[7thengbn] FW: My very long Vietnam trip report

[Mike Moran]

From: Carl Paepcke [mailto:bpaepcke at msn.com] 
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 7:33 AM
Subject: My very long Vietnam trip report

 

Guys,

 

      This is a report I recently received from a friend who toured Vietnam.
He and I were brother lieutenants at Quantico in 1965.  He is now a military
historian living in Montana.  Although he says that his report is "boring,"
I believe you will all find it to be well-written, informative and
interesting.  -  Bud

 

 

A Scout should "Be Prepared", a Marine should be "Always Faithful (Semper
Fi)", and a G-Man should be dedicated to "Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity
(FBI)", but only trust in The GOOD LORD can make each happen. - B. Paepcke

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Scott Laidig <mailto:slaidig at gmail.com>  

Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 8:03 PM

Subject: my very long Vietnam trip report

 

It may be of interest, but I wrote it mostly to remember for myself what we
did, who went and how I felt.  It's long and fairly boring, especially if
you aren't an old Marine.

 

Scott

----------------------

 

Vietnam Trip, April 20 - May 4, 2008

          My overall impression is that the trip was enjoyable, but not for
the reasons I anticipated.   I was part of a tour organized by Military
Historical Tours (MHT.)  The tour was billed as a 2d Battalion, 4th Marines
(2/4) 40th Anniversary Return to Vietnam.  There were 19 of us, including
the tour director and two assistants.  Of the 19, nine of us actually served
in 2/4 in Vietnam.  

The "hosts" for the trip were Brigadier General William Weise (USMC, Ret.)
and Major General James E. Livingston (USMC, Ret.)  The focal point was the
battle of Dai Do, which occurred April 30-May 3, 1968, about 3 miles
northeast of Dong Ha.  The high point of the trip was actually walking the
battlefield with the two generals, and five others who fought there.  Of the
seven, four were wounded and evacuated during the fight.  General
Livingston, then commanding Echo Company, earned a Medal of Honor and
General Weise a Navy Cross while serving as the Battalion CO.  We actually
got to walk the ground while the various participants described what
happened, including where they were wounded.  One can only marvel at the
bravery and ferocity with which the individual Marines fought and too often
died, while also gaining great respect for the tenacity and stubbornness of
the North Vietnamese Army.  That 2/4 overcame great odds (they were probably
outnumbered at least 4 to 1 and attacked an enemy who occupied well
fortified positions which commanded great fields of fire) probably meant the
enemy was stymied from attacking the 3rd Marine Division headquarters and
major logistics base at Dong Ha.  Such an attack against a weakly defended
area (Dong Ha) would have seriously jeopardized the Marine activities in
northern I Corps and would have been a significant propaganda victory for
the communists.  Weise's battalion foiled that and sent the enemy's 320th
Division back north of the DMZ to regroup and reform.

After the walkabout on the battlefield, we held a memorial service for those
who never returned.  It was organized by George (Fritz) Warren, who at the
time of the battle was 2/4's Operations Officer.  The simple ceremony
reflected both grace and reverence and seemed to reveal the accomplished
style with which Fritz does everything.  It is easy to understand why
General Weise holds him in such high regard.  For me personally, the
Memorial Service dissolved any remaining emotional ties I had to the past.
I felt unburdened when it ended.  We all will never forget the friends and
comrades and fellow Marines who were not as fortunate as we were to return
to the great country we are privileged to call home.   Without realizing
that it would even occur, the Memorial Service that Fritz organized and led
made the trip really special for me.  

Nearby to where the Memorial Service was held, another event is forever
etched in my mind.  There is a Vietnamese kindergarten in Dai Do, and the
children (who knew we were coming) serenaded us with "Hello Marines" as we
arrived.  Children everywhere are cute, but these Vietnamese children were
really adorable.  All were sparkling clean, cheerful and enthusiastic to
meet and greet us.  Their schoolhouse is one large room but it seemed
stocked with things for them to use learning and playing.  Perhaps some of
that resulted from the generosity of General Livingston, who sends the
school a donation annually, or from previous MHT groups who have passed by.
Our group passed the hat and it resulted in a significant contribution for
the kids and the school.  Of interest, the head of the local Viet Cong cadre
that operated in and about Dai Do, a Mr. Ahn, has become a friend of
Generals Weise and Livingston and he remains an obviously important figure
in the local community - including at the kindergarten.  We were honored to
have him at the Memorial Service as well. 

The rest of the trip was of less interest for me.  We visited places that
will live forever in Marine lore, places named Chu Lai, Liberty Bridge,
Marble Mountain, Hill 327, Phu Bai, Hue City, Quang Tri, Dong Ha, Con Tien,
Camp Carroll, Khe Sanh, Gio Linh, the Washout and the Marketplace, and the
Rockpile.  Nowhere was it evident that great battles had ever been fought
there.  In Hue, you can easily imagine what happened there, though I doubt
any of us who were fortunate to miss that battle could ever imagine the
deprivations and horror experienced by our brother Marines.  Almost
everywhere the local vegetation has reclaimed the land, although in some
cases coffee (Khe Sanh) or rubber (Con Tien) plantations are current
attractions.  It is no doubt better that places important during the war
years for us Marines are now significant for the local economy.  Other than
those who fought at Dai Do, few of us could remember any specific locales,
Marble Mountain or the Hai Van Pass being the exceptions.  So if returning
to specific place is a high priority for future visitors, such visitors are
likely to be disappointed.  

For those who are shoppers, Marble Mountain (for marble, of course,) Hoi An,
Da Nang, Hue and Hanoi provide ample opportunities, and great bargains.

Vietnam is growing by leaps and bounds.  Korea, Taiwan, Japan, France,
Australia and the United States seem to be investing heavily there.  The
beaches (which are largely unused by the local population, since they think
suntans are unattractive) will be the sites of huge hotel complexes for
which construction is either underway or in the late stages of planning.
The area near Chu Lai is the scene of tremendously large truck, car and
motorcycle assembly plants.  We met in Da Nang a group of Americans who are
building a textile factory using the latest US technology.  Their plant will
produce 120 meters of material a minute!  Change is coming fast and
furiously to Vietnam.  The population has exploded and now numbers 85
million, most are under 35 (and have no memory of the war.)   Everyone we
met seemed to like Americans.  Besides urban sprawl, village sprawl seems to
have occurred - no where was the distance between villages as much as I
remembered it to be. 

We observed how manpower intensive rice farming is there, but we also saw a
few "machines" that were speeding the harvest and dramatically reducing the
numbers of people (usually women) involved.  The leap to machines and
technology in the fields is inevitable, but not without challenges for the
Vietnamese.  The American textile people mentioned that they have no issue
hiring good information technology people and electricians, but plumbers and
skilled construction laborers are in short supply.  Anyone displaced in the
rice field by a machine will have a tremendously difficult time learning the
skills needed to work in other areas.

I saw no communists while in Vietnam - except for perhaps Mr. Ahn.  We did
see the last statue of Victor Lenin in Hanoi, and we know the communists
still rule with an iron hand.  How is that you might ask?  Well, people are
not permitted to travel outside their home province except by obtaining
travel permits, which identify the reason for the trip and the people with
whom they will be in contact.  And no one wants to receive mail directly
from friends in the United States.  It raises too many questions locally.
But the impression that we all had is that capitalism will be in the
inevitable economic form for these happy, vibrant and extremely friendly
people.  While we did not visit Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) it is the land of
$28 breakfasts and $200+ hotels.  Like Shanghai and Hong Kong, there is no
way to suppress the entrepreneurial spirit of the local Saigon residents, no
matter how hard the local communists might try (and there is little evidence
they are trying very hard.)  Perhaps the most ironic thing I witnessed
during the trip happened in Hanoi.  The Vietnamese Army has a large museum
to the war, one that honors Jane Fonda and Angela Davis.  In the gift shop
of the Museum, the only price tags visible are denoted in US$.   Prices in
the national currency, the Dong, were nowhere to been seen.  

While the social and economic trends are mostly positive and encouraging,
still there are major issues for the Vietnamese to overcome.  Perhaps the
most important is sanitation and cleanliness.  I have always thought Brazil
was the dirtiest country I had ever visited; Vietnam is far worse.  Litter
and garbage are everywhere.  Even our local tour guide, an otherwise clean
and educated individual, thought nothing about simply throwing litter on the
side of the road.  And while sanitation in the hotels is nearly to western
standards, (all but the pickiest people would have no trouble travelling
from hotel to hotel,) certainly in the countryside a much more problematic
situation exists.  Open sewers are the order of the day, and even
"outhouses" appear nonexistent.  Certainly the water cannot be drunk, and
eating vegetables rinsed in water but not well cooked is highly problematic.
Consequently, I think that before Vietnam becomes a major tourist
destination, lots of work is required.   

We twice met with the US Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Michalak.  The first
time was the day of our arrival in Hanoi, where the Ambassador kindly joined
us at the Marine House, where the six Marines assigned to the Embassy
reside.  What an impressive group those young men are!  The Ambassador made
brief remarks and we were privileged that he took time to meet with us.  Of
interest, an imposing picture of General Livingston and his Medal of Honor
Citation graces the Marine House's entry way.  Then, on our last day the
Ambassador joined us again for lunch at a local restaurant.  He is a
down-to-earth, friendly and obviously very talented fellow.

Also in Hanoi, the group was given a briefing by the Marine Corps Major in
charge of the Joint Task Force - Full Accounting office in Hanoi.  He
discussed the means and methods used to try to account for all MIA's from
the war.  

On the tour's last day in Hue, five current members of BLT 2/4 joined the
group.  They were led by the Bn XO, Major Scott Gehris.  Others included the
S-2, Captain Ryan Welkam, the Mobile Assault Company CO, Captain Johnathan
Smith, the 81 Mortar Platoon Commander, 1st Lt Hunt, the Echo Company Gunny,
Gunnery Sergeant Jon Tehan.  Again, what an impressive group of Marines they
are.  They had many of us thinking that we were lucky to have become Marines
when we did, because now the standards might be too high for us!  The active
duty Marines were going to tour the Dai Do battlefield with General Weise
and Ed Garr, after visiting the scenes of the Hue City battles.  They will
rejoin BLT 2/4 in Thailand.  Later in the summer, another group from 2/4
will join General Weise and Ed Garr to visit the battlefields.  One did not
need to be a keen observer to see the energy flowing into General Weise when
the active duty Marines joined us.  We all felt rejuvenated, though General
Livingston was ready to take them for a run to determine if they really were
in great shape, or whether they just looked like they were all fitness
ambassadors.

As for MHT, I cannot say enough good things about Ed Garr, our tour
director, and his assistants Bob Perry and Tom Kilduff.  All are Marines,
and both Ed and Tom served in 2/4, Tom during the battle at Dai Do.  Ed and
my time overlapped, though he had such an important position (Operations
Chief) that he failed to notice a new brown bar.  Ed has made 55 trips to
Vietnam and he knows everything there is to know about getting along in the
country, and he knows much of the unit histories at each location.  Bob and
Tom provided additional attention at times when some of us needed it, and we
all felt fortunate to have them with us.  I have often said that I would
have traded places with almost anyone in Vietnam except helo pilots; well,
after learning what Bob's assignment at Chu Lai was I can only say, "thanks
Bob, for doing what you did."  Getting to know Bob just a little, it was
plain to see why he, as a 19-year-old, was given such a thankless assignment
- graves registration.  He is a classy, classy guy.  Tom recovered from
extremely serious wounds (inflicted after Dai Do) to become an important
clog in the MHT team.  His sense of humor, willingness to tackle any job, no
matter how demanding, and his eagerness to assist anyone in need make him
special.   And of course Tom provided the perspective of a Marine rifleman,
the most important ingredient in any Marine Corps unit.

Everyone on the tour contributed to our experience.  The Marines who were
not part of 2/4 offered diverse and unusual points of view.  Tony Mustapich
had a unique perspective as an artillery officer turned logistician who made
the initial landings at Chu Lai.  Tony's efforts as a 1st Lt and then young
captain were soon taken over by colonels and lieutenant colonels - but Tony
started them.  Tony's son Todd, himself a Marine artilleryman, added wit and
good humor (and lots of energy) to the trip.   Bob Spence served at the
northern and eastern most Marine strongpoint in I Corps - an Amtrac position
called Oceanview, about one mile south of the DMZ.  Bob was an Amtrac
platoon commander and then company commander in the late stages of the
Marine actions, 1968 and 1969, and his stories, when we could get him to
talk, added interesting information about Marine Corps activities along the
Cua Viet River and the Dong Ha logistics base.  Bill Griffith is a wounded
survivor of the Khe Sanh siege and his knowledgeable contributions added a
valuable perspective to that battle.   Danny James is a Korea/Vietnam Marine
and a consummate gentleman.  It is easy to see why he is the President of
his local Rotary Club.  Danny had the unique experience on the trip of
meeting the Viet Cong with whom his platoon exchanged grenades and gunfire
the night he was wounded in 1965.  There were enough details of the
firefight that the local man knew to convince Danny that he was there.
Keith Olsen was a grunt wounded in the Da Nang area; Keith's ever-present
good humor and his Minnesota-Norwegian accent contributed to our
understanding of the infantryman's attitudes during the war.  Keith could
lift a building, but traveled light; and when he spoke he usually had
something interesting to say.

Fritz Warren was lucky enough to have his son, Joe, and grandson, Vincent,
join us for most the trip.  Joe was a Marine officer in the 80's.  He and
Vincent are real internationalists.  Except for college and his time as a
Marine, Joe has spent his life in Asia - Indonesia and now China.  Young
Vincent has never lived in the US (it seems) and attends an international
school in China.  Vincent was made the tour's honorary "Gunny" while Joe
regaled us with song and good humor - both added lots to the trip.  And when
General Weise commanded that we sing all three verses of the Marine Corps
Hymn each morning on the bus (and sometimes other places,) it was the
Warrens who led the chorus.  

Carol Ann Olsen was never formally a Marine, but growing up as General
Weise's daughter she probably has more time near and around Marines than
most of us.  Carol's presence added civility and perspective to what might
have otherwise degenerated into never-ending war stories.  And Carol did
everything the group did, including enduring the issues related to living in
the countryside.  Her smile and easy manner added immensely to our group.  

Of the former members of 2/4, Ed Garr was the first to join the battalion,
having served as Hotel Company Gunny and then becoming the Operations Chief
in 1965, when the legendary persona that was Joseph "Bull" Fisher was CO.
Ed participated in Operation Starlite (he was with Bull Fisher the entire
battle) and he told a funny story about General Westmoreland visiting 2/4
shortly after the landings.  Indeed, Ed is full of stories and I even think
most of them are accurate!   James Goodwin was the next to join.  James was
a grunt who was turned into a cook after arriving in Vietnam.  He told a
poignant story about eating breakfast with the Hotel Company gunny before
they left for Starlite, where the gunny was killed.  I then was next to
join, arriving in January, 1966, when I became a platoon leader in Hotel
Company, and later served as Acting CO of Golf Company, Battalion S-2, and
finally Fox Company XO before departing in February, 1967, having
participated in a string of operations including Texas, Hastings and
Prairie.

But it was the men who served with 2/4 during Dai Do who had the most vivid
memories.  Mike Frey was an infantryman in Golf Company and later extended
to serve in a Combined Action Platoon.  Unfortunately, Mike's participation
during the tour was cut short by the effects of his diabetes and an accident
when he broke his ankle in Dong Ha.  Mike is living proof of the value of
travel insurance.   Steven Wilson was a platoon radio operator at Dai Do,
specifically David Jones' (Echo 3) radio operator.  Most lieutenants and
their radio operators establish a close bond, and the Jones-Wilson duo is
perhaps the penultimate example.  Both were wounded during the savage
assault on Dai Do, and Steve's heartrending story about that experience
provided an emotional rollercoaster for all.  Dave Jones, whom General
Livingston temporarily promoted to brevet captain during the tour, is an
obviously competent man who surely was a fine combat leader - as Steve and
General Livingston both attested.   

But, as I have mentioned, it was our privilege to walk the battlefield not
only with those mentioned above, but also with the Battalion Commander, the
S-3 and the Echo Company Commander.  I have had the opportunity to walk
several Civil War battlefields, but never with actual participants (even
though my grandchildren think I am old enough to have been one.)   Listening
to General Weise go through his thoughts and movements, to hear General
Livingston discuss what Echo did and why, and to hear Fritz Warren's
reliving his frantic calls to 3rd Marines for assistance, cannot be
duplicated in a book or article about the battle.   Perhaps the most
repeated praise from all the leaders came when discussing their respect for
the individual Marine infantryman - of whom much was asked and from whom
much more was given.  For me, going to Vietnam just as a tourist would not
have been justified; having the privilege of accompanying these heroes -
from the bewildered LCPL Kilduff to the aggressive Lieutenant Colonel Weise
- made the trip much more than worth the time and effort.  

Semper fi,

Scott 

Bozeman, MT

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