An up close and personal interview with U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and Togetherweserved.com Member:
Cpl Daniel Allen USMC (1966-1970)
WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE MILITARY?
 I joined the Marines because all of my life I wanted to be one. I gave no thought about life other than being a Marine. From the age of eight, I read anything about the Corps, especially the military exploits.
BRIEFLY, WHAT WAS YOUR SERVICE CAREER PATH?
I was so Marine Corps oriented, I could have taught the history class in boot camp. I was an Infantry Training Regiment trained and tested Machine Gunner. I was then sent to Defense Language Institute West Coast in Monterey, California to learn Vietnamese.
After that, I was a Fleet Marine Force Pacific Marine.
In September of 1967, I landed in Vietnam and I was assigned to India Company, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines as a Machine Gunner. I can proudly say that I was an eighteen-year-old PFC squad leader before volunteering for S-2 Scouts. Our unit was sent to Khe Sanh, assigned to different companies for patrolling. G-2 stated that Scouts were to gather intel, but in Marine tradition, our title was taken literally, so we were glorified "point men" during our tour in country.
With the "Chieu Hoi" program, I had two former NVA Viet Cong soldiers, commonly referred to  as Kit Carsons, on point with me. Mine were great guys except for one who stayed overnight at a village and traded his M-16 for an AK-47. He had lots of explaining to do!
I was with India Company on Hill 881S. I had a great skipper, Captain William Dabney; Chesty Puller's son-in-law. Now Colonel W. Dabney USMC (Ret).
After Scouts, I was assigned to main base. By the Grace of God, I was never wounded even though I was the intelligence gathering Scout, who flew to Hill 861 and Hill 881 while we were surrounded. That was not a lot of fun, ha! Rockets were hell, but mortars were the silent hell with their hissing when they were close. Once, a rifle round came across base, buried itself in the wall of a hole we were digging.
I got to see a sight few will ever witness. In my hometown of Monroe, Louisiana, I lived near a base where C-130s practiced touch and go landings. I told my friends that this practice originated at Khe Sanh that it is funny to watch a C-130 plane climbing hard with a skid still attached that wasn't released and the skid was taking shot-up tents with it!
I explained to them that in Khe Sanh, C-130's used to perform touch and go landings. They would taxi in, and throttle back, leaving the
engines running while the skids were unloaded. After one C-130 being blown up on the runway, they changed their practice. They learned how to pull up on the runway, and not stopping, they would have parachutes that would spit the skids out.
AP Photo/Rick Merron
One day, they had a truck on a pallet that jammed on the ramp and it did not extricate until they were airborne. It released late, when they were back in the air. I saw the truck falling out of the sky on a pallet in a slow upright spiral at an angle. It landed upright on the pallet leaving a large plume of dust!
In typical Marine fashion, after the Siege of Khe Sanh, we didn't go to rest area, but assaulted Hill 881N on Easter Sunday.
I went from Quang Tri Province down to Danang. That was a whole different war there, not like fighting the North Vietnamese Army. Now, we were dealing with the Viet Cong.
In 1969, after Vietnam I was assigned to The Basic School, Quantico as a Weapons Instructor. Friday the 13th, 1970 I was discharged from the Corps and there has never been an unlucky day for me since.
DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN COMBAT OPERATIONS? IF SO, COULD YOU DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH WERE SIGNIFICANT TO YOU?
 Yes. In 1967, there was Operation Neosho and Operation Fremont. From 1967 through 1968, I participated in Hill 861 and Hill 881S. In 1968, there were many Operations: Pocohontas Forest, Rice, Mameluke I & II, Thrust, Scotland I & II, Pegasus/Lam Son, Houston and the Seige of Khe Sanh.
FROM YOUR ENTIRE SERVICE CAREER WHAT PARTICULAR MEMORY STANDS OUT?
I will never forget January 19th,1968. I watched a platoon going out to perform a rescue/ recon mission. I saw a Machine Gunner standing out on the skyline. Something made him stand out, maybe a premonition. The rescue force made contact and the Gunner was killed!
The next day, I knew it was our platoon's turn. We were led off with Lieutenant Thomas (he was real Marine Officer material) and with Lieutenant Brindley's platoon. I could sense they were waiting on us, but somebody wanted us to move faster, so the platoon shoved past me into an ambush!
I remember trying to climb under my helmet, which I had just drawn a "bulls-eye" on with the words "What, me worry?" on the side that fire was coming from. I looked to my right and rounds were shaving leaves off of the bushes inches from my head.
 I also remember saying the Lord's Prayer about ten times in five seconds! I inched forward, and saw some of the bravery most people only read about, Platoon Sergeant and Rocketman Vincent rising to a kneeling position to fire white phosphorus to mark the objective, and the Sergeant Vincent was shot!
I moved to a crater to assist the Forward Air Controller with the radio, a Lance Corporal standing on the rim of the crater, calling in air support. I had to haul him down from screaming at the pilots to come in closer. They were already so low that I could see the pilot's face.The CH-46 chopper was shot down while hovering in front of me. Everyone that was available rushed to the crash with no thoughts of danger or their own safety.
Lieutenants Thomas and Brindley were both killed that day, Jan 20th, 1968.
A few years later, while in a bookstore, I picked up a book titled "End of the Line" and read about that day. The book was dedicated to India Company, 3/26.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERSON FROM YOUR SERVICE STANDS OUT AS THE ONE WHO HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
During a typhoon I was on outpost guarding convoys passing thru Hai Van Pass, north of Danang. My foot was infected after the typhoon, this caused me to miss the operation for which Staff Sergeant Karl Taylor was awarded the Medal of Honor. He was the epitome of a career Staff Non-Commissioned Officer, everything from stern taskmaster to sympathetic sounding board!
CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE THAT WAS FUNNY AT THE TIME AND STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
One of the guys got a nasty "no one likes to be a sponge" bill from "Playboy" magazine. We composed a letter that stated we were surrounded at Khe Sanh, and that the post office was blown up, so if "Playboy" would like to send a representative to collect, we could sure use the extra body! No more bills came after that.
 To keep sane and our sense of humor we were always sending out letters.
Kraft Foods was greatest. One of our Marines sent them a letter stating he loved the cheese in the C-rations. Yep, you guessed it, they sent him an eighty, that's eight zero, pound package of caramels and cheese in field! Typical "Gung Ho!"
WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER THE SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT JOB?
 I went to college while working at a bottle plant. I didn't realize it, but a guy doing repairs at the bottling plant one day glanced at me then stated, "The last time I saw you was in a hole on a hill in Vietnam." His name was Sonny Beach, from my hometown no less.
Imagine that, of all of the hills and all of the Marines in Vietnam, I jump in a hole with someone from my hometown and then run into him a couple years later!
I got my college degree in Advertising Design from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then went on to work at the General Motors plant for thirty two years.
WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
I gladly participate in Vietnam Veterans of America. Our state pin has 881 on it and the number of KIA's from Louisiana.
I am also a member of the Marine League, and Marines Together We Served.
HOW HAS MILITARY SERVICE INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND CAREER?
It is funny, but I've never really been afraid of anyone or thing after Vietnam except for my Mother dying of cancer. I have really never had a bad day to amount to anything.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR THOSE THAT ARE STILL SERVING?
 The only advice I could give is timeless, and was told to me. I passed it along to new guys at Danang. It was to keep your head down, and your eyes and ears open! What ever life gives you take it like a man, only you can give away your dignity!
IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU MAINTAIN A BOND WITH YOUR SERVICE AND THOSE YOU SERVED WITH?
Now that I am sixty one, I thank TWS for letting me put my military service in order and leaving a record for my grand kids.
I did get a nice surprise while in Books-a-Million. I opened another book (I'm a novice military historian), titled "Voices of Courage" and  my photo was in it. I did not know, but when Stephen Ambrose asked me for information to place in the War Museum's Khe Sanh room in New Orleans, a professor used the information to write that book! It is great to see all the guys at work who listened to my stories with doubting eyes want copies of the book. I had to contact my bookseller in New York for an order to give to them. It is a wonderful feeling to be acknowledged!
I would like to add as a point of pride, that my unit 3/26, came from the 5th Division and served with both the 3rd and 1st Division in Vietnam, and was awarded three Presidential Unit Citations in one tour of duty. We also have a marker at Arlington Cemetery! Semper Fi!
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I joined the Marines because all of my life I wanted to be one. I gave no thought about life other than being a Marine. From the age of eight, I read anything about the Corps, especially the military exploits. 
as Kit Carsons, on point with me. Mine were great guys except for one who stayed overnight at a village and traded his M-16 for an AK-47. He had lots of explaining to do! 
Yes. In 1967, there was Operation Neosho and Operation Fremont. From 1967 through 1968, I participated in Hill 861 and Hill 881S. In 1968, there were many Operations: Pocohontas Forest, Rice, Mameluke I & II, Thrust, Scotland I & II, Pegasus/Lam Son, Houston and the Seige of Khe Sanh.
I also remember saying the Lord's Prayer about ten times in five seconds! I inched forward, and saw some of the bravery most people only read about, Platoon Sergeant and Rocketman Vincent rising to a kneeling position to fire white phosphorus to mark the objective, and the Sergeant Vincent was shot!
To keep sane and our sense of humor we were always sending out letters. 
I went to college while working at a bottle plant. I didn't realize it, but a guy doing repairs at the bottling plant one day glanced at me then stated, "The last time I saw you was in a hole on a hill in Vietnam." His name was Sonny Beach, from my hometown no less. 
The only advice I could give is timeless, and was told to me. I passed it along to new guys at Danang. It was to keep your head down, and your eyes and ears open! What ever life gives you take it like a man, only you can give away your dignity!
my photo was in it. I did not know, but when Stephen Ambrose asked me for information to place in the War Museum's Khe Sanh room in New Orleans, a professor used the information to write that book! It is great to see all the guys at work who listened to my stories with doubting eyes want copies of the book. I had to contact my bookseller in New York for an order to give to them. It is a wonderful feeling to be acknowledged! 
