Why Me Lord?

I went to the country of Vietnam with the Marines in 1965... I saw friends around me dying my own age and wondered is there a bullet out there with my name on it?... When you're in a combat war zone and you see men being sent home in body bags, you wonder, will I be the next one?... Am I different than any other man out here?... They have families and loved ones that are waiting for there return, yet many often return in a box... Where there could have been overflowing joy that was only replaced by sorrow and tears, as many said goodbye to another son.

The big test for me came in February of 1966. We had gone on Operation Beaver and twenty-one 90mm gun tanks, three men to a tank, driver, loader, and tank commander a total of 63 men, left our command post known as USMC Charlie Company 3rd Tank Battalion and headed into battle. For those who do not know about Vietnam, at the time we went it was monsoon season and very muddy and no terrain for a heavy tank... As we moved into VC (Viet- Cong) territory 19 out of our 21 tanks got stuck in the mud and we couldn't move... Our tank, the more we tried to get out of the mud the more we sank and ended up stuck in four feet of mud at a 45 degree angle, we had no way to fire our big gun. Darkness was setting in pitch black and in a nutshell we were Sitting Ducks and being there was nothing we could do the free ourselves as we waited for daylight to get help. We set a watch and waited each man taking turn keeping a vigil as others rested. It was quiet... TO QUIET!

After completing my watch at one I went on the back of the tank to rest as the tank commander took over... At two o'clock as I was to learn later a mortar round exploded about 20 feet above my head and the tank commander came flying out of the hatch thinking I was a dead man. I was spared, not a scratch... The VC in the mean time had knocked out 3 tanks and killed 12 men... Later on we found out the weapon they used, were half a bamboo pole (for a groove) with an inter tube strip as a launcher and a rocket... After the carnage when daylight came we accessed the damage and got our tanks out. It took helicopters with cables to pull us all out, that's how bad we were stuck.

Soon after returning from Vietnam I joined the church I grew up in and knew that the only thing that brought me home to this day was the Lord answering the prayers of the saints and those I loved... I remember a song from way back when, though not in any of our hymn books but I believe it tells my story by Kris Kristofferson WHY ME LORD?... I opened up the topic, be brave and tells us your story... Brother Glen

 

Surely Squire you have had some close calls, this is the Vets Forum, care to spill the beans?... Brother Glen

 

Good illustration kyredneck loved your story... Which only goes to prove you NEVER get in between a mother and her baby no matter what animal they are... This little piggy went to market... Sorry you had me drifting back to my early childhood... Brother Glen