| Comments by Hugh Connelly on Monday, May 19, 2003 at 22:43 |
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I was with the Comm. Platoon in "A" Co. from mid-December '66 to mid-December '67, from DaNang with a side attachment in support of 1st Marines near DaNang and then to Cua Viet in April '67. As do most AmGrunts during the early months at Cua Viet, what I remember most is some of our fallen comrades. The names that stand out the most are Cpl. Land whose AmTrac was sunk by a VC RPG attack while on resupply to 2/1 on a river outside of DaNang (PFC Kramer died in that incident, too); I remember when Sgt. Kistler was killed and when we had our first KIA by friendly fire, Pvt. Lake; I remember our dentist taking a direct hit on his tent; I remember watching Lt. Jory get shot in the head about 15 feet in front of me and my assistant radio operator, J.E. Cole, getting his arm nearly severed by small arms fire, but safely med-evaced; I remeber LCpl. Friel taking a direct hit in the hole across from me on patrol NW of Cua Viet from friendly artillery; I remember Cpl. Tom Soliz (who would always take my AK-47 with him on patrol) getting blown away in an ambush; and, as do many, I remember SSgt. John 'Butch' Yates (who re-upped for another tour only to be killed trying to save a driver in a flaming tractor); I remember Tom Nusbaumer getting seriously hit in the lower half of his body by a mortar during Hickory II north of Hill 31 (but I'm told he survived). Of those who definitely made it back, I remember Maj. Huston (Big Red), Capt. Jamieson and Capt. Johnson, of course, Sgt. Al Brown (and his tale of how happy he was that he had chosen Tahiti for R&R:-),1st Sgt. Metz, Sgt. Hutchinson,. And, I'll never forget Lt. Bailey throwing grenades about the length of a football field at a machine gun emplacement atop a sandhill north of Cua Viet. (This, minutes after he had taken away a young Marine's M-14 for shooting up a 7-ft. brown snake he saw slithering towards him from a tree branch.)
Let me mention that my memory wasn't nearly as good as it sounds. I've spent the past couple of weeks reading Gene's well-done complete Command Chronology of the Battalion for my time in-country and beyond. Here's to Gene for all of his excellent work!
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