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rations, mess gear, personal hygiene items, change of socks, underwear, sewing kit, weapon cleaning gear, mosquito repellant ( bug juice ), etc.
The First Platoon, E Company did it’s job and we did it well. We were professional, humane and committed to carrying out the missions we were given. I later realized that American troops were being cast as villains by the media— often depicting our troops in a bad light—with cigarettes hanging out of their mouth, looking like homeless vagabonds. I wanted to counter that contrived image with the truth. In 1965 our Marines weren’t allowed to ‘smoke’ on patrols and operations—the VC could smell that smoke for miles—we had rules for when the smoking lamp would be lit. Everything we did had to be done in accordance with the tactical situation we were in. As dirty and tired as we were —we still obeyed our uniform regulations—only relaxing them when it was appropriate to do so. We treated the Vietnamese civilians with respect and consideration. Our Marines did not abuse innocent civilians and we treated the prisoners humanely in accordance with the Geneva Convention Treaty. Our platoon, E Company and the Second Battalion , Seventh Marines did it right—as right as we could under the incredible circumstances we had to deal with.
This story represents my memories as I recall them. I thought that others may enjoy some of these stories too--especially those who served in Viet Nam, history buffs, and anyone who is interested in the life of a young Marine officer and his platoon serving their Country during the Viet Nam era from May 1965-Jun. 1966. The memories I refer to in my ‘collection’ are probably very similar for thousands of others who served in the military in a time of war. I know it certainly is a close
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