The Bell Rang and Back to DaNang

If I ever wanted OUT of somewhere, it was OFF 861. We lived like animals up there for about 4 months. We were always dirty because there was only enough water to drink. (We had to dry-shave). Weather, and enemy fire, often prevented "chopper-drops", so we'd occasionally run extremely short of C-rations and drinking water. We got mortared whenever "Luke" got the urge and could spare a few rounds, we exchanged fire on several occasions. We ran short patrols during the day, and THEY drove us crazy at night with those reed whistles (see last entry).

We'd moved onto the Hill the day after Christmas, and somewhere around mid-April, we finally got relieved up there by another Marine Company, and like good real estate agents, we told them they could "take possession" right away!

We "saddled up" and headed for the 881 complex where choppers would be coming for us, and walked right into an artillery barrage when we got THERE!

Anyway, we finally got OFF the hills, and OUT of Khe Sanh! I never saw the place again until 37 years later when a 2nd Platoon buddy of mine & I went back over there in the summer of 2005.

We eventually got back into DaNang, 3rd Marine Division Headquarters, a large dirt compound with some crude wooden shacks and a lot of tents. To US though, it looked like the Best Western!

DaNang meant a lot of things to a lot of people. For the short-timers, it meant "going back to the world." For the rest of us, it meant hot food, cots to sleep on inside of tents, warm SHOWERS, a fresh issue of jungle utilities to replace those that were rotting OFF of us from months of sweat & stench, fresh issues of underwear and socks, and a WEEK or so of REST, while they were processing the oldtimers out, and the new replacements IN.

No guard duty either. There was a Marine Unit already in-place, watching the perimeter.

For ME though, one of the FIRST things I had to do, was find that guy with the M-14 before HE processed out. we were in different platoons, and I had to find out what area THEY were in, as they had all "scatterred' around the compound for these next few days.

About the 2nd or 3rd day we were there, as I was looking into the big vacant tents, this hand slapped me on the back of my flakvest! I turned around and there he was! "HEY DUDE!" (He'd forgotten my name, but it didn't matter)........"I'M CHECKIN' OUT THIS AFTERNOON......YOU STILL WANT THIS??", as he held out that big beautiful M-14.

"Does a bear crap in the woods? You BET I DO!!"

"Well, grab that piece of crap of YOURS and let's go down the the Armory Tent. It's my last stop. Let's see if they'll let us swap!"

This was potentially a touchy situation, because it had become official policy to turn-in every remaining M-14 as its "owner" was checking out. They wanted us ALL to have this new "wonder-weapon M-16, so we'd all be just like everyone else. DOD was determined to have us make the '16 a success, or die trying. Many DID. Too many. This was the last guy in "K" Company with an M-14, and if it got turned in, "K" Company would be what is NOW CALLED "politically correct." The odds were against me.

But the Armorer was NOT. He was one of those old "salty jarheads" with ATTITUDE, who could care LESS about regulations, or policies made by people who polished their desk chairs with the seat of their pants. As far as HE was concerned, my 2nd Platoon buddy was issued a rifle when he first came into country, and as long as he had a weapon to turn in when he left, that was just fine & dandy. He pulled both cards from the file box and just switched the names on them. He then initialled the last block on my buddy's check-out sheet. My friend said "adios", walked out the door, and I HAD my M-14!

As I started to leave, the armorer reminded me that the Marine Corps was no longer sending boxed ammo for it through the supply chain. I reminded HIM that the M-14 and our M-60 machinegun BOTH shot the same 308 Winchester cartridge. The M-60 was NOT being replaced and there'd be an un-ending supply of ammo for the next several years. It was all "linked" in 300-round belts, but it was only a matter of counting off what you needed, popping the rounds out of their links and stuffing your magazines with them. Ammo would be no problem at all!

At THIS point in time, I was "just over the hump" of my tour length, and now with the '14 strapped over my shoulder, I felt considerably better about the LAST five months or so. Oh, I could still get killed over there, but if I DID............it would NOT be because my rifle jammed! That would no longer be an issue, and I'd have a range and stopping-power advantage to boot!

Few things in life work as well as an M-14.

THIS one was a "tad different" than the ones that were issued stateside........the "Nam M-14's" had FULL AUTO selectors installed, which really didn't make sense to me. The 308 Winchester cartridge (7.62x51mm) in a 9-lb rifle is a HANDFUL when you're going full automatic. About the 5th or 6th round, you're almost shooting 45-degress into the air. The M-60 machinegun shooting that same round, barely moves around at all.................of course, the M-60 weighs in at 23 lbs!

I shot it ONCE at the DaNang range in "full rock 'n' roll", flipped the selector back to SEMI-auto, and left it there for the rest of my tour. One at a time was enough, even against the AK-47.........because the 308 had the range and knockdown to engage "Luke" well before he could get YOU into HIS range.

This was even a good-LOOKING M-14, The wood had kind of a "tiger-striped" ripple to it, and it was made by WINCHESTER! (Most M-1 Garands and the M-14's that followed, were made by Springfield, but whenever military demand exceeded production capability, it was not uncommon to "sub-contract."

And so..........rested, re-supplied, and at least ONE of us RE-ARMED..........we had our "new guys" in-tow, and we "old salts" got ready to head north again.