Cease Fire, Cease Fire

I arrived in the RVN on July 24, 1965. I was assigned to work in the 3rd MAF Comm Center on the night watch, 1800 to 0600. After returning to the billeting area after noon chow, in the first week of August, I heard a hand cranked siren start wailing. This was followed by several gunshots. Then a voice came over the PA system and shouted “Cease Fire, Cease Fire”

By this time, there must have been about 100 evening watch Marines (Motor-T, Clerks, Comm Center, Etc. – All support personnel were billeted in the same area) standing out on the ‘Company Street’ trying to see what was happening. We could hear Jeep motors heading our way. Then, a 5 foot tall, 125 lb, Vietnamese guy wearing black clothes came running up the street. He was followed by other Vietnamese wearing white helments and about 10 Marine MPs running as fast as they could. Of the Marines on the street, not a single one had a weapon of any kind.

About 3/4’s of them had cameras filming the action. No one tried to stop the Vietnamese, and the last we saw of him and the posse following him was when they turned the corner running towards the Dog Patch.

It’s probably a good idea no one had a weapon out… There would have been friendly fire and casualties. I often wondered if he was ever caught.

Sgt John Stevenson
USMC 1963-1967