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TET 69 Secrets

It have been 50 years since the 69 Tet offensive and now i ca finaly tell the truth about my service in the Marines.It is now declassified. On Feb 1 1969 i just finished my scout sniper training at Stone Bay Camp Lajune and was home enjoying 20 day leave when I got a call to return to HQ 2nd Recon. Once I arrived I was sent right away to a secret location near Onslo Beach.The only thing we were told was that we were shipping out to an undiclosed location. We were all issued a M-21 sniper rifle and loaded onto cattlecars.The next stop was Cherry point airbase. We were loaded onto C-130 cargo planes and imediatly took off About 10hours later under the cover of darkness we landded at Danag airbase in South Veitnam and were loaded onto covered trucks but still did not know where we were going. Finaly we were at our destiation Hue city. We were told to lock and load and to set up firing positions aroundd the city andd to shoot anyboby tring to leave the city.We were ther for about a week and lost Marines and We were then sent back to Danag again under the cover of darkness and told to never speak about waht we did.All any body need to know was we were on a training mission and the guys we lost were just lost None of us got any medals or nothing. I think I need a drink.
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Comments

Brian Mc Guinn - April 21, 2020

Hi John, A good friend of my Dad’s, John M Long USMCR [later LtCol] was a Dauntless pilot on Cactus with [then] VMSB-235. He had some hair raising stories about the pilots drinking torpedo fuel [195 proof alky] mixed with pineapple juice, in bomb trenches while the Japs cruised down the Slot and shelled Henderson at night. In the morning they sobered up with whiffs of oxygen before attacking. After a while they ran out of O2, and air ops were limited to angels ten. Great sea stories, I was ten but knew what my branch of service would be, even then. In the 1980s I got a VMFA-235 “Death Angels” patch and sent it to him, but he only said, “They’ve stolen my Squadron.” Semper Fi.

John B. - April 21, 2020

Way to go Brian. Took the words right out of my mouth. John B. MOS 6511 (AO) Danang AB 65′ 66′ VMF (AW) 312 AND VMF (AW) 235. When we rotated overseas in early ’65 headed for (then) NAS Atsugi Japan, we left El Toro in a 707. It was a 12 or 14 hour flight to Tokyo via the Great Circle Route.

James Kanavy cpl 0311 - April 21, 2020

Tet was 1968

CPL JOSEPH GREEN USMC Ret - April 21, 2020

Harry, I’m afraid these POSer’s are in EVERY Veterans organization, all across our great nation. At least the VFW got rid of that problem child, the Legion’s final decision was to transfer our problem child to a Post in a nearby town to keep him away from me, now he’s free too put back on all his decorations and put on his show there. The Legion’s leaders State & National were to gutless to handle the problem, I notified both, but no help.

Harry - April 21, 2020

Cpl Green, In 2009 there was a Stolen Valor claim at a VFW post near me.The commander of the Honor Guard and, I’ll try to make this short,made a motion that all members of the Guard could wear their ribbon stack and any other badges on their uniforms. When he showed up at a Memorial Day service he was wearing his and WOW! He had a Navy Seal “BUD”badge A Silver Star with a “V” (No such award) 2 Purple Heart Ribbons,one with a “V” (Again no such award) and 1 plain PH ribbon. Got called out real quick.Claims 1 PH was for combat and the other was for broken leg!! A review of his DD-214 showed all of these awards, problem was the 214 was a forgery. turns out he was former Coast Guard and used his Coast Guard 214 to claim Navy! The Dumb Ass didn’t realize that bottom left of his 214 was printed CG DD-214. There is a lot more to this story but, all I can say is he is no longer a member of the VFW

Murray hermanson - April 21, 2020

Harry are you trying to get G going again.

Robert E. Hays - April 21, 2020

That ten hour flight also struck me as bogus. Crap, it would take that long to get to CA from Cherry Point! I smell a rat here!

CPL JOSEPH GREEN - April 21, 2020

CPL USMC RETIRED PDRL 75-81

CPL JOSEPH GREEN - April 21, 2020

Any of you guys want to hear BS come too Wisconsin & I’ll introduce you to this POSer with the Legion, ( Officer both Chapter & District Level), CLAIMS a Marine LtCol came and selected him from the Navy when he was a Gunners Mate to go stand on the yellow footprints at CLNC to be Recon. Went to RVN @ 17 years old, lost 200 Recon Marines in one day? Wears the SS / BS / 6 PH’s / CAR & a host of other ribbons. When I did a FOIA on this Gomer he never served in the Corps & only had 10 months in the Navy before getting a General Discharge, clearly a “Project 100,000” enlistee. When I raised an issue “the leadership” of the Legion would not insist he stop his Stolen Valor game, they were afraid he would sue the Legion??? The District Vice Commanders exact words to me, I never renewed my membership & never will. Semper Fi

Harry - April 21, 2020

Not that it matters a lot but I just checked “Wiki” and,there was a version of the M-21 in late 60,s the XM-21. The Marines used the M-40 not M-41 and it was 7.62 Harry

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