July 22, 1968 VIETNAM July 15, 1969
MOBILE RIVERINE FORCE
TASK FORCE 117
River Assault Squadron 15
River Assault Division 152
(Boat) T-152-1
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he today that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother." William Shakespeare, Henry V
There has never been anything before or after my Vietnam experience that will ever compare with the intensity of facing the enemy in frontline combat. I have attempted to recreate that type of adrenaline flow by doing some pretty crazy things. I've never come close to matching it. Vietnam has placed an indelible mark upon my soul and it is most difficult to erase.
I hope that you gain something from my experiences as you surf through these pages. We are all here for a purpose. It's our task to find that purpose in our lifetime.
This Poem by Rudyard Kipling in 1892 fits we Vietnam Veterans well
~
TOMMY
I
went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'
beer,
The
publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats
here."
The
girls be'ind the bar they
laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I
outs into the street again an' to myself sez
I:
~
O
it's
But
it's "Thank you,
The
band begins to play, my boys, the band begins
to play,
O
it's "Thank you,
~
I
went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They
gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They
sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But
when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll
shove me in the stalls!
For
it's
But
it's "Special train for
The
troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's
on the tide,
O
it's "Special train for
~
Yes,
makin' mock o' uniforms
that guard you while you sleep
Is
cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An'
hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin'
large a bit
Is
five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
~
Then
it's
But
it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the
drums begin to roll,
The
drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin
to roll,
O
it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the
drums begin to roll.
~
We
aren't no thin red 'eroes,
nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But
single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An'
if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy
paints:
Why,
single men in barricks don't grow into plaster
saints;
~
While
it's
But
it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when
there's trouble in the wind,
There's
trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble
in the wind,
O
it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when
there's trouble in the wind.
~
You
talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires,
an' all:
We'll
wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't
mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The
Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
~
For
it's
But
it's "Savior of 'is country," when the
guns begin to shoot;
An'
it's
But
~