| Charlie Company 2/16: April 11, 1966 |
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Mud Soldiers...
It's a label that author George Wilson bestowed upon Charlie Company 2/16 vets as the epitome of the infantry soldier. They were the sharp point of the great American military machine -- the grunts humping the boonies, beating the bush, crawling through the mud. Most of these warriors/survivors were not aware that they had been so labeled. They only knew they had been through Hell. Now the veterans of that terrible ordeal in 1966 have adopted that term to designate their exclusive club -- the veterans of Charlie Company's longest night. Be sure to visit each section of the site today. These sections will only appear today, as a special tribute to the veterans of Xa Cam My. The regular site will return tomorrow. |
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Good Afternooon guys.. Here I am sitting in my nice comfortable office on April 10th, 2002. It just hit me that 36 years ago today Charlie Company was getting ready for Easter services on Saturday night, some folks crossing the field caused a brief interruption to our services since we commenced to try to ruin their day, and did for a couple. The next day was not a very good day for 146 of us and one AF para medic. April 11th has always been and will continue to be a date I will never forget. It was a day of acts of bravery, acts of self survival and acts that some of us would probably like to forget. It was a very moving experience last year seeing a lot of the survivors of April 11th in Nashville, Most for the first time since 1966. All the members of Charlie Company of April 11th will always have a special place in my heart. I hope all of you are hanging in there , Rangers, Ready Now!!! Charley Lima 6 Smith De voe It was good to see the message from my platoon leader, Devoe. I'm thinking of him and all the rest of you today. At the request of my son's social studies teacher, I'll be discussing our experiences with 3 classes of sixth graders tomorrow. I don't think they're old enough to fully appreciate what all of you and the dead sacrificed, but even the adults that have never been in combat will never understand what it is like. Roger Harris Until I read this account of "Charlie Company's Longest Night", I didn't know the names of two of the other three men that were with me as we carried Lt. Kroah back to the perimeter. Your account doesn't acknowledge that I was the fourth man on the stretcher, and that was one of the best things I've ever done besides being a father. Roger Harris Thank you Tracy for the web site and for the special tribute today.
Tracy, from me and many more "THANK YOU" Peters Smithy; Tracy; Today as every April 11 for us that were with Charlie Co. is a day to remember. To remember friends, to remember those who didn't come home. I think about you every day but today is your day, God bless you all. Phil
To Tracy,Charlie,Joyce and everyone else who has helped the men of C.co. I want to thank you, for it was truly a day of death dispair, honor and glory ,for if not for the sacrifice of some, the rest of us woulld not be here to tell about it today. Thank's everyone, and also today is very special for me for it was 20 year's ago on the day that my father passed away, so there are special prayer's for a lot of ppeople today. Gary Chaney
TO ALL THE MEN OF C 2/16, GOD BLESS YOU. JACK KOON B 2/16 MAR66-FEB67 I knew today was not going to be easy for me, but I had no idea how much I would be looking forward to going to sleep. As planned for several months, I discussed our Viet Nam experience with three sixth grade classes at my son's school, and I was pleased at how well my presentation was received. The kids told my son they thought his dad was "Cool". That's the highest compliment I could have received from a group of 12 year old students. It was the 36th anniversary of the day we survivors were lifted out of the man-made clearing on 4/12/66. When I arrived home I checked my mail and found the videotape I had purchased from the Epperson's that included the Medal of Honor Ceremony for Pitsinbarger. At the end of the same tape I found news film shot on the morning we were being lifted out. Just before the end I saw film of me holding the sandle of the sniper I had shot the previous evening. Until I saw this film I had blocked this out. After seeing it, though, I recalled, as if it happened this morning, that after B Company arrived I walked over to Charlie Epperson's area to a VC that was apparently the same sniper I killed the previous evening. I took a rubber sandle off of the sniper's foot and took it back to the tree I had leaned against most of the night. Shortly, camera crews arrived and shot a picture of me holding that sandle. I had completely blocked this out until I received the tape this afternoon about 4:30 P.M. I was easy to recognize because I looked exactly like my son does now. I had recalled seeing the television cameras as I walked into the clearing to board the Chinook helicopter, but, until this afternoon, I had not recalled be filmed as I held that sandle. I have no idea what happened to it. I probably put it on the ground as soon as the cameras left I'm glad my wife and my son are on their way to a baseball tournament tonight because I'm not in a very good mood right now. I'm drinking some wine and going to bed early. I'm working this weekend, and I hope to be over this mood by the time they return Sunday afternoon. Roger Harris Roger.... Good for you Buddy! Thanks for sharing your feelings with me (us). We all are affected by Abilene, but I am more amazed at how similar our reactions are. Each of us deals with them diffently, I guess. Do you feel that our reumion has helped to begin some positive changes within us? Thanks again Roger! Johnnie and Judi After thinking about the events overnight, I recall that I found the sandal where the sniper had fallen but the body and weapon were gone. The sniper's buddies must have collected him while they were checking out our friends. The film from the CBS Archives taken that morning of April 12th, '66 is tough to watch, but I'm glad that I got a copy of it. Roger If anyone else would like to post a message, use the feedback button -- please include your name. | |
