Published on : Saturday, January 27, 2024
There wasn’t in whatever way we can load that pallet right back with the the brand new lighthearted vehicle, thus being the a Samaritans we were, we stacked as numerous cases once we could towards the V-100-so much that individuals could not turn the turret. Of course, there were some disappointed MPs one to nights and you can loads of awful head aches 24 hours later.
To the men who served on a V-100 for a year, the vehicle became more than just a machine. It became your life, your friend and your protector. All but two of our V-100s were named after comic book heroes. These included “Captain America,” “Thor,” “Big Ben,” “Flash,” “Spider – man,” “Barbarian,” “Atom,” “Daredevil” and “Iron Man.” The other two were named “Road Hog” and “The Lemon.” Each of the V-100s had a painting of the character or the name across the front, life-sized and in coloric book superheroes painted on the front of the V-100s made for an interesting article in The newest Roundup, our local GI newspaper. The April 1970 article was headlined, “66th MP Co. Super Heroes to Combat VC Wrong Doers.”
David An excellent. Swisher lives in Marshall, Ill. He acquired the newest Military Commendation Medal which have V Product for their strategies inside the ambush at the A keen Khe Pass in the April 1970. For additional understanding, see: Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71, by Richard Lathrop and you will Jim Laurier; and you can Combat Police: U.S. Army Military Police in Vietnam, by the Rick Young.
The majority of all of our dilemmas appeared into QL-19, but I usually believed much warmer on that path than just on the QL-step one, given that they there had been more convoys to the QL-19 and this deeper likelihood of backup. My baptism out-of flames appeared towards the plant from the hairpin bend regarding the A keen Khe Pass. All of our V-100 got currently come through the fresh new hairpin and you may is lead off new pass, if westbound convoy is struck. The language “Get in touch with! Get in touch with! Get in touch with!” showed up over the radio net when i try riding, thus i turned into brand new V-100 around and you will went back-up the brand new solution. Once we surely got to the brand new hairpin, I spotted particular Korean troops pinned down. Among them got his sleeve stuck-up floating around directing towards the south region of the hairpin turn. I drawn this new V-100 between your Koreans plus the condition he was pointing in order to, so we you can expect to let them have a bit more cover as well as have engage our firepower.
Anything regarding the running the fresh new channels everyday try which you never realized just what strange thing was going to occurs 2nd. If front side of your own convoy averted, the back fasten. Then the front carry out initiate again, and the convoy dispersed before the bottom you certainly will initiate. Because of that, I advised our V-100 rider Reno Catalano to get in the midst of the fresh roadway so we could keep most other auto from our convoy until we had out of the construction city. Whereas i always let faster auto feel free to admission new convoy automobiles, since there is such construction I desired to keep the fresh convoy free of one other tourist.
On one convoy so you can Da Nang, one of the trucks hit a beneficial Lambretta laden up with Vietnamese. It had been a bit a mess. The fresh Lambretta ran off the highway and you can down an enthusiastic embankment. By the time i had a beneficial dustoff indeed there and got some thing cleared right up some time, there were a myriad of black colored pajama-clothed those with guns status doing speaking and shouting. From the language barrier, a misconception can potentially has arisen, before you to took place we got out-of indeed there and you will right back to our convoy.
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