When I
arrived in Vietnam 1968,it was shocking, to be told, by the
desk clerk, that if you didn't make out a will, you better start
now, for if you think you are going home, it may very well be in a
body bag. I was returning to hill861,after being in Danang, around
April, and hearing about Lt Courtney, being killed by a bouncing
betty, some after, I was suppose to rejoin, Alpha Co, down the hill, a
couple of clicks away, from the tree line, to where the 6x6 Motor
driver, drop me off. He said, your unit, is by the other side of that
tree line. What he didn't know, was they moved during that night, to
hill 881.So here I am at the open field, just my m_16, and
me, until a little Vietnamese boy, about 9, walk up to me, and
said: "Marine are you lost?" How do you explain to him, that I
was. But in any case, he knew where my unit was. He and I were
walking thru villages, rice patties. Just the two of us. Until I
got with in range of my unit. When I arrived, they were surprise, to
see me alive, considering, that area was loaded with NVA, and traps of
all kinds. There was a angel watching over me. How do you explain
that one?
Sempi Fi
Roger Alexandre
I was attached to Echo 2/7 BLt, after reassignment from Alpha 1/1 in Feb 68. I was at Tet offensive, at Hue City, Khesanh, and hill 861.
There are many stories to tell. I was a machine gunner and one time we were crossing this river, and because the weight of the machine gun, and all the other gear, I got stuck in the mud. Another time, my company was pinned down by a sniper, while we were crossing a cemetery. I remember trying to take cover and we started to dig a hole; when we dug deep enough, we began to uncover a burial site and human bones. Imagine seeing that. The other time, we were in Dodge City. The other 3 company's had the enemy surrounded and Echo Co was the blocking force. So the NVA, were trying to fight their way out, right thru us. I was wounded in my right elbow. A thru & thru shrapnel wound that put me in the hospital for about 6 months. We lost a lot of good men. To lose one life is one too many. Semper Fi
|
Roger Alexandre |
Home | Back to Marine Experience