John Hiemstra
Vietnam Diary
Web Page 8
THE BEST OF CHARLIE HORSE
VIETNAM
1Jan72 Phu Bai
Our troops didn’t fly today. I’m still not out of here.
It looks like it will Monday before I get to go.
2 Jan 72 Phu Bai
I out-processed today. For a while I thought finance had
lost my pay records
but they were found in the CO’s office. What a relief it was
to find them.
Our troop received word today that we are to avoid U.S
causalities at all cost-
which means doing a poor job of VR out in the AO.
3 Jan 72
I got up early today in an effort to get a ride to Da Nang on
one of our maintenance ships but that fell through. I
couldn’t even get out on the C-130’s. I’m spending the
evening at Camp Campbell in the chaplain’s quarters. I also
saw Don Finn again. He is DER0S’ing tomorrow.
4 Jan 72 MM (Marble Mountain)
After waiting all morning, I finally got a C-130 to Da
Nang. Don Finn and Joe Silva, and Bob Smith were among
my fellow passengers. The pilot, after leaving Phu Bai, flew
up to Evans and shot some GCAs. None of us knew what was
happening due to the lack of windows at our eye level in the
aircraft. We suffered terribly, not knowing the reason
for the weird flight attitudes and what the aborted landings
meant. After getting to Da Nang, Don, Joe, and I went to
the DEROS center. Ha, ha, Don had just relieved himself at the
airport, when at the center he had to go to great effort to
get enough urine for a drug sample. I spent the night with
Don. During the evening we went to Freedom Hill to watch
“Scream and Scream”.
5 Jan72 MM
I left Don early this morning. What a lucky
guy, he will be home on this date.
6 & 7Jan72 MM No entry.
8 Jan 72 MM
I spent most of the day sleeping. Not really much happened
today. Still no mail from home.
9 Jan 72 MM
Ah, today I was “cheerfully” awakened at the sweet hour of
05:20 to hear that I was to fly today--and oh did we fly. My
“PIC” was George Schofield of Farm¬ington, N. M. We
escorted slicks into LZs and out of PZs all day…7+20 hours of
it. The only high light of the day was a man’s body I spotted
floating in the river just west of Marble Mountain. Nobody
seemed interested in investigating so the matter was dropped.
10 Jan 12 MM
I spent the day in the ready action room on the ten minute
standby.
11 Jan 72 MM
Again I spent the day in the RF (Ready Force) on 30 minute
standby. I had to fly one mission today—a short one. We
(Capt Riggs and I) helped escort a helicopter carrying the
Secretary of the Army from FSB Linda to Da Nang. Other
than this, not much happened.
12 Jan 72 MM
I didn’t fly today—had the day off. We had five slicks and two
guns down to Quang Ngai today on a CA (combat assault).
All five slicks were hit by ground fire. WO1 Steve
Griffin, whom I’ve known since basic training, had his ship
hit twice in the cargo compartment and once in the
rotor. One ARVN was killed aboard his ship, also one
U.S. crew chief was hit in the legs. We don’t know of
casualties for the other side.
13 Jan72 MM
Again I spent the day in the ground. This morning was spent
helping with a P.E. on one of other Cobra’s. Last night
15 mortars hit near the SW side of the air¬strip but didn’t
inflict damages. Capt Holdgrafer, my roommate,
found out today that his Cobra transition was dropped and that
he received a drop from July to March to DEROS-ETS. He
wants to stay in. Ha, I want out but can I get out, nooo.
14 Jan 72 MM
It was quiet last night and today wasn’t much different.
16 Jan 72 MM
I didn’t do anything today other than sleep in the QRF (ready
reaction room)
since I was on 10 minute standby all day.
17Jan 72 MM
Last night we had one practice alert—we flew 4 hours. I
don’t think I like night flying very well (VERY dark).
Today has been a very tiring and aggravating day trying to get
from place to place getting personal problems squared
away. One highlight though is that I got my order off
for some stereo equipment.
18 Jan72 MM
Bob Posey (my hooch mate) had $100 watch stolen today. We
suspected a part-time hooch maid had it and had her
searched--but no watch. I tried to get my hold¬ baggage
today but no luck. I still haven’t flown--ha, maybe next
week I’ll get my chance.
19 Jan 72 MM
I and about 15 other ex-lO1st officers had a brief visit with
General McKinnon today. He talked mostly about the near future
of the 101st in Vietnam. Not much else happened that I
know of personally. It’s a real battle within itself
fighting boredom. Some guys were digging holes in the
sand and then refilling them just for something to do.
20 Jan 72 MM
Another dull day spent lounging around. Still can’t get my
hold baggage.
21 Jan 72 MM
This sitting around for days at a time is making me paranoid
about flying. I guess it’s because I’m getting “short” and I
worry more. I did fly today with Jim Kelly. We
flew gun cover for an attempt to recover a body from the river
near coordinates 973356. The guy was a member of the
crew that was shot down today. I don’t know what
happened to the rest of the crew. We didn’t get the body out
today.
22 Jan 72 MM
I still didn’t do anything today as far as flying goes. I did
lie in the sun some and did some exercises.
23 Jan 72 MM
I slept in to 1100 as usual. I did some reading this
afternoon and some more exercising. The mortar crews shot out
quite a few rounds this evening. Everybody is getting a
little jumpy as Tet gets closer. Some good news and bad
news today! I flew with George Schofield on a “funny
people” mission to the Ashau. George and I never made it past
Phu Bai due to a hydraulic leak. It took us the entire day to
get the problem fixed. Mean¬while, I talked to a few of my
friends from Charlie-Horse. As has been rum¬ored, D 3/5 Cav is
moving to the Da Nang area in a few weeks and then stand
down! The bad news, Capt Allen, Frank Angotti, and crew
were shot down in flames by an accurate .51 crew west of Khe
Sanh. One ARP and the crew chief were left on the
aircraft in the scramble to rescue the crew, since they were
both dead from their burns. It’s believed at present that
their bodies are unrecoverable. The rest of the crew is back
in the States undergoing medical care for their exten¬sive
burns and internal injuries. Bob Ramsey was shot down in his
Cobra during the first week of January. An air burst blew away
his canopy and stunned him and his front seat. The aircraft
was so severely damaged that nearly all the caution lights
were flashing on. Bob managed to guide the aircraft to the
ground near Khe Sanh were Herrick had put his LOH down on the
31 of December 71. Bob got a Distinguished Flying Cross
with a “V” for his actions. He was shot down a few days
later in the same area by a .51 but made it back to QT.
Yesterday Deady crashed his LOH into a tree on the Da Krong
while training Esposito for the right seat. None of the crew
was hurt. The NVA are so strong around Khe Sanh now that it is
murder to send helicopter crews out there. Eight ships and a
few lives have been lost this past month in the Khe Sanh area.
I found out that both WO2 Tichoner and WO2 Hart are home and
out of the Army on a RIF.
25 Jan 72 MM
Another day spent in waste.
26 Jan 72 MM
How much longer can this go on?
27 Jan 72 MM
I had 30 minute standby today, as usual. I have a terrible
time waking up in order to get out to the flight line. I have
got to shape up.
28 Jan 72 MM
I had the dentist clean my teeth today. If I’m a good
boy and brush my teeth after every meal, he might fill some of
my cavities for me next week.
29 Jan 72 MM
I wandered around Da Nang today, places like Freedom Hill and
China Beach, just looking for things to occupy my time.
Maj. Kingman keeps saying we’ll be here till Hell freezes
over. I hope he’s wrong. Not any good rumors to
record other than D 3/5 possibly lost a Cobra and crew on the
24 or 25 of January.
30 Jan 72 MM
I didn’t do much today, slept some but didn’t do much else.
31 Jan 72 MM
I flew 7.5 hours today, all of it C&C support near FSB
Mawd. A Chinook punched off a load of ammo enroute to Mawd
today, so we had to secure that until it was policed up.
We didn’t see any action.