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CU Medallion [50460]
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50 years ago -Vietnam - Monkey Man
Oct 29, 2020, 9:18 AM
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Somewhere along the way, we were blessed with a gung-ho Lt. who was obsessed with the concept of killing others. Not just enemy soldiers but just anyone. He put our platoon in peril numerous times by doing such things as climbing trees to gain a better position to see longer distances - not accounting for the fact that the enemy could also see him better. He once moved onto a large rock in the middle of a mountain stream so he could watch for people crossing it from the dense jungle on either side. We called him the Monkey Man because he found a monkey's skull and attached it to the back of his ruck sack and tried to convince people that it was from an enemy soldier. He did other things that I dare not report here. One night when we should have just maintained our position due to darkness, he rushed down a trail to put out his claymore boobytrap so he wouldn't miss a chance to kill someone and stepped on one the VC had waiting for us. He lost a leg below the knee on the spot and had the gall to scream at the top of his lungs, "Why me God !!!!? Of all people, why me?". Made me think he would have rather had any of us step on it instead of him. We heard later that he had re-enlisted in the hospital before leaving the country to take advantage of a provision that he would get a tax free bonus for extending his commitment even though he knew he would get a medical discharge after recovery.
Message was edited by: clover65®
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110%er [5306]
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Re: 50 years ago -Vietnam - Monkey Man
Oct 30, 2016, 1:27 PM
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Sheesh, I'm surprised no one pulled him aside for a little "talk" before that happened to him...
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CU Medallion [50460]
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I did have to talk to a couple of guys
Oct 29, 2020, 3:38 PM
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who used the "frag him up" talk to make sure nobody did what the VC would eventually do. But we always figured it would have a much more serious ending.
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All-In [32587]
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Ahhhhh - sneaky tactic here, Clover - in our little race ...
Oct 29, 2020, 10:09 AM
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Stacking the deck, I see.
I'm gonna break out Tiger Band stories about cutigerbob® and THEN it will be ON, my friend ! ! !
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CU Medallion [50460]
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Re: Ahhhhh - sneaky tactic here, Clover - in our little race ...
Oct 29, 2020, 10:45 AM
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No way I win that race..... but I just noticed that I posted that 10 minutes before your challenge.
Message was edited by: clover65®
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CU Guru [1040]
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Reckless! Thanks for your service to our country.***
Oct 29, 2020, 10:16 AM
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CU Medallion [64974]
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All-In [36207]
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Sounds Like LT Dan From Forrest Gump***
Oct 29, 2020, 11:02 AM
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Legend [19590]
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He might have been gung ho, but extending his service
Oct 29, 2020, 11:47 AM
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was just smart. Who wouldn't do that after having their leg blown off?
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110%er [6223]
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Re: 50 years ago -Vietnam - Monkey Man
Oct 29, 2020, 11:55 AM
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Thank you for your service. I was fortunate, my HS class was the 1st not to be drafted. My brother in-law was a Navy Corpsman and was assigned to a Marine Platoon. He always says ROTC put out the best Lts, they were willing to listen to their NCOs.
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Hall of Famer [24049]
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Re: 50 years ago -Vietnam - Monkey Man
Oct 29, 2020, 4:24 PM
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Hey clover65®, to be clear, your Lt didn’t actually ‘re-enlist’, as officers are commissioned, right?
As a ‘brat’ and a child of the 60’s, I was a sponge for all things Viet Nam; and as a soldier (first), then a career officer after attending Clemson on the GI Bill and getting my AF commission upon graduation in ‘81, I have read - and studied it as part of my ‘PME’ (professional military education for our non-mil tnetters). Viet Nam was always an interest to me. That was one hell of a conflict we got ourselves into.
My admiration, respect and thanks to you and the so many others who served. I won’t lie, I have wept at the Wall. You all deserve ‘The greatest generation’ recognition, too.
I do not think I’ve ever taken a trip to DC and haven’t walked among our heroes buried in Arlington, or not visited the Wall or the Korean War Memorial. My mother’s buried with her first husband in Arlington - as he died in Korea. My dad - as a member of his platoon - escorted his body back, and subsequently he and my mom married. My dad did two tours in Nam. He was also a Merchant Marine at the tail end of WWII. (Oh, fyi: my mom and dad eventually divorced, thus her choice to be buried with her first husband).
Again, thank YOU for YOUR service!
God Bless my friend!
Message was edited by: Uncle Bill®
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CU Medallion [50460]
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I don't know much about commissioned
Oct 29, 2020, 8:20 PM
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officers or about enlistees either for that matter - 100% draftee here...... so, if I had re-upped I would have been a re-draftee?
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Hall of Famer [24049]
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Re: I don't know much about commissioned
Oct 30, 2020, 7:59 AM
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Haha! No, you would have THEN become ‘RA’ - you’re now a volunteer!!
Okay, so that leads me to another story! I finished HS in ‘71, but my draft # was 189 - so I didn’t get drafted. Instead, I applied for an AFROTC scholarship to Clemson, but didn’t get it. Then, I worked at a cotton mill, construction, then Fibre Industries in Greenville - making a whopping $3.27/hr - and working 12-16 hours OT a week. Until I wrecked my car going into work ($1200 damage), THEN got caught ‘grab-assing’ at work a week later and was threatened with termination - unless I quit. Recall getting fired USED to be the kiss of death for getting another job! So I quit. On a Tuesday. Went to see the Army recruiter Wednesday. And Friday morning I was at Ft Jackson.
Uncle Sam was offering a $1500 enlistment bonus - into combat arms - so, problems solved! My dad was airborne infantry, so guess what? So became I!
Then, in basic, as we would go through the chow line, we had to sound off with our classification. Draftees were US; Guard was ‘NG’; and ‘volunteers’ were RA. The entire line went US US US NG NG US US US NG and on and on.... UNTIL my turn, then I would sound off with ‘ RA ‘ .... the ENTIRE EFFING PLACE WOULD JUST STOP. It would go absolutely quiet, and EVERYONE would turn at look at me - and someone would ALWAYS say: “You effing VOLUNTEERED?!?!?! “.
Oh yeah, fun times.....
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