The first amendment states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Unfortunately, there wasn't an addition to the amendment to state that Congress, the press or anyone else who has the power to silence reasonable discourse has the right to selectively decide who has the right to receive local, regional or national attention based on money, sex, crime, or politics.
For example, according to Yahoo:
Our unit -- the 4th Battalion, 77th Field Artillery -- was credited for 400 NVA killed without one of our Cobras being shot down or the loss of American pilots.
By the way, if you ever hear a story about two ARVIN soldiers who talked to a Cobra pilot, I could hear that Cobra pilot confirming location, the amount of enemy soldiers near then and they being friendlies. I also heard, "So why are you whispering?"
Then I heard, whispering back, "Is this better?"
I was at A Company, 5th Transportation doing my thank you for you help when I heard the chatter and within minutes back over to the pad running those rockets to the Cobras. We had 12 Cobras, see any on the pad?
Of the 400 NVA killed, 208 were confirmed killed the day this picture was taken.
So, when my kids asked me if I killed anyone in Nam, I tell them no, not directly.
It won't rock the world, but it was a story worth telling.
For example, according to Yahoo:
Team Obama’s stunning cover-up of Russian crimes
Russia tables turn, roping Clinton, Obama, Holder, not Trump
Playbook Power Briefing: Obamaworld pushes back after POTUS invokes death of John Kelly’s son
First and foremost, Yahoo makes money from "Baked Up News". Indeed, Yahoo is the Queen of delusion content, holding a Master's degree in bull shit and a PhD in cooking up the smelliest dirty laundry you could make public.
I mean if someone is kissing someone else's butt, its news. What about when someone puts a documentary up like Frank Burns has but only allows that story? What about our real stories?
Should they die with us?
I can almost assure you that you've never heard this story on the Military History Channel.
I landed in DaNang at 4:30pm on May 2nd. There was a C-130 on the tarmac heading for Pu Bi. I didn't take it. This was one of those times when my entire being was put on alert and so, I listened.
It probably saved my life. That decision also set the stage for what I would do with the rest of my grown adult career.
So, I stayed up all night. I watched an F-4 take off with its after burners glowing gold and blue. I drank coffee at the Air Force Mess Hall.
I suppose I shouldn't break chronology here but for the sake of a few moments' worth of slightly related discourse, here goes.
During the second week of April, there was a change to a "Solid Pair" of the tail rotor push pull bearings. These failed miserably and everyone was told to go back to the "Split Pair". Well, our unit needed another pair. There was none in country. Without another pair, our unit would not be combat ready.
None, nowhere.
Except for a pair in a friend of mine's pocket at A Company, 5th Transportation Battalion. I knew this because he pulled them out of his pocket and asked me what they were. He, of course, was a Huey mechanic.
And I asked him why he was carrying around a set of Cobra tail rotor bearings. And he told me that someday, someone might need them.
I don't know what's worse being a soothsayer or being around another soothsayer. All I know is my trip to him and the promise of a case of cokes caused three jaws to drop when I returned with them.
I was charged with polishing up a 2.75 inch rocket that would be used in a ceremony where a 1 star General by the name of Sidney B. Berry would be in the front seat of our Cobras and it would be fired as the 2,000,000 round fired by our 4th Battalion, 77th Artillery (ARA) in Vietnam.
If you turn the rocket 230 times , it becomes armed. A certain sergeant whom I hated came into the hooch where I was preparing the round, complemented me on how well it looked and asked me how my times I had turned it. When I told him I stopped counting after 230 rounds, I turned to see a pasty white face on a body walking slowly out of the hooch...backwards.
I put that round in the back of the hanger in its protective case and left it there.
When we go on R&R, we are told where to go and what time to be there when the morning of the 8th day arrives. I was down in Osaka enjoying the Expo 70 there and caught the bullet train up to Tokyo.
I got up to Tokyo near midnight and the train stops running. I get off, call the Navy MP's and tell them my problem. They picked me up and called the Army MP's. They arrived at 3:30 am and pick me up to take me over to Camp Zama. Well, they got lost and we didn't get to Camp Zama until 6:30 AM.
I needed to be there by 5:30. But the Army MP's covered for me and I caught the plane back to Vietnam the next day. But the plane didn't land in DaNang, It landed in Saigon. So, I had to wait for transportation from there to Saigon.
Now, were back the May 3rd and my trip back to Phu Bai. We flew over Camp Eagle -- which I thought was odd. When I looked down, well, I was wondering if it was worth getting off the plane.
I'm looking down at out area. The TOC had smoke coming out of it, the hanger was gone, the two minute section looked more like bent metal than helicopters.
My thoughts, "Oh, my gawd, my round did go off in the back of the hanger!"
You can imagine I was pretty scared.
Got off the C-130 and hitched a ride in a dump truck from the 20th Engineer Battalion. There were two infantry soldiers that looked like they had to get some sleep to die. So, I said, "Man, you guys look really beat up."
"Yeah," said one, "We're over at Firebase Bastogne getting a lot of incoming from Charlie."
They were still pretty much walking dead until I said, "You guys must be getting a lot of support from our Cobras and all of a sudden the lights were on.
"Are you part of that Cobra unit up on the hill?"
"Yes."
"Oh, my gawd, they got totally wasted by Charlie this morning. It was like the 4th of July with all the friendly rockets going everywhere."
You can imagine I was quite relieved that it wasn't my round in the back of the hanger.
Some eyewitnesses:
I was also overlooking the event from on the hill at A Co 5th Trans. I will never forget watching the explosions but one event in particular,a crewman came to a cobra untied the rotor and realized it was on fire but walked the blade back around and tied it back up. I use to recover your downed aircraft when required. I was in charge og the platoon that performed maintenance on all the OH-6s.
I also have many pictures of the after damage of the attack.
Joseph Fult
retired SGM
I was in the 2/11th FA. Just across a little "wash" from your unit. Instead of sheltering in a bunker most of us stood behind our blast walls and watched. Had never seen anything that spectacular. All of the July 4th's all rolled into one.
Robert Martin
HQ Battery
2/11th Arty
So, I was given a CEOI, A jeep and a call sign and between me and the Sea Bees, we put the unit back together and prepared it for Firebase Ripcord Support.
Below is a picture of me running rockets over to a Cobra during the siege and evacuation of Firebase Ripcord.
I mean if someone is kissing someone else's butt, its news. What about when someone puts a documentary up like Frank Burns has but only allows that story? What about our real stories?
Should they die with us?
I can almost assure you that you've never heard this story on the Military History Channel.
I was there on the night of the rocket attack in May, and what a night it was. I was knocked out of my bunk by the blast of the rocket revetment taking a direct hit.
I crawled to the door of my hootch and pushed the door open with my hand. just as the door opened two rockets went by two feet off of the ground.
I thought we had sappers in the company area and this would be my last night on earth. But I grabbed my gear and went to the flight line.
I had to walk in front or the burning hanger. The small arms ammo that was stored in the supply conex in the hanger was cooking off as I went by.
There was a crew chief trying to pull one of the cobras out of the hanger but the tail was already on fire so they shoved it back inside, you can't put out a burning helicopter. I was sitting on the far corner of the flight line when the damaged helicopter blew up. It shot a fire ball 200 hundred feet into the air and one of the rockets pods landed a few feet away from me.
Do you remember when the officers got to stand down for one day. The
party started at the officers club and you went from there to battalion
HQ, and you were getting ready to go see the commanding General. It was a
good thing the MPs got there to stop that trip. I was the CQ that night
and was driving the truck.
I remember that summer we were
helping load rockets into the pods while the pilots were still sitting
inside the helicopters.
You guys were flying support for firebase Ripcord. I didn't find out what happened out there until it was declassified in 1985.
Believe it or not, this is all true. Only part I wasn't there for was the total destruction of our unit.I landed in DaNang at 4:30pm on May 2nd. There was a C-130 on the tarmac heading for Pu Bi. I didn't take it. This was one of those times when my entire being was put on alert and so, I listened.
It probably saved my life. That decision also set the stage for what I would do with the rest of my grown adult career.
So, I stayed up all night. I watched an F-4 take off with its after burners glowing gold and blue. I drank coffee at the Air Force Mess Hall.
I suppose I shouldn't break chronology here but for the sake of a few moments' worth of slightly related discourse, here goes.
During the second week of April, there was a change to a "Solid Pair" of the tail rotor push pull bearings. These failed miserably and everyone was told to go back to the "Split Pair". Well, our unit needed another pair. There was none in country. Without another pair, our unit would not be combat ready.
None, nowhere.
Except for a pair in a friend of mine's pocket at A Company, 5th Transportation Battalion. I knew this because he pulled them out of his pocket and asked me what they were. He, of course, was a Huey mechanic.
And I asked him why he was carrying around a set of Cobra tail rotor bearings. And he told me that someday, someone might need them.
I don't know what's worse being a soothsayer or being around another soothsayer. All I know is my trip to him and the promise of a case of cokes caused three jaws to drop when I returned with them.
I was charged with polishing up a 2.75 inch rocket that would be used in a ceremony where a 1 star General by the name of Sidney B. Berry would be in the front seat of our Cobras and it would be fired as the 2,000,000 round fired by our 4th Battalion, 77th Artillery (ARA) in Vietnam.
If you turn the rocket 230 times , it becomes armed. A certain sergeant whom I hated came into the hooch where I was preparing the round, complemented me on how well it looked and asked me how my times I had turned it. When I told him I stopped counting after 230 rounds, I turned to see a pasty white face on a body walking slowly out of the hooch...backwards.
I put that round in the back of the hanger in its protective case and left it there.
When we go on R&R, we are told where to go and what time to be there when the morning of the 8th day arrives. I was down in Osaka enjoying the Expo 70 there and caught the bullet train up to Tokyo.
I got up to Tokyo near midnight and the train stops running. I get off, call the Navy MP's and tell them my problem. They picked me up and called the Army MP's. They arrived at 3:30 am and pick me up to take me over to Camp Zama. Well, they got lost and we didn't get to Camp Zama until 6:30 AM.
I needed to be there by 5:30. But the Army MP's covered for me and I caught the plane back to Vietnam the next day. But the plane didn't land in DaNang, It landed in Saigon. So, I had to wait for transportation from there to Saigon.
Now, were back the May 3rd and my trip back to Phu Bai. We flew over Camp Eagle -- which I thought was odd. When I looked down, well, I was wondering if it was worth getting off the plane.
I'm looking down at out area. The TOC had smoke coming out of it, the hanger was gone, the two minute section looked more like bent metal than helicopters.
My thoughts, "Oh, my gawd, my round did go off in the back of the hanger!"
You can imagine I was pretty scared.
Got off the C-130 and hitched a ride in a dump truck from the 20th Engineer Battalion. There were two infantry soldiers that looked like they had to get some sleep to die. So, I said, "Man, you guys look really beat up."
"Yeah," said one, "We're over at Firebase Bastogne getting a lot of incoming from Charlie."
They were still pretty much walking dead until I said, "You guys must be getting a lot of support from our Cobras and all of a sudden the lights were on.
"Are you part of that Cobra unit up on the hill?"
"Yes."
"Oh, my gawd, they got totally wasted by Charlie this morning. It was like the 4th of July with all the friendly rockets going everywhere."
You can imagine I was quite relieved that it wasn't my round in the back of the hanger.
Some eyewitnesses:
I was also overlooking the event from on the hill at A Co 5th Trans. I will never forget watching the explosions but one event in particular,a crewman came to a cobra untied the rotor and realized it was on fire but walked the blade back around and tied it back up. I use to recover your downed aircraft when required. I was in charge og the platoon that performed maintenance on all the OH-6s.
I also have many pictures of the after damage of the attack.
Joseph Fult
retired SGM
I was in the 2/11th FA. Just across a little "wash" from your unit. Instead of sheltering in a bunker most of us stood behind our blast walls and watched. Had never seen anything that spectacular. All of the July 4th's all rolled into one.
Robert Martin
HQ Battery
2/11th Arty
So, I was given a CEOI, A jeep and a call sign and between me and the Sea Bees, we put the unit back together and prepared it for Firebase Ripcord Support.
Below is a picture of me running rockets over to a Cobra during the siege and evacuation of Firebase Ripcord.
Our unit -- the 4th Battalion, 77th Field Artillery -- was credited for 400 NVA killed without one of our Cobras being shot down or the loss of American pilots.
By the way, if you ever hear a story about two ARVIN soldiers who talked to a Cobra pilot, I could hear that Cobra pilot confirming location, the amount of enemy soldiers near then and they being friendlies. I also heard, "So why are you whispering?"
Then I heard, whispering back, "Is this better?"
I was at A Company, 5th Transportation doing my thank you for you help when I heard the chatter and within minutes back over to the pad running those rockets to the Cobras. We had 12 Cobras, see any on the pad?
Of the 400 NVA killed, 208 were confirmed killed the day this picture was taken.
So, when my kids asked me if I killed anyone in Nam, I tell them no, not directly.
It won't rock the world, but it was a story worth telling.
