When I Turned Nineteen by Glyn Haynie

Author:Glyn Haynie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Glyn Haynie

Figure 33. Preparing for mission August 12, 1969. Seated Left to Right: James Anderson, Danny Carey, Bill Davenport, Ray (“Alabama”) Hamilton. Standing: Mike Dankert, Ronald Owens, Jerry Ofstedahl. Photo provided by Glyn Haynie.

Sitting on the ground left to right was James Anderson, Danny Carey, Bill Davenport, and Ray (“Alabama”) Hamilton. Standing to the rear of the seated squad members, left to right, was Mike Danker, Ronald Owens and Jerry Ofstedahl. Unknown to us, during the next three days, three squad members in the photograph taken that day would be killed and three wounded.

James Anderson, 20, was from Smith Groves, Kentucky and had a southern drawl. He was one of the newer guys, an FNG, with the squad for only two weeks, having arrived at the platoon the end of July 1969. James married Janice before coming to Vietnam and had no children. James was quiet but always paid attention to his surroundings, and you could tell he tried to learn as much as possible by watching others. He would get the “F” dropped from the FNG in no time with his positive attitude.

Danny Carey, 20, from Utica, Illinois, was unmarried. Danny liked to kid around and laugh. He found the good in any circumstance. It was great that we had someone with his disposition in the squad. He’d arrived at the platoon the end of June 1969 and was with us when we built the Hill.

Bill Davenport, unmarried, from Longview, Washington, was slightly chubby (for the field). It didn’t take him long to prove himself to the squad and platoon. He always had the biggest smile on his face. Bill was fun and always made you smile and laugh. He had a great sense of humor. It took no time for us to develop a friendship. Bill became the assistant machine gunner for Alabama and performed his job well.

Alabama—Ray Hamilton—was from a small town in Alabama, hence his nickname, and he, too, had a Southern drawl. He had arrived at the platoon in early June 1969 with many other replacements. Alabama married Donne before coming to Vietnam and had no children. He was quiet but always engaged in conversation and a welcome addition to the squad. He had an easy, small grin; when he talked, you were comfortable with him. Being religious, Alabama read his bible every day. Devoted to his wife, he wrote her most days. He became an excellent M-60 machine gunner; he could always be counted on to protect the squad.

Mike Dankert had arrived in Vietnam March 1969 but didn’t get to the platoon until early May 1969. He was on emergency leave home during the month of April. Mike and I hit it off at once, and our relationship developed into a friendship. He accepted responsibility without question and was developing into a leader. Mike mentored and watched over the newer guys. I think most of the squad looked up to Mike. He was serious but could loosen up, given the opportunity. Man, was he stubborn!

Ronald

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.