WE WERE ON AN OP FROM AN HOA,TO HILL 55,MID JULY 16-17, 68.AS! I HAD MY, 20TH BIRTHDAY,BEING PINNED DOWN BY A GOOK SNIPER! WE NEVER FIND THE HOSPITAL, BUT TOOK TOO MANY WIA' AND KIA'S.THERE WERE 500 MARINES, AGAINST A 1000 OR MORE, OF THE GOOKS!(NVA),32ND NVA REG.. WHICH! WE MET ON HILL 310,AUG.09.
I WAS A DOC, WITH, B/1/7.
B 1/7, WAS THE LEAD ELEMENT FOR THE WHOLE OP!
WE!PASSESD THE WORD, ABOUT TRAPS,BUT SOME OF THE GRUNTS, DID NOT LISTEN.
ESPECIALLY, WHEN A MARINE CAPT.,TRIPPED A 155 ROUND AND KILLED HIM AND 8 OF HIS MARINES AND WIA, 35 GRUNTS!
I TREATED MOST OF THEM,INCLUDIND, A DOC, FROM MY FIELD MED. SCHOOL.
I CAN STILL SEE, ALL OF THE GRUNTS, THAT WERE HIT! I,PRAY, TO THIS DAY, THAT I DID THE RIGHT THING!
I AM GLAD! I WENT WITH THE GRUNTS!
I HAVE NO REGRETS! EXCEPT! I WISH, WE COULD'VE BROUGHTT, MORE GRUNTS HOME ALIVE,BUT SOMETIMES IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE!
I CRY, EVERYDAY, THAT I COULD NOT HELP MY GRUNTS MORE!
I LOVE! THE MARINE CORPS,MORE THAN SOME MARINES. EXCEPT CHESTY?
AS A DOC! WE HAD A GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP!
WE TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER!
MY! OLDEST SON, JAMES JR.,IS A MARINE SSGT.
HE WILL RETIRE IN 2010,WITH 20.
MY, YOUNGEST SON,TIM, IS A DOC AND WILL BE GOING TO PENDELTON, FOR SCHOOL, TO BE A GRUNT DOC!THIS WHAT! HE WANTS TO DO!HE TAKES AFTER HIS OLE MAN! HE HAS HAD MOR TRAINING, THAN WE EVERY HAD.HOPEFULLY, HE CAN GET MORE MARINES HOME, ALIVE THAN WE COULD!
I'LL QUIT WHINNING FOR KNOW!
PLEASE CONT ME! docusmcrvn@msn.con.
I LIKE HEARING FROM MY MARINES!
SEMPER FI!
JAMES (DOC) KIRKPATRICK
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