HEY MON..I WAS IN THE 119TH DURING THE TET COUNTER OFFENSIVE. "CHARLIE" WAS MY PILOT AND SP/5 "JERNEGEN" WAS MY CREW CHIEF.. CANT REMEMBER THE "PETER PILOT'S" NAME.

IT SHOULD BE EASY TO REMEMBER ME.. I WAS THE I ONLY "BLACK" GUNNER IN THE UNIT!!

WONDERING IF ANYONE HAS HEARD FROM SP/5 JERNEGEN OR THE GUNNER ON ALLIGATOR "536" SP/4 SEMPEC.

BECAUSE I WAS AN INFANTRY SQUAD LEADER AND A FORMER BATTALION TRAINING NCO IN KOREA.. YES:) I WAS BUSTED..
>I WAS FLYING ABOVE ALLIGATOR 297.. READING A MAP.. DIRECTING "297" THRU THE AREA OF OPERATIONS FOR "SNOOPY". DAMN.."SNOOPY WAS ORIGINALLY ON MY SHIP..."521";

BUT THEY WERE HAVING TROUBLE READING THE MAP.. AND ASKED OVER THE 'NET' IF ANY ONE HAD MAP READING SKILLS. I TOLD CHARLIE THAT I WAS A FORMER TRAINING NCO AND WAS SKILLED AT MAP
READING.

"SNOOPY" WAS TAKEN OFF OF "ALLIGATOR 521" AND PUT ON "ALLIGATOR 297"

AFTER WHAT SEEMED ABOUT 20 MINUTES OR A HALF HOUR.. WE WERE TOLD THAT "297" HAD BEEN HIT AND WENT DOWN INTO THE CANOPY..WE RETURNED TO THE BASECAMP.

DOES ANYONE HERE REMEMBER THE "NIGHT EXTRACTION" ON "FIREBASE 31" IN DAKTO ON DECEMBER '1968'
?? I WILL SHED SOME LIGHT..ON WHY THE OPERATION WENT SO BAD.

WE WERE IN VC VALLEY SPRAYING AGENT ORANGE ON RICE CROPS..EARLY THAT DAY. WHILE ME AND JERNEGAN WERE TRYING TO SET SCARECROWS ON FIRE WITH TRACER BELTS.. WE RECEIVED FIRED..3 ROUNDS HIT BENEATH MY FEET AND ALL 3 ROUNDS HIT HYDROLIC TUBING AND CAME THRU THE FLOOR AND OUT THE ROOF.

BACK AT DAKTO..AFTER DINNER.. A FEW OF THE GUNNERS AND CREW CHIEFS MET IN "521" TO SMOKE SOME WEED..AND EAT POUND CAKE AND PEACHES

WE WERE ALL WASTED..ALL OF A SUDDEN THE DOOR WAS THROWN OPEN..AND OFFICERS SHOUTED>

"WE HAVE 3 WIA'S ON FIREBASE 31"!!!
ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT.. JERNEGAN, MY CREW CHIEF, WAS ON THE FLARE SHIP..

HE DROPPED ALL OF THE FLARES WITH OUT SETTING THEM..THEY HIT THE GROUND.. ARTILLERY ILLUMINATION WAS CALED..AND THE FIRST ROUND ALMOST HIT A SHIP...
THINK THE OPERATION WAS COMMANDED BY LT. ROCK.. I THINK THAT WAS HIS NAME..

"ALLIGATOR 521" WAS ORDERED TO BE THE EXTRACTION SHIP..CANT REMEMBER WHICH SHIP 'FLEW CHASE'ALLIGATOR 521 WAS ALSO ORDERED TO GO IN WITH THE SPOTLIGHT ON!! THE CROCS AND SNAKES WENT IN FIRST...WE FOLLOWED

WE SHOT UP THE PATROL ON HE WAY DOWN. I CAN STILL HEAR THE RADIO "HOLD YOUR FIRE"!! "HOLD YOUR FIRE" "YOU'RE SHOOTING UP CORBETT'S MEN"!!
..NEXT DAY..ONE DIED.. I WAS TOLD THAT MY GUN WAS THE ONE THAT SHOT UP THE PATROL.. WE GOT THEM ALL OUT SAFELY..BUT I WAS LEFT WITH THE NAGGING THOUGHTS..THAT THE LAST PERSON I KILLED IN THE NAM..WAS AN AMERICAN SOLDIER..

I'M 100% SERVICE-CONNECTED..PERMANENT..WITH PTSD

MY THERAPIST ASKED ME HOW THEY KNEW IT WAS MY GUN..THAT SHOT UP THE PATROL...?? I COULDNT ANSWER..AS I DIDNT KNOW..DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW???

IF ANYONE WAS ON THAT OPERATION..THAT NITE.. PLEASE CONTACT ME ..MY EMAIL IS BANQUI@ONEJEWEL.COM

IF YOU WANT TO CHECK RECORDS.. MY SSN ********

MY SOC SEC# *********
PEACE