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Episode 11 “Welcome to Vietnam”
Finally.
After two months of Basic Training, a brief stint on Temporary Duty, two months of Fire Direction Control School, a month of leave, and a few extra days at Fort Lewis retaking all my shots …
Finally I arrived by plane at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.
DAY ONE IN VIETNAM
We were taken to a large building where we were told how we would be processed. We would be assigned to groups and take some orientation classes and then we would be sent to the unit that would be our home for the next year.
It sounded simple enough.
Who do you know?
Before we were sent on our way, however, the soldier giving the briefing asked if anyone was related to a Congressman. A few hands went up. He asked those people to come down and they were led through a door. We never saw them again.
He assured us that the people who left were not getting any special treatment.
For some reason, I didn’t believe him.
I waited for him to ask if anyone was related to a journeyman machinist, my Dad’s job, but he didn’t ask. So I didn’t get to go out the door and not get special treatment like those related to a Congressmen didn’t get.
Instead we were sent to another temporary home until we got our assignment.
At this new location we were told to line up.
I found a place near the front of the group but one of the “experienced “ guys in the group — I think he had arrived in Vietnam the day before me — said we shouldn’t stand in the front because that’s where they picked the guys for KP.
KP?
In Vietnam?
I didn’t even know they did KP in a war zone.
But with my luck, I figured I would get stuck with the job, so I decided to join the “experienced “ guy in the back row.
The soldier running the show handed out orders for those who had received their assignments and told them where to catch their rides. For most, that was a chopper pad where they would be flown to their assigned unit.
The rest of us got some instruction on what to expect — primarily what to avoid — in Vietnam.
Some make-work jobs
And then he started giving out jobs for us to do while we waited for our orders. Most of the jobs were simple — cleaning up an area, helping move stuff, things like that — and not everyone got a job.
When he said he needed about five guys for KP, I have to admit I felt sorry for the guys up front who didn’t get the inside scoop on where to stand.
I was glad I had joined my experienced friend in the back row.
But the soldier in charge didn’t even look at the guys in the front row. Instead, he looked at the back row. He pointed at me and a couple of guys near me and said, “You guys have KP.”
This was not how I expected my first day in Vietnam to go, but it seemed about right for my Army career. I seemed to have a knack for getting less-than-desirable opportunities.
After I finished KP that day, the soldier in charge found me and a couple of other guys and said we would be doing guard duty that night.
GUARD DUTY
Guard duty?
This was a very large and very important military base. How could they put someone like me, with absolutely zero experience, on guard duty?
I assumed I would be on the edge of the facility staring out into the the dark jungle and watching and listening for a surprise attack.
My assumption was wrong.
The soldier took us to various places on the base and gave us specific orders on how to guard stuff inside the base.
It was getting dark, and I was taken to a remote area of the base. There was a road going down by a fence. I was stationed at a gate and told I should not let anyone pass through that gate unless they gave me the password for the day.
He told me the password, handed me a rifle, and left.
The rifle he gave me was an M-14.
The M-14 was the Army’s standard issue rifle from 1959-1964. This was 1970. Now I had never used an M-14 in my life. Not in Basic. Not in Advanced Training. I was never even shown films of it being used. I guess I could have figured out how to use it — I mean a rifle was a rifle — but the Army made certain I would not make a mistake with this weapon of war. They didn’t give me any ammunition.
So there I stood in the dark, on a remote part of the military base, standing guard duty, with a secret password, and a rifle that had no bullets, and my wits … or lack thereof.
If anyone tried to come through my gate, they’d best know the password or I would … well I didn’t actually know what I would do. I just hoped no one would come my way.
And for a long time, no one did come. Remember it was remote and dark. I couldn’t think of any reason why anyone would come to this part of the base and go through my gate.
But then I saw him. I couldn’t make out his features in the dark, but he was walking my way. He was definitely coming to my gate.
I went over the routine in my mind.
I would tell him to halt. Then I would ask him for the password. He would give me the password and then I would let him through.
I’d seen this interchange many times in old World War II movies.
I could do this.
As he came closer I could see that he was an officer — a 2nd Lieutenant.
I stepped in his path and said, “Halt.”
He stopped and looked at me.
I wondered if he knew I didn’t have any ammunition.
“Password,” I said with all the command authority I could muster after a day on KP.
He looked at me, shook his head and said, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Then he walked by me and went through the gate.
What was I supposed to do?
Beat him over the head with my bullet-less M-14?
I watched him as he disappeared into the darkness.
Did I just fail at my first job in the war?
Would I get in trouble?
A little while later, I saw some movement coming down the road toward me again.
I determined this time I would not fail.
I had a job to do and I would do it … even if it was something more than a 2nd Lieutenant.
I was relieved when I saw that it wasn’t a person at all. It was too low to the ground. It was some kind of animal.
I could see that from the reflection from its eyes.
I couldn’t make out exactly what kind of animal it was but it was about the size of a dog. I hadn’t seen any dogs on the base but I figured someone made a dog his pet and it was just trotting around the base — coming directly toward me.
I wondered if a dog was allowed to pass through the gate without the password.
Maybe I should tell it to “Halt!” and ask for the password. Just joking. I’m not that stupid. I wouldn’t ask a dog for the password.
The dog continue to come my way and I figured I could at least try to make a new friend.
But then I realized the walk was more of a wobble. Maybe it was a short, fat dog. As it got closer I began to make out the details of the shape
It wasn’t a dog.
And I was not going to make a new friend.
It was a rat. The biggest rat I had ever seen in my life.
I raised my unloaded rifle, made some threatening moves and some aggressive noises, and the creature decided to head in a different direction.
I was once again alone.
But this time, I was a success.
As I evaluated my first job in this war, except for the 2nd Lieutenant, no one got through my gate that night. Not even a very large rat.
After my time on guard duty was over, I returned to the temporary home we had been given and got a good night’s sleep
DAY TWO IN VIETNAM
The next day we were told to shower, which was probably good advice because it had been a couple of days and we were a bit on the grungy side.
The showers were in a large area underneath a canopy. The showers were all gravity fed so there were barrels up high.
One problem.
There were several Vietnamese women keeping the area clean and picked up.
I did not feel comfortable getting naked and taking a shower in front of several women, but again, the Army had no desire to address my concerns, so I obeyed orders and took a shower.
Then we gathered at our meeting place. I was hoping I would get my orders for where I would be assigned, but it didn’t happen that day.
We had a couple of more instructional sessions on what to watch out for in Vietnam, and then we regathered.
My “experienced” friend had received his orders so he was gone. But I had learned my lesson from the previous day. This time I took a place up front. I was not going to do KP again.
They gave out a few jobs and then it was time to pick out the KP crew.
Yep … he didn’t even look at the back row. He looked at those of us in the front row, pointed at me and a couple of guys near me and said we were on KP.
So, on my first two days in Vietnam, I did KP.
Not exactly how I expected my time in Vietnam to begin.
But at the end of the day, I finally received my orders. I would be going to a place called Hawk Hill and joining the 3/82 Artillery.
This would be my unit, and hopefully I would never have to do KP again.
I have three lessons from this stage of my Army career.
LESSON 1 - God is in control
Even if things don’t go the way I think they should — and they often don’t — I need to remember that God is in control.
LESSON 2 - Be careful who you turn to for advice
Sometimes the people who give you advice don’t know what they’re talking about.
LESSON 3 - Don’t try to make friends with rats
Rats are not good.
Thanks for listening to this episode.
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Now before I go, I'd like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.
“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)
Ep 11 "Welcome to Vietnam"