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Happy Birthday Jarheads!


Mojoe

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Happy birthday guys. I am a Navy man, but I worked with Marines on the subbase. My father is a vietnam vet, Marine, 3 purple hearts.

 

Dad's just make it sounds easy when they talk about when they were in. Damn impressive to be awarded as your dad has.

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3 purple hearts? care to tell the story behind those?

 

When dad first showed up in-country, they asked if he could drive a deuce and a half. He said he could. He became a munitions driver, 7 tons of explosives, bombs, blasting caps, like that (5 ton truck). They would convoy at about 70mph thru the jungle keeping their intervals changing so the rpg and mortar rounds wouldn't hit them. His truck broke down, so he and a brand new pvt setup to watch the cargo while they waited for the tow. As dark approached dad decided to cook the truck off, took a grenade and wrapped the spoon to it with electrical tape, threw it in the gas tank. They ran into the bush but dad took a sniper round in the forearm, flesh wound.

 

When he got back he was put on the mine clearing team. They had cleared about 10k and turned around to head back to the base. This was early in '67 and the VC had just learned how to make mines with plastic detonators and non-metalic housings. As they rolled back the anti-tank mine blew his truck into 5 pieces. 14 guys aboard, 12 wounded 2 KIA.

 

Finally he was back from the states on his second tour, his service paperwork hadn't even reached his company yet. The company was setup on a river bank and every night they took a few mortar rounds. This night they pounded them and early in the fighting dad took some shrapnel in the head. He couldn't see to shoot from the blood in his eyes but he did save a grunt's life helping the doc. He ended up in Japan to finish his tour as 3 purple hearts is rare and no one ever gets the 4th without getting killed.

 

I posted about my dad reuniting with the guy he saved

http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25141

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