Shortly after back from the compound, i unloaded the beer, put it into a cut fully out-out-of 55-gallon guitar and you may iced it down
Truth be told there wasn’t in any manner we can stream you to pallet right back towards the latest lighthearted truck, thus being the a good Samaritans we had been, i stacked as numerous cases once we you can expect to on the all of our V-100-really that individuals could hardly turn brand new turret. Naturally, there were certain sorry MPs one to evening and you may enough awful head aches the following day.
To the men who served on a V-100 for a year, the vehicle became more than just a machine. It became your life, your friend and your protector. All but two of our V-100s were named after comic book heroes. These included “Captain America,” “Thor,” “Big Ben,” “Flash,” “Spider – man,” “Barbarian,” “Atom,” “Daredevil” and “Iron Man.” The other two were named “Road Hog” and “The Lemon.” Each of the V-100s had a painting of the character or the name across the front, life-sized and in coloric book superheroes painted on the front of the V-100s made for an interesting article in The new Roundup, our local GI newspaper. The April 1970 article was headlined, “66th MP Co. Super Heroes to Combat VC Wrong Doers.”
Sometimes we had our minutes, including the date as soon as we were escorting an excellent convoy in the An enthusiastic Khe Pass plus one of one’s automobiles destroyed a whole pallet from beer
David A beneficial. Swisher stays in Marshall, Ill. He gotten the fresh new Military Commendation Medal which have V Tool to possess his methods within the ambush at An enthusiastic Khe Pass inside April 1970. For additional reading, see: Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71, because of the Richard Lathrop and you will Jim Laurier; and you can Combat Police: U.S. Army Military Police in Vietnam, of the Rick Young.
Most of all of our problems showed up to your QL-19, but I believed warmer thereon path than just for the QL-1, simply because there have been a great deal more convoys on QL-19 and this deeper odds of content. My baptism away from fire showed up for the plant in the hairpin contour on An Khe Ticket. All of our V-100 got currently come through new hairpin and try went down this new solution, in the event the westbound convoy try struck. What “Contact! Get in touch with! Get in touch with check it out!” appeared over the broadcast web whenever i try operating, so i became the V-100 as much as and you will went back up the latest ticket. Once we got to brand new hairpin, We spotted some Korean troops pinned off. Included in this had his case stuck-up in the air leading south region of the hairpin change. I pulled the new V-100 between the Koreans and also the position he had been leading so you’re able to, therefore we you will give them a bit more cover and have now engage with the firepower.
My V-100 is actually escorting good convoy out of Tuy Hoa eventually whenever discover lots of construction focus on the trail, leading to somewhat a keen accordion impact
Anything regarding the powering the latest routes each day is which you never knew just what unusual issue was going to takes place second. If the top of one’s convoy eliminated, the back tightened. Then front perform start once more, in addition to convoy spread out till the rear you may begin. Because of that, We advised all of our V-100 rider Reno Catalano to enter the midst of the new street so we helps to keep almost every other automobile from our very own convoy up until i got out from the construction town. While we usually help reduced vehicle go ahead and solution brand new convoy automobiles, because there are a whole lot build I needed to store the fresh convoy without another traffic.
On a single convoy in order to Weil Nang, one of the automobiles strike an excellent Lambretta laden up with Vietnamese. It had been a little a mess. Brand new Lambretta went from the roadway and you can off an embankment. By the point we had an effective dustoff truth be told there and had something removed up a little while, there were all kinds of black colored pajama-clad people who have firearms updates doing talking and you may yelling. By the difficult, a misunderstanding can potentially features developed, prior to that happened we got off there and you may straight back to your convoy.
