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CU Medallion [50500]
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50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 7:22 AM
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The Snake - about the same time of the day as I post this ( not considering the International Date Line and multiple time zones), we were waking up in our camp at the base of OP-1 which was an odd promontory reaching high into the sky in the middle of the rice paddies near the South China Sea. As was normal, we were sleeping in crudely constructed "tents" with stakes we had cut from underbrush to hold our mosquito nets (and ponchos if threat of rain during the night). This night there was no poncho and we always slept 2 soldiers to a tent with each person having his own air mattress. When I first opened my eyes I saw a forked tongue and slanted eyes about 6 inches from my own eyes and fear set in to match that generated by any gunfire I had heard previously. Closing my eyes quickly so as to not disturb my visitor, I decided that I had 2 choices of what to do next - one was to stand up as fast as possible and hope to get far enough away so I would not be bitten. The second was to sit up and dive underneath the net hoping the snake would stay where he was and I would escape . I chose the second option and it worked like a charm to my surprise - as I stood outside the tent I saw the snake trying to get out of the enclosure but was only able to go up the side of the net a little and fall back. It looked like the harmless garter snakes we have around here so I decided to have a little fun with the other guy who shared the tent with him and was still asleep - I kicked him on the foot and told him I didn't want to scare him but " THERE IS A SNAKE IN THERE WITH YOU!!!" He wasn't as calm as I had been and immediately stood up ripping the poles out of the ground and freeing our captive. To each his own - everyone reacts differently in similar situations.
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Legend [15862]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 7:44 AM
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That’s so funny. My heart would have skipped a few beats. It’s great how you were able to plan your way of escape.
Thank you for your service!
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Legend [16472]
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Nice!***
Jul 17, 2020, 7:54 AM
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110%er [5648]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 8:17 AM
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Geez...for some reason my brain was telling me the snake was a VC and some dude snuck in your tent and was getting ready to kill you (until near the end)! The forked tongue part confused me a bit, but kept reading in anticipation of how you were going to get out of that situation. Glad it was an actual snake!
Thanks for your service!
My son is an AF pilot and literally yesterday completed the POW part of SERE (survival, evasion, ...) training. They must have scared him $hitless because he will not say anything about it.
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Legend [15862]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 18, 2020, 7:26 AM
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NC Tiger, Thank you to your family for your Son’s service to our country. I will keep you all in my prayers. May your Son achieve all of his goals and may God Bless him and take care of him as he serves our country.
I wish you Son the best and personally want to thank him for his Service and Sacrifice for this great country.
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All-Conference [416]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 21, 2020, 11:03 AM
[ in reply to Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I ] |
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NC Tiger - once you go through POW/Survial training, you don't want to talk about it -- AND don't ever want to do it again!
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Orange Blooded [3962]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 9:02 AM
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I would have had a heart attack right then and there.
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All-TigerNet [10616]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 10:52 AM
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Clover .... I never didn't see many snakes over there, but one morning I woke up in my hootch and foot long lizard was beside my rack on the screen. I unsheathed my KaBar and tried to cut his head off but his skin was so tough my knife didn't make the slightest cut. I finally knocked him off the screen and got him out the door. He was probably harmless but I wasn't taking chances.
Fifty years ago today my platoon was supporting the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, just north of DaNang. We were getting prepared for Operation Dubois Square, so I was busy arranging for a bulldozer drop to build gun emplacements and ordering a bunch of explosives for prepare the operating base for the operation. It was on a mountain top overlooking Elephant Valley, the wide valley that came right into DaNang from the north. I'll try to attach a photo or two of our luxurious accommodations ..... sounds much like yours!
First photo is tywo of my men playing a round of golf with Elephant Vally in the background. Who said we didn't have a good time!
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CU Medallion [50500]
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Thanks for the pics - looks real familiar
Jul 17, 2020, 10:08 PM
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and we did see a few other snakes - the one that spooked me the most was the bamboo viper that was green and hard to see in the low limbs of bushes. A cobra was seen several times crawling through a barracks in Due Pho but they thought it was just a black snake until the last time when a guy in a bunk had it stand up and flare its head like you see in the movies - lucky he had a .45 on an end table.
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Legend [15862]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 18, 2020, 7:32 AM
[ in reply to Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I ] |
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TigerLinks Thank you for serving our country. Without people like you, NC Tigers Son, Clover 65 Joe 21 and so many others on Tigernet who served our country I would not have the privilege to enjoy the freedoms I have today. For that I am sincerely grateful to all of you who served.
May God Bless each one of you.
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Orange Blooded [3381]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 4:27 PM
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One of the main reasons I didn't want to go there. The other was sleeping in tents. Was immensely fortunate considering the status of things when I entered the USAF in 1967. Very appreciative of your service. Can't imagine dealing with the living conditions during extended field operations not to mention trying to survive the combat.
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110%er [5482]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 6:42 PM
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Most of the grunts had no choice, they received a nice well written notice from Uncle Sam.
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Orange Blooded [3381]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 18, 2020, 12:52 AM
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Got a letter as well and had to trek to Ft Jackson for a pre-induction physical, but had already sealed the deal with the AF which I confirmed again after that trip.
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Legend [15862]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 18, 2020, 7:37 AM
[ in reply to Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I ] |
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BERLINSPY73, Thank you too for your Service and Sacrifice for serving in our military. We owe all of you so much for the freedoms we have today.
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110%er [6095]
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Friend of mine said they had snakes in Vietnam named 2 steps
Jul 17, 2020, 5:02 PM
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Get bitten, take two steps and drop dead.
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110%er [5482]
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Re: Friend of mine said they had snakes in Vietnam named 2 steps
Jul 17, 2020, 6:15 PM
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Yep it was a krait!! Without treatment you would be dead in 24 hours.
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110%er [6878]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 6:26 PM
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50 years ago? It just can't be!
Bless you guys. You can't possibly know how much I appreciate you for serving our wonderful country!
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110%er [6009]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 17, 2020, 11:12 PM
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Thank You Clover and all who served in Vietnam.
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CU Guru [1669]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 20, 2020, 11:23 PM
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I lost my father in Vietnam ( stationed near Pleiku). I love to hear stories such as the one you and others shared on this thread. He was only 26, so I’m sure he would have gotten into his share of adventures that would have resulted in some great stories.
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All-TigerNet [10616]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 21, 2020, 10:05 AM
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Dave, I'm so sorry that you lost your dad in that conflict. I had lunch with General Westmoreland a few years before he died and I told him I thought the young men in Viet Nam had fought as courageously and bravely as any war we had ever been in. He agreed and I am sure you dad was one such man. I promise you that his sacrifice was not in vain, because this country is much for the better because of men like him.
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CU Guru [1669]
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Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I
Jul 22, 2020, 2:14 AM
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Thank you for the kind words sir.
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CU Medallion [50500]
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So sorry for your loss- that's the
Jul 21, 2020, 10:16 AM
[ in reply to Re: 50 years ago today-Vietnam Etched In Stone Part I ] |
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other part of the story of war - the losses suffered by the families because their loved ones did not return to share full lives with them.
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CU Medallion [53716]
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Just think Clover....that was only 10 years before Georgia
Jul 21, 2020, 10:56 AM
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won their ONLY National Championship.
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