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HERE
This Remembrance Profile was originally created by SgtMaj Larry Isaacs - Deceased
India Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment is an infantry unit of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, in Twentynine Palms, California. Their mission is to conduct mechanized, combined-arms operations and other expeditionary operations in order to support theater engagement plans and contingency operations.
Best Friends Joined 23 Sept.67 2nd. Sq --- 1st. Plt. --- India Company
Best Moment Getting there
Worst Moment 19 Nov. 67 / TR 11 Apr. 68
Sgt Joel S. Williamson, East Meadow, NY; Cpl Mark C. Petersen, Pierson, IA; HM3 Charles E. Robertson, Charleston, WV (Corpsman, H&S w/ I/3/7); and LCpl Robert B. Wilson, Winston-Salem, NC. Vigil, Anthony, LCpl HQ- Seattle, Wash.
19 November 1967 Group Entry Faithful, Boyd L. Jr. 2ndLt WIA Nelson, Jon Q. LCpl WIA Tully, Robert E. SSgt WIA
19 November 1967 Group Entry Boyd, Jonathan H. Cpl WIA Cole, Thomas J. LCpl WIA Duran, Felix L. Pfc WIA Isaacs, Lawance M. Sgt WIA Keenan, Ralph P. Cpl WIA Keeton, Ward S. Jr. LCpl WIA Lucero, Lionel G. LCpl WIA McCullough, Lee H. LCpl WIA
Patrick, Ronald Cpl Saunders, Charles R. Jr. WIA White, Robert Jr. Cpl WIA
(19 Nov. 2013) 46 years ago today I was wounded by a sniper while fighting in Vietnam. I want to tell my Grandson what happen and this is only known by 3-4 Marines who were behind me in a tree line and I also informed Cook Barela when he ask me to write him on what happen. (His book �??Dreams of Glory�?? has been published.) You will find a lot of information of this operation in his book�?�..
When I got to the line of fire I sent McCullough, Lee H. LCpl WIA to the left and told him to stop anyone coming down that trail. Other Marines in our platoon were coming up on line and I pointed for them to go to the right and set in and fire....As they came by they dropped machine gun ammo near my position because a 2nd. Plt MG Team was there shooting. They were just to my left 5-10 feet away firing across to the tree line we were getting rounds from. Minutes passed I could see a Corpsman lying on the dike straight in front of us about 40-50 meters away.
Nelson's MG to my left was firing close to him. I looked back to my left and saw Big Mac. (McCullough, Lee H. LCpl. WIA) falling. I saw him hit the ground and he bounced as if he had no muscle control left in him. I jumped to my feet and had to jump over the MG Team and went to his side. I pulled him up on my shoulder and picked up the sling to his rifle and carried him back to our lines just behind the firing line. As I approached within about 5 feet I tripped and fell. 2-3 of the men at that point pulled us both inside that area. Sgt. Z. Stamford (?) or Stafford a Corpsman and others I'm guessing of course. (This is where Cooks book Dreams of Glory states another Marine went to get Big Mac. He was my point man all my squad leader time and I saw him fall and I went to get him myself.)
Once I got my bearings together a Doc. was looking at Big Mac, at that time I saw Nelson roll off the MG. Two other Marines layer beside him and looked like they were wounded. Nelson's eye lay on his cheek and he was bleeding badly. Until this time I didn�??t know who they were except 2nd. PLt. I ask him his name and he said Nelson. I told him he was going to be okay and the Doc. Was right behind me.
I picked up his (Nelson�??s) MG and jumped into a hole just to the left of the dike road leading to the wounded Corpsman on the dike. Doc�??s leg was bent at the knee and he was moving it back and forth. We keep yelling to stop moving his leg so they would stop shooting him. But he continued until there was no more movement.
At that point I loaded the MG through the feed cover and was shooting straight in front of us. From that point I was shooting over the Corpsman (HM3 Charles E. Robertson) As I fired to my left front I could see the VC getting out of their holes and running back inside the tree line. They would wait until the air support explosions went off so I would wait for that and then open up with a good burst to that area. I saw many of them not make the run. When the rounds hit them it would knock them completely out of their holes�?�..After about 3 belts I was wounded in my right shoulder and the MG fell over into the dike. All the time there I could hear the rounds hitting the front of this hole and dirt was always kicking up in my face but this time he hit his mark.
My shoulder was numb, dead, could not move it. I pulled a dressing out of my lower trouser pocket and pushed it up under my flak jacket in the front. I could not reach the ones on the right side so I yelled at the Marines to throw me some battle dressings. There must have been 3-4 landed in or around my hole. I opened one with the teeth and left hand and pushed it down my back by going through the back area. That felt good so I figured the bleeding might stop.
I yelled at the men to throw me an M-16 and some ammo. Someone through one over and I used my left hand to magazine and chamber a round. By this time the support was still going on and I could see the VC and some uniforms moving back into some of the holes straight in front of me. I aimed in with the 16 and tried to use the proper eye to aim but got all confused. So about the first magazine was all guessing where I hit over there. I loaded maybe 2-3 magazines and it jammed. I yelled for another one and about 2 came over all within about a foot or two away from me.. I loaded again and this was working better and within about 5-6 magazines this one jammed also. I pulled down the 3 rifle and finished about 10 mag's with that one.
The entire time span must have been 30 minutes maybe 45 minutes. I would time my shooting with the jets dropping their loads. It seemed to work. With most of the firing over I figures I would get out of the hole. My legs seemed numb but with one good left hand and elbow I managed to get out on top of the hole and use my heels of the boots to slide back to the line of troops inside the tree line. At that time others were making an attempt to get back to the med-vac zone. I believe Sgt. Stanford/Stafford to ld me to go down that trail right to our rear. Some shooting was still going on but not much at all. I never saw the Lt. or and other MG except Nelsons (2nd. Plt MG) My platoon was farther down to my right and I was bleeding like a stuffed pig. I had torn off the battle dressing on my back (shoulder blade) and it was open about the size of a hale dollar or larger. One of the Doc's took off my flak jacket and repaired the dressing and put my flak back on to hold it in place.
There were no one left on the line of fire and all were moving to the rear. As I moved along the trail I came across Lucero. He was shot through his ear and was bleeding pretty bad. His dressing had come off and I opened another and had him hold it on his ear.
I got to the med-vac area and while the Lt. and the remainder of the platoon were on the line firing there was no security at the area. I got 4-5 Marines who were wounded and told them to face out board. As others showed up Sgt. Stanford was throwing smoke and bringing in the first helo. It got loaded and a second came in, I believe about 3-4 came in. By that time it was dusk and light was going down. I helped get others on the choppers and on the last one Sgt. Stafford started to lift me up and the door gunner pushed me off. I heard him say plain as day, "he's not wounded." Sgt. Stafford or Sgt. Dumont said bull-shit he's going. At that time I was pushed up and sit on the edge looking out as we took off for 1stMed. Bn Danang......
While sitting in the doorway the Helo Gunner tapped me on the helmet and pointed toward a Marine on the floor. He pointed to his side so I pulled a piece of uniform over a bit and I saw a hole in his side and it was bleeding pretty well. The door gunner gave me a plastic wrap from a cigarette pack and I wrapped my finger with it and stuck in inside the bullet hole to stop the bleeding.......When landing I kept my finger in place until a Corpsman saw what I was doing and he pulled my finger out slowly and covered the hole with a dressing. The look he gave me was something I saw on the wounded Marines faces when we were all scared........
Logan, I wrote this for you to see and read later in your years. It seems you might be our only grandson. Your other two uncles are not getting married any time soon and they are getting old. But just to let you know your old grandpa was not that bad when the chips were down.. If I was smart enough like Cook and took notes and pictures I could have wrote a book but here it is....and tomorrow I'll write about getting to Danang and in the US Navy Hospital Guam..........
( March 25 2014 writing ) (About 2100 I'm guessing) First one off the chopper with my finger still inside the bullet hole but as the Corpsman got us both out he gently pulled my hand away. All the time he was looking at my eyes. He looked scared to death, the way we see the men when they first get hit......but cool as can be he did his job and I was so weak I just kind of staggered over to the right away from all the movement. There must have been 20 men rushing to the aid of the wounded. I was the last one in the tent. It looked like it had 20 beds and they all were full. Most from our battle I'm guessing but others wounded from all over this strange land we called Vietnam......
I remember moving to a bed by myself and sliding up on one side of it until I had a full seat. I had a few people looking at me by then but the looks were actually hard starring like they were about to throw me out.....As I pulled my flak jacket off and dropped it to the floor they saw I had blood all over my T-shirt inside the flak jacket. By then there were 2-3 people on me at that time......Thinking about it later I believe they didn't know I was wounded at all but faking it.....after a while I was out like a light with a few needles they used on me.....
The next morning I woke up freezing. I was on a lower bunk or bed inside a convex box up against a wall. To my left and at a higher level I believed I saw Big Mac....My mouth was dry, lips seemed swollen and I could hardly speak. But I managed to turn my head and ask Big Mac. ( McCullough, Lee H. LCpl WIA ) if he was okay......over top of Big Mac I saw a person move closer to look over him to see who was talking. He looked at me and I ask Big Mac. How many times he was hit. (on the battle field I helped bandage one or two holes) but the person on the other side of Big Mac. Held up a full hand.....like 5 times being hit. After that I must have passed out and the next thing I remember is....how hot it is anyway......
A big C-141 was sitting on the tar-mat and we were being carried by stretchers inside. I never saw or heard of Big Mac. again for the remaining of my live. The heat was at least 100 plus we were on pavement headed for where we did not know......as our litters were hung up inside the racks by actually hooks on each end of the litter we were in and the big tail lift came up to a close the noise was so loud you couldn�??t hear anything. Once we leveled out and were over the water the lady nurses came by and I ask our destination and the lady informed me we are going to USN Hospital, Guam. I must have sleep all the way because I don't remember much of anything.......
Chain of Command CO. - Capt. Baggett Plt. - Cmdr. 1stLt. Wilson
Spoke to Cook on our visit to use this on my TWS site:
FIRST PLATOON
Lieutenant Lawerence Wilson Sergeant Holloway Paul D. KIA Platoon Sergeant Whiteside, Calvin J. WIA Sergeant Stamford, Zaryl F. WIA Sergeant Isaac, Lawerence M. WIA Sergeant Fludd, Richard L. WIA O'Farrell, Arthur, Platoon Radiomen, WIA
1st SQUAD
Stanley, James R. WIA Hullihen, Ira KIA Ezell, Jerry WIA Callahan, Larry W Stoker, Kenneth G. KIA Turner, James WIA McGinley, John Jr. WIA Wilhelmsen, Steve WIA Stoddard, Billy R. WIA Saylor, Mark WIA Sotzen, Harold J. KIA Toy, Arthur G. WIA LaJeunesse, Herman WIA Metzler, Abram M. WIA Howard, Robert W
2nd SQUAD
Harris, Douglas C. Moose Perkins, Larry W. Berge, David, Thin Men WIA Cobbs, Bruce WIA -----KIA 25 March 1968 Prescott, Glen S. WIA DEC. 2011....? Welsh, Edward J. Lucero, Lionel WIA Murphy, Michael KIA Sellers, Stephen M. WIA Grewelding, Wallace WIA Chambers, Leroy WIA Paris, Williams WIA Maldonado, Robert P. (SS) Taylor, Charles N. III KIA Norris, Glen G. McCullough, Lee H. 3rd SQUAD
Mirales, Evaristo WIA Soubble, Jerome WIA Cuch, Herman R. "Chief" WIA O'Neil, Vaugn T. KIA Sittmann, Paul J. Boone, Jim WIA Stoddard, Billy, The Kid WIA Freeman, James WIA Rogers, Steven WIA Sanders, Harold WIA Serrato, Raul B. "Chino" Calderon, Leonard A. Williams, Jackie G. WIA Gennai, Monte J. WIA
WEAPON'S PLATOON
Section Leader, Dumont, Gerald N. WIA
GUNS
Eric Nevatie WIA Goodman, Terry L Brower, Donald H. KIA Moore, Ronald Allen KIA Jones, Michael J. WIA WIA Niedringhaus, John Barela, Refujio M. "Cookie" WIA DEC. 22 Aug. 2010 Keeton, Ward WIA Duran, Felix WIA Steven Aguilar WIA Marty Martinez WIA James, Herman E. Williams, Eddie. KIA
ROCKETS SECTION
Leader, Boyd, Jonathan WIA Perry, James F. WIA Pridemore, Keith G. Rahm, Ira B. WIA Porter, William J.
CORPSMEN
Doc, Bernard McNallen Doc, Gibbs, Larry Doc, Warren* Doc, John Wilkersen Doc, Bobby Cash Doc Milroy Doc Stafford
