We flew out of Pope AF Base heading to California to meet up with the USS Gordon and take a slow boat to VN. From the beginning I knew it was going to be fun because I was on the aircraft that lost an engine and had to land at Albuquerque New Mexico. Ask Gil Goltz, I just read his story and I guess we were on the same plane and didn't know each other.
Once we landed at Qui Nhon I stayed behind to guard the equipment and material coming off the ship for the Battalion. As it was being off loaded we would run it up to Artillery Hill in Pleiku. After a while we set up our equipment and started running weather flights four times a day, seven days a week, non-stop. I'm sure we all know shat it was like. It seemed that every other day we were setting up at another firing position and then moving to another just as we settled in. It was insame and it never stopped. I guess this leads into my little story about Princess who was the Chiefs daughter at the Montagnard village up the road from us.
Jack Tarter and I were in charge of the section and ran all the flights together. In addition to this, we also had the wonderful job of picking up the workers at the village, Princess included, and would deliver them back in the evening. It was an exchange program we were told and had to support the local villagers.
I will never forget the day we were told the Chief wanted his daughter back at the village because it seemed he was having some NVA guest and he wanted her there with him. So, who but Jack and I got the assignment to deliver her ASAP and, by the way, it is a friendly meeting and we are not allowed to take our fire arms. Well, Jack and I being the only idiots in the world that would do this, we did exactly that. I can tell you that as we drove up to the village, there standing guard at the gate was our NVA counterparts. I was never so damned scared in all my life as I was that day.
We looked each other in the eye and never gave it a second thought. We dropped off the Princess and never went back. How strange a story is that. I guess Jack, myself and God only know. |
