Mail Bag: 'Nam

Today gents, we have a treat. I opened my mail bag and saw a email from Moonbeam69. Moonbeam69 rites:
"JK! You are an inspiration to a lot of us soldiers a broad. Can you tell me how you kept your shit together while in Nam?"

Sure thing Moonbeam69.

It all goes back to the Creator. A spiritual man, keeps a clear head. You know what I'm saying? There aren't no Asiatics in Foxholes!!

So to answer your question my friend, how did we keep our shit together? Only one word can suffice that question:

Drugs.

yep. Everyone there was high as a kite.

Let me tell you about a little thing called The Saigon Sling. I was in Nam just two weeks. I went over as a core Engineer. Sometimes I was called Gunnery Sargeant. HOOYAH!

Do you know what a gunnery seargant is? He's a master of weapons. There's only 1 per platoon, and I was it for my company.

I remember when they called us to do a Air Strip. We had to make one. So since *I* was BOTH an engineer and a Gunnery Seargant I was asked to do the stripping of the land. What that meant was I lined a team of master gunners. Picture ten men standing beside me. Five on my left and five on my right. Each with an M60 at waist level. On MY command we emptied thousands of rounds into the jungle where we wanted to build this air strip.

Anything that *might* have been alive was taken out. It was hell. Cleanup was the worst. Sometimes you'd find a dead cow, pigs, villagers, or even a dog. How's a man supposed to handle that? You turn to the great God of mercy... open your Bible... read it every night... and when that don't work...

Drugs.

I thank God every day that he allowed me to keep it together... he guided my footsteps to find ganja in Company A.

That bad thing with having a Company on dope, is the enemy wins. Hands down that's why the Korean's took that war.

Shit. Sometimes I think... if you were sober back then, like you are now, you'd have taken have of Vietnam with your Company alone... Damn straight.

I'm not proud of the loss of that war. Every time I see a Hyundai drive by, I get mad. Mad Dog MAD. It makes me sad to realize our loss was do to our inability to cope with a little bit of blood.

Thank God I was only in Nam 4 weeks. They sent me back early due to my high kill ratio. It was my reward. I got 10 soldiers with one bullet! That earned me the Marksman badge of the Master of Arms Gunnery Sargeant Trophy.

That was the beginning of my illustrious Government carrier. After I got back the doors into the Government sector opened like a honey pot. More on that later!!!

Hope that answers your question, Moonbeam69!!