Eagle Days: A Marine Legal/Infantry Officer in Vietnam

2. Going South

2 / Going South 6 June 1968 My trip to Okinawa on my first leg of the prestigious, government-sponsored “Griffis Year Abroad” plan got off to a shaky start. There was already enough emotion in the air as I completed packing and loaded bags into the family car for the trip to the airport. As Dad clenched the steering wheel and Mom kept back the tears, the emotional level in the car soared even higher when I realized I had left my travel orders at home. Dad immediately wheeled the car around and violated all known traffic ordinances returning to our house and then back to the airport while muttering, “I just don’t have any more cliff-hangers left in me!” With no time left for lengthy farewells, Dad’s irritation melted into a bear hug while Mom and my little sister, Sallie, kissed me good-bye. I boarded the flight just as the passenger door was closing. My flight across the United States took me through Dallas, Phoenix, and San Diego and to Los Angeles. As I checked in for the flight to Hawaii, I learned of the assassination of Robert Kennedy; he was shot in the Los Angeles airport shortly before my arrival. Throughout the airport, there was a sense of shocked outrage and bewilderment that this could occur. The flight to Hawaii was a reflective one. What happened to Camelot? After a short delay in Hawaii, our plane, now loaded with troops, made its way across the ocean to Okinawa, which was the staging area for men and supplies going to Vietnam. On arrival, all the men were sorted out and assigned to temporary quarters until their scheduled flights to Vietnam. Every- 8 Chapter 2 thing that could be stored and left behind in Okinawa was inventoried and turned in. I could not help but wonder when and if I would see my belongings again. After only one day in Okinawa, I noticed that the morale was off balance. Okinawa was filled with two classes of Marines: those going to Vietnam and those on their way home. Never should the two meet. The returning “salts” told their war stories to the warm bodies going out, waxing eloquent about the multitude of wounds, deaths, and other setbacks that could be anticipated . Naturally, these inspiring testimonials were meant to warp the minds of those who were more easily excited. Fortunately, those troops were processed through fairly quickly due to an ongoing major logistical effort. I attended an officers’ briefing the first morning. We were told that there were eleven North Vietnamese battalions in the Da Nang area, including sapper units with three months’ extensive training. They were expected to attempt to get into Da Nang. We were told that the war from Da Nang north to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) was becoming more conventional as the North Vietnamese switched to larger unit actions in place of the small-unit, hit-and-run tactics of guerilla warfare. 7 June 1968 I have enjoyed seeing the familiar faces here of my friends from Quantico who are now artillery officers. We were able to share several evenings together and catch up on the news of those in our class who have already been wounded or killed. We discussed our assignments and what to expect. Last night, I visited at the “O” club (officers’ club) with Ed Kliewer, Chip Brooks, Joe Fulgineti, Rich Foulkes, John Sabatier, Bill Lawlis, and John C. Martin. We watched The Americanization of Emily and then went outside to drink beer on the grass and to talk. Listening to them, I felt like a tourist in uniform because they were going to various artillery batteries throughout I Corps while I was going to a supply base, Force Logistics Command. Thus, I tried to talk everyone into a better mood. Ed gave me some film to send to his wife, and I told him that I would write her a short note. At 3:00 am, I was awakened by a tremendous roar that sounded like jet aircraft were taking off from my cot. When the thunder faded in the distance, I knew that they were gone. Going South 9 Okinawa surprises me. It is sixty-seven miles long and from two to fourteen miles wide. From the air, it appears to be dotted everywhere with buildings , roads, military installations...