[SAMWolf]

'For the Marines manning that outpost just south of the DMZ, Con Thien was hell on earth when the NVA attacked.'

-- Al Hemingway

[The Real Deal]

Good morning Sam. I've been up the river to Dong Ha more times than I can remember. I can only recall one close call there. A Huey had landed on the boat ramp that night. The pilot was in the radio shack, and the crew was standing around smoking and shooting the $hit. There was an SVA camp on the other side of the river, that seemed to be having a loud party. Which was not all that unusual. When a round can across the river and hit the chopper the pilot came running out. He and the crew got in and took off. Lima 1, (the radio operator), could be heard screaming don't do it, don't do it, over the radio. The Huey got a little altitude across the river and started shooting, minigun and all. The next day when the Marines went over to check it out they found many SVA with their throats cut, and dozens of dead NVA. We all thought that the pilot would be up on charges, but no so. They must have gotten most of the NVA, or they would have hualed off the dead. It was quite a deal.

[The Real Deal]

I'm going to hate not being up for the first look a the Foxhole when I go back to work on the 2nd. I'm going to bed see you all in the morning.

[Vic3O3]

Sam, thank you for posting this one. I have a good friend who served in D 1/9 during this. As I understand it, he was one of 6 in his plt to make it out of an ambush. He was point and got mg'd in the chest. If not for the courage & fortitude of the other men in his plt, he would not be here today. He was also at Con Thien when a 500lb'er was misdropped on their command/short-timer bunker...lucky for him, he wasn't short then. (Cav, you know John)