Truckers

[Packo]

Sad but true!

Had to go to the 128th Assault Helo Co at Phu Loi, (Tomahawks), for some OJT before leaving for the MACV and the 9th Korean Inf Div. Was going to be flying a bunch, even more than in the Cav, so they wanted me to have nomex shirt, pants, gloves. Had to be flown to Saigon to buy the gloves off the street because they were out of them and having problems getting them through supply channels. Col Anthony Herbert, 173rd Airborne, was going to CA into Qui Non (sp?) supply base to take it over so they could get the supplies they needed. He's the Lt Col that turned in the Brigade CO for using Medivacs he needed to fly to Qui Non to get him Pizza. I agree so much with BobK and his philosophy.....it belonged to us and whatever you had to do to get it was fine. A historical footnote; they drummed Lt Col (or Col...I think he made bird), out of the Military for whistle blowing these bastards that stole from the mouths of his Paratroopers. He even had death threats called to him and his family after he came home and was stationed at Ft Benning. He wrote an interesting book about it.

Pack

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by splummer Did stealing really go on in other units??? gee

splum
I don't know for sure but I did hear tell that some lrrps may have been a little light fingered about stuff but that just may have been from an overdeveloped zeal to fight the war--I mean if there was stuff we really REALLY needed to fight the war and didn't have like, oh, say, 6 cases of beer, well, lrrps were such lucky fellows that oftimes 6 cases of beer would just jump right into their midst all by theirself. Just seemed to work out that way sometimes. I mean they picked us for derringdo and initative--what did they expect?
Course if its God's will that an unoccupied case of beer was just setting around in their midst unused, why, the character of the lrrps was such that it would get drunk and so would they. I knew those fellows--they were vice ridden. Course then you'd have armed drunk lrrps, always an unusual and intersting challenge for a Provost Marshal
In the 1st/327 PIR 101st there wasn't anything to steal.
Among ourselves, though, no one touched anyone's stuff but a lot of times while we were in the field, some one would help himself to our stuff--this would sometimes lead to violent activity when discovered. One person--the LTs driver--was hustled out of our platoon when stuff fro other people was turned up on his person. He was a marked man.
We took Army stuff if we needed it. Once I was in charge of a detail in the Ft Bragg entral Supply warehouse. There was a whole mountain of fur pile caps and of course my company didn't have any and we were doing maneuvers in the snow. marched my pfcs up there in a military manner, ordered em to grab a case apiese and then marched out smartly in my best military manner. You can get away with ANYTHING in the Army if you look like LT Smith sent you. I gave away pile caps to every one--a little freelance socialism-- and we were the only company that had em as far as I know. Our CO had one already..
Evrything I had was stolen from me, lets see now 3 times? in the Army, all 3 times when the Army was sposed to be watching it. One time they took the wholke wall locker. I had to make it up out of my own pocket every time. I didn't trust anyone towrds the end--nobody will look after your stuff like you do.
I drank enough of that Black Label to know how lousy it was and I still drank more. There was no beer so lousy I wouldn't drink it in the NAm.
Stay good
James
PS: wasn't that Army cap bout the dorkiest looking baseball cap ever seen?

[Packo]

I had forgotten about that ball cap. Dorkiest is a great description. Bought a gook made one soon as I could in Vietnam. Man, those issue things were ugly! Wouldn't wear the issue one for my last few months back in the states....took some grief for it but what were they going to do....send me to Vietnam?

Pack

[MORTARDUDE]

FNG's in Nam were easy to spot even outside the bright green jungle fatigues, green socks, green T-shirts, green boxer shorts....but mostly by that ball cap...try as you like there wasn't any way to make it look any better... LOL

Larry

[splummer]

For a while there the Army had us haul amo by day and convoys at night to haul beer and pop. Not too much beer in the night convoys was making it through so they had MPs escort us. The MP's would pull us over so they could get their share too. I had forgotton about those ulgy olive drab base ball caps. I also bought a cap from the Vietnamise.

[b3196]

More mis-appropiated Army property that somehow ended up with us....You would think the Army would have at least assembled the damn things before we stole em
Bob K

[LRP1]

James...Do you remember the rumors about SOMEONE "borrowing" a complete field kitchen, including the duce that it was loaded on, from the 1st Cav at An Khe? Very strange, but our mess tent at Plei Mei had several rectangular holes cut on one side of it.........

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by LRP1 James...Do you remember the rumors about SOMEONE "borrowing" a complete field kitchen, including the duce that it was loaded on, from the 1st Cav at An Khe? Very strange, but our mess tent at Plei Mei had several rectangular holes cut on one side of it.........

Cal
I seem to remember rumors of that but so much of Easy companies stufff was "derived" from other units it would be a lot easier to tell what stuff was actually issued to us:
What was actually issued to us: Almost nothing!! We were an orphan unit ATTACHED to the 4th Division (we always made the distinction) and that put us on the ass end of every supply chain, when we were lucky enough to get on it. Lots of times we weren't on the supply chain. Just like being in the 101st: homeless people with guns.
Well if you remember, in enari and other places there was mountains of stuff just laying around--it was take it or do without--this meant food, beds, mattresses, everything.
But the things I look back at stealing with the most pride (only NOW can the true story be told) is jeeps. If you ever see a picture of a lrrp in a jeep, its a better than even odds bet that the jeep is stolen.You heard the one about me and Gary Stuart stealing the MPs jeep while Woody woodson kept them occupied with a grenade? (Woody all the time being personally naked) Thats was one of the more semi legendary of our little adventures.
Rmember Ray Bohrer? He also did two tours with Easy/C Co, woulnd up retirng aas a Command Sgt Major. I know for sure he took at least one jeep from the 4th Div MPs at gunpoint.
Ray was a character, a true lrrp. We're sitting in the Sp Forces Club in Ban Me Thuot quaffing a quiet beer when we get talking to some SF guys. Turns out one of the Sf was from Rays hometown. He pulls out a picture of his giflfriend and shows it to Ray.. Ray takes one look at it and sings out: "HEY! I fucked HER!!"
Stunned silence--then chairs start flying. He and the SF guy were finally seperated. They banned us from that club which was a shame wbecause it was the only place in BMT that had iced beer at the time.
Last I heard Ray was teaching ROTC in Lexington Kentucky, a retired CSM. He told me later he was just kidding about the guys girlfriend but they took it wrong
Stay good Cal
James

PS, the picture shows Woody with his dog Lrrp

[splummer]

I'm really sorry but I think we stold some of your lrrp food. We were kind of hungary and really tired of c-rations. I liked the chicken and rice. Some of the 101st guys took one of our jeeps and we had to send a guy down to Danang to swipe a replacement. He came back with a new jeep and a 3/4 ton on a stolden trailer. [This guy was good and his only job was to liberate items the army wouldn't give us.] He's one of the guys from the company we found and his civilian life has been working for the Navy in accounting.

[b3196]

Damn
We just acquired booze, beer, Matresses and lockers..... Jeeps, kitchens etc....The rest of you guys need to go to confession
Just send Keith a PM about your wrongdoings....I dont know if it will work or not, but its worth a try.
Bob K