tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58156749489570056912024-03-13T05:16:04.274-07:00Andrew Syor BLT 3/5 Nam Grunt 1966A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-841063437066733482019-04-28T06:11:00.000-07:002019-04-28T06:11:58.396-07:00Landing Zone Levity (Humor in Uniform)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r6zP9P3seg8/XMWk3-at3BI/AAAAAAAAE0M/BwdnykcvZDw7bWTAGPkeFi4V9ugBMd6XwCLcBGAs/s1600/C-2-UH34D-Balong_Valley%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="854" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r6zP9P3seg8/XMWk3-at3BI/AAAAAAAAE0M/BwdnykcvZDw7bWTAGPkeFi4V9ugBMd6XwCLcBGAs/s320/C-2-UH34D-Balong_Valley%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA">now
the time was then<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA">and
as history repeats<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA">then
the time was now*<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">(*From my “A Sentimental Journey” linked
haiku blogged here in 2017)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA">Landing
Zone Levity (Humor in Uniform) <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">If it wasn’t for flashbacks, I’d have no
memory at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The
message being passed down the line was that this part of our search and destroy
operation was considered finished and we were going to join up with the rest of
the battalion at a different location for another operation already in progress.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The
final helicopter was dropping down through the jungle and into our LZ’s small
clearing. The vegetation around the landing zone was dense in every direction,
and soon as the copter touched the ground all the remaining Marines started to
scramble toward it. I was to be the last one onboard, and was walking
backwards, toward the copter, from the perimeter, while exchanging fire with a
group of hidden Viet Cong who had decided they were going to have the final word
before we departed. Incoming automatic rounds had produced a straight line of bullet
holes near the hatch running up toward the Door Gunner, who with his M-60, was
also firing at the VC. Suddenly and simultaneously, the UH-34D was ascending, I
was being pulled up and inside by my pack and the back of my utility belt, and
a pair of hands were wrestling my M-14 away from me to make sure the safety was
put on. Instinctively grabbing for my rifle, I saw that the hands belonged to
my stern-faced lieutenant, who then handed it back to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">No one
spoke a word as we continued to climb up through the bush and finally leveled
off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">To
break the silence, I said, “Reminds me of the fig-owl-we Indians.” There wasn’t
any response, but several quizzical faces looked in my direction. Continuing I
said “You know, that group of Indians who were wandering the desert and finally
climbed the highest mesa, looked around and said ‘Where the fig owl we?’” There
were some guffaws from the others, and a slight grin from the lieutenant, as he
shook his head, so I figured I was still in his ‘good books’ . . . for the
moment anyway. . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Andy Syor<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-43311562844867735622019-02-21T10:46:00.000-08:002019-02-23T06:01:39.300-08:00Remembering an extended USMC Operation in I Corps with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines in 1966<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXuO0nqeyn4/XG7uNK4GT5I/AAAAAAAAExE/SWNm2393hpo8C1VJ-Q7WLkGY_aAficOjgCLcBGAs/s1600/I-5-hochiminhtrail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="340" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXuO0nqeyn4/XG7uNK4GT5I/AAAAAAAAExE/SWNm2393hpo8C1VJ-Q7WLkGY_aAficOjgCLcBGAs/s320/I-5-hochiminhtrail.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Nothing future holds<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>could ever compare to
this<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>exhilaration *</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">(*From my “We’re a Lot
Like You Were” linked haiku blogged here in 2019)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">I sheathed my ka-bar
after winning a territorial battle with a scorpion for a foxhole that was
surrounded by sandbags. Returning to heating my C-ration coffee, it felt good
to be stationary for a while after climbing so many mountainous hills. The days
had turned into weeks and I had lost track of how many weeks, or even which
ongoing operation we were now part of. All I knew is we were at a very high
elevation and had been butting heads with some North Vietnamese Army regulars
for some time now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Like the majority of my
peers, one constant on my mind was anticipating becoming a “short timer” and
returning to “the world.” I figured it must be early fall and two thirds of my
combat tour should soon be finished with only the one third remaining. The
Rolling Stones song "The Last Time" had been my mantra over the past
eight or nine months and was keeping me centered. I had found, in the
repetitiveness of combat, even the rounds whistling past your ears became
routine. I guess that was due to the sixth sense of awareness you acquire, a “combat
edge" I called it, in these somewhat difficult situations. Personally, I'd
always thought life was as complex as you make it and tried to remain as good natured as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Being rested and
available for guard duty, several of us drew straws for perimeter guard duty
and I got one of the outposts. Then me, myself, and my M-14 left to check out
our new digs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">The outpost was situated
at the crest of a steep hill set back about one hundred yards from a
barbed<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">wire outer perimeter
further down the incline. I was just settling in as a familiar Force Recon team,
I knew casually from several of the past operations, walked up to my bunker. I
joined them as they headed out toward the perimeter saying "So, where are
you all off to?" as I opened the break in the barbed wire to let them out.
"We’re going to grab one them NVA’s and bring him back for the
interrogators, should only take an hour or two, so keep an eye out for us
returning" was their reply. "Sure," I said, while securing the
barbed wire behind them, "Hey, see if you can pick me up some of them
French postcards that are going around while you're out there." They got a
good chuckle at that as they were leaving and I walked back up the hill to the
outpost to await their return. In a relatively short amount of time my
adrenaline kicked in when I caught a glimpse of them storming back up the hill toward
the gate with a blindfolded NVA. There was a hornet's nest of enemies behind
them and soon the complete side of the hill was under heavy fire. I immediately
headed toward the barbed wire, ending up crawling on my belly, and got to the
gate just before they did to let them in. "What about my French
postcards?" I shouted. "Get the hell out of here!" was their
laughing response, just as our perimeter defense opened up, eliminating
everything that was approaching outside the barbed wire.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">With that ending well,
I went back to contemplating on the next four or so months before I was to
return to the "world" . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-59558973291945994812019-02-21T10:11:00.000-08:002019-02-21T10:11:53.676-08:00We're a Lot Like You Were (Linked Haiku)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C4tAV5AvQMM/XG7pGFGYs1I/AAAAAAAAEw4/OBewslcGZWAhgIXyUKFvvuLTNOfKy8txQCLcBGAs/s1600/USMC%2BWW2%2BOkinawa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="322" height="253" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C4tAV5AvQMM/XG7pGFGYs1I/AAAAAAAAEw4/OBewslcGZWAhgIXyUKFvvuLTNOfKy8txQCLcBGAs/s320/USMC%2BWW2%2BOkinawa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(USMC WW 2 Okinawa)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We’re a Lot Like You
Were<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Chopper
blades turning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">first
real moment has arrived<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">training
now instinct<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">copter
touches down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">leaping
out through turbulence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">vigilant
alert</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">expectation
gone <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">we are
at calm in this storm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">ready for
the next<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">all
moving as one<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">ultimate
esprit de corps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">flowing
through our veins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">duels on
battlefield<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">are
definitely answered<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">making us
stronger <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">nothing
future holds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">could
ever compare to this<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">exhilaration<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">life
after combat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">spent
slowing down to catch up<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">this our
enigma<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Andy Syor<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-13906638804648057302019-02-19T15:08:00.000-08:002019-02-19T15:08:54.789-08:00In late summer 1966 SLF BLT 3/5 goes ashore in Viet Nam to a permanent base<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z1TGEKMYV4k/XGyG17B9r-I/AAAAAAAAEv8/f6ZvuQLGOnQbPYAu4qViKbzU_vAKnRczgCLcBGAs/s1600/Y-91927-004-BD1088B8vietnam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="550" height="207" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z1TGEKMYV4k/XGyG17B9r-I/AAAAAAAAEv8/f6ZvuQLGOnQbPYAu4qViKbzU_vAKnRczgCLcBGAs/s320/Y-91927-004-BD1088B8vietnam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Civilians at
ease<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">water
buffalo, tiger<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">and cobra
observe *<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">(*From my “USMC Combat
Tour Haiku Trilogy” blogged here in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">2015)<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">In late summer 1966, as
the helicopters were picking us up at the end of an operation, we knew our
Special Landing Force designation was over and we would not be returning to the
converted WW2 aircraft carrier USS Princeton that had been our cramped home for
the past few months. Before we deployed, we had staged our sea bags to be sent to
some squad sized tents that had been set up on shore. The time of our floating
days as Battalion Landing Team 3/5 had ended and we were moving to a land base
camp somewhere in the suburbs of Chu Lai. 3<sup>rd</sup> Battalion 5<sup>th</sup>
Marines would embark on all future search and destroy operations from there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">For me, the shipboard
life had combat seasoned myself and our Battalion, and was part of an
"eat, drink, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">and be merry, for
tomorrow you may die" adventure I'd read and thought about as a child. I
enlisted in the Marine Corps mainly because they knew what they were doing from
the jungle combat results of the Pacific theater in WW2.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Our base camp was
relatively peaceful, having only the occasional whistling of an incoming mortar </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">round. We were in and
out quite frequently on operations and it was nice place to come back to where
you could feel better connected to those inhabitants of Viet Nam we were
fighting for.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Most of the residents
spoke Vietnamese, French, and/or broken English. The only Vietnamese </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I knew were the swear
words, but I did have two years of high school French, and I was as fluent as
the two years of paying extra attention to my attractive blond French teacher
could have made me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Our assistant cook, who
was Vietnamese and employed by the base, took a liking to me as we got to know
each other. Having perimeter guard duty while at the base, I usually ate in the
mess hall at different times from the rest of the battalion and had the time to
chat with him. One day he invited me to his home for dinner with his family and
I said "of course," but first I needed to clear it with the
"powers that be," who said okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">His family was very warm
to me and filled me in on their local history. I thoroughly enjoyed the
home cooking menu they had prepared which was ox and noodles, barracuda and
rice, with local vegetables, both delicious and exotic and much better than the
regular mess hall chow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">When the evening of socializing and dinner came to an end, I left their home and walked back to base thinking
to myself "what a shame it was the 'state side' reporters never wanted to hear any of the good stories that were available."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-22898386336551740532019-02-16T10:53:00.000-08:002019-02-16T11:03:16.040-08:00Transferred to MP's at Danang Airbase for the final third of my 13 month combat tour. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kwTkGoJP4Tc/XGhU3IjSqiI/AAAAAAAAEvY/1R6ag9HopnYMYFoGSfwwJk4qNK9S8DRXgCLcBGAs/s1600/H-F-4Bs_VMFA-115_323_DaNang_Jan1966-Danang.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1245" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kwTkGoJP4Tc/XGhU3IjSqiI/AAAAAAAAEvY/1R6ag9HopnYMYFoGSfwwJk4qNK9S8DRXgCLcBGAs/s320/H-F-4Bs_VMFA-115_323_DaNang_Jan1966-Danang.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Out of the jungle</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>transferred to urban combat</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>adjust momentum *</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">(*From my "USMC Combat Tour Haiku Trilogy" blogged here in 2015)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Third
Battalion Fifth Marines was the last battalion of the First Marine Division to
land in Viet Nam and would stay in-country for five years (1966-1971.) The tour
of duty per Marine was to be thirteen months, so transfers had to be made in
country to keep the battalion at full capacity and not have all the original
Marines leave at one time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My transfer
came in late 1966, after two thirds of my tour, to the 1st MP's Battalion at the
Danang Airbase, which was pleasantly different from the previous fifteen to
thirty days jungle and rice paddy multiple search and destroy operations I had
become used to with 3/5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Having a
Government driver’s license, I was the CO's driver and occasionally the Captain
would tell me to get a jeep to do a convoy routes security check in and out of
the base. We were on a first name basis and it always felt to me he was the
sheriff and I was his deputy. Whenever we ran into a skirmish, or some other
problem, he would go one way with his priorities and I would go another way
after mine. When I returned, if the jeep was still there, I waited for the
Captain, and if the jeep was gone, I found my own way back to base usually by
hitching a ride with a passing convoy going in that direction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Another
interesting duty I did with the MP’s was to a walk along the jet fuel pipeline
that ran into the base from the tankers in the harbor. This was a dusk-to-dawn mile or so long patrol
where you would walk back and forth to the beach from the base, making sure
everything remained secured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the
daylight there was a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lot of work being
done along this pipeline, but after dark there was a curfew and everyone,
including the local police, knew this was a “free fire zone” no-man’s land and
you could be shot on sight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This reminds me of the time a Force Recon team I
knew from several operations in my 3/5 days, made known they were walking
toward me on the pipeline one night. I said “Man, can't I hide from you guys
anywhere?" We all laughed, and then they explained they were not
interested in checking in and wanted me to get them a case of 45 caliber rounds
for their grease guns. I told them I would stop by the ammo dump before my duty
began the next evening and bring them a case. I didn't mention their presence
to anyone and the following night I brought them their rounds and they were on
their way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There was,
also, a duty patrol that was an "on call" type of roaming around the
base, sort of like walking a beat. On this patrol I once was sent to quell a
disturbance at the EM club between some Marine convoy drivers and some Seabees.
There was a brawl going on when I arrived and I was not able to get anyone’s
attention, so I fired a round in the ceiling. Seeing me standing in the center
of the room with the MP band on one arm and a raised 45 in the other was all
that was needed to let them know it was time to move on. I quickly got on my
radio with the results, "disturbance handled, all secure" and moved
on myself, before anyone at my dispatch heard about the discharging of a pistol
on base. Not being one for excessive paperwork and reports, I tried to use the
"all secure" response as much as possible. Similarly, there was an
occasion where I'd found one of the UN "Observers" snooping around
near a restricted area. I told him where he was and to “get the hell out of
there.” I then personally mentioned that incident to my CO. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Having a lot
of freedom between duties, if I heard someone from my old battalion was on the
hospital ship in the harbor, I would make arrangements to visit them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For my last
week in 'Nam, the only duty I had was to man one of the sandbagged bunkers on
the base perimeter. I would have much rather done a foot patrol somewhere, but
that's the way it was when you were “next” to return to “the world.” On my last
night, there was an incoming mortar barrage, and I spent the night listening to
the whistling of the rounds, wandering where they would hit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As for my
total Viet Nam tour, a line from a Led Zeppelin song says it all for this grunt
everyman, “Good times, bad times, you know I had my share."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-17724765040599955742019-02-09T08:41:00.001-08:002019-02-10T08:02:44.954-08:00Fading Away (Linked Haiku)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMnFSF_wCfs/XF8B8EVvSrI/AAAAAAAAEus/hcG4mnWjHmESG35QhRd0zvlndzr5jf_hQCLcBGAs/s1600/My%2BMarine%2BCorps%2BRVN%2B1966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="1500" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dMnFSF_wCfs/XF8B8EVvSrI/AAAAAAAAEus/hcG4mnWjHmESG35QhRd0zvlndzr5jf_hQCLcBGAs/s320/My%2BMarine%2BCorps%2BRVN%2B1966.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><b>Fading Away </b>(Linked Haiku)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">vented adventures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">from hardened participants<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">of another time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">encounters evoked<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">weapons of their age recalled<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">fallen remembered<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">forever preserved <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">the horrors and the raptures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">delivered by war<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">sharing sensations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">Warriors pause to reflect<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">long ago conflicts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">feeling envious<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">of others who continue<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA">this lasting poem<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-CA"><b>Andy Syor<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-31928619960151517562019-02-02T08:58:00.000-08:002019-02-20T06:05:06.215-08:00A 'Nam Marines Narrative<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1CoGBs4wcVI/XFXJ8ezH38I/AAAAAAAAEug/xs8i2ArL3F8SgQkFg5taymTxFe6nSDTXgCLcBGAs/s1600/B-2-h73454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="750" height="264" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1CoGBs4wcVI/XFXJ8ezH38I/AAAAAAAAEug/xs8i2ArL3F8SgQkFg5taymTxFe6nSDTXgCLcBGAs/s320/B-2-h73454.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><b>Old
salt remembers<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><b>the
long, the short, and the tall<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><b>and an
adventure *</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">
</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">(*
From my “USMC Comat Tour Haiku Trilogy” blogged here in 2015)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Battalion
Landing Team 3/5 as a Special Landing Force aboard LPH-5 USS Princeton (‘Nam
1966)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">It was sometime in mid-1966, somewhere off the Vietnam coast, we
were returning to our ship after another search and destroy operation. As I
stepped onto the deck, and knowing most of the deck crew from my helicopter
guard duty while on the ship, I could see the startled expression on a
swabbie’s face.<br />
Not knowing if it was the aroma from fifteen days of sweat, gunpowder, insect
repellent and rice paddy mud or the unshaven face, I just grinned. Recognizing
me, he said “Hey Jarhead, what did you do, scare ’em to death?” I replied
“Yeah, VC number ten.” He then said “I’ve got the latest scuttlebutt.” I
replied dryly “What’s that, some chicken shit inspection?” He laughed and said
“No, we’re floating back to Subic to confuse enemy observers for a few days and
having liberty call instead of training.”<br />
Ski, our wireman, said he knew the perfect place for us to go and unwind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">As we entered the Philippine waters we floated by the USS
Enterprise and it felt like we were on a tug boat. Soon as the ship docked,
“Cinderella Liberty” was sounded and five of us headed directly to the best
off-limits, restricted slop chute in the Olongapo City’s wild side.<br />
After a few boisterous hours of flowing booze, a classic, all-out brawl
started. Broken bottles, tables, chairs, fists and bodies flying, Uncle Sam’s
Misguided Children, the squid sea going bellhops, some mean local patrons and
everyone else . . . I felt like it was an episode of ”McHales Navy.”<br />
So I said to myself “Self . . . What stupid? . . . this is getting risky, and
that naive, prick sergeant (personalities clash from day one, I had one he
didn’t) would love to see me get office hours,” so out the back door I went and
somehow made it back to the ship on time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Once on board, I waited by the gang plank for Ski and the rest
of the group who returned in a Shore Patrol paddy wagon. After taking some
ribbing for leaving the festivities early, I just said I’m planning on keeping
my remaining supply of odds against danger for the combat zone.<br />
No bullshit GI.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">L. SYOR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><v:shape alt="http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/2f6e898d925c4a629b5ea6078ad9fbea?s=42&d=mm&r=g" id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" style="height: 31.8pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 31.8pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="2f6e898d925c4a629b5ea6078ad9fbea?s=42&d=mm&r=g" src="file:///C:/Users/alsyo/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mike
hayes</span></b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #eb232d; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.grunt.com/blog/blt-35-as-a-slf-aboard-lph-5-uss-princeton-nam-1966/#comment-8157"><span style="color: #eb232d; text-decoration: none;">June 11, 2017 at
10:03 pm</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Great
story. Great memories. I think any of us could hav written it at that time.
Thanks for recharging my batteries. At that time: PFC Mike Hayes, Fox Battery
2/11/BLT3/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #eb232d; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.grunt.com/blog/blt-35-as-a-slf-aboard-lph-5-uss-princeton-nam-1966/?replytocom=8157#respond"><span style="color: #eb232d; text-decoration: none;">Reply</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<v:imagedata o:title="aba085063ca2504fe7d8eee3135ce92c?s=42&d=mm&r=g" src="file:///C:/Users/alsyo/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Andy Syor</span></b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> says:<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #eb232d; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://www.grunt.com/blog/blt-35-as-a-slf-aboard-lph-5-uss-princeton-nam-1966/#comment-8185"><span style="color: #eb232d; text-decoration: none;">June 12, 2017 at
1:57 pm</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Yep, the youthful adventures of
“everyman” Marines! Semper Fi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-32415654281039965782018-07-28T05:38:00.001-07:002019-02-10T08:23:29.659-08:00"Together We Served" USMC Profile-Andrew Syor <a href="https://marines.togetherweserved.com/usmc/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=270060">https://marines.togetherweserved.com/usmc/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=270060</a><br />
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A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-50349341245754353672018-06-06T08:35:00.000-07:002018-06-06T08:35:21.349-07:005th Marine Regiment Battalions 1/5, 2/5, 3/5 were in Vietnam the 5 years of 1966 to 1971.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-40288001260790285362017-06-18T07:54:00.002-07:002020-10-30T12:30:40.447-07:00Reflections<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">I see my Vietnam combat tour in the
Marine Corps as a remarkable youthful adventure. I experienced first-hand
similar circumstances my WW2 veteran Dad and Uncles had told me about when I was a kid.
When I watched old war movies, then, I often wondered what I would do if
I were in the same combat situations, and now I know those answers. </span><span lang="EN-US"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I made a lot more acquaintances than
friends as life expectancy was short for infantry in a combat zone. One thing I
took away from our battalion’s combat operations was an affirmation of
the statement which is on the Marine Corps War Memorial “Uncommon Valor Was a
Common Virtue.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My unfading
experience began <span lang="EN-US">as an 18 year old Marine infantryman </span>in 1966.
<span lang="EN-US">I was assigned to Battalion Landing Team 3/5, a Special
Landing Force that completed multiple amphibious operations from aboard the LPH-5
USS Princeton</span>. <span lang="EN-US"> We were</span> well trained as a group in California,
Okinawa, Japan and the Philippines before landing in ‘Nam. After the
apprehension of our first combat contact, I found any fearful expectations were
gone and replaced with a sixth sense of extreme caution which I called “the
edge” that remained with me for the entire tour. Like the majority of my
adventurous youthful <span lang="EN-US">peers, I </span>did not have any “stateside” responsibilities
to be concerned with at this time in my life<span lang="EN-US">. </span>T<span lang="EN-US">he countless adrenaline surges during the actions that took place on our numerous operations added to
the number of times you were actually aware that you had defied</span> death.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">After a couple of operations, the
Battalion became combat seasoned, and the basics of our combat tour were a
routine i.e., the boarding of a UH-34D Sikorsky helicopter from the deck of our
converted aircraft carrier; flying to a designated clearing in the jungle that
would be our first Landing Zone; then beginning a search and destroy operation lasting
ten, twenty, or thirty days at a time. We were continually on the move with
intermittent resupplies of water, food and ammunition from the copters.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">The individual combat operations had</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"> varied rules
of engagement</span><span lang="EN-US">. On most of our operations the rule was “caution;
there could be friendlies in the area.”</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"> Occasionally we
would enter a designated “</span><span lang="EN-US">free fire zone” </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">where </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">anyone observed was considered to be the enemy and eliminated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Returning to the “world” I completed my single
Marine Corps enlistment near the end of ‘60’s. Not being in any immediate hurry
to join the workforce and jump into the civilian “establishment,” I decided to
do a roving “beach bum” thing for several months to acclimate myself to the
civilian world from which I’d been estranged. Amid the distractions, in what
appeared a paradoxical existence to me, I determined my “American Dream” would
be to achieve and maintain a consistent personal comfort zone in this civilian
environment.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Nowadays, following the current media stories of
returning combat veterans has made me aware that their (and my) predecessors,
from all past conflicts in history, have faced re-entrance into the civilian
world. Our learned priorities from combat experiences are unique only to a portion
in the military, which are the minority of the total population. For me, I’ve
accepted the fact that to blend in with the civilian majority, you have to
learn to ignore “their” priorities when you deem them shallow or insignificant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Andy Syor </span>A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-41968798839179449932017-03-11T11:58:00.002-08:002019-02-10T08:04:21.963-08:00A Sentimental Journey/ Linked Haiku<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><u>A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">now
the time was then<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">and
as history repeats<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">then
the time was now<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">the
winds tossed the ship <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">waves
cascading over both <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">port
and starboard rails<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">earth
controlling her<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">dominating
species with<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">exacting
command<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">hopes
of one and all <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">on
seeing a tomorrow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">thoughts
in the silence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">an
anxious waiting <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">for
more moments in this life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">to
present themselves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">asleep
in the deep <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">at
this event horizon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">not
for us or ours<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">the
typhoon subsides<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">and
the voyage continues<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">to
unplanned futures <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">humbled
we see that <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">mortal
efforts alone are<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">insignificant</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <u>ANDY
SYOR</u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">(Inspiration; Early
in 1966; prior to our Vietnam deployment; aboard the USS Westchester County/LST-1167 with BLT 3/5’s
motor pool; we ran into a typhoon on the way to Mt Fuji, Japan.)</span></div>
A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-75305446026759070202015-10-14T11:12:00.000-07:002019-02-10T08:06:20.556-08:00MY 13 MONTH VIET NAM TOUR IN 612 SYLLABLES (Linked Haiku)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><br /></span></b></span></b>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbDFUOkweYo/XGBHgOonTwI/AAAAAAAAEu4/HrtOGoj6cw0ZzhHluvFPMkB6S5A6ihpqwCLcBGAs/s1600/1966%2BVietnam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="535" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbDFUOkweYo/XGBHgOonTwI/AAAAAAAAEu4/HrtOGoj6cw0ZzhHluvFPMkB6S5A6ihpqwCLcBGAs/s320/1966%2BVietnam.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div>
<b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><br /></span></b></span></b>
<b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><br /></span></b></span></b>
<b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></span></b></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important;">
<b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">USMC COMBAT TOUR HAIKU TRILOGY</span></b></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><br /></span></b></div>
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Old salt remembers<o:p></o:p></div>
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The long, the short, and the tall<o:p></o:p></div>
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And an adventure<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Interesting tour<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Third Battalion Fifth Marines<o:p></o:p></div>
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Semper Fidelis<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To Okinawa<o:p></o:p></div>
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Aboard APA Renville<o:p></o:p></div>
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First March Sixty-Six<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Fleet Marine Force PAC<o:p></o:p></div>
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East China and South China<o:p></o:p></div>
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And Philippine Seas<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We sail through typhoon<o:p></o:p></div>
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Landing Ship Tank to Japan<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mount Fuji in spring<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Swimming in Subic<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overboard man overboard<o:p></o:p></div>
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Three days bread water<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Training on island<o:p></o:p></div>
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Isolated Japanese<o:p></o:p></div>
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Surrenders to us<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On Liberty Call<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Olongapo City<o:p></o:p></div>
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A lesson learned<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sit facing entrance<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shore Patrol says off-limits<o:p></o:p></div>
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Exit well planned<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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LPH Princeton<o:p></o:p></div>
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Contemplation till sunrise<o:p></o:p></div>
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Guard duty on deck<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Viet Nam monsoon<o:p></o:p></div>
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All hands heave out and trice up<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are deploying<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Observe search destroy<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are friendlies in region<o:p></o:p></div>
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End to non-friendlies<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">II*********************</span>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><br /></span></div>
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Last one in first out<o:p></o:p></div>
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Helicopter lifts off deck<o:p></o:p></div>
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Drops to sea then soars<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Boarding hatch open<o:p></o:p></div>
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Perfect view land air and sea<o:p></o:p></div>
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Green hills rice paddies<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sikorsky on ground<o:p></o:p></div>
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Incoming rounds leave their mark<o:p></o:p></div>
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Perimeter set<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Landing zone secure<o:p></o:p></div>
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Multiple lands and departs<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bouncing back to ship<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Hot thick engulfing<o:p></o:p></div>
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High power rifle cracks air<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jungle labyrinth<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Scorpions Leeches<o:p></o:p></div>
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Elusive lime green Habu<o:p></o:p></div>
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Among punji stakes<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Mortars send welcome<o:p></o:p></div>
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A deafening percussion<o:p></o:p></div>
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Howitzers whistle<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Marine in his sight<o:p></o:p></div>
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Take out Viet Cong sniper<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then Phantom appears<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Slow tumbling barrel<o:p></o:p></div>
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F-4 shrieks splashing napalm<o:p></o:p></div>
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Opposite ridgeline<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Instantly silent<o:p></o:p></div>
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Enemy cover erased<o:p></o:p></div>
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This moment in time<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Civilians at ease<o:p></o:p></div>
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Water buffalo, tiger<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And cobra observe<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Locate new LZ<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Our transport copters descend<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For next objective<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;">III*******************</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: lime; mso-highlight: lime;"><br /></span></div>
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Out of the jungle<o:p></o:p></div>
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Transferred to urban combat<o:p></o:p></div>
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Adjust momentum<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Three/Five alumnus<o:p></o:p></div>
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To Military Police<o:p></o:p></div>
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At Da Nang Airbase<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Secure area<o:p></o:p></div>
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Troops coming in from the bush<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christmas with Bob Hope<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Driving with Captain<o:p></o:p></div>
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Separated at skirmish<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Find my own way back<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Returning convoy<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fifty-caliber vacant<o:p></o:p></div>
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Clear jam open fire<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Walking fuel pipeline<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sunset to sunrise duty<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Force Recon contact<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Need covert supply<o:p></o:p></div>
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Case forty-five caliber<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Replenish grease guns<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Use infrared scope<o:p></o:p></div>
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At perimeter outpost<o:p></o:p></div>
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Function accurate<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
During base patrol<o:p></o:p></div>
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Disturbance at EM Club<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ended with one round<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Training and weapons<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Extensions to our being<o:p></o:p></div>
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Focus and humor<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Determination<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One year one month seven days<o:p></o:p></div>
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Accelerated<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A traditional<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bellicose experience<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cosmic deja-vu<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 17.5pt;">TXu 1-673-107<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Effective date
of<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">registration:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">February
10, 2010<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Author:
</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Andrew
Louis Syor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
USA Copyright<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-36470524349767873662011-09-17T14:18:00.000-07:002019-02-10T08:58:58.178-08:00September 15, 2011 "Triptychs" MilSpeak Books collaboration released<a href="http://www.milspeak.org/milspeak/TRIPTYCHS_September_Release.html">http://www.milspeak.org/milspeak/TRIPTYCHS_September_Release.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-26570599406088474732011-08-03T07:52:00.000-07:002019-02-10T08:57:04.385-08:00Publication updateAndrew Syor’s first book, Triptychs: A ‘Nam Marine’s Now and Then, is scheduled for release, Fall 2011, by MilSpeak Books. Triptychs, a study in stretch-haiku, flash memoir, and abstract photography, takes the reader on a narrow road to the interior of a Vietnam Veteran’s assimilation of his wartime experience. Henry Avignon’s abstract gestural photographs heighten the reading experience while setting each “panel” in the triptych form, similar to medieval altarpieces. Now, in the 21st century, each panel is composed of poetry, prose and photographs presented in electronic book format. The stretch-haiku pane, a new meditation in the ancient tradition of linked verse and haiku, represents Andrew’s reflective now. The flash memoir pane represents Andrew’s Vietnam War combat past. Each photograph created by military family member Henry represents the binder between poetry and prose, the thread that binds then and now to the present, the eternal and the transient, and all that stands between those who served and those who watched from home.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/triptychs-andy-syor-henry-avignon/1113031015?ean=2940011521614">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/triptychs-andy-syor-henry-avignon/1113031015?ean=2940011521614</a>A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-5745435292743738602010-07-02T07:01:00.000-07:002019-02-10T08:09:21.365-08:00Bird Dog (Linked Haiku)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CxG8Zu98dzY/TC3xqN6rrBI/AAAAAAAAATM/8HmDSc0nWcM/s1600/16-O1P-Bird+Dog+spotter+plane.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489309228427095058" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CxG8Zu98dzY/TC3xqN6rrBI/AAAAAAAAATM/8HmDSc0nWcM/s200/16-O1P-Bird+Dog+spotter+plane.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 169px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
BIRD-DOG<br />
<br />
Ageless cautions sent<br />
to the wise and the foolish<br />
forethought afterthought<br />
<br />
awareness on the<br />
embracing random resolve<br />
of Fates' three sisters<br />
<br />
ancient challenges<br />
inherent motivations<br />
correct impulses<br />
<br />
combat veterans<br />
confident accomplishments<br />
locked in memories<br />
<br />
varied beginnings<br />
running the gauntlet of life<br />
similar ending<br />
<br />
A. L. SYORA L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-75280573037598696722010-02-06T08:30:00.001-08:002019-02-10T08:17:02.956-08:00Paperback Writer To The ChoirPAPERBACK WRITER TO THE CHOIR <br />
<br />
The sunsets and sunrises at sea were spectacular with their varying degrees of reds, oranges, pinks, and blues always capturing my attention. Occasionally, in the silent darkness, there were splashes of yellowish white.<br />
<br />
It was six bells on the middle watch when I heard the far-off rumblings of guns from a battleship. Looking toward the shore, between the helicopters on the flight deck, I noticed distant impact flashes were silhouetting the hills and mountains. It was good to see that the fleet was softening up our Battalion’s after daybreak destination.<br />
<br />
This entire combat tour had been progressively interesting to me. Perhaps the fact that I had been experiencing, first hand, similar circumstances my WWII Dad and Uncles told me about when I was a kid, along with those old war movies I had watched, wandering what I would do if I were in the same situations, and now knowing the answers.<br />
<br />
Sure, this was a tough business, and I knew that by making more acquaintances than friends, I would have an emotional defense as casualties presented themselves.<br />
<br />
There were many once in a lifetime occurrences I knew would always remain with me. Training in the Philippine jungles I stumbled over what I thought was a dead telephone pole sized log, which turned out to be a huge python digesting some wild pig. On a search and destroy operation I was checking out a building for VC and found a Monk, just sitting and meditating in the middle of the total combat chaos, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.<br />
<br />
In later years, the most difficult task I found, as a civilian with combat experience living among civilians without, was having to engage in small-talk at the obligatory wine and cheese parties, while thinking the only thing we all had in common was that we exist in the same universe.<br />
<br />
ANDY SYORA L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815674948957005691.post-32490893447225939932009-04-22T11:57:00.000-07:002019-02-10T08:08:43.832-08:00No Wind No Waves (Linked Haiku)<strong>NO WIND NO WAVES</strong><br />
<br />
Ancient mystery<br />
before your ancestors' birth<br />
knowing where you were<br />
<br />
recognize no mind<br />
non-existent existing<br />
no begin, no end<br />
<br />
no names, no concepts<br />
no knowledge, no perception<br />
no death, no decay<br />
<br />
no suffering start<br />
no suffering cessation<br />
no path to follow<br />
<br />
no obtaining thoughts<br />
for cause effect survival<br />
no not obtaining<br />
<br />
all things are empty<br />
to see further, stand higher<br />
answers will be found<br />
<br />
<strong>Andy Syor</strong>A L Syorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05607238046738860795noreply@blogger.com0