trained on how to handle weapons safely.  Recently, while talking on the phone with Alvin Dunn, our squad leader in Vietnam, he told me that he was in the barracks when the guy shot him self in the foot.  He said the guy intentionally pointed his M-16 at his foot and pulled the trigger.  Alvin said he couldn’t believe what he saw.   I don’t know if the guy faced a court martial or not.   A self inflicted wound was and still is considered a serious ofense.  I need to ask Alvin if he knows what happened to the guy the next time I talk to him.  I wonder if the guy is still alive today.  I know now that he wasn’t cut out to be a Rakkasan in the 101st Airborne.

This picture was taken of me in a foxhole on “Hamburger Hill”.

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Welcome to Vietnam 68-69.  This website chronicles my experiences during my tour of duty in Vietnam, as well as photographs of Vietnam and the men I served with in the 101st Airborne Division.  I was deployed to Vietnam from mid Oct of 1968 and to mid Oct of 1969. 

NOTE: This blog is best read from oldest to newest posts.  The oldest blogs are about some of the men I served with and will provide some context for later stories.  I would love to hear from you, don’t hesitate to leave  a comment or two. 

6-19-10  I have been working on this blog for a while now and I don’t know what to think.  I thought that I would get a lot more comments and have more of a conversation on this blog.  It’s strange to me that visitors to this blog leave very few comments.  The only thing I can figure, is that people can’t express themselves about the Vietnam War (Police Action).  I have had incredible conversations with a lot of people behind the scenes.  One reason is because the conversations are about the lose of a loved one.  I wish we could put those stories in my blog.  I think visitors could relate to that.  As for the Vietnam veterans, that have every right to talk about the “War”, don’t seem to want to share their stories on this blog, though they should.  I wish the current active duty would share their experiences with me and everybody.

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