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by Joe Henderson |
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| Operation Clean Sweep went on the entire month of June 1966 when the 7th Marines were in the Chu Lai area. It was June 24th and we headed out and humped all day into the night. Once we were a couple of hours from a village in Quang Ngai Province we stopped and got some shuteye. At first light we headed out for the village. We received some sniper fire and it was either Cornett or Mcmahan (can't remember exactly) stepped on a mine and fortunately it delayed in exploding and no one was hurt. We were within probably 500 meters of the village and just rounding a hill to enter the village and guess what, yes, they were waiting for us. They had us pinned down. Lt. Wilber, Company Commander was screaming for the 3rd squad to take position in a cemetary across which had a rice paddy between us. I finally gave the order for the 3rd squad to hit it. Well, as luck would have it, the rice paddy was probably 5 feet deep! I kept looking on both flanks to see if everyone was O.K. when I looked to my left flank and Hutchinson wasn't there. My first thought was "oh shit he got it". We reached the cemetary and there was Hutchinson coming out the paddy. I said to him "where were you". He replied, "The f..in shit was over my head". I thought I would never stop laughing. Bullets flying everywhere and I just couldn't stop. In one respect, it had to be the funniest thing that ever happened on a search and destroy. Then there was S/Sgt.Walker, our platoon commander. We took a woman as a VC suspect and he kept trying to tell her to sit down. Well, each time he did, she would take down her black pajama's and was stark naked! Hey Sarge we would yell! I think she likes you! He would tell her to get up and she pulled her pajama's up and then he would tell her to get down and off came the pajama's again. Let me tell you, it wasn't a very pretty site!! |
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