STREET WITHOUT JOY – QUANG TRI: 1967
As Regimental Senior Advisor, I would occasionally go on company operations. I wasn't looking for 'action' or 'glory', but I felt it necessary to observe the Troop Advisors so that I could start their OERs with; "I have observed Capt. Smith under enemy fire and."
That line attracts the eye of promotion boards.
This operation, in particular was to last (and did) three days. No glorious combat, mostly swanning around in the blue with plenty of down time. Since the officers preferred speaking English to me, the only people I could practice my Vietnamese on were the privates in the field and bar girls in the city (when I went in to ask directions to the library).
So about the second day, during my wondering around and chatting--or trying to--one young and shy EM, Phom (?), I think was his name, approached me. I forget how, but at one time he'd met an American soldier, and despite the language barrier, they had become friends. Phom was very excited - and proud - to have received a letter from his new friend-an American - and shyly asked if I could translate it for him.
Well, of course I was happy to do so, and to the best of my ability, I translated the letter. As I recall, the letter was just a chat about the good times - innocent - they had together. Phom, was thrilled when I told him that as soon as the operation as over I'd translate a letter to his American friend.
I ran into Phom a few more times and he was always very happy to see me and proud to show his buddies that the big boss American was his friend. He was a happy and bubbly young guy about nineteen or twenty.
Well, the operation was over and I went to spend the night with some of the infantry advisors in a house they had by the river near Quang Tri.
That night, our house was attacked, Charley was about ten yards away at one time firing RPGs and I woke up covered in glass and junk from the ceiling. They were right outside, but were firing high, and hit the top of the window where it joins with the roof. I woke up to a lot of flashes and LOUD noises. I'll always remember laying there and hearing the VC squad leader shouting, "TIEN, TIEN MAU LEN, MAU LIN" and saying to my self; "He's shouting 'Forward. Forward, Rapidly, Rapidly" and he has a Northern accent.' Strange what you think about in combat sometimes. Anyway, for about three hours I was a non-voting member of the People's Republic of North Viet Nam.
Came the dawn, we rushed to the compound. It had been overrun; every vehicle and every building (except one) was destroyed, and everybody on the compound was either killed or wounded. The Troop was, for all intents and purposes, wiped out.
Bad scene, bodies everywhere.
After the initial shock, I remembered Phom and the letter I'd promised to write for him. So I started looking over the bodies - about 68 if I recall - many burnt beyond recognition.
The Vietnamese Troop commander was a young lieutenant. He was wandering around in a daze holding his chest - he'd been wounded - muttering "all my soldiers are dead, all my soldiers are dead."
Behind him, was his wife - she was holding the dead and mangled body of their five year old son. The VC had thrown a satchel-charge (explosive) into their house just as the 13-year-old maid picked up the young boy. It landed at their feet. She was crying and calling to her husband but he ignored her and kept walking around.
I arrived on the scene and with the help of the (wounded) Troop we found what we thought was Phom. He'd reached his track, but had been killed and the track burned, or vise versa.
All the four bodies were too badly burned - so that I couldn't even search for the address of the American soldier. Actually, couldn't really tell which was Phom's body.
But he, and all the other dead were found on their vehicle or between their barracks and their vehicles - none had tried to run away.