As a 17 year old in boot camp in May of 1964, I first heard the word 'Vietnam' as my DI made us crawl over and then down under our racks.
From that time on, I had made up my mind I would go there if possible. I kept my ears open and when I heard that a squadron from New River, NC might be the next to go, I applied for duty there. Mission accomplished!
It was towards the end of my first tour,in VN with HMM-361,a UH-34 Helo
Squadron that I drew a mission for a general resupply, it turned out to be Khe Sahn. The Marines had inherited it from the Army and this was within the first few weeks. That was probably one of my last two or three mission,as I was shipping out soon.This was sometime within the first three or four months of 1966. I'm sure it was my first time there, as I recall thinking it was the first time I had seen a waterfall in VN, as we flew towards it.

I returned to VN in the middle of 1967 with a UH-1E Gunship Squadron VMO-3. I was at Khe Sahn several times after that , sometimes waiting for another mission and sometimes just in and out after dropping off some one.
I remember once, I was sitting in the AC waiting and watching three or four 34's land at the ARVN camp. Most of the 34's had been given to them,
anyway,I marvelled at how they just 'roared' in flaired and dropped with out any apparent flight plan. I remember thinking 'thats the way to fly those old dogs'. I then turned my gaze to a 130 that was turned up by a cargo area and as I watched, a guy was walking from the wing tip (thats where he was when I first saw him)towards the front of the AC,and as he approached the
prop, his cover was sucked from his head and shot backwards by the prop.
There was no doubt in my mind that he would have been killed had that not happened.

The last time I was there, was sometime in January of '68, we flew in after dark and was supposed to leave early the next day, but we were fogged in. We were there a couple of days and the VC would drop a round or two in just for harrasment I guess. We were pretty much underground in bunkers,and I didn't care much for that. That was my last time on base but we flew support missions around there later. I left VN in April I think. Those were my last days,and recollections. I don't know about other Marines and Soldiers, but time and place wasn't important to me, just being there was.
I told a review board once that put me in for a Bronze Star, that I didn't need any extra reward for doing what I came to VN for. They ask, "What was that?" and I replied "Saving the lives of my fellow Marines and Soldiers,that I didn't come here to kill, but if I had to, I had no problem with it."

I hope that any contribution I made did in fact help return some of my BROTHERS home,as I was PROUD to serve them and with them as a UNITED
STATES MARINE. PRIDE IS OUR COMMON BOND
W D " Jackson "