Danger79Alpha

Funny! Actually the Russian soldiers tried to befriend us and always wanted to do some small item trading such as belt buckles. It was the East Germans who really were nasty pieces of work.

When I was being extracted on a rope by helicopter through the jungle canopy and the guy in the bird forgot to tether the rope. My interpreter and I were hanging in a loop and felt a drop of about five feet. All I could see was hitting the hard patty from about 200 feet. I found out later that 3 more feet of rope and I would have been a flat cat.

The misconception that the Vietnamese soldiers were dedicated to their cause didn't seem to hold true in my experience. I saw them cut and run too many times as units and as individuals.

It didn't bother me for years. I am sad.. not terrified. I get tears in my eyes when I think of my friends who died and all of our young troops who are having this same experience today. I can't handle Taps and other emotional thoughts of what that means. I don't think anyone comes from war untouched no matter how tough we pretend.

Yes I do. I have a 8 x 11 shadow frame full of insignia from different Russian units that I display along with an East German flag that I liberated from the Russian Garden of Remembrance late on night.