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CU Medallion [50852]
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50 years ago today -Vietnam- the "Druggie"
Aug 2, 2020, 8:29 AM
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I have posted part of this on an earlier date but today is the 50th anniversary of the final event. This guy was sent to the jungle from our firebase mortar platoon because he kept getting drugs from the locals who frequented our front gate. He should have been prosecuted military-style but someone thought they were doing him a favor by sending him to the field where he wouldn't have access to drugs. He was the guy who once walked along a rice paddy damm stomping along off the trail right in front of me saying "I'm a walking bomb" over and over while carrying extra explosives in his rucksack. We started getting rifle fire and used the low paddy damm as cover and this guy put the bag of explosives up on the damm where it could be hit by fire. Another time, he managed to get drugs through a fence from kids in a village after we got off a plane and were waiting on choppers to take us into the mountains and took them while we were on the move after reaching the mountains - falling in a stream we were crossing and couldn't get up. I wouldn't allow anyone to help him so he crawled all the way across by moving a little while completely under the surface and occasionally lifting his head to get air. On August 2, we were on patrol and encountered a group of enemy and wounded one and this guy went up to him and shot him at point blank range which shouldn't have been done. He took the NVA's watch and bragged about how nice it was. We searched huts at that location and this guy obviously found drugs in one because late in the day he started acted erratically. He even refused to go with us as our platoon started back to join our company which was camped near a bombed-out Catholic church from the French colonial days. He sat down against a tree and refused to go with us. I thought he would follow us if we got far enough away from him but that didn't work, as we crossed a wide open area a couple of hundred meters wide and could see that he was still in the same position. Knowing we would get in trouble if we left him, another guy and I went back across the field to get him. As we approached him, he eased his rifle toward us as if he might shoot but we moved quickly and grabbed it away from him. We had to basically carry him all the way back to the night position. I immediately went to our company commander and told him that he had to send him to the rear area for punishment because he had endangered our platoon too many times. He sent for a chopper which turned out to be an observation helicopter which is a 2-seater. The pilot brought a chaplain with him so I thought they would put our guy in the back and let the chaplain sit beside the pilot by the door. But they put him in the front to my surprise and my squad knew that was risky - we watched the chopper make circles over our position to gain altitude before flying away so as to be more out of rifle range from the ground. The guy didn't jump from the chopper above us, but the pilot radioed us a little later that he had unhooked his seat belt, yelled "Geronimo!" and jumped out. He landed in a familiar village or his body would never have been found. War is helll but drugs make it worse.
Had to edit to add "m" and "'l: to bleeped words
Message was edited by: clover65®
Message was edited by: clover65®
Message was edited by: clover65®
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Orange Blooded [3139]
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Re: 50 years ago today -Vietnam- the "Druggie"
Aug 2, 2020, 8:57 AM
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Thank you @Clover65. I cannot imagine some of the situations you were in but am glad you made it through and are here with us now.
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All-TigerNet [10822]
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Thanks for sharing. Hell of a story
Aug 2, 2020, 9:01 AM
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My grandpa was in the battle of the bulge. I swore off partying with Tigerbalm1® Years ago though
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All-TigerNet [10640]
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Re: 50 years ago today -Vietnam- the "Druggie"
Aug 2, 2020, 11:45 AM
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Thank goodness I never had a guy like that in my platoon. We had one guy that refused to work, so my platoon work parties never wanted to take him on a work detail. I refused to let him stay back at out battalion compound and sit around a do nothing. Eventually I just sent his sorry a** back to the company headquarters and recommended a General Discharge with Other Than Honorable Conditions. I did have a kid from California that I used to find with dope (Obesitol .... a liquid speed I guess)but he never caused a lot of problems and we eventually got rid of him. Being a Marine as opposed to Army, we had very few draftees, so probably had less problems with drugs.
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CU Medallion [50852]
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This guy was from California too
Aug 2, 2020, 2:36 PM
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Don’t know what drugs he was able to get but the last time was something he found in that hut - I wonder if he even knew what it was
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All-TigerNet [10640]
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Re: This guy was from California too
Aug 2, 2020, 3:59 PM
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I think some of those guys would have ingested anything. I know some of the Army officers across the dirt road from my compound even partook of a little weed. I guess some Marine officers may have too but I never saw any evidence of it during my year there. There was plenty of beer there, but I never drank too much unless it was in DaNang in the rear waiting for R & R or something similar. Can't say the same for my R & R to Sydney!
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CU Guru [1858]
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Re: 50 years ago today -Vietnam- the "Druggie"
Aug 2, 2020, 12:37 PM
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Sounds a lot more like a mental health problem for that fellow. I would imagine a few soldiers smoked grass a few times and were still able to honorably carry out their duties, but I digress.
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All-TigerNet [10822]
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A lot of drug addictions are because of untreated
Aug 2, 2020, 2:30 PM
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Mental health issues. Jot that down
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110%er [6010]
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Re: A lot of drug addictions are because of untreated
Aug 2, 2020, 2:43 PM
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Thank You for Your service and all you had to endure Clover65. Thanks also for Your stories.
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Replies: 8
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