for the overview of the battle from your end. At the NCO club at Bragg, I met 2 guys that had recently got there after DEROSing from the 173rd. This was sometime in JAN68. They had been in the battle. They could still hardly bring themselves to talk about it. They loosened up when I told them that I had been there the year before, and bought a couple rounds. It was definately a bad som' bitch. They told me about the 500 pounder. Also, someone had told Manny that the bomb had hit the area where they were staging their wounded. No such thing as "Friendly Fire". I asked him if this was where Mario was killed. He said "No". Mario was originally listed as MIA, and was found KIA somewhere else on the hill.
We moved to Kontum after leaving Dak To. That's where I had one of my Top 2 scarriest nights in country. New Years Day '67, we spend the day kicking the NVA off of a hill that we had been ambushed on the day before. Happy New Year, Motherf.....! We set up a perimeter and settle in for the night. About 0300-0400 of the 2JAN67 they come back for their hill and get inside our perimeter before we know what's happening. Before we get our shit together and beat them back, we have 7 dead and twice that wounded. Had 2 guy's, one sleeping on each side of me, killed in the initial attack. One was killed instantly when he sat up and was shot in the throat. The other was shot in the legs and bled to death, or died of shock, later. How I missed being shot, I will never be able to explain to you. Later that morning I KNEW there is a God.
Ron, will get my address off to you later. I'd love to see the video. You'll have to tell me where you are in it, so I know when I see ya. Or do I just keep my eyes peeled for an ugly guy with a Prick 25 strapped to his back
? You know all you Legs look alike
.