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This guy is really something. Very articulate and intelligent, great storyteller but most of all... Just driven! Hes actually got a great book in him here. Although he doesnt come out and say it, his father sounds like a bit of an a hole. His mother must have been a greatwoman as were all of her brothers. They raised a fine man. Im really impressed.
Thank-you for your service but THERE ARE NO WILD ANACONDA IN VIETNAM , your story about the big snake that came out of the water to attack you has ruined your credibility, its hard to sift through the BS and what is the truth . I have lived in Vietnam for many years , the longest snake here is the cobra. The python family do not get anywhere big enough to take on a midget . Remember The truth is what people want to hear.
This guy is a freakin awesome story teller, love his total honesty, just says straight out a lot of the door gunners were doing heroin, don’t really blame them I guess. Even admits to doing some smack and falling and passing out on the piss spot outside the tent,HAHA funny as hell. Can’t believe the stories about getting throw out of the MP unit, he was such a screw up early on but turned out to be a good door gunner.
I have listened to over a hundred of these. There is no contest. This guy takes it. Very dramatic, detailed and absolutely hilarious. Between the anaconda, using the dead nva as a pillow, stepping on the mine and the countdown.... Hes hilarious. Guy has a great book in him but im probably not the first hes heard it from. Thanks....
If I'm not mistaken, Door Gunners had the second shortest average lifespan in Vietnam, just behind Tunnel Rats. I think it was 48 hrs for Door Gunners and 24 hrs for Tunnel Rats. I don't remember what video or documentary that stated these statistics. Thank you for your Service Sir, and Welcome Home! Thank you too whomever took the time to record this and made it available to the public! These soldiers need to be remembered for their sacrifices and never forgotten! Cheers
this guy brought back memories… I was drafted out of college in 1967 … I served two years in the Army 1st cav 1967-68 … 11B/11C … I went into the 4th platoon all 9 of us and i carried the radio … when I first got in country we had a 2nd Liet FO who adjusted artillery, but when he left the field got got my feet wet learning how to call in field artillery … yeah I was at Bong Song, TET, Quang Tri, A Shau Valley, Quan Loi. I enjoyed listening … it takes me about 60 seconds to tell if a vietnam vet has been out in the real poop
Lots of RU-vid videos on Quan Loi … some excellent photos of what the terrain actually looked like. Quan Loi is located about 60 miles north of Siagon and 10 miles from the Cambodian boarder …
I was a E5 buck Sargent 1st Cavalry 1967-68 11B/11C … same MOS as this guy… at first I thought this guy was full of 💩…. But later on in this interview I got some respect … yeah he saw some combat… but he spent some recovery time in the rear soaking up some rays … eating COLD ice cream … This US draftee had the privilege to train several new regular army RA’s … Sargents (E-5-6-8’s) and 2nd Lieutenant’s … got more holes in me than John Kerry and a bullet crease below my left butt cheek from an AK47… never got a Purple Heart 💜… not ever an asprin … just alcohol poured on my butt… Yeah I was lucky … several others around me weren’t so lucky … the first cavalry division relocated south late October? 1968 … landed in Quan Loi … then out to the Cambodian border … we took over on this LZ that the Big Red One was on out in them rubber trees … they’d been overrun and had many KIA’s … We airlifted out a backhoe to dig a trench (mass grave for NVA) we drug “lost count” on how many bloated days old bodies into that trench … this isn’t all about me, but wanted to say thanks to this guy. There was a big difference between sitting on an LZ waiting for incoming mortars and rockets… and out in the field walking into ambushes trying to find the guys packing those armaments … damn nightmares.
I was a E5 buck Sargent 1st Cavalry 1967-68 11B/11C … same MOS as this guy… at first I thought this guy was full of 💩…. But later on in this interview I got some respect … yeah he saw some combat… but he spent some recovery time in the rear soaking up some rays … eating COLD ice cream … This US draftee had the privilege to train several new regular army RA’s … Sargents (E-5-6-8’s) and 2nd Lieutenant’s … got more holes in me than John Kerry and a bullet crease below my left butt cheek from an AK47… never got a Purple Heart 💜… not ever an asprin … just alcohol poured on my butt… Yeah I was lucky … several others around me weren’t so lucky … the first cavalry division relocated south late October? 1968 … landed in Quan Loi … then out to the Cambodian border … we took over on this LZ that the Big Red One was on out in them rubber trees … they’d been overrun and had many KIA’s … We airlifted out a backhoe to dig a trench (mass grave for NVA) we drug “lost count” on how many bloated days old bodies into that trench … this isn’t all about me, but wanted to say thanks to this guy. There was a big difference between sitting on an LZ waiting for incoming mortars and rockets… and out in the field walking into ambushes trying to find the guys packing those armaments … damn nightmares.
Did you hear the interviewer at the beginning? The history project is from Grand Valley State which is in Michigan, so they are obviously, interviewing veterans from Michigan 👍
Mr dyksema thank you..have listened more times than i can count ..had a couple neighbor kids not make it back and ive heard quite a few stories from arounf the sewing circle..i grew up in the 60s and still those memories remain fresh ..different times ..times for hope ..pray we can turn this circus around ..take care and enjoy listening ..you are a great storyteller
