Images of War

When I went to Vietnam in 1969, I had already been seeing vivid images of the war for a couple of years, since I knew in my heart that it was just a matter of time before I would be jolnlng the army to help stop the spread of communism. To be honest, the only thing I knew about Vietnam was what I saw on the evening news and what I read in newspapers and magazines. I would watch as McNamara explained the bombings and as Johnson reviewed the troops and visited the wounded, but it was my daily hometown newspaper that showed endless scenes of troops in combat as well as shots of unfortunate civilian victims. l caught glimpses of Iife in the bush, along perimeters, in the rear, in and out of helicopters. I saw soldiers, young,very young, black, white, hispanic, happy, sad, hurt, afraid, laughing, crying, going and coming from Vietnam. When I got to Vietnam, l saw many more images that were not provided through the media or military sources. I still recall clearly my first week in the 'Nam with my new company In Quan Tri Province, No Vietnam. Bravo Company, 1st BDE, 5| INF. DIV.(mech). The battalion was sent on a search and clear mission in enemy held territory|. Our company encountered a formidable mass of enemy scattered among the hedgerows and bamboo thickets. The enemy initiated a massive attack which pinned down most of our unit. In a heroic effort to relieve the pressure, 1st Lt. Abernathy, (never will forget that guy), led the platoon, myself included, in a charge up the steep hill, where we overran three mortar installations. During the assault, Lt. Abernathy personally shot and killed three NVA soldiers at point blank range. What a guy! After reconciling his platoon, he pressed on. We'd covered about 200 meters when all hell broke out. The fire was so severe it deterred our advance. Quick evaluation revealed a single, well camoflauged battlement from which the enemy automatic weapon salves erupted. The Lt. directed the firing of a light anti-tank weapon on the position. Then if that's not enough, braving hazardous barrages of sniper fire, he, myself and two other men assaulted the bunker. Lt. Abe, as he preferred to be called, received the DSC (Distinguished Service Cross), our nations second highest award that day and I received the best damn 1st leiutenant the army had to offer. I knew in some kind of strange way that l would make it through my first tour In Vietnam. Thank you Lt. Abe for all you did for your men and for your country!