Name State Zip Code Comments
Having just graduating with honors from The Army Construction Drafting school and being promoted to Sgt E-5, I was off to Nam. I wasn't really scared to go because I knew as an E-5 Senior Construction Draftsman I would most likely end up in charge of a drafting shop, in some air conditioned office collecting combat pay. I was assigned to headquarters 169 Combat Engineers in Long Bihn. As I thought I was incharge of the drafting shop and it was air conditioned. Then I found out that we were building 75 miles of Highway 1 and out section of the road went right up ambush alley. My job was to take a jeep, a driver and a set of plans 75 miles up the road to our 3 companies job sites daily and to make sure that there was no problems with the construction. I was issued my M16 and 2 clips of ammo. (just 2 clips because I was in a non-combat situation my supply sgt said). At least once a day Viet Cong snipers would take a shot at us. I had 2 different drivers hit and lots a hits on my jeep. I was just thankful that I was not hit.About 5 months into my tour we got a new asst Ops Officer. He was a young gung ho Major on his 1st tour. He wanted to go up the road with us so he could see the progress on the highway first hand. There was several small villages along the highway and we normally saw people working in the fields. On this day we saw two guys in a field about 50-60 yards of the road. The Major panicked and started yelling VC. My driver and I tried to tell him they were probably just farmers. He insisted I open fire on them. I refused. He pulled his 45 and pointed it at me and said that's an order.... I put my 16 on auto and sprayed the area and one fell. The other ran for the village. The Major then ordered me to go see if we got a kill, while he and the driver went after the other one. I remember walking through the waist high plants wondering if I really hit him?..was he laying there waiting for me?...was there more out there? I was scared to death. I have never felt so alone and helpless. When I got to him he was face down. I turned him over, he was dead. He was about 14...the same age as my little brother. Then I heard all hell break loose in the village. With nowhere else to go I followed the trail to the back of the village. I got there and saw the Major and the driver pinned down by the jeep and both had been hit. I only had a little over a clip of ammo left. I had no choice but to start shooting hope to could catch the VC in a cross fire. I remember shooting and running between the huts working my way to the jeep. I was picking up weapons I found along the was and using them. I finally got to the jeep and the firing had pretty much stopped. I got on the radio and called for help. Then tried to tend to the wounds my driver and the Major had received. Help finally came and we were air lifted out. The last thing I remember was looking at the village and see bodies everywhere as we were lifted out. Soon after that I found out there was an opening at MACV Headquarter in Saigon for a Senior Illustrator for the General Staff. I extended my tour 6 months to get the job. I just knew if I had to serve the rest of my tour on Highway 1 my luck would run out. For over 30 years I would wake up in the middle of the night screaming. I was having nightmares and flashbacks ...seeing dead bodies all around me, and turning over a body and seeing it was my little brother. 30 years later, in 2000 I started being treated by the VA for PTSD. During a counseling session in 2001 my counselor had some papers from my 201 file and he filled in all the blanks in my memory that I had some how put out of my mind. He told me I had 14 kills in that firefight...remember I was a NON COMBATANT. He also told me that I had received a Purple Heart, (for a leg wound), The Bronze Star and The Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. I don't remember the medals and all I know is that I must have thrown them away. I did what I had to do and to this day I think about the people I killed and why I survived. 