Purple heart
 

Three times I could have got the PH. and not once was I put in for it.
1. A mortar round went off and as I was running for cover, That round knocked me down and twisted my knee so bad it swelled to twice it's size. It stayed like that for a week or so.
2. A mortar round landed within 4 feet of me, Knocked me down and my ears bleed for three days. The mortar landed just on the other side of a 3 foot high rock which took all the shrapnel .
3. a Mortar attack at Dak To. A WP round landed and went off, a piece of shrapnel hit my middle finger of my left hand (It's still there) I grabbed 2 bandoleers of M-16 ammo and went for the forward guard bunker, wear I stayed until the threat was gone.

Although I have nothing what so ever against a PH receiver, It would seem that the PH is pretty easy to earn.

Ron

Kinda hard to put my self in for a PH when we were loading my dead on choppers

John
 

Thats because you cared way more for your men then any metal. THANK YOU, for all you did.

LT
That’s for sure.
Just how does a LT get put in for a metal? I mean don't your supervisor put you in. If you have no supervisor on scene, how do you get recommended?
Metals don't mean anything, that said, Metals mean something to the receiver, makes them remember the day and the men.


Ron

Ron
 

I guess easy is a relative term. It wasn't hard work losing my left hip, but the unbeliveable pain a milli-second afterwards, and the 40 years of pain sure have been. I know your not saying anything bad....but easy is, well, a bit understated.

Pack

Pac man
I would say easy is a relative term. I was refuring to how little you have to be "wounded" to get a purple heart and some that get the same metal lose a hip, not the same at all.
How did you get your PH?

Ron

I get you buddy...
 

I felt the same way when I found out how Kerry got his 3...count them 3 Purple Hearts. I think mine was worth 4 and Gimpy's probably 6.

I had left the Cav and was assigned to MACV HQ out of Nha Trang. Was placed as a Liason with the 9th Korean Inf. 30th Regiment. I would hump with the CO and the RTO. If they needed air or arty support, all American, I would call it in. All their supplies came through the huge base at Cam Rahn Bay so I would also have to go in with them to get them and my own stuff. Good duty....felt very same working with these guys. After leaving CRB w/new supplies, we were attacked before we got back to the Korean Base Camp. The gun truck I was on was hit by an RPG/B-40 w/armour piercing head. The ammo went up along with the truck. I was on the assend with a M-60. I was blown out of the truck and my left hip was torn up along with other schrapnel. Everyone in the truck was killed but me. Not a good day.

Not something I enjoy talking about...but thanks for asking.

Pack

Tom
 

Well, I guess there is nothing I can tell you about convoys and gun trucks. I'm sorry that happened to you and thanks for all you did. Was it a Korean gun truck or US? I thought the VC/NVA were relucktent to go after Koreans because they were such mean MF'ers. [I can't spell very well eather.]

So in other words
 

Regarding John Kerry and other people, [this is not political] I could have gotten a PH for injuring my head while diving into a bunker during a rocket attack if an officer would have put me in for it????? That doesn't seem right. One of my buddies still has sharpenal in his head but never got a PH. None of our officers wanted to go with us that week.

Steve
 

It was Korean. You are right that the NVA tried to avoid the Korean infantry...but they saw this as an oppurtunity for pay back and not a direct confrontation with their infantry unit. Many of our vehicles were at one time American, but a little paint here and there, made them Korean. The folks at CRB had to start chaining the steering wheels when we came to town. Many times we went back with more vehicles than we came in with. I thought it was funny. In one of our bunkers we had sewing machines for making VC/NVA flags, Ho Chi Minh sandles, and other such swag. Great for trading with the supply guys at the Depot. No wonder I buy Samsung stuff. These guys were industrius and creative.

Pack