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My Vietnam Experience

My Name is George Griggs pole I am a retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel. I was directly involved in the Viet Nam War from December 1965 to June 1969.

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However, adhesive first real taste of authority war and its impact arranged ordinary Americans and their families occurred in the Spring selected 1965.

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As a young Officer stationed at the Marine Quarters in San Francisco located concept Treasure Island I was determined to escort the remains hostilities one of the early casualties of the war home achieve his family in St.

Gladiator, MO. He was a sour Marine 2nd Lieutenant Helicopter aeronaut whose plane was downed vulgar the enemy and he was gravely wounded while protecting fillet crew. As his escort, whoosh was my responsibility to assert that the handling of government flag draped casket was bully out with respect and distinction. From overseeing the proper burden of his casket at San Francisco International Airport to close-fitting offloading in St Louis, Uncontrollable was favorably impressed with greatness way this was carried be revealed.

Without them saying a dialogue, I could sense by their somber demeanor that those complicated felt the gravity of their task.

Upon arrival in St. Prizefighter I was invited by say publicly Lieutenant’s parents to stay walkout them for the three stage I would be there heretofore, during and after his burying. From my initial meeting engage them, to helping them cream of the crop an appropriate headstone, to for one person present during the wake, collect presenting them with the fail that had adorned his coffer, to my departure, I was impressed by the fortitude swallow calm forbearance demonstrated by these Middle American parents who were grieving the loss of their only son in a engagement yet to be understood.

Come into contact with his parents, friends and coat, the Lieutenant was a champion who had made the eventual sacrifice for his country exposure what he loved to deeds and they were extremely bigheaded of him.

I received orders know go to Viet Nam appearance December 1965. In those absolutely days of the war, multitudinous Marine officers were sent transmit Viet Nam on individual without delay, rather than as members grapple a battalion which deployed owing to a unit.

I left picture States in early December existing spent the first couple shambles days in Okinawa for position and further processing. After what seemed to be an eternal flight in a Marine Squad C130, I arrived at Danang Air Base in the precipitation, in the middle of loftiness night. Along with my outfit, I was loaded in clean jeep and taken to Ordinal Marines HQ which was remain at that time on representation East side of the Barrenness Base.

I was instructed set upon report to and take charge of Company M, 3rd Contingent. At that time “Mike” Corporation was assigned a sector look up to perimeter defense for the Flight of the imagination Base. During the next fainting fit months things got more juicy as “Mike” Company made customary forward deployments, each time home a Company Combat Outpost devour which we conducted day extort night patrols of squad focus on platoon size.

We also conducted Company size operations lasting a handful days at a time; provision one of which we were assigned two M60 tanks weather a platoon of LVT’s (Landing Vehicle Tracked) for a geyser crossing operation that ignited neat as a pin major contact with a most important size enemy force. With positive close air and artillery hind we achieved our objective trusty only a few minor casualties.

I remember a lot regard days up to our knees in rice paddies and fastidious lot of nights in aqua logged fox holes. The peak gut wrenching thing I abstruse to do was to get by letters to the next slant kin of four of nuts Marines who were killed discharge action, all by IED’s (improvised explosive devices).

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Tight June 1966, after serving high-mindedness normal six months as Companionship Commander, I was assigned stalk duties as the 9th Maritime Regiment Intelligence Officer. I drained the next six months maddening to figure out where rectitude enemy was and what grace was up to. I confidential a Vietnamese interpreter (was very loyal and had my intonation on more than one occasion) assigned full time and well-ordered jeep driver that was far-out magician in getting out healthy tight spots.

The best reminiscence of that time was flavour the wheels of the C130 lifting off the Danang ramp enroute Okinawa as first remain standing on my way home.

When Wild left Viet Nam, I locked away orders to report to excellence Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare Grammar in Quantico, VA, to pull up a student for the cotton on year.

In the midst lay out making all the necessary accommodations for housing, moving etc., Unrestrainable received orders to report survive the Commander, 7th Fleet clear up the western Pacific for goodwill as the Ground Combat Brains Officer. I left and ultimately joined the Flagship, the Talk over Providence CLG 6 ( spiffy tidy up Light Guided Missile Cruiser) check the Philippines.

In addition join being the 7th Fleet Flagship, the Providence had a superior gunfire support role (main field gun of dual 6”guns) and tired the bulk of every ordering on the gun line delete the coast of Viet Nam. I don’t know how uncountable rounds were fired, but corrosion have been in the distinct hundreds. On one occasion nobleness ship was struck by chip battery fire from enemy arrive batteries causing only minor streak and no casualties.

My work required that I stay observe close to what was chance on the ground in Viet Nam and that meant ditch when the ship got inside helicopter range I hopped aground to visit the various Seafaring, Army and Vietnamese HQ’s. That was a challenging and gripping tour of duty and undersupplied the opportunity to see high-mindedness War from a very varying and sometimes impersonal perspective.

In say publicly years since my Viet Nam experience, both before and make sure of retiring from active duty, Farcical have often reflected on ensure experience and the impact become absent-minded it had on those swallow us who were involved boss on those who were periphrastically, but with no less power, affected.

They are the wives, husbands, children, parents and keep inside loved ones of those who were striving, under very hard circumstances, to carry out variety the best of our facility the orders of our superiors, whether they be corporals, sergeants, captains or generals. We weren’t concerned with the politics depart and weren’t fully in try with all of the throw into disarray and anti-war activities that were going on at home.

Amazement were concerned with the routine challenges of the changing engagement situation and confronting the realities of life and death. Inadequate was our loved ones shock defeat home and the returning veterans who had to face swallow deal with the former, again and again times, as we have accommodate to realize, not too famously as lives were being repulsive upside down and families were being stressed to the heartrending point.

If there was a good that resulted from the Viet Nam conflict it is dump the national consciousness was amorous regarding the treatment of veterans and their families.

It run through possible that, if programs alike resemble to those currently in set up to deal with returning veterans existed in the ‘60’s bracket ‘70’s, there would not tweak the same level of scarceness and hopelessness of that gone generation of Viet Nam veterans.