A few days later, quietly working on my paperwork, a necessary task that I hated, SP4 D., out of the blue, asked permission to speak frankly to me. Surprised by his formality and thinking he was playing with me, I laughed and asked when had he not been frank with me? I’ve got to be the least formal, most unpretentious officer he’d met! I became serious when he told me that it was something about me that he needed to address. I told him to proceed. He informed me that there was speculation in the battery among the guys about why I was sent here from Alpha battery. I told him I wasn’t perfect, and had made some errors in judgment, deliberately remaining vague for fear of the rumor mill.
I was again wrong in where he was taking the conversation, not seeking some admission or confession from me, but rather stating flatly the group thought the Army had made a mistake. I didn’t understand what he was referring to. Apparently a group of soldiers had compared rumors about me and figured that I was supposed to be some dud. To their surprise I was a good officer and did my job well. I laughed and told him I didn’t think the Army made personnel decisions based on supposed competence, I was expected to do a good job. I thanked him for the compliment; it was good to know that somebody valued my service. I was surprised how far rumor and speculation had gone, but felt it was a sign I was accepted in the battery. More importantly to me, I knew this conversation had even more significance if and when the shooting started. That’s how I viewed things now, you did a job in the normal course of your day, but when the shooting starts, your job changes. Leadership with situational assessment becomes the defining qualification. I knew that since Ft. Defiance.
The new base camp had an encampment of Montagnard tribesmen located nearby. I was intrigued by their society and customs, observing them closely at every opportunity. I was still working from Song Be directing supply operations to allow the BC to maintain contact with the guns. My mother was also interested when I reported my close proximity to a tribe. She sent me a report on her research. I was surprised to learn that they were Caucasian and were the original occupants of the land area of Vietnam. The Vietnamese, being a more aggressive race, had driven the remnants of this group into this area. They found some peace in the jungle highlands between the Laotian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese peoples, yet managing to maintain their own somewhat primitive society while working and subsisting off the jungle. The American military helped as much as possible while keeping some distance.
Children would follow you about and spend an inordinate amount of time observing closely while we did our normal work. They were just part of the background. This was probably the most integrated racial area I worked in and I was fascinated by the interaction with us soldiers, and the other groups doing their work. Of course, the war surrounded and limited all of us too. We continued to receive occasional incoming mortar rounds, usually at night. Several times somebody tested the perimeter and set off a flare to see if the guards were paying attention. I guess their sapper school had suffered some losses, or we were getting better with our perimeter defense.
At some point in July or August I ran into a guy who was going home and needed to sell his WWII era .45 cal. grease gun. I was impressed with this weapon including two 30-round clips taped back to back. He told me that the little sub was illegal but if I didn’t flaunt it nobody would make a stink, the price was $25 and was well worth it. I was proficient in its use after a couple days; up to 75 meters it was reasonably accurate. The slow rate of fire meant you could move while concentrating on the target and were less likely to run out of ammo. I still miss that little beauty, but my current neighbors are probably happier that I didn’t smuggle it home.
In late July, or early August, Major Merritt showed up and asked to speak to me. We sat down and he informed me there has been an incident in Alpha Battery and asked if I had been in contact with anybody in Alpha? I answered truthfully that I had exchanged letters with Bill Biggs, and I think, showed him the letter I had received. It was basic what was going on and asking how things were with me. I also had contacted Alpha concerning Reed McDonald’s lost camera. I knew that there was a new Battery Commander in Alpha and I liked him, having had some contact during his previous job as one of the Battalion staff members. I inquired as to how he was doing? He again said the incident was during preparation for a move. Somebody had cut the break lines of all the vehicles.
