As I mentioned in the previous Blog, I had the opportunity to meet for several hours with my old RECON Sgt and my Troop Commander from C Troop 3/5 Cavalry. We met for a drink in the hotel at Pentgon City and then went across the street for dinner. HBO had a series called
Band of Brothers. There are songs with the same name. Kenni Thomas has a new one out that tell the story very well. The bond between combat soldiers is so strong. It can last a lifetime.
It's hard to describe how close the three of us are. I'm closer to Howey and Edd than any living relative, except possibly my mom. Even with my mom, I'm closer to these guys in many ways, but my mom is obviously special. The three of us can go for decades without seeing or talking to each other and immediately when we see each other it's like we still see each other daily.
Something happens when you live side by side with someone during combat. Howey jokes that we slept together for four months. That may sound funny, but is true. We slept under a piece of fabric attached on one side to the ground and the other side to the commanders tank. Each person slept in exactly the same place each night no more than a foot apart. Each person took their shift on watch. If the enemy attacked during the night, each person knew exactly what to do. We fought as a well-oiled team. Each of us went from sleeping to fighting instantly. In our unit the enemy had little chance to win, but sadly they did on several occasions. Those combat funeral ceremonies were very emotional. I hated them.
Howey was a tough guy, a career Army soldier from West Point. His history was taking over units with weak leadership. Sometimes he replaced a relieved commander. In civilian life we call being "relieved" as getting "fired". His soldiers loved him. They knew under his leadership they would have the best chance to go home to their families in one piece. Howey was the best solider I ever met.
Edd was a youger guy. Like many of us he was simply in Viet Nam because the government asked him to go. He took his job seriously and was exceptional at it. Our habit was to spread our platoons out into the locations at night stretched out across our area of operation. One night while his platoon leader was on R & R, with no officer in the defensive position Edd's unit of 35 was attached by close to a thousand enemy soldiers. His unit had to fight alone all night because a small bridge separated him from us. The real possibility existed that we would be ambushed with horrible consequences if we went to his units rescue. Edd led the unit. He called in artillery, which was his job. He pulled guys out of burning vehicles. He lit up the sky with illumination. It was like daytime all night long. He helped get the Medi-vac helicopters into his position. As the sun came up and the enemy limped away there were the 37 dead NVA soldiers laying around the defensive position. There were blood trails leading to the jungle nearby. I wrote Edd up for a Silver Star. He easily was award the medal for courage beyond what was expected. He was a hero in the real sense of the word.
I have so much respect for Howey and Edd. I am so grateful to have served with both of them. My time with them has shaped my life in many ways. Combat will do that a soldier. We're all older and grey now. Some of us limp a bit. None of us hear real well. My mind thinks we can still go out and do the job as soldiers if called. My body says pass the
Advil.
