I was in Chu Lai South Vietnam in 1966 as a FMF Corpman with the 5th Marine Division. This is just a small excerpt from my memories of that time that I was inspired to post up by Max's thread titled "42 Years Ago Today". I have to say that going back through all this has been a real trip. Thank you Max for your post, and of course, for your service.
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Chapter 5 …Return to the Land of Big Cigars and Motor Cars
Finally, that seemingly mystical, magical day…that long awaited day arrived and it was time for me to go back to the states for separation from active duty and return to my home and my life. That morning when I awoke, I was completely unaware of the ordeals I faced; short term ordeal being the trip home and long term, getting back into my life.
I went by truck, to Da Nang where others had gathered from other areas and were awaiting a flight out to the states. When I stepped down off the truck I saw a group of them standing over at the staging area, all their gear on the ground in front of them. The plane we were going to be flying on was there but there was no one in or around it. That meant to me that it would be at least and hour or so before we took off. I started walking toward the group when I notice a large area, situated right in the middle of the compound, surrounded by heavy mesh wire fence, with concertina wire rolled along the top of it. Inside the fencing were VC prisoners and armed guard were posted around the entire “cage”. I didn’t snap right away. I started to approach the fence for a better look and one of the guards took two big steps forward and suggested that I proceed no further. THEN I snapped and decided that his advice was good and well heeded. I backed up a little and studied the faces of the prisoners. They ranged in age form about 15 to about 30 I guessed. The expressions on their faces were chilling. I was unable to get a clue as to what they were thinking but I felt very threatened. They weren’t cowed and didn’t seem afraid at all. Lots of them made eye contact with me and NONE of them blinked. I wondered what they would do to me if I were suddenly placed in among them. I didn’t spend a lot of time with that after my first couple of thoughts on the subject. I joined my fellow travelers and eventually we were boarded and air born.
We came into the states at Long Beach, California and were to stay in transient barracks during the time we were to be there. Those of us that were to be separated and return home went with a navy chief petty officer to the area of the base where these facilities were and the others, that were to move on to new duty stations went their separate way. We were TOLD (this was on a Wednesday afternoon) that since we were just back from Vietnam that we would be rushed through separation and home for the weekend. We were TOLD that it would be smooth sailing. We’d go to chow and spend a nice relaxing night in the transient barracks and begin processing in the morning. I should have gone on mental alert right then.
We went to the mess hall for some Navy “cuisine” and then back to the barracks. I was exhausted from all the travel and excitement of going home. I had planned on just reading for a little while and turn in early. The barracks was practically deserted. About 10 seconds after I threw my sea bag on one of the bunks, the duty NCO came storming up behind me and was having a fit over something. Seems I was supposed to have stopped by his desk and sign in or something. I tried to apologize, but he wasn’t going for it. We stood there for a time with him yelling incoherently until he got it all out of his system. Just as he turned to go he said that I would have to “fall out” for inspection at 0530…in uniform. I explained to him that I was to be separated and had thrown away all my uniforms before leaving Vietnam. I didn’t expect that I’d be having any further need for them. He told me right quick that I wasn’t going ANYWHERE until I passed HIS inspection and added as an afterthought that I must get a haircut as well. I had no way of getting a uniform in time or of getting a haircut either. I was up the creek…
There were a few other guys in the barracks so I went around trying to borrow a uniform for this wacko’s inspection. The one I wound up with was about twice the size that fit me. Still it was a uniform. He didn’t specify that it had to fit. I stood the inspection, along with the rest of the guys I arrived with, I was hoping that they were unaware that this whole deal was probably because of me) and I was questioned about the fit of my uniform. I could only explain that it was borrowed and the best that I could arrange. He turned red with anger. He said no more about the uniform but he was all over me about the haircut. I decided at that point to just stay away from the guy till we left.
After the inspection was over I changed back into civilian clothes and went to the first stop in the long line of stops necessary to complete separation. It was payroll and, to me the most important stop of the day. I
Page 13
had been leaving all my money on the books and was due to collect a large chunk of change. I began to notice we had been standing there for a long time, well past time for the payroll office to open up. Still, we had seen no activity in or around the building. Just about then a Navy LTJG came running up and announced that the disbursing officer had had a bad stroke that morning and things were going to be held up till arrangements could be made. With this and a few other setbacks we were there for two weeks instead of the 2 – 3 days we’d been promised. I managed to stay with one of the guys who’s family lived in Long Beach and was thus able to avoid the haircut and the lunatic that was so determined that I get one.
I lost all the weight that I had gained in Vietnam and looked like a skeleton. I was overcome with anxiety and impatience to be at home and see my parents, my wife, and my daughter, whom I’d NEVER seen. I find it amusing now, although it was years before I could see any humor in the situation, that the airlines went on strike about 4 days before I was actually released. So now I was going to have to take a bus home. Well, that sounded about right…what ELSE could possibly go wrong. I was soon to find out.
Instead of getting a bus from Long Beach to Houston, I was forced to get a bus up to Los Angeles and make my connection to Houston from there. Felt like one step forward and two steps back. Rode the bus to LA, made my connection to Houston, with a stop in El Paso. Well I thought, it has been a major hassle but I WILL get home eventually. Just take a little longer than I wanted or expected it to. Just roll with the punch…just bend with the wind….
When we got to El Paso, the bus pulled into the terminal and most of the passengers got off. I had been dozing a little and had no particular need to get up so I stayed in my seat and continued to doze, unaware of what I was about to experience. The first thing that got my attention was that the bus started to shake from side to side, like a large amount of weight had just been placed on one side. I then saw the problem. A huge, I mean 6 feet tall and morbidly obese black woman had just gotten on the bus. She wore a loose fitting dress and carried a monstrous paper shopping bag, the kind with the rolled cardboard handle on either side of the top edge of the bag. She was looking for a seat. A quick check and I saw that there were no completely empty rows, every row had at least one person sitting in it. She saw me and we made eye contact. I saw her face relax as she made the decision. My luck was holding…she was headed right for me.
I was sitting next to the window so the outside seat was vacant. I tried to hold out hope but it was no use. I noticed as she approached that she was sweating profusely. She forced her large self between the arm rests of her seat and, in one motion, heaved the shopping bag up over the back of the seats in front of us, let gravity pull her down into her seat and dropped the bag to the floor, between her body and the seat back in front of her, and pulled it back between her knees. She gave me a quick “how-do” and then leaned back and went immediately and deeply to sleep.
The bus took of and headed South, toward my home and my dreams. I was trying to adjust to my new seat-partner when all of a sudden she began to lean to the left. It wasn’t very long before she had most of the weight of her substantial upper body on top of me. I was now being crush under a mass of sweaty, snoring, dead weight.
She had now begun to drool on my shoulder. I tried to wake her up as gently as I could, sure didn’t want to make her mad, but eventually I had to give her a hard elbow to the ribs. She startled awake and apologized. She then went right back to sleep and back to her position on top of me, sweating and drooling and snoring like there was no tomorrow. I tried to be patient and adjust but I finally had to make a decision. Move or die.
I woke her up again and told her that I needed to get out to go use the bathroom. It was quite an ordeal but she managed, with much huffing and puffing, to get herself out into the aisle and let me out. She called out after me as I walked to the back of the bus where the bathroom was, that she would save my seat for me. I remember thinking, “Now don’t you bother. THAT will not be necessary!” I spent the rest of the trip sitting next to a guy in work clothes that couldn’t have possibly weighed over 165 pounds and he was awake, clean, and not even close to sweating or drooling. Conversation was light and pleasant and we were in Houston in no time. Upon arrival in Houston my large friend got up and headed for the exit without so much as a look back. I doubt she remembered that I had even been there.
Page 14
When the bus pulled into the Houston terminal and the doors opened, I wasted no time in getting off. I could see my mom and dad in the terminal window. I couldn’t see my wife or baby though and had a moment of panic. It was busy and crowed so I just hurried on in to the terminal. My wife was right next to the door way, that’s why I couldn’t see her through the window, and she had our daughter in her arms wrapped in a light blanket. I hugged her and kissed her and looked deeply into her eyes. She extended her arms and said “ Robyn, here’s your daddy, Jack, this is your daughter, Robyn.
I looked down at her and felt my heart break with complete and utter happiness and joy. I held her in my arms and closed my eyes. Even though I had my eyes closed as tightly as I could, it was not enough to keep my tears from bursting out and flowing down my face. To that point, that was about the most emotional time of my young life. My parents came up and we shared hugs and kisses all around. My mother was all over me, talking 100 miles an hour, asking lots of questions and touching my face and studying me for any possible sign that I wasn’t alright. My dad just kind of hung back a little but I could feel his smile and his eyes upon me. We finally got Mama to settled down a little and my dad gave me a big bear hug and whispered, “welcome home, son” in my ear and then I felt a tear from his eye on my cheek.
In all my eagerness to get home and see every one, I over looked one inevitable thing. You can never go home again, as the saying goes. I now bore little resemblance to the boy they kissed good-by 13 months before. We all had to learn how to relate to each other again. It was easier with my wife but my parents still tended to view me as a child. They were unaware of and unable to comprehend the darkness that was now part of my life. Time I’d been gone, the places I’d been, the things I’d seen and done had added years to my life in terms of, suffering, shock, fear, disappointment, wisdom, a knowledge of how the world worked and a sad understanding of some of the worlds more harsh realities.
It took some time but not too much I suppose. We all managed to come to grips with the new me as we all came to grips with my…coming of age.
**************************************8
Chapter 5 …Return to the Land of Big Cigars and Motor Cars
Finally, that seemingly mystical, magical day…that long awaited day arrived and it was time for me to go back to the states for separation from active duty and return to my home and my life. That morning when I awoke, I was completely unaware of the ordeals I faced; short term ordeal being the trip home and long term, getting back into my life.
I went by truck, to Da Nang where others had gathered from other areas and were awaiting a flight out to the states. When I stepped down off the truck I saw a group of them standing over at the staging area, all their gear on the ground in front of them. The plane we were going to be flying on was there but there was no one in or around it. That meant to me that it would be at least and hour or so before we took off. I started walking toward the group when I notice a large area, situated right in the middle of the compound, surrounded by heavy mesh wire fence, with concertina wire rolled along the top of it. Inside the fencing were VC prisoners and armed guard were posted around the entire “cage”. I didn’t snap right away. I started to approach the fence for a better look and one of the guards took two big steps forward and suggested that I proceed no further. THEN I snapped and decided that his advice was good and well heeded. I backed up a little and studied the faces of the prisoners. They ranged in age form about 15 to about 30 I guessed. The expressions on their faces were chilling. I was unable to get a clue as to what they were thinking but I felt very threatened. They weren’t cowed and didn’t seem afraid at all. Lots of them made eye contact with me and NONE of them blinked. I wondered what they would do to me if I were suddenly placed in among them. I didn’t spend a lot of time with that after my first couple of thoughts on the subject. I joined my fellow travelers and eventually we were boarded and air born.
We came into the states at Long Beach, California and were to stay in transient barracks during the time we were to be there. Those of us that were to be separated and return home went with a navy chief petty officer to the area of the base where these facilities were and the others, that were to move on to new duty stations went their separate way. We were TOLD (this was on a Wednesday afternoon) that since we were just back from Vietnam that we would be rushed through separation and home for the weekend. We were TOLD that it would be smooth sailing. We’d go to chow and spend a nice relaxing night in the transient barracks and begin processing in the morning. I should have gone on mental alert right then.
We went to the mess hall for some Navy “cuisine” and then back to the barracks. I was exhausted from all the travel and excitement of going home. I had planned on just reading for a little while and turn in early. The barracks was practically deserted. About 10 seconds after I threw my sea bag on one of the bunks, the duty NCO came storming up behind me and was having a fit over something. Seems I was supposed to have stopped by his desk and sign in or something. I tried to apologize, but he wasn’t going for it. We stood there for a time with him yelling incoherently until he got it all out of his system. Just as he turned to go he said that I would have to “fall out” for inspection at 0530…in uniform. I explained to him that I was to be separated and had thrown away all my uniforms before leaving Vietnam. I didn’t expect that I’d be having any further need for them. He told me right quick that I wasn’t going ANYWHERE until I passed HIS inspection and added as an afterthought that I must get a haircut as well. I had no way of getting a uniform in time or of getting a haircut either. I was up the creek…
There were a few other guys in the barracks so I went around trying to borrow a uniform for this wacko’s inspection. The one I wound up with was about twice the size that fit me. Still it was a uniform. He didn’t specify that it had to fit. I stood the inspection, along with the rest of the guys I arrived with, I was hoping that they were unaware that this whole deal was probably because of me) and I was questioned about the fit of my uniform. I could only explain that it was borrowed and the best that I could arrange. He turned red with anger. He said no more about the uniform but he was all over me about the haircut. I decided at that point to just stay away from the guy till we left.
After the inspection was over I changed back into civilian clothes and went to the first stop in the long line of stops necessary to complete separation. It was payroll and, to me the most important stop of the day. I
Page 13
had been leaving all my money on the books and was due to collect a large chunk of change. I began to notice we had been standing there for a long time, well past time for the payroll office to open up. Still, we had seen no activity in or around the building. Just about then a Navy LTJG came running up and announced that the disbursing officer had had a bad stroke that morning and things were going to be held up till arrangements could be made. With this and a few other setbacks we were there for two weeks instead of the 2 – 3 days we’d been promised. I managed to stay with one of the guys who’s family lived in Long Beach and was thus able to avoid the haircut and the lunatic that was so determined that I get one.
I lost all the weight that I had gained in Vietnam and looked like a skeleton. I was overcome with anxiety and impatience to be at home and see my parents, my wife, and my daughter, whom I’d NEVER seen. I find it amusing now, although it was years before I could see any humor in the situation, that the airlines went on strike about 4 days before I was actually released. So now I was going to have to take a bus home. Well, that sounded about right…what ELSE could possibly go wrong. I was soon to find out.
Instead of getting a bus from Long Beach to Houston, I was forced to get a bus up to Los Angeles and make my connection to Houston from there. Felt like one step forward and two steps back. Rode the bus to LA, made my connection to Houston, with a stop in El Paso. Well I thought, it has been a major hassle but I WILL get home eventually. Just take a little longer than I wanted or expected it to. Just roll with the punch…just bend with the wind….
When we got to El Paso, the bus pulled into the terminal and most of the passengers got off. I had been dozing a little and had no particular need to get up so I stayed in my seat and continued to doze, unaware of what I was about to experience. The first thing that got my attention was that the bus started to shake from side to side, like a large amount of weight had just been placed on one side. I then saw the problem. A huge, I mean 6 feet tall and morbidly obese black woman had just gotten on the bus. She wore a loose fitting dress and carried a monstrous paper shopping bag, the kind with the rolled cardboard handle on either side of the top edge of the bag. She was looking for a seat. A quick check and I saw that there were no completely empty rows, every row had at least one person sitting in it. She saw me and we made eye contact. I saw her face relax as she made the decision. My luck was holding…she was headed right for me.
I was sitting next to the window so the outside seat was vacant. I tried to hold out hope but it was no use. I noticed as she approached that she was sweating profusely. She forced her large self between the arm rests of her seat and, in one motion, heaved the shopping bag up over the back of the seats in front of us, let gravity pull her down into her seat and dropped the bag to the floor, between her body and the seat back in front of her, and pulled it back between her knees. She gave me a quick “how-do” and then leaned back and went immediately and deeply to sleep.
The bus took of and headed South, toward my home and my dreams. I was trying to adjust to my new seat-partner when all of a sudden she began to lean to the left. It wasn’t very long before she had most of the weight of her substantial upper body on top of me. I was now being crush under a mass of sweaty, snoring, dead weight.
She had now begun to drool on my shoulder. I tried to wake her up as gently as I could, sure didn’t want to make her mad, but eventually I had to give her a hard elbow to the ribs. She startled awake and apologized. She then went right back to sleep and back to her position on top of me, sweating and drooling and snoring like there was no tomorrow. I tried to be patient and adjust but I finally had to make a decision. Move or die.
I woke her up again and told her that I needed to get out to go use the bathroom. It was quite an ordeal but she managed, with much huffing and puffing, to get herself out into the aisle and let me out. She called out after me as I walked to the back of the bus where the bathroom was, that she would save my seat for me. I remember thinking, “Now don’t you bother. THAT will not be necessary!” I spent the rest of the trip sitting next to a guy in work clothes that couldn’t have possibly weighed over 165 pounds and he was awake, clean, and not even close to sweating or drooling. Conversation was light and pleasant and we were in Houston in no time. Upon arrival in Houston my large friend got up and headed for the exit without so much as a look back. I doubt she remembered that I had even been there.
Page 14
When the bus pulled into the Houston terminal and the doors opened, I wasted no time in getting off. I could see my mom and dad in the terminal window. I couldn’t see my wife or baby though and had a moment of panic. It was busy and crowed so I just hurried on in to the terminal. My wife was right next to the door way, that’s why I couldn’t see her through the window, and she had our daughter in her arms wrapped in a light blanket. I hugged her and kissed her and looked deeply into her eyes. She extended her arms and said “ Robyn, here’s your daddy, Jack, this is your daughter, Robyn.
I looked down at her and felt my heart break with complete and utter happiness and joy. I held her in my arms and closed my eyes. Even though I had my eyes closed as tightly as I could, it was not enough to keep my tears from bursting out and flowing down my face. To that point, that was about the most emotional time of my young life. My parents came up and we shared hugs and kisses all around. My mother was all over me, talking 100 miles an hour, asking lots of questions and touching my face and studying me for any possible sign that I wasn’t alright. My dad just kind of hung back a little but I could feel his smile and his eyes upon me. We finally got Mama to settled down a little and my dad gave me a big bear hug and whispered, “welcome home, son” in my ear and then I felt a tear from his eye on my cheek.
In all my eagerness to get home and see every one, I over looked one inevitable thing. You can never go home again, as the saying goes. I now bore little resemblance to the boy they kissed good-by 13 months before. We all had to learn how to relate to each other again. It was easier with my wife but my parents still tended to view me as a child. They were unaware of and unable to comprehend the darkness that was now part of my life. Time I’d been gone, the places I’d been, the things I’d seen and done had added years to my life in terms of, suffering, shock, fear, disappointment, wisdom, a knowledge of how the world worked and a sad understanding of some of the worlds more harsh realities.
It took some time but not too much I suppose. We all managed to come to grips with the new me as we all came to grips with my…coming of age.
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