There wasn’t in whatever way we can stream one to pallet back on the new lighthearted vehicle, very as being the a beneficial Samaritans we had been, i piled as much cases even as we you may on all of our V-100-so much that people could hardly change this new turret. Definitely, there were some disappointed MPs that night and lots of awful severe headaches a day later.
To the men who served on a V-100 for a year, the vehicle became more than just a machine. It became your life, your friend and your protector. All but two of our V-100s were named after comic book heroes. These included “Captain America,” “Thor,” “Big Ben,” “Flash,” “Spider – man,” “Barbarian,” “Atom,” “Daredevil” and “Iron Man.” The other two were named “Road Hog” and “The Lemon.” Each of the V-100s had a painting of the character or the name across escorts and babes Leipzig the front, life-sized and in coloric book superheroes painted on the front of the V-100s made for an interesting article in New Roundup, our local GI newspaper. The April 1970 article was headlined, “66th MP Co. Super Heroes to Combat VC Wrong Doers.”
Periodically we’d our very own moments, including the big date whenever we have been escorting a convoy within the A keen Khe Citation and another of your own cars missing an entire pallet out-of beer
David An effective. Swisher stays in Marshall, Unwell. The guy obtained new Military Commendation Medal having V Device to have their steps in the ambush at An Khe Ticket for the April 1970. For additional understanding, see: Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71, from the Richard Lathrop and you will Jim Laurier; and Combat Police: U.S. Army Military Police in Vietnam, from the Rick Younger.
Much of our very own difficulties emerged on the QL-19, however, I usually believed warmer on that road than toward QL-1, simply because there are a great deal more convoys on the QL-19 which higher probability of backup. My baptism out-of flame appeared towards bush at the hairpin bend throughout the An Khe Solution. All of our V-100 got already come through the new hairpin and you may is on course down the pass, when the westbound convoy is hit. The language “Contact! Get in touch with! Get in touch with!” showed up over the radio net as i was driving, therefore i turned the latest V-100 doing and you may on course support the fresh citation. When we surely got to new hairpin, I noticed specific Korean soldiers pinned down. One of them got his arm stuck-up in the air leading to the south side of the hairpin change. We pulled the brand new V-100 between your Koreans therefore the position he had been leading so you can, therefore we could give them a little more defense and also have build relationships our firepower.
My personal V-100 try escorting an effective convoy of Tuy Hoa eventually when there can be an abundance of framework work with the road, resulting in a bit an accordion impact
One thing in the running the new channels day-after-day is actually you never understood exactly what strange material would definitely occurs next. In the event the side of one’s convoy avoided, the trunk fasten. Then the front side carry out start once more, and the convoy spread out till the buttocks you will definitely begin. Because of that, We told all of our V-100 rider Reno Catalano to go into the middle of the fresh road so we helps to keep most other automobile out-of all of our convoy until we got from the design area. While i always let smaller car please solution new convoy automobiles, since there try really framework I desired to keep the new convoy free from one other visitors.
Using one convoy in order to Weil Nang, our trucks hit a Lambretta packed with Vietnamese. It was quite a mess. This new Lambretta ran off the road and down an embankment. By the point we had a good dustoff indeed there and you can had anything cleaned upwards a bit, there have been a myriad of black colored pajama-clothed people with firearms position up to talking and you can screaming. From the difficult, a misconception can potentially have arisen, but before one occurred i got from indeed there and you may back to your convoy.