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were located inside and outside the perimeter . A helicopter LZ was cleared just outside the perimeter . the choppers would bring in food, water, ammo, mail, visitors from Company or Battalion HQ and remove casualties if necessary. Each platoon in our Company was doing the same things we were in the zones they had been assigned—Lt. Kozak and the Second Platoon, Lt. Boryszewski and the Third Platoon. The Company HQ located in the valley below the high ground was defended by Lt. Joe Lloyd and Weapons Platoon . After dark we went to 50% security and proceeded to clean up, have our evening ‘C’ rations and prepare for our first night completely cut off from the rest of the Company and
Battalion. Our troops were understandably skittish—we had been trained on guerrilla warfare and what to expect from the VC.—The junglelike terrain surrounded us and at night was ominous indeed. Forty Four Marines, a Marine rifle platoon never feels ‘outnumbered’—we knew our perimeter was sound—we knew we could fend off whatever the VC sent after us but still, this was the first night in a combat zone for any of us and the ‘unexpected’ was on everyone’s mind. There is ‘dark’ and there is —-‘dark’! When the Sun went down we settled
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