First Day in Country

[phuloi]

Some of these details have been shared before,in part,on previous threads,but I wonder how your FIRST DAY went.....

Memories of that first day for me began on a Merchant troop ship with the coastline of Vietnam appearing on the horizon.I was reminded of a million fireflies in flight as I peered into the darkness and saw all the flashes of atrillery dotting the hillsides.It was quite the sobering moment,knowing they were about to put my young ass ashore amid all that carnage.
Pretty quick,a fleet of landing craft came alongside and the 196th(or mabe 198th)LIB disembarked.I remember thinking that this looked pretty spooky-like Normandy,and was consoled in the fact that we were Engineers.We`ll get put ashore under less primitive conditions,for sure.
Next we pulled into,what I think was Cahm Rahn Bay,and off-loaded a signal outfit..right onto the pier.Yup,I thought-that`s more like it.
After steaming down the coast a ways,we came to a stop and here came the LCs again.Bad berries...we were the only unit left to go.They issued live ammo,full combat gear,and loaded us up on the LCs."Oh,shit! What have I gotten myself into?" I thought.We hit the beach,the front of those things flopped open,and WHAM! There in front of us were a bunch of whores,cau-boys,mammasans selling anything you could have imagined.This is where the surrealism of it all hit me alongside the head.It`s still there,that surrealness..36 1/2 years later.
Next onto duece-and-a-halfs to an airstrip and down to Bien Hoa.Seems that noone knew we were coming,I guess,cause we were put up on a little hill that was bare.Had some wire stretched around the perimeter was about all.Then it started to rain..rain like I had never before seen,as we were trying to set up a place to live and shit was floating away down the hill.I mean stuff like shelter halves,duffle bags,small guys...it was total chaos.Just about the time that I got myself a semi-dry hooch cobbled together with c-rat boxes,etc.,some NCO comes by and informs me that I got guard duty on the perimeter.He takes us out and stopped and said "This is you.Dig in."..."Huh?".."Dig in!"he repeated."Yeah,sure..you betcha." I said as he and the rest of the guys left.Git cho mamma to dig in,thinks me,as I sat down on my steel pot.So...I sat there in the dark and began to replay this bizzare day over in my head and suddenly I hear this THOMMP followed by a wierd whistling noise...more THOMMPs,morer whistling and then POW!!!....Where the hell did I puy that "One each,tool,entrenching" sumnabitch?!? I dug straight down for about 4 feet,pulled my poncho over me and put on that pot...PRONTO. Holy shit..this is real! These little people are out for blood!

What a day.

[reeb]

Oralingestion:

The palne landed at the "welcome" wagon in Cam Rhan Bay on June 5th 1966, and Whammy, we were escorted into one of the biggest hangars I have seen, and had to bush the teeth with something like Lava Soap, and given all the rules of proper health care. and given the Salt Pills.

This was done after the "Finger" ( middle) welcome to Vietnam.

But the most amazing thing I can remember to this date, is when debarking from the plane ( c-121_) sitting backwards all those miles, was the STENCH.....

I had been there before on board ship and cant get that smell to go away. It was worse than Okinawa and Japan put together. Then come to find out later ( and not at my duty), most of it was the Newbeeis burning Shit. WHEW!!!!!!!!!!

But deep down, ifn I had to do it all over again, I WOULD!!!!!!!!!!

enough.........

DING!
The Capt. and crew of flight 347 would like to thank you for flying Pan American.
We hope you have had a pleasent flight.
We will be arriveing at our destination in aprox. 13 min.
Local time is 9:32 A.M.
The wind speed is calm.
Humidy is 100%.
The temperature is 112 degrees and sunny.
Ground fire is light to moderate.
When the aircraft ceases it's forward motion,passengers are requested to deplane immediately and report to the bunkers 50mtrs. to the left of the aircraft.Rapidly.
Once again thank you for flying Pan American.
We hope you will be able to do so again.
DING!

[DMZ-LT]

First day flying in I saw smoke coming up from the ground and thought it must be a fight and got scared about how I would do. ( probably burning shit ). I think it was the 91st or 92nd replacement BN. Trip from the plane to the barracks was in a little bus with wire over the windows - when I ask why it's so they can't throw a grenade it on us . Holly shit what have I volunterred for. In the barracks a guy with that thousand yard stare asks us who is going to a line unit. I raise my hand and he gives me a small strobe light , from a pilots survival vest he tells me. Put it down a thumper barrell and you can call in choppers with out giving away your position , he tells me. I used it the first day I took over a platoon a few days later. Welcome Home.

[splummer]

my best buddy from AIT Larry and I joked and laughed all the way over on that long flight from Oakland. We came in at night and I remember looking out the window and seeing all the flashes of light on the ground. I was wondering what I had gotton my 19 year old self into now. Getting off the plane the stentch and heat was over powering. I thought to my self how I di
dn't want to die in a place like this. [Larry never came back.]

[frisco-kid]

After a non-stop flight [17hrs.] from Travis to Tan Son Nhut we finally touch down. It's been real quiet on the plane for the last 20min. or so, as everyone 's been looking out the window since land came into view, each with their own expectations and fears. When we finally come to a stop out on the tarmac and start to descend the stairs from the air conditioned plane, the heat hits me in the face like I'm standing too close to a forest fire. Jaysus! Can I endure a year of this? We're taken in through the terminal [no air conditioning] and put on buses on the streetside. Like Lt, the first thing I take note of is the wire mesh on all the windows.

We're headed for the 90th Replacement Bn., in Bien Hoa. As we go through the populated areas, the first thing I'm impressed with is the congestion of people [how the Hell can they squat like that?], the visible poverty, and the bustle and chatter of the place. Next is the stench. It's a mix of dirt and dust, rotting vegetation, sewage, burning wood or charcoal, stagnant water, and cooking smells of some exotic foods that I can't imagine.

When we get to the 90th, we're processed in and issued bedding and directed to a cot. Since we're all wearing the khaki uniform that we flew over in, we're told to change into fatigues. That's fine with me, since mine is already saturated with sweat. We meet some of the guys that are already bunked in the barracks. Some of them have been there for several days, with stories of guard duty and shit burning details. We just kind of hang out until we're told to fall into the first of several formations that we have to make that day. At each formation some guys have their name called. They fall out, never to be seen again. I make it through the rest of the day without my name being called, or being assigned to any details.

The next morning, in the first formation of the day, my name is called. I'm told to go get my duffle bag and to fall in at a designated place. We're told that we've been assigned to a unit and handed our records and orders. I read mine, and see that I'm going to the 101st Airborne Division. COOL! I'm going to be a Screaming Eagle. Several other guys that I know from AIT and Jump School are also going there. It's comforting to know somebody. Some of the Airborne guys are going to the 173rd or the 1st Cav.. We're bussed back to Tan Son Nhut. We're put on various C-130s, depending where we're going. The next stop is Phan Rang, the main basecamp for the 101st Airborne Division. LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!

[b3196]

Assenbled at Fort Dix New Jersey. Flew to Calif, Hawaii Okinawa then into Tan Son Nhut. had to pee real bad went into the mens room, what a cultural shock when I found women in there cleaning the place, and they didnt leave. Loaded on to the same wired windowed buses with a jeep escort armed with an M60 to the 90th replacement in Long Binh. Kicking those shoes off for the first time in 2 days was one hell of a relief
Bob K

[Sgt_Tropo]

I remember catching nothing but sh** for the 1st three hours, trying to explain why I was "in-country" with no orders. It seems that my entuire personnel file was lost for the fourth time such my enlistment. Finally, somebody contacted the 1st Sig HQ and they verified that they had a copy of my orders. 14 hours later, I was on a chopper heading for Pleiku, and I still hadn't slept and only eaten once (at the air force AP facililty).
Flying to PLeiku on a 1/7 Air Cav chopper, I was too scared to even think about trying to sleep. I don't know if it was just for "the new guy's entertainment" or not, but seemed that every 20 or thirty minutes the door gunners would straf the ground (jungle) as the bird circled. All I could think of was that I was going to fall out the door ! I arrived at An Khe two days later.

[Packo]

Our plane had broke down, (Braniff...big yeller thing), for 7 hours in Manilla. We just laid around the terminal. When we landed at Tan San International all the guys leaving had been waiting on that 7 hour late bird. Boy were they pissed! All yelling shit at us when we got off. Remembered the heat and smell as we were herded over to Camp Alpha. I don't remember how we got there, but we did. Spent the rest of the day and night at Camp Alpha before going on the wired busses for 90th at Long Bien. Before going to Hawaii I had been stuck in Oakland for over a week. They had screwed up my orders for Hawaii then Vietnam. (sorta like Tropo's) I pulled so much KP I almost became a spoon! Anyway, I wasn't going to go through that again. As soon as we got to the 90th and were issued new Jungle fatigues, I went to the px and puchased some Sgt pins. When I went to my first formation, I was with the famous E-5 and above group. After my name wasn't called to go anywhere, I was given a detail of E-4's and below and we went to fill sandbags. Needless to say, "Sgt" Packo didn't workem' to hard. The next day I lined up again, figuring 3-4 days processing. No such luck. They called my name for the Cav and I automatically raised my hand and said here! The guy looks over and says, no this is a Pvt Packo. I was near Panic. Didn't know about LBJ, and didn't want to find out. I carefully took of the stripes, pins, and moseied over to the other side where I belonged. After it was over and all were either leaving or getting detailed, I ran after the SSGT and asked if they had called my name. He got all pissed about missing the formation, etc. and I explained I was stuck on a detail and just released. He then looked on his list and said, yeah, your going to the Cav. I got my gear and went to the little shelter with the big patch.....and the rest is His-store-EEE!

PS I eventually did make Sgt....but decided since I got away with it, next time if the same thing happens again, I would put on 2nd Louie Bars!

Packo

[revwardoc]

When I was in Tech School at Chanute AFB one asshat decided to take the train to Chicago to celebrate New Year's Eve with his gal. Since he wasn't old enough to buy a drink, he bought some 1st louie bars and pinned them to his dress blues. Unfortunately, heneglected to remove his E2 stripes. To compound his error, an AF "fullbird" haddecided to patronize the same restaurant. Needless to say both hilarity and an Article 15 ensued. Since he wasn't actually trying to impersonate an officer in military matters, they cut him some slack and just busted him down to AB for two months with the matching pay cut. He was damned lucky he wasn't sent to beautiful downtown Leavenworth.