Vietnam War, Lee Basnar, Americal Division, 198th Infantry Brigade, 1s - PDF document

Vietnam War, Lee Basnar, Americal Division, 198th Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion 52d Infantry, infantrymen, grunts, infantry combat, Chu Lai, MACV advisors Vietnam Vignettes —Tales of an Infantryman Buy The Complete Version of This Book at Booklocke http://www.booklocker.com/p/books/1600.html?s=pdf Vietnam Vignettes Vietnam Vignettesales of an InfantrymanLee Basnar ht Lee Basnar, 2004All rights reserved.ithout limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photo-ing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of thecopyright owner.inted in 2004.inted in the United States of America.blished by Booklocker.com, Inc.www.booklocker.comft: The author, center, interrogates a captured Viet Cong soldier in Binh Dinhprovince. August 1967.Center: In Quang Ngai province, a platoon medic bandages jungle rot on asoldierÕs legs while another soldier reads a letter from home. November 1970.Right: A Vietnamese peasant weaves a basket from split bamboo near the villageof Tra Binh. January 1971.Back cSelf-portrait of Lee Basnar. April 2004.r and interior photos are from the Lee Basnar collection.etnam map adapted fromhttp://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/vietnam_pol92.jpgr design and interior design by Lorraine B. Elder. the OfÞcers and Men of C Company1st Battalion, 52nd Infantry198th Infantry BrigadeAmerical DivisionYou fought hard,suffered much,and bear the scars,both visible and invisible.y your remaining yearsbe Þlled with the satisfactionthat you did your job well,and may you never forgetour absent comrades. Forewordach generation of Americans since this country was foundedhas called on its young men to make sacriÞces on the battle-Þeld. Each generation has transformed young men from ordinarycitizens into warriors who performed deeds not imaginable by theerage person. These young warriors came home and were ex-pected to blend back into society as if they had never left, their expe-ences locked up, only to be released on special occasions.Each war has produced a few good books describing life in theenches, but usually they focus on a few individuals or specialunits, ignoring the true heroes: the infantrymen, or Ògrunts.Ó Viet-nam Vignettesis one of those rare works that show life as it was forthose in conventional units, slugging it out with the enemy and liv-ing daily life between battles. Each deadly encounter in VietVignettesaccurately depicts the excitement and danger of combatand the sacriÞces the grunts made for their buddies. It describes theutine of the battleÞeld, and the awesome responsibility of com-mand to keep the soldiers on their toes.The author has a special talent for giving the reader the view fromboth the ofÞcerÕs and the enlisted manÕs side. While no individuals aresingled out by name for doing great deeds or for being not-so-greatofÞcers, the author skillfully describes situations that affected the lifeof the grunt. To use names would take away from the true value of thebook and from the credit due the common infantryman. viii Vietnam Vignettes nam Vignettesnizes our true heroes, gives familymembers a better understanding of what their loved ones wentthrough, and what may have been going on in their minds whilethey were away.Those of us who had the great honor of leading our Þne youngsoldiers in battle know how special this generation is. The Vietnamar was our nationÕs longest war, and I suggest that it rivals theerican Civil War for dividing the nation. The draftees and enlist-ees went to Vietnam despite having many reasons to justify not go-ing. Politicians, clergy, educators and even movie stars wereprotesting the war, and yet most soldiers went into danger becauseof a sense of duty or honor.ost combat commanders know who the real heroes are and willapplaud this book that honors them. Thank you, Lee Basnar, for yourservice to your country, and thank you for nam Vignettes!Drew Dix.S. Army (Retired)Medal of Honor recipient ix Contentsefacexiii IOpening the Duffel BagChapter 1mages of VietnamChapter 2t, 1968 IICommanding Charlie CompanyChapter 3eath by MonsoonChapter 4Sapper under the HoochChapter 5 Gotta Speak the LingoChapter 6The VillesChapter 7A Night Combat Air Assault x Vietnam Vignettes Chapter 8The Man in WhiteChapter 9Saved by an Air MattressChapter 10On the MarchChapter 11ur Head DownChapter 12Flu, Mines, Rats, and SnipersChapter 13The High GroundChapter 14onkey and Twoey LouieChapter 15A Noisy CountryChapter 16t Every Cobra Was a GunshipChapter 17ules of EngagementChapter 18Convoy toTra Chapter 19The Deer103Chapter 20liday SwampChapter 21ines and Booby Traps Contents xi Chapter 22pider HoleChapter 23A Booby-Trapped Landing ZoneChapter 24ungle ScarsChapter 25A Christmas BirthChapter 26Christmas Day, 1970Chapter 27Change of Command IIIOn the Way. Wait.Chapter 29145Chapter 30LuckChapter 31Last Chopper Ride151Chapter 32The Freedom Birdpilogue155knowledgments161out the Author163 PrefaceÉHis vision dims, and yesteryear vividly revealed. hears the cannon, Þghts the fear far-off battleÞeldsÉExcerpt from the poem Soldier RetiresÓ Lee Basnarhis book describes what it was like to be an infantryman Þght-ing on VietnamÕs coastal plain and in the jungles in the areaknown as II Corps and I Corps. The years described include 1967Ð1968 and 1970Ð1971. Those are the years I served in that war, andthe men whose actions I describe are either South Vietnamese sol-diers whom I advised during my Þrst tour, or American soldierswhom I led during my second tour.nfantrymen in all wars share common experiences, and everyunt who fought in Vietnam will recognize scenes and descriptions inthis book that heÕll swear happened in his unit or in the one next to his. one instance, using creative nonÞction, I compiled memories ofindividualsÕ dialogue and several battle scenes into one chapter, ÒKeepour Head Down,Ó rather than scatter the scenes throughout the book. xiv Vietnam Vignettes There was no other way to depict the bonding of infantrymen underÞre. Otherwise, the tales in this book show the action and incidents as Iremeery infantryman retains memories of ÞreÞghts, booby traps,mines, and spider holes. Two soldiers who fought side by side in thesame battle will remember and describe the action differently. Eachinfantry unit developed a distinct personality, and each tour, for thosewho spent more than one tour over there, was a unique experience.etnam affected a generation of Americans, as did World WarsI and II and the Korean War. Although not global in scale like therld wars, nor fought in set-piece battles over key terrain like theean War, the Vietnam War lasted longer than the United StatesÕinvolvement in the other three wars combined. Tens of thousands ofericans died in Vietnam, and hundreds of thousands sufferedinjuries from wounds, accidents, and mental trauma.This book is not about the scale of the war nor about Americancasualty statistics and enemy body counts. ItÕs not about high-leveltactics and large battles. ItÕs not about strategic objectives, nor aboutthe political ramiÞcations of Þghting and eventually giving up onthe war. These are my memories of the beauty and the ugliness ofSouth Vietnam, of the monsoons, the odors, the rattle of machineguns, the tracers lashing the darkness, the misery and the humor,and the tough life of an infantryman in Charlie Company.Lee BasnarSierra Vista, Arizona2004 51 The Man in Whiteeep wrinkles furrowed his brow and cheeks. He shufßed, cum-bered by his years. Ivory thatch and goatee complemented hiswhite shirt and trousers, contrasting with green bamboo hedge andbrown paddy. He was barefoot. Puttering near a hedgerow, he wavedand watched as weÑalert and cautiousÑtraversed a fallow Þeld.Charlie Company had conducted a helicopter combat assaultinto a nearby rice paddy two nights before, where we reinforced a pla-on Þghting off a Þerce attack near some grass shacks in Dodge City.r that battle, and after the ÞreÞghts that followed, we sweptthe neighboring Þelds and hedges under a sweltering sun, searchingfor the Viet Cong who usually triggered a gunÞght in and aroundDodge. The VC honeycombed the ville with spider holes and tunnels;Þnding them all proved impossible. We destroyed those we found,but on each ramble through Dodge we encountered new burrowsand fresh enemy soldiers.Enemy automatic weapons Þre crackled, digging up the groundaround us, driving us to cover behind the nearest paddy dike. The 52Vietnam Vignettes ÞreÞght intensiÞed as we fought back with rißes, machine guns,and grenade launchers. I forgot about the man in white, concentrat-ing instead on staying alive and defeating the enemy. The brief Þghtended, inconclusive, with no friendly losses. We would search thedistant tree line for evidence of enemy casualties.vancing toward the enemy-occupied hedgerow, I ßinched asheart-wrenching wailing wavered across the paddy. Turning towardthe sound, I glimpsed a bent old woman hobbling toward the treesleft, arms stretched in front of her as if pulled by an invisibleShe threw herself onto the ground, disappearing behind theees and shrubs.I remembered the man in white standing near those trees, andith ugly suspicion tormenting me I changed direction, striding tothe tree line.Beyond the trees, arms wrapped around her dead husband, thedow vented her anger, her grief, her despair. She screamed, shebawled, she sobbed, and Þnally she whimpered, sinking into theemptiness of a future without her mate. Her tears diluted a redsplotch that merged with others as his blood seeped from multiplebullet holes in his shirt, transforming his white clothing to crimson.Our eyes met. I shuddered at the anguish and intense hatredsurging across the abyss that separated us. Her feelings needed nommon language to bridge the distance from her soul to mine.nable to withstand such intensity, I shifted my gaze to the deadfarmer. As if he had known the end was near, and had welcomed it,his wrinkled face was serene. Choked with emotion, I whispered,ÒIÕm sorry,Ó and turned away.The hapless manÕs strange reaction, standing upright in full viewand waving when caught in the middle of a ÞreÞght, mystiÞed me.ether he attempted to draw our attention away from the VCÕs po-sition I canÕt say. Perhaps he tried to warn us. The poor peasant diedas he had lived, with dignity and calm acceptance of his fate. Chapter 8The Man in White The man in white became just another number in a war whereinßated statistics enhanced or destroyed careers. Uncertain as towhich side caused his death, I reported him as a VC killed in action.probably was a VC, at least when the Viet Cong controlled hisllage. When we won the shoot-outs, he became a friendly Viet-namese farmer. Without the means to change his circumstances, hehanged his loyalty. I couldnÕt blame him for that.I turned for a Þnal look at that huddled heap of human misery andthen walked away, toward the next hedgerow and the next ÞreÞght. Vietnam War, Lee Basnar, Americal Division, 198th Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion 52d Infantry, infantrymen, grunts, infantry combat, Chu Lai, MACV advisors Vietnam Vignettes —Tales of an Infantryman Buy The Complete Version of This Book at Booklocke http://www.booklocker.com/p/books/1600.html?s=pdf