Charlie

          Charlie

Suzanne Marsh

“I wanna be an airborne ranger honey, honey

I wanna be an airborne ranger babe, babe

I wanna be an airborne ranger, I wanna kill the Charlie Cong

Honey, oh baby mine, go to your left your right your left, go to your left your right you left.”

Vietnam 1968

The rain seemed to be never ending in Vietnam, but once it ended the heat was even worse. The jungles of Vietnam had their own dangers. Charlie, used to put a small yellow highly venomous snake locals called it a banana snake. Charlie would carefully place the snakes in bunkers where they were certain US soldiers would enter. For most soldiers, 1968 in country was a living hell. Between Charlie, the monsoons, the heat, the jungle rot, the mosquitoes not to mention marching for miles with at least sixty pounds on their backs, grenades, M79’s and M16’s. Most went over more boy than man, they returned disillusioned, hardened men. This is one man’s story.

“I was drafted in June of 1967, did basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey and advanced

infantry training at Fort Lewis. I had thirty days leave, then I reported to Fort Lewis

Washington...destination Chu Lai Vietnam. There were seven of us on board the

Pan Am jet headed for Vietnam. The unit I assigned to was company “D” 198^th Light Infantry

Brigade. Once I stepped out into the heat I thought for sure I was in hell. I was glad now

that I had worn my jungle fatigues and boots. We soon found our way to our fire base,

we were told we would be going on patrol sometime next week. This week, starting

immediately we were to oriented for jungle fighting. I was scared, terrified would

be a better word. At the end of orientation I found myself as squad leader until

a new sergeant could be flown in. I had no desire to find out what happened to the other

one.

My first patrol was not to horrible. The jungle was like a steam bath, we moved

as Charlie did during the night, it was at cooler. The first time I came face to face

with Charlie, I realized, it was a kid of maybe twelve, about the age of my brother.

He had an AK47 Soviet design. We stared at one another, he raised his AK47 and

I shot him. I had never killed a human being and it was one of many incidents that

would become nightmares. I now understood what it meant to kill or be killed,

it gave me the courage to continue; I was already counting down my time in country

before I could return home. There were times when Charlie, as we called the Viet Cong,

would come in human waves. We would use M79 grenade launchers and M16’s on

them. Those Charlie were not afraid to die.

The night of June 10^th, we engaged in the worst firefight we had ever been in. Sergeant

Calvin Oates was in charge of squad “D”, we had just dozed off when Charlie and the North

Vietnam Regular Army (NVR) came at us. We quickly began firing in return. We called

for support, there was no way we could hold off that many with a squad of eight men.

Things went from bad to worse. They came in human waves as we shot the M16’s

the M79 grenade launcher fired almost dead center into the oncoming wave. We could hear

the Huey’s flying toward us. The NVR, began shooting at the chopper, making it impossible

to evacuate our squad. The choppers turned toward base, then came back with fire support.

Finally, after an hour two more squads arrived. The odds were slightly better but

nothing to brag about. Sergeant Oates conferred with Specialist Fourth Jerome Harrington and

Captain Huy Ngo, South Vietnamese Army. He thought we might be able to get out of there

providing we could move silently past the enemy. Once again, the Huey’s arrived. We were

evacuated to the Laos border. There we received orders to enter Laos, our mission was

to the supply line leading into South Vietnam at all costs. I had no idea how high the

cost would be for this mission.

Sergeant Oates motioned me to move quickly toward what Captain Ngo had termed “point

Alpha” it was where our squad was to begin firing on the enemy. I don’t remember a great

deal after we engaged the enemy.

I was extremely grateful that I had on a flak vest, it was heavy weighing eight and a half pounds

but reduced the risk of shrapnel. Sergeant Oates was not wearing one, it was so hot. We got

the signal to move out. Ak47 could be heard above the Huey’s covering the action from

the sky. The sergeant stood up for some unknown reason. A bullet hit him in the neck.

I ran toward him, grabbing him as he fell. I managed to get him on the ground. Our

radio man, transmitted a call for help. Meanwhile, I used a battle dressing in the first

aid kit each of us carried. I had no idea how to stop the bleeding, the blood was flowing

like red water. A medic arrived from “Alpha” Squad, he began a transfusion. He had me

stay with the sergeant when the medic sent for an evacuation chopper. Charlie, once again

attempted to overrun the camp we had set up. Once again we fought them off. A choppers

landed not far from us. I carried the sergeant to the chopper. I was wounded in the process.”

The sergeant eventually recovered. I received the Purple Heart.

Today, I still have flashbacks, which they now term PTSD. I can still see the sergeant’s

blood. I still see Charlie coming in human waves. I am in my seventies now, I was nineteen when

I shipped out for Vietnam. Over the years, I have been in and out of the Veterans’ Hospital. I have had several bouts of malaria. One time, I had a horrible flashback, suddenly Charlie was marching across the hood of the car, my former wife was driving me to the hospital. I remember her pulling over to the side of the road as I was attempting grab the steering wheel. The nightmares continue even now. Someone once said: “was is hell” they certainly had that statement correct. I have no doubt I will live Vietnam over and over until I die.