35 years ago ...

"This is my rifle. This is my gun. This is for ..." (sigh)


A couple of pictures, taken just before sunrise, of a cozy little place where I spent many "thoughtful" nights (and some boring days). This is where an augmented battalion of NVA came at us po', helpless little REMFs a little over 35 years ago. (In the sky above, a Medal of Honor was earned.)



I just thought I'd 'share.' :silly:
It's something about the news these days. :shrug:

And thank you for your service to the country.

:shrug: (You can just sorta make out the Claymores in front of the bunker.)

Love to hear about it?

http://www.somf.org/moh/levitow_john_AF.htm
http://www.mishalov.com/Levitow.html
http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/levitow.html

... and other sites.

(I vaguely recall seeing it happen ... busy doin' other things.)

I know how you feel. Thanks for posting the pics. We need to be reminded of these things once in a while. Thank you for your service.

-Paige

Everyday when I hear about the fighting in Iraq I think about when I was in Vietnam.

I feel I share something with the troops in Iraq that most Americans will never know about. The question they must be asking themselves is, will I make it to tomorrow?

I remember all the hours of boredom and Mickey Mouse horseshit ... interrupted by periods of adrenaline floods. I did a pretty good job of erasing most of it ... never discussed it in the first 10 years back. Even now, I only get something like quick, vague mental snapshots for the night of 2/24/69. I guess I remember the next day a lot better ... seeing the wounded (by frags, maybe claymore or grenades) NVA (teenagers) being interrogated in the infirmary next to the POW compound and LBJ.

Those poor bastards in 'raq can't even make a reliable short-timer's calendar. (Sheesh!)

In the midst of chaos and war some manifest the best in human nature.
An amazing story.

:thumbsup:

Maybe that's why so many professional photographers were there? :silly:

Just a bit of orientation ...
That's the southern perimeter of Long Binh Post (in 1969) and the camera is pointing east. On the right of the photos, you can see the public highway. Across the highway were rice paddys. Between the highway and the bunkerline was about 5-deep concertina wire, tanglefoot, and claymores. The claymore legs were embedded in concrete. Those claymores in front of the bunkers were backed up with concrete sandbag mini-walls. The cyclone fencing and chickenwire in front of the bunker was to repel RPG rounds and grenades. (In order to fire off M-79 grenades or flares, we had to go outside the main bunker. Fun.)