The Ghosts of Thua Thien by John A. Nesser

Author:John A. Nesser
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Published: 2016-08-24T00:00:00+00:00

10

Camp Sally

It was great to be back at Camp Sally where we could take showers, eat real food, drink beer at the EM club, and watch movies at night. We were back for some rest and refresher training and were scheduled to be on stand-down for a week. The movies at night were old and not of the best quality, but they were a welcome change from the routine. We still had to take our turn at bunker guard duty at night, but at a relatively large base like Camp Sally, the rotation left us with more nights in our tents than in the bunkers. We all got a chance to go to the PX (Post Exchange) to buy shaving supplies, writing paper, reading material, candy, and cigarettes. There was an Exchange catalog available, with lots of electronics, china, and other merchandise that we could order and have shipped home at very reasonable prices. I ordered two cameras, two sets of china, and some other household items and gifts to be shipped home to Linda.

The training was no big deal, and it helped to pass the time. We took target practice on the range at the edge of camp and reviewed the use of various weapons. We also reviewed and practiced squad maneuvers and patrol tactics, ambush techniques, hand-to-hand combat, radio protocol and first aid training. A .50 caliber machine gun was set up on the target range one day, and we took turns shooting at barrels and a wrecked APC (armored personnel carrier). I was a surprisingly good shot with the .50 cal and had no trouble blasting hell out of an old barrel. The company commander joked that maybe he would have me carry a .50-cal on the next patrol. No thanks, Captain!

Our ARVN interpreter, Tran Thuy, was a great guy and I liked him immediately the very first time we met. During the stand-down he conducted an elementary Vietnamese language course, and everyone had to attend at least one day of language training. I really enjoyed the lessons and found them fascinating. Thuy had a way of making everything a joke, and at times he had us all rolling with laughter. I never learned to speak fluent Vietnamese but could carry on a very rudimentary conversation and understand at least some of what the Vietnamese were saying. Most of them could speak some English, so communication never seemed to be too difficult. Thuy did not understand all of our customs and was quite gullible, so we took advantage of that fact to put him up to various pranks, such as requesting left-handed canteens from the supply sergeant. The battalion commander came to watch us on the firing range one afternoon, and somebody convinced Thuy to go to the commander, salute, and say, “Hey, dude, what’s happening?” The commander was not a jovial man and did not appreciate the humor like we did!

Kit Carson Scouts were former NVA or Viet Cong soldiers who had taken advantage of the

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