During the night and the early morning hours on day 35 we had 3 rocket attacks at DaNang. Each attack was preceded by the usual PA; "Rockets Rockets Rockets, Take Cover". The rocket attacks were hours apart. Randy, Chuck and I would each roll out of our bed and then roll under it. I would use my flak jacket as a blanket and I would put my helmet over my head and then go back to sleep while waiting for the impact of the rockets. Each time I would wake up freezing... the A/C unit was always on full blast... when I woke up I would get back in bed... yep... still alive... So on day 35 that happened 3 times except I decided to just sleep under my bed the rest of the night after the 3rd attack. Crystal Gayle helped us "make it through the night" again.
Day 35 was different. I woke up scared. I woke up thinking that today was the day I was going to die... It was the first day I ever felt real fear.
I got my gear on and left for the mess hall. The building next to the mess hall was the building where I had my Sociology class at nights... today it was gone... just toothpicks there in the dark of the morning. Another guy was standing there and he said 2 men died there during the rocket attack just a few hours earlier.
I had breakfast and then headed to intel to be briefed. There was some talk of a possible ground attack on the base. I finished up and headed over to get my helmet, parachute, 38 revolver and survival gear. I was still thinking I am going to die today. I picked up extra survival gear... I was stuffing the many pockets in my flight suit full... I was probably starting to look like the Pillsbury Doughboy when realized I had forgotten my 2 frozen water bottles.
Years later I would still think that those frozen water bottles saved my life.
I had to go back to the barracks and get my frozen water bottles out of the freezer part our refrigerator full of Budweiser. I was walking down the hall when I heard the hall phone ringing for the second time in my tour. I didn't have time to answer it... I was running late. I got my water bottles and headed back down the hall. The phone was still ringing... I started thinking it must be important this early in the morning, so I changed my mind and turned around.
When I answered, some guy wanted to talk to me. He identified himself, and it was my Sociology teacher.
I laughed and said; "I know why you are calling me".
With a questioning voice he said; "You do?".
I said; "Yeah, the classroom is gone... it's just toothpicks... and you want to reschedule or relocate the class."
He didn't know about the classroom being blown to bits. He told me his real job on base was with the Red Cross and that was why he was calling me. He had received a telegram from Los Alamos, New Mexico Red Cross. Martha was in the hospital in serious condition with her pregnancy... "Serviceman's presence was requested."
Martha and I had joked about that some before I left. Maybe I could be there for the birth. But that was a joke. I joked about everything... I was probably obnoxious most of the time... probably still am. I never dreamed this would happen... it just didn't happen. It was 2 months too early for something like this anyway. I kept trying to remember every word the Red Cross guy said about Martha... I remembered the word "Serious"... that was all my brain comprehended.
The Red Cross guy said he had a copy of the telegram and I should come get it and take it to my commander. But I didn't do that. I went straight to Lt Col Kardong's office at about 5:30 AM and to my surprise he was there.
I told him the Red Cross had a telegram for me that was requesting my presence. Without hesitating he said go find some one to fly your flight.
My first thought was Randy and Chuck... my roommates. But I didn't want one of them to die... today was going to be a bad day.
I didn't know who else to ask. So I ended up going back to the room and waking Chuck up.
I told him "I hate to ask you this, because I felt like I was going to die today and if you take my flight, I feel like you may die."
Chuck was a good guy and he was rough and tough. He had been a Line Backer for the Atlanta Falcons. He woke up quick and said he would do it. I kept telling him I was worried about him... it was stuck in my brain. I asked him to not take any chances today. He agreed to be careful. It was a conversation like no other conversation we ever had... we were both cocky and bullet proof... but he had real guts.
I took my survival gear back and headed out to get my telegram. With telegram in hand I headed back to my commanders office. Without a second thought he typed out my orders for 30 days of emergency leave... I was going home... If the Col hadn't told me exactly what to do I would probably been standing there lost for quite some time... this couldn't be true. I was going home.
I changed out of my flight suit and into traveling clothes and headed for the air terminal part of the base. There weren't many flights that day out of DaNang... There was a T-39 Saberliner (6 seat passenger jet) passing through and then going to Saigon sometime during the day.
So, I sat and I sat. Noon rolled by and I called the hall phone in our barracks so I could check on Chuck. No one answered the phone... I guess I was the only guy that answered that phone. 1PM... 2PM... still no one answered the phone... my mind is going full blast. The rumors of a suspected ground attack are spreading... I'm sitting at a window facing West... everyone is looking to the West ...towards the "yellow brick road"... I'm watching for incoming artillery, rockets and troops. When I'm not thinking of that I am back to thinking that it wasn't me that was going to die today it was Martha... my mind was racing.
Finally at 5PM the Sabreliner shows up. It seemed to take forever to load up and leave. We were rolling down the runway and then airborne. There was no gunfire and no SA-7 coming at us.
Saigon. Tan Son Nhut Air Base. When I got Saigon there were no flights out of town that night, so I had to spend the night. I got a hot shower and shaved and was back at the air terminal early in the morning. I waited for a seat on a Chartered Pan Am flight that left late that morning. While I was waiting I had time to call Martha's parents house in Los Alamos... using the MAR's system.
MARS stands for Military Auxiliary Radio System. Back in 1972 MARS used shortwave radio stations all over the world to help servicemen stay in touch with their families. A shortwave radio operator in Saigon would contact another shortwave radio operator in the US and that person would call collect to any number you wanted. So that is what I did.
It was a little difficult to use if you had never talked on a radio before. You had to say "Over" when you finished talking so the radio operator would take his hand off the transmit button. People new to this system had problems with it and so it got very little use. But I gave it a try on this day. I needed to know how Martha was doing.
The phone in Los Alamos, New Mexico was answered by Martha's sister Sue. I heard her answer and we waited for her to accept the collect call. It was her parents phone and she hesitated and then finally accepted ! The radio operator explained how to say "over" when she was done talking and she said okay... but forgot to say "over". The radio operator must have been use to this and we struggled on with our conversation. She kept forgetting to say "OVER", but I probably did too. They limit the conversation to 3 minutes so we didn't get to talk much. What I heard and remembered was that Martha had been in the hospital for weeks and she was being watched very closely. Later... in my mind... being "watched very closely" turned into "intensive care"... I figured they wouldn't tell me the real truth.
I told Sue I was on my way to Manila and after that I didn't know where... but I was on my way.
By the time I got on that Pan Am airplane I was ready for another shower... Nam is hot and muggy. Things didn't improve.
You would think a plane load of GI's leaving Vietnam would be loud and boisterous but we weren't. We were a pretty somber and quiet group. I would guess we were thinking of friends that we were leaving behind... alive and dead...
A typhoon had just past through the Philippines, and Manila was flooded. We were suppose to land at Clark Air Base... a US Air Force Base and there was a scheduled crew change At Clark Air Base. Unfortunately the replacement crew was stuck near Manila International Airport. So our plane landed at Manila International. No body was allowed off of the airplane since we really weren't suppose to be there. There was no power and no air conditioning. We sat there in the sweltering heat for over 4 hours waiting for a crew. Finally we were airborne for the 5 minute flight to Clark Air Base.
From there on out things happened quick, one flight after another. I took another charter flight to Hawaii and then another on to Travis AFB, near Sacramento, California.
From there it was a bus to San Fransisco in the wee hours of the morning on August 6th, 1972. While I was waiting for the bus I called Los Alamos and woke everyone up. Martha's dad answered the phone and told me Sharla had been born and that Martha was OK. He was emotional and had trouble talking and eventually Martha's mom got on the phone and repeated everything. It finally sunk in.
Later that morning of August 6th my mom picked me up in Albuquerque and we drove to Los Alamos. We went straight to the hospital and I walked into the room and met my Sharla... Martha was laying in that hospital bed just glowing.
I hesitated to hold Sharla as she was a tiny 4lb 6 oz bundle and I had not showered or shaved since Saigon. Everyone was staring at me and I gave in... I figured I was filthy in my 2 day old jungle clothes... but she survived... and so did Martha... and so did I... I wasn't so sure about Chuck... and Jimmy.
