From Mick Hughes
by Ron Poness on 06/17/23
This is me in 1966 sometime after July at the ripe old age of 18 as a gunner or assistant gunner in the 81mm Mortar Platoon. I hadn't yet been issued jungle utilities, just run of the mill, stateside utilities (work uniforms). There was a delay getting us "jungle boots". The "jungle boots" were great; synthetic uppers, synthetic soles with steel shank and self draining. Leather boots just rotted in the conditions encountered. Usually the stitching between soles and uppers went first. Ironically, some of the larger villages were selling U.S. jungle boots on the black market.
The 81mm mortar fired a projectile about 3 1/4" in diameter with an effective range of about 5,000 yards depending on a number of variables. Many experts qualify a weapon that fires a projectile measuring over 80 millimeters as artillery. The U.S.M.C. didn't get that memo. Our "guns", carried in pieces and put together in action, went with us by foot. Helicopter's. boats and trucks only took Infantry Units to "drop off" points. Motorized anythings were not capable of going where we went.
It wouldn't be too long before I yearned to be "put up" in a tent. From here on out we would spend a lot of time in "fighting holes" constantly on the move hunting down our adversaries as operational tempo picked up significantly.
Looks like a cigarette in left hand. The U.S. Government kindly included small packs in our "C rations". Did about a pack of day from 1964 to 1969; except for Boot Camp in 1965. Quit on my own. That's a story for another day.
No Infantryman was fat. By August 1967 at 6 foot tall, I weighed 135 pounds.
Currently in the military, even thought we're in no wars, enlistments are way down. Even the Service Academies are having trouble putting fannies in classroom seats. The U.S.A. is heading to a place where no one will step up to defend it. VERY dangerous and sad. Not much "leadership" from our elected representatives or bureaucrats. And way too many "Americans" with their heads so far inserted into places where they have no idea if it's day or night. mh
SF. Poness
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