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Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war. -- Ernest Miller Hemmingway |
Strange Day10391 Reads
  I was on a S&D with the RFs. We were moving along a heavily vegetated canal with open rice paddies to our flanks. The VC were waiting for us and we got into a sharp firefight. It was head-on and we could not maneuver against them because of the paddies. To our front, a small finger of vegetation stuck out from Charlie's positions, so we decided to assault it in an attempt to flank them.As the assault squad moved in the open towards the tree line of the finger, an RPD opened fire on them. Our troops went down like they had been cut with a scyth. Geez, what a terrible sight. What the heck will we do now, I thought.
About a minute later, much to my surprise, the entire "dead" squad arose and ran back to the jump off point. It seems that the VC machinegunner had merely fired over their heads to warn them off. Brother vs. brother? It was a strange occurrance, but shows that compassion can exist on the battlefield.
Note: by Don Steiner
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1863:
Seven solid days of bombardment ended at Charleston, S.C. The Union fired some 1,307 rounds.
1864: Eight days of cavalry clashes in Georgia come to an end when Union General Judson Kilpatrick and Confederate General Joseph Wheeler skirmish for a final time at Waynesboro. Although the Rebels inflicted more than three times as many casualties as the Yankees, the campaign was considered a success by the Union because it screened Wheeler from the main Union force. 1864: U.S.S. Moose, Lieutenant Commander Fitch, U.S.S. Carondelet, Acting Master Charles W. Miller, U.S.S. Fairplay, Acting Master George J. Groves, U.S.S. Reindeer, Acting Lieutenant Henry A. Glassford, and U.S.S. Silver Lake, Acting Master Joseph C. Coyle, engaged field batteries on the Cumberland River near Bell's Mills, Tennessee, silenced them, and recaptured three transports taken by the Confederates the preceding day. 1942: During the first American raid on the mainland of Italy the US 9th Air Force bombs the harbor at Naples causing damage and sinking two cruisers. 1943: The Japanese escort carrier Chuyo is sunk by the US submarine Sailfish in Japanese home waters. 1943: The US divisions on Bougainville receive further reinforcements and extend their perimeter. 1943: Task Force 50, commanded by Admiral Pownall, and a task force commanded by Admiral Montgomery attack Kwajalein with a combined fleet of 6 carriers and nine cruisers. 1944: The USS Flasher (SS-249) sinks Japanese destroyer Kishinami and damages a merchant ship in South China Sea. The USS Flasher is only U.S. submarine to sink over 100,000 tons of enemy shipping in World War II. 1944: US 9th Army ceases the offensive toward the Roer River. The US 3rd Army forces of US 20th Corps concentrates forces for the capture of Saarlautern, where reconnaissance indicates there is an intact bridge over the Saar River. 1950: Marines rescued over 300 soldiers of the U.S. 7th Infantry Division, survivors of a communist ambush on the shores of the Chosin/Changjin Reservoir. |
Comments
Stranger things happened in the bush but what got me was the fact that the local's we had as scouts etc never worked after 4-5pm.
When that time came they were done for the day..patrol or no patrol.
Roy Branch
deltamedic
This was circa 1968-1969. Over-all, in RVN, the RFs amounted to only about 5% of SVNs fighting force, yet accounted for about 25% of the casualties inflicted on the VC and NVA.
Needless to say, I am proud to have been associated with both the US 2/28 Infantry and RF Mobile Group 61.
I still remember the time we were taking an ice cold shower. Incoming started, and before we could get out of the shower tent. The shower tent was burning all aroundy around us, and we stopped and said WTF, and ran out.
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