West Dickins Avenue: A Marine at Khe Sanht
This book is the personal account of one Vietnam Marine grunt who was in the 77 day siege at Khe Sanh combat base in early 1968. John Corbitt was in Vietnam for 13 months, and in combat most of the time, but this is the story of his three months at Khe Sanh. He entered the gates of Parris Island, SC on July 26, 1967. After boot camp and rudimentary training at LeJeune he was flown to the Far East. He stowed his seabag and personal items in Okinawa and 2 days later was in Khe Sanh. He arrived in Khe Sanh on Jan 4, 1968, just over five months from the day he left the carefree teenage civilian life and entered PI. Even though this is a personal account, it probably covers what life was like for all the men dug in and defending the main outpost. The 26th Marine Regiment was surrounded by three NVA divisions and other regimental size units with no relief available, or at lest not immediately planned. The numbers against the Marines was overwhelming. Only valiant efforts from Marines on the surrounding hills and on the base, with the ordnance from artillery and air support prevented the regiment’s main outpost and command center from being overrun. The book does not have much to say about the politics of the era, but there is an indication of Washington’s getting them into the precarious situation to start with and then hindering a relief effort. There is hour to hour, day to day account of what it was like to be under the rain of steel that came down on them 24 hours a day for 77 days beginning on Jan 21 1968.
Corbitt gives a good description of what life was like in day to day living in a hole in the ground day after day. Where movement to perform any kind of duty had to be accomplished with one eye out for any cover whether hole, trench or ground depression. Something to be dived into during the split second from muzzle blasts of the NVA artillery, rockets and mortars were heard until the round exploded. As an ammo carrier for an 81mm mortar squad, he was up and moving when the shelling was going both ways. The rest of the time he was a rifleman or on work details, work details that also kept the head above ground and looking for cover. He describes how quickly one learned to identify and respond to the different sounds and locations when hearing the enemy muzzle blasts of rocket, artillery or mortar. And knowing how much time one has to jump into the lowest point available.
He found a street sign with the name, "West Dickens Ave," in rubble where he chose to dig his foxhole. There no reasoning as to how it got there. The sign became his "address", posted next to his foxhole. His thoughts while looking at his new sign: "....I wonder about the city this sign comes from. I wish, no matter where the hell it is, I was there instead of here!" I am sure the sentiments of many around him.
This book is not an attempt to cover the battles that was raging within the outpost and on the hills around it. Nor does it delve very much into the politics of the era. It is primarily about the life of any grunt at Khe Sanh combat base being nailed to the ground. Their world consisted of the private hole in the ground, trenches and the 81mm gun pit. And their luxuries became what kind of C Rations you drew and how many cigarettes you had.
This is an easy and a quick book to read. The writer uses simple sentences to tell of three months of his life. It also conveys how his life changed radically when he turned from being indecisive youth and near draft dodger to a Marine. It does have some small bits of history that helps to put together the puzzle that was Vietnam.
John Corbitt enlisted in the two-year program. The two years was allowed at that time but with the understanding that you were headed for Vietnam for 13 months (unless you returned either dead or severely wounded). But he is a Marine for life as all honorably discharged Marines are. There was a radical change in his life, which the only the Marine Corps itself can drive into your soul.
Something that was a little bit of a puzzle was his insistence on using the generic term soldier when referring to Marines. At least more than most Marines would find appropriate. But he was not the boy who left home for "adventure" but a thoughtful man less than two years removed. He was and is a Marine! Semper Fi!
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