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11/11/15

wgamble

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2013
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411
To all of my fellow Combat Veterans, I say THANK YOU!

I realize it is not until tomorrow but it is everyday for this ol boy.
 
Here's a cool pic that someone sent to my dad today:

hill55.png


Here's the description my dad sent with the pic:

"The bunker in front of this 105 MM howitzer was where I slept/lived on Hill 55 (which shot virtually 24/7) when I was not off hill. It stored 105 rounds as well as numerous generations of cockroaches and snakes in the rainy season. I have a cd my sister sent made off a tape I sent them with incoming and outgoing artillery as I made the tape - you can have it if you want. There was a river you can not see in front of this bunker and one of our jobs at night was to intercept and destroy enemy supply boats supplying the NVA around Hill 55 with ammo and food. When I was there Dec. '67 - June of '69. It was a free fire zone = anything that moved died. To the right you can not see was a bridge that was blown one night by sappers and we had a 3 day battle. They wanted to stop our tanks coming to help from Hill 37 about 5 miles away. We lost many Marines over that battle but piled up NVA as well. At night navy ships lit the sky up all night with illumination rounds so we could see enemy movement. We all slept 3 on 3 off when on Base 55 everyone even the cooks stood fighting hole positions at night and half did the same during the day. "

I have a copy of the CD he is talking about. Makes me so proud to listen to it. It's a compilation of many shorter recording that he sent home, totals about 90 minutes. There's not a single minute of the entire CD without artillery going off in the background. He talks about the car he's going to buy when he gets home, all the options its going to have, etc. (If you knew my Dad you would appreciate how funny that is since he's basically still doing it today almost at the age of 70.) In one of the clips you can hear bombs going off and he has to turn the recorder off abruptly and go fight.

happy Veterans Day to my Dad and all who fought for our freedom. I'm sorry subsequent generations seem to take it for granted so readily.
 
Thank you all. Your sacrifice does not go unappreciated. I am truly thankful for men and women who serve our country when so many won't and others are unable to. This is my hero, my dad in Wei around 1968, this is from a Time Life book called "Nam". We randomly found this pic! 68 Years old and still reminds me that he WAS not a Marine, he still IS a Marine!
 

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