light in Nam

[grunt66]

What did you folks use for light in Vietnam . Basecamp had generators of course.
In bunkers I have seen a flashlight bulb hooked up to old PRC-10 and PRC -25 batteries. In the early days we would purchase those large red candles for a few p's.

[39mto39g]

90 degree Olive Drab 2 D-cell flash light with extra red lens.
Never used the red lens, just cup your hand around the lens and let as much light through as you like.
Ron

[phuloi]

Zippo..66,Where are you in Wyoming and do you hunt Mule deer?

[grunt66]

Southern . Didn't hunt this year , danged drought is raising ned with the population. As a matter of fact many of them have already moved to town ,easier living I guess. No kidding ,there are some fine heads walking around the parks and bedding down amongst the log piles at the saw mill.

Company CP always had Coleman lanterns , rest of us made do . I had a flashlight for planning patrols and LPs but if you wanted to read you saved the batteries and lit the candle.

[exlrrp]

In my infantry unit, once the sun went down, that was it for lights, other than illumination. It was hella daring just to light a smoke, I mean there WERE people out there with the mindset of killing us sometimes, not most of the time, but enough of the time.
They'd huddle under a poncho with a flashlight at the cp but there sure wasnt any reading going on.
If the starlite was working you could see pretty well at night but this was spotty(talking about yr fcked up batteries)
In the lrrps, there was never any lights unless huddled under a poncho in emergency, trying to figure out where the hell we were EXACTLY so we coulld get the cavalry coming to the rescue in the way of artillery and air support. We had to figure out where we were as close as possible--this is most critical calling in arty and air-- and sometimes--lots of times, well, many times anyway-- the maps were wrong and compasses don't always work right when yr carrying 60 lbs of steel and lead. Cell phones,night goggles and GPS woulda helped a LOT here, I'm sure glad our boys have this now

In the base camps they just went off generators.
Lrrps don't spend ANY time in ANY bunkers, unless there's a handy one around while yr getting shelled, which is seldom to nonexistent, and the 101st Abn Inf don't spend much in em either, I wouldn't know what they do in those things
James

[exlrrp]

They gave us handheld strobe lights that we'd use for night exfiltration. I rmrmber using this once while they may have been shooting at us and I felt quite exposed. Thats not bragging is it? Did I say I was scared shitless? Choking down some serious panic?? That couldn't be bragging. These strobes are also good for use downtown in a bar while drinking and smoking pot and gyrating to the tune of "Gimme a Ticket For an AIRPLANE." So I was told.
But nothing like flipping a trip flare right where you want some illumination and have a few frags ready with the pin straightened while youre at it. The downside of this, of course is that a trip flare, like a williepete can cause a fire which may or may not be advantageous to you. But if you hope to be leaving shortly , as lrps often do,leaving a raging brush fire, and maybe some bodies, for em to remember you by, well, what th heck? Theyre probly all hella pissed off at you anyway.
Oh what a lovely war!

James

[grunt66]

On the DMZ the monsoons and NVA arty was the reason for bunkers. The bunker was the place to get in out of the constant cold rain , change into dry clothes and dry socks . Now putting dry socks on cold wet feet was one of the few luxuries we had , if we could get the dry socks.
NVA lights . Hadn't thought about it in years but the scene in " We Were Soldiers once " a string of candles ? Did you see that James ? I remember once on the DMZ we saw a string of what looked like cigarettes bobbing as they walked. I have seen a tiny bottle with a wick in it, can't remember what the fuel was.

Bill

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by grunt66
NVA lights . Hadn't thought about it in years but the scene in " We Were Soldiers once " a string of candles ? Did you see that James ?
Bill

Bill--I'm just giving you shit about the bunkers, I might have been in one or two but as few as possible--I like to be in the open air, unless being shelled, o' course. I always saw bunkers as a trap, rather be mobile. The 101st digs in for the night but theyre gone the next day or so. If I'd been up on the DMZ I mighta been in more of em. I think one of the reasons we lost is that we spent too much time in em, tho--you can't win a war in a bunker
I was a grunt--a screwdriver is a mighty high tech item in that business, I never saw a wrench. You'd see plenty of never used bayonets but what you really needed was a Swiss Army knife or a Leatherman--why couldn't they figure this out? (I used my bayonet all the time!! Opening cans!)
I didn't see any candles at all, other than used by civilians or the enemy, another fairly basic item we were lacking. Another time our reliance on hightech screwed us. we used the old crookedheaded Army flashlight with the red lens when the batteries worked which was less than 50% of the time in the jungle. Other than that its a Zippo or C Rat matches
At night time, we just scrooched down in the hole and waited til daylight, telling each other all our stories for the 50th time. I mean we were all right out of high school--how much of a story are you gonna have by then? Some made up new stories and got quite creative in describing reality esp as regards women.
It stayed dark untill someone threw a flare, illumination rounds or morning came.
How bout those light shows at night, eh? seeing old Spooky dropping in th miniguns, ARA, gunships--what a light show--some people smoked pot while watching, so I heard.
I smoked a my first reefer in the Nam with a guy just before we asaulted my first treeline at night. Why not? I was pretty sure I was gonna die and needed some nerve calming. Thats what you realize in combat--NO ONE's watching me now, cept the wrong people. Brass was falling on our heads from the gunships going in right over us, the sound was terrific--no wonder I'm half deaf now. \
I saw "We Were Soldiers"--eeeeh, one thumb down--had a lot of women in it but no pussy--I know what I like to see in a war story, I'm a grunt
James

[exlrrp]

I forgot one of the best all round emergancy heat stoves & light you can get:
Take a gallon can of peaches, throw the peaches out, fill it with sand or dirt, pour about a pint of gas on it and stand back and throw a match on it--burns for a good 10 or 15 minutes.
I learned this one in Bragg, on maneuvers--in the snow. Yes, kids, in Unca Lrrpy's time they trained paratroopers for Vietnam combat in Ft Bragg in the snow. I am SOOOOO not making this up-- I saw it with my own eyes after returning, winter 68
No wonder we lost the fcking war

James

[exlrrp]

Thats one of the things I remember the most--staring out into the pitch black and trying to stay awake. It'd go on and on--I'd hav to kneel to stay awake or sit on a sharp rock. Sure did a lot of thinking then (note to myself: start making better life decisions)
I only went to sleep once on guard, radio watch, actually. This was a miracle seeing as how much we humped.
When my son was 19 it was hard to get him out of bed untill 9:00AM without C4.
I still rise to greet the dawn
James

Happy just to be alive