The Near Shoot Out With Koreans and Americans

Me: What happened?

Dad: Well, when we had to go pick up 5000 rifles, and the 5000 bayonets, and there were only 2500 bayonets there. I had orders for 5000 of each for the Koreans. When we got there, there was a platoon, I think it was the 101st airborne, they got there right after we did, with orders to pick up the same bayonets and rifles that we did.

Me: So somebody had screwed up?

Dad: It wasn't that. I knew my orders were real and I knew that their orders were not. And they were saying that they were going to take the rifles. and I'm telling the lietuenant, no they belong to the Koreans. He was saying, no, we need them, we go out on patrol, and I said hey, so do they. He said, "Well we're going to take them." And I said, "No, you're not." So I'm thinking he's got like 30 guys, we didn't go there with that many. Or I thought we didn't. But some of the other Koreans had arrived there before we did, and they were just staked out.

Me: Why were they staked out?

Dad: Well, you're picking up 5000 rifles, and you have to take them back to the main camp by truck. Well, if you get ambushed by Charlie, they're going to get those rifles. So they had to make sure there was enough people.

And so I told the lietuenant, "No, you're not taking them."

And he had said, "Well, what happens if we want to?"

And the Koreans were up on their trucks, and they had 30-caliber machine guns. I thought, son of a bitch. All they have to do is start shooting ... and a lot of people are going to die. Americans and Koreans. And I told the lietuenant, "Your orders are phony."

Me: Did he know that his orders were phony?

Dad: I don't know.

And the guy at the warehouse, the security people here, they said, we've already verified mine. I told the lietuenant, you're not taking them. So you know, it's your call.

And the Koreans were getting pissed off?

It was like we're here and they're there. And I'm talking to the lietuenant. And I'm telling him, you're not taking them. Our orders are verified. I don't know where you got yours, don't care.

I see the Koreans, they're like ... you see that tree? They've got ... their hands were on the machine guns. I thought if the Americans start doing something dumb, are these guys going to open up with their machine guns? I don't know.

So the lietuenant finally said, all right, you guys take them.

So I'm thinking - if they were really yours, you would have done something about it. You'd go back to HQ, you'd go back to somebody and say, "They had false orders." But they never did.

Somehow or other, either someone in Saigon screwed up or ... I don't know. I know there were 2500 bayonets missing. And i'm sure they ended up on the black market.

Somewhere from the boat to the depot they ended up on the black market.

At the depot, you could buy anything there. TVs, stereos, little refrigerators. I'm thinking, what the hell are they sending all this stuff?

Dealing with the black market .. you can't believe. People made thousands and thousands dealing with the black market

Just about everyone who was at Cam Ranh worked at the depot. It was a huge, huge, depot. And the company that was across the street from us got raided by the MPs one day. We were told that they had arrested the CO, the first sgt, they found TVS, refrigerators, stereos that had all been stolen from the depot.

My thing, when i went to the PX for the first time, was, who comes to Vietnam to buy a stereo?

Me: So who got arrested?

Dad: The CO got arrested, and the first sgt. I don't know how many people from that company got arrested, but they did.

Me: So would you say that the best part of staying with the Koreans was that they were friendly and there wasn't so much racial bullshit?

Dad: There wasn't any racial bullshit.

Me: So what was the worst part of staying with the Koreans?

Dad: Uh. I think they always wanted to more or less get into a fight with the Vietnamese.

Me: Isn't that what you were there for?

Dad: Well, yeah, but see, the Americans on the peninsula weren't infantry. They weren't combat soldiers. They were all support companies. They'd just as soon go home. Like me.

The Korean liason office was not infantry. Captain Lee was not infantry. Captain Kim - none of them were infantry. But I know Sgt. Kim would rather be in the infantry and fight, rather than not fight. Most of the Koreans I met would rather fight the enemy than not fight.

Me: Did you see any times when it appeared they were agressively looking for a fight?

Dad: Maybe when we'd go by the rubber plantation, they were hoping somebody would shoot at them so they could open up on them.

Me: They said that?

Dad: You could tell by their actions. Their demeanor changed when we'd have a convoy going by at night time.