40 Years to Clarity
A Vietnam Veteran’s Epiphany
by
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November ended with nearly constant bombardment from the enemy heavy mortar tubes. At the time we were not sure how many mortar tubes were positioned against us we just knew that they were in Cambodia, the Cambodian border was a short 1,000 meters away (1 Kilometer) to the West and North. They had been hitting us from a position across the border, unfortunately the United States policy was that we could not officially return fire because they were in Cambodia. They could fire at us with impunity, all we could do was hope they missed our position. There were numerous smaller mortar tube positions around us and as a course our Fire Direction Control (FDC) did not count the smaller incoming mortar rounds that we received during the siege. We would find out after the siege was over that the number of 120-millimeter mortar rounds received and counted during that time was nearly 8,000. There was not one area of the hill (LZ Camp Bu Prang) that you could not reach down and grab a handful of dirt only to find most of what you scrapped up was shrapnel.
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About the Book
The author has always remembered an incident that occurred during on of the many artillery swing operations. These operations involved two guns in fire support of Special Forces approximately 100 Montagnard positioned along the Cambodian border. The normal artillery battery comprised of six guns positioned in a group to produce overlapping explosive power. However, during these operations, only two guns would be sent out as fire support. The guns and crew along with the Special Forces Cadre would helicoptered out and dropped on a hill (Landing Zone) LZ and remain in place for weeks or months depending upon the situation. The incidences that most haunted the author occurred during the Siege of Special Forces Camp Bu Prang along the Cambodian border. It was these incidents that kept the author always wondering what the meaning of the situation, and how that applied in his life. The culmination to this quest for the meaning happened forty years after the events of that time and inspired the author to write down his experiences and the epiphany about that meaning. The book is a reflection on the author’s experiences with the realization that God has always been with him throughout his life.
About the Author
The author is a husband, father, grandfather, retired project engineer, and an inventor. He decided after discussing with his father who was a World War II fighter pilot to write down his experiences to share the oral history with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. His father completed his oral history and put it together in a booklet for his family. It was after that time that the author thought that it was important to write down his experiences. It was around ten years ago that the author had an epiphany about his time in Vietnam it was then that he decided to write down his Vietnam experiences for his children, and grandchildren in hopes of assisting them in their walk of faith. The author has often considered the experiences of his life from the early years to the present. A big part of those experiences has stayed with him throughout his life. His tour in Vietnam had a profound effect on his life since his tour to present. It is something that is important to pass along to those who follow us. For years Vietnam Veterans were instructed not to say anything for fear of causing harm to those still serving in Vietnam. This writing is a reflection of his service during his tour in Vietnam. He was an artillery gunner assigned to Charlie Battery assigned as fire support for Special Forces during his tour from January 1969 to April of 1970. His experiences have always been present in his life from those days to this writing. It was nearly ten years ago that an incident happened 40 years earlier would result in some clarity that caused the author to reflect and write about his experiences with the realization that God has always been with him throughout his life.