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On_the_road_-_Christmas.JPGBegging for candyMore of those tropical chocolate bars going out to the kids alongside the road.
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Old_105mm.JPGPhotos contributed by othersThis is the old split tail 105mm howitzer, so it was definitely taken before arriving at LZ St. George.
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Not_Sure.JPGLikely taken around Sept/Oct, 1969.Not sure where or when. Probably Sept/Oct '69. Getting ready to go out again (since I am wearing the flack jacket must be lifers in the background). Can't make out the folks behind me.
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Mr_Kool_Aid.JPGMr. Kool-AidKool-Aid, a "Shake-n-Bake" Section Chief from Pennsylvania, was being a good guy until he threw the bag to candy to me. Thanks a lot, dude.
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More_on_the_road.JPGUp Yours!Despite our attempt at humanitarian aid and civil affairs, I think we were actually recruiters for the VC since the kids started yelling "GI fucking 10" and hurling them back at us. Maybe it was the stale chocolate. Could have gotten seriously injured since those things were hard-solid and could have been used as the heat shield on the Apollo moon missions.
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Modern-Day_Mike_Medley.JPGModern Day Mike & spouseFast-forward to August, 2014, just a "few" years later. Mike Medley and wife of 47 years, Karen Medley. Mike is proud of his "Ole Miss" cap, home of his law degree.
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MM_11-69.JPGAnti-Lifer ShirtWearing my best "eff the lifers" firebase regalia. Funny thing is, I thought the only items I still had from Nam was my helmet cover, wife's scarf that I kept with some toilet paper between the helmet and helmet liner, my Ho Chi sandals with at least another 1,000 miles left on them, and my dog tags. In going through my AWOL bag for 2/9 items of interest, at the bottom were the same hippy beads.
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Me_in_the_FDC.JPGThat's Me in the FDCWhat am I doing here? This office is too cluttered. Shoulda went to law school instead. Oh, that's right...I did that later. Hurdle took this photo. Note the story headline in the crease of the newspaper "Uneasiness Now". Wonder if they are referring to being in Vietnam? Jim Hurdle sent me this picture of me about 20 years ago. Most pictures one can either remember being taken or has some internal content to help recognize the where and when. Probably St. George, but I have no real clue since the CONEX moved while the interior from this perspective remained the same. I kept this photo in my office until I retired, and kept looking at it when I was bored or pissed off and would try to guess what that skinny young troop was daydreaming about.
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Medley_Departs.JPGWhy Is This Man Smiling? Because he is going home!Because it's April 10, 1970 and I'm getting out of Dodge. Had another white tee shirt in my AWOL bag that had been in storage at Enari and they gave us new boots and jungle fatigues. Getting ready to board a bus to the Pleiku Airbase and hop on the big Air Force jet with 71 other guys to accompany the colors of the 3rd BDE to Ft. Lewis, Washington. We were all E-5 and above or O1 or O2s. No one knew how or why we were selected, but in trying to puzzle it out we decided that apparently the primary qualification was having over 10 1/2 months in country, holding the ranks someone thought appropriate, able to clean up well, and capable of being retrained to march. Enari had been moved over to Radcliff, so to the best of our knowledge the 72 of us, minus confiscated weapons, were alone inside the huge basecamp with just the 1/12th (no offense intended) the worst battalion in the brigade sleeping a couple of guys in every 2nd or 3rd perimeter bunkers.
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Medley_and_Crew.JPGMeanwhile, back at St GeorgeReturning back to LZ St. George from LZ Cathy photo of the September '69 crew: Sp4 Denny Mrowzinski, PFC Mike Medley, Sp4 George (Eugene) Jarisch and Sp5 Clint Curry. With our trusty power generator for the radios in the background. Enlarging the photo, you can see 1st Shirt Mac (McPeek) in the background complaining about something.
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McKuen_-_Richardson.JPGLt Jim McHugh and BC Capt RichardsonLt McHugh, XO, and BC Richardson inside the FDC CONEX. I recall that McHugh's dad was a full bird colonel. He started college at VMI and dropped out first year and went through OCS. He was a 20 year-old 1st LT as XO. Really a great kid (I was 23). Between the two of us we could do a high burst registration, which helped keep me around. He knew his stuff, but we loved to fool around with him. He wanted to fire the battery in strict accordance with the FM6-40, but FDC was more conscious of potential "check-fire" situations. We got the section chiefs on the guns to go along with us, so rather than argue with him we just said "yes sir". So the next thing is McHugh: "Battery" then the Chiefs:"Platoons", McHugh: "fire" followed by a ragged "bang . . . bang bang . . . bang . . bang (we only had 5 tubes at the time). He came into FDC and we offered to show him how to do it. Chief: "Battery ready", Me: "Battery fire" BANG in perfect unison.
(Note. Lt McKugh died on December 8, 2017 from cancer.)
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LZ__Marie.JPGLZ MarieOn the way to LZ Marie, we got the "good news" that we had been dropped off a few klicks short the intended spot; we had to double-time on down by foot since the shithooks were laid on for the lift. LZ Marie started off bad since they landed the Advance Party a few klicks away from where we were supposed to be and we had to hoof it to the right location. This LZ was just outside of a rubber plantation. We could see the enemy scampering around their bunkers among the rubber trees. We weren't supposed to shoot into a French plantation without higher (economic impact) authority. However, we did shoot the guns like mortars - high angle charge 1. About 15 minutes later the French plantation manager pulled up in his jeep raising holy hell in French. I had flunked college French and one of the other guys had taken it in high school so we tried to calm him down, which only made him madder since we were butchering his native tongue. The rear sent out a settlement team to pay him off in short order, less than an hour. I sure wish the rear could have produced a pair of 9 1/2 boots - two weeks - as fast as they sent that settlement team.
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