Patrol Report

Year Book 

April 9th-22nd, 1969 #294-69

or photos

Patrol Report #294-69

Photo Gallery

Hill 200

NO PUPLE HEART, NO BRONZE STAR
BY: GARY GRAVES

The location of this war story takes place at 1st Reconnaissance Battalion area near Da Dang, Vietnam. The date is TET (Vietnamese New Year) February 1969. The 1969 Tet was nothing to compare to the 1968 Tet offensive but most of the attacks of the 1969 Tet were centered on military targets near Da Dang and Saigon. Most of these attacks were beaten off but the Marines did suffer casualties. However, this is a story of one of those Marine casualties. Being a Hospital Corpsman, often refer to as Doc. I was attached to Bravo Company, 1stRecon Bn. And it was my duty to take care of the Marine’s sick, lame and lazy. The location of the Battalion/Bravo Company was near one of the main arteries leading into Da Dang, and being a main artery, it was well travel during the day. The road was used as a means of travel to the Da Nang, 1st Medical Hospital, 1st Marine Division Headquarters and Freedom Hill. Freedom Hill was the place to be during the day and I feel sure this why they called it Freedom Hill. Freedom Hill was a place for the soldiers, Marines, and sailors to relax from the stresses of war. You could take in a movie, eat a hamburger with a coke, visit the Red Cross ladies, visit the Post Exchange (PX), and of course visit the package store to buy liquor. By the way I shouldn’t forget the Bob Hope Shows. To travel this road at night was a different story. The road was rarely traveled at night due to the fear of an ambush are a sniper lying in wait for some idiot to drive by.
Now with the date and place in mind let’s talk about the well-dressed uniform for a Recon Marine in the jungle. The uniform compose of a boonie hat, jungle utilities with a button fly (no t-shirt/underwear, now refer today as going commando), M16, 80 pound pack, 4 magazines pouches (with 5 magazines in each pouch), 8 canteens of water, 4 grenades, either a smoke/tear gas grenade, gas mask, 100 rounds of ammo for the M60 machine gun, 1 stick of C4 explosive, map/compass, Unit 1 with battle dressings/medication carried by the corpsman, rations for five days, and wore-out pair of jungles boots on his feet with a pair dry socks. At this point you may be asking yourself why “no t-shirt and underwear.” The answer is simple; it was well known that the high humidity and staying wet would cause “jungle rot” where the sun doesn’t shine. (Jungle Rot are sores are lesions that occurred from the irritation of the T-shirt/underwear). For every day wear and walking around the company area the Marines in Bravo Co. would wear tiger stripes shorts with a zipper fly and Hoe Chi Minh sandals (sandals were made from recycled tires).


Now to the story of this wounder warrior. Remember the time is the Vietnamese New Year and we, Bravo Company, received word from headquarters 1st Marine Div. that all Marines should man their positions and be ON THE READY. A few mortar rounds and rockets had been reported slamming into military bases around Da Dang. Sergeants in Bravo Co. rush around to get his people into their firing positions. All were in their positions and ready for action and nothing happens. A day and night passed and still nothing happens. The second night came and the word was passed down, 50% in the trenches and 50% in the rack and rotate position at midnight. I knew from passed experience if a Marine wasn’t in his rack sleeping that someone would be getting sick or hurt. I really expected someone to step in a hole and turn an ankle, or an accidental discharge of a weapon. It was not to be. Sometime after midnight I was awakening with my rack shaking and someone calling “Doc”. With some difficulty I did managed to roll over in the rack and asked the marine what the problem was. His answer was, “doc, I have my dick caught in my zipper and I can’t get it loose.” My reply was “let’s see.” After close exam of the marine’s dick and zipper my statement was to him “man you do have a problem. That zipper is really on your dick good.” You have to remember this was during the Vietnamese New year and we are on alert and no lights. No lights, pitch back, and my pin light was my only source of light. The only solution for me to do is to pull and tug on the marine’s zipper, but I quickly determine this was not the right solution. Every time I pulled or tugged the marine would reply, “Doc, that hurts!”. After a few more tugs on the zipper I decided this was not a Band-aid procedure. A Band-Aid wasn’t going to fix this marine’s “boo-boo”. So, my next best solution was to cut the zipper out with my scissors and release some of the pressure from the tiger shorts and take him to the battalion aid station (BAS) for some real medical help that I couldn’t give him. The story doesn’t end here, the story just got started. Upon arriving, which was about a quarter of a mile from my hotch to the BAS, I knocked on the door as hard as I could to wake up the corpsman inside. All I got was someone yelling and wanted to know what I needed. I explained to the corpsman our situation and he said I would have to take him to the 1st Med Hospital and I could use the aid station Jeep. This brought up another situation, where are the keys to the Jeep. The keys were but nearly impossible to find in the dark. After stumbling and milling around in the dark I finally located the keys to unlock the padlock on the Jeep. All this time I had this crazy thought; it’s dark, TET, and I was going to be driving to the 1stMed Hospital with no lights. This was going to be a SCARY situation and I could get shot by a sniper over a marine’s zipper. I can see the citation now: Hospital Corpsman Gary Graves was awarded the Bronze Star for his heroic action during the battle of the Zipper. After driving a mile to the 1st Med Hospital in the dark we arrived at the triage area. The marine was lucky that night. The marine with the zipper was the only war casualty that night and the physician saw him right away. The physician examines the Marine and said he would be right back. Upon his return he had a camera in hand and another camera around his neck and began to take pictures of the marine’s zipper and penis. Both the marine and myself were surprise. After the picture taken was over, he told the marine he was lucky he didn’t cut are lacerate the urethra and the zipper would have to be removed surgically. The following morning, I reported the ordeal and the disposition of the marine to the company’s first sergeant. With all the different situations we encounter that night, it had to be embarrassing to the marine. ALL IN A NIGHTS WORK FOR A HOSPITAL CORPSMAN IN VIETNAM. THERE WILL BE NO CITATION FOR THE CORPSMAN AND NO PURPLE HEART FOR THE MARINE.

Members of Corporal Jim Southall's 33rd patrol were:

Sgt Lopez, this is the last time they will work together on patrol. They work together on patrols 29 & 33.

LCpl Michael J Will, this is the 2nd time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 29 and 33. Jim Southall was wounded in action (WIA) on his 28 patrol in 1968.

PFC  MICHAEL "Mike" DYKEMAN, this is the 2nd time they worked together on patrol. Patrols 29 & 33 in 1969. Mike is a member of 1st Recon Battalion Association.

PFC Guimond, will appear only on one patrol report with Jim Southall in 1st Recon Battalion.

Corpsman HM3 Gary Graves, this is the only patrol he worked together with Jim Southall in Bravo Company Gary was in Bravo Company from October 1968 through October 1969. I can testify that Gary was one of the best Corpsman in Bravo Company 1st Recon. He is also a member of the 1st Recon Battalion Association.

PVT Romero, this is the 1st time they will work together on patrol in Vietnam.

PFC Mark Angel Guillen, this is the only patrol he worked with Jim Southall on in 1st Recon Battalion in 1969. Mark Guillen was in Bravo Company, 1st Recon Battalion from 1969-1970. He Passed Away on July 21, 1978.

LCpl Steve Grandusky, worked with Jim Southall on two patrols. Patrols 29 & 33 in 1969, Steve Grandusky is a member of 1st Recon Battalion Association. Click out Steve's web page click here.

LCpl Anderson, this is the 1st Patrol with Jim Southall. They will work together on 2 patrols 33 & 34 in 1969. 

PFC Dates, this is the 2nd patrol in Bravo Company. He will work with Jim Southall on 2 patrols 29 and 33.

PFC Herburger, this is the only time they will work together on patrols. 

LCpl Horne, this is the 3rd time they worked together on patrol. Patrols 30-31 and 33 in 1969.

PFC Brandvold, this is the 4th time they worked together in 1969 on patrols. Patrols 29-31 and 33-35.

PFC Spees, this is the last time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 21, 26, 29 and 33 in 1968 & 1969.

SSgt ENRIQUE S "Hank" ROMO, this is the last time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 30, 32 & 33. Hank's a member of 1st Recon Battalion Association. Was in BRAVO COMPANY, JAN. - DEC. OF 1969.

HM2 Sheridan, this is the only time they will work together on patrol.

PFC Plunket, this is the 4th time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 30-32 & 33-34 in 1969.

PFC Merritt, this is the 1st time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 33 and 35 in 1969.

PFC Gillman, this is the only time they will work together on patrol in 1st Recon Battalion.

The Jim Southall Story
Some Give It All

HM3 Gary Graves

HM3 Gary Graves

photo gallery

Thanks for stopping by today!

HM3 Gary Graves, photo gallery, part 2

Happy Holidays from Doc Gary Graves

1969

2017

Yup, this is the guy I remember

Cpl Southall's 33rd Patrol 336 hours with sightings of a total of 342 VC/NVA Team ran two patrols off Hill 200. One patrol came in contact with an enemy booby trap resulting in 3 USMC (WIA) 

Sgt. Mark Angel Guillen (1949 - 1978)

Hill 200

John Stephen "Steve" Grandusky

Steve "Sky" Grandusky

The Jim Southall Story
Some Give It All

Veterans History Project

Sky's Video & Audio Tape

Email sent out November 6th, 2020 at 4:00 AM

Gary Graves, I'm working on the Jim Southall Story, Southall's 33rd Patrol was on hill 200 April 9th-22nd,1969. That was the only patrol you worked with Jim Southall on in Bravo Company.

The team (Year Book) ran two patrols off Hill. On the 13th of April 1969 at 1650 hours one of the patrols came in to contact with an enemy booby trap resulting in 3 USMC (WIA) Do you remember that patrol? I'm looking for more information on this patrol and the wounded members of the patrol.

I'll send you a link to the web page on this patrol. Don't feel bad if you don't remember, just let me know so I can close the page out and move on to the next patrol report.

Thanks for your time, there will be more patrol reports that you were on added to the overall store from time to time.

This is a work-in-progress over the next several months.

https://1streconbn.org/patrol-report-294-69.html

Semper Fi,

Floyd

Hill 200

Email from: Gary Graves
Is this the patrol that Lt. Brian Riley was WIA and medevac.

Responded back to my email, November 6th, 2020

Email from: Gary Graves
First Floyd, I want to thank you for working on this 1st Recon Assoc. site. You have put in some intense and hard work. If this is the same patrol that Lt. Riley got wounded and medevac I do recall the mission very well. I cannot remember all the members names who was on the patrol with the exception Lt Riley's name and the radioman, which I believe was Hawkins.

Responded back to my email, November 7th, 2020

Email to: Gary Graves
I cannot thank you enough, Gary, for responding back to me. You just solved a mystery on one of Bravo Company missing patrol reports. I knew about Lieutenant Brian Riley's accident and the circumstances behind the 1st Recon team tripping the enemy's booby trap that day in 1969. I did not know the exact date till now. I've been looking for that patrol report for years. I should have cross-referenced the roster with the number of Marines & Naval personnel that were actually assigned to the patrol to Hill 200. It's perfectly clear to me now that I could have filled in the blanks myself. But I'm obviously suffering memory lapse or having a senior moment. I probably would have been on that patrol running point that day but I was on R&R in Sydney Australia at the time.

I now believe this patrol is where Lt. Riley got wounded and medevac. He eventually lost one of his legs and retired from the Marine Corps. I was in contact with Brian years ago but I've lost contact with him over the years. He is one of our missing members of our Association today. We try to stay in contact with all of our members but Brian seems to have dropped off the grid.

And yes the radioman was Hawkins. He was also wounded and eventually returned to the battalion along with the point man who was also wounded on this patrol off hill 200 on April 13th, 1969.

I'll fill in the blanks today on this Patrol Report and move on to the next one.

Thanks for all your help on this patrol report. Stay safe and healthy my brother.

Samper Fi,

Floyd

The Jim Southall Story
Some Give It All

Members of Corporal Jim Southall's 33rd patrol were:

Sgt Lopez, this is the last time they will work together on patrol. They work together on patrols 29 & 33.

LCpl Michael J Will, this is the 2nd time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 29 and 33. Jim Southall was wounded in action (WIA) on his 28 patrol in 1968.

PFC  MICHAEL "Mike" DYKEMAN, this is the 2nd time they worked together on patrol. Patrols 29 & 33 in 1969. Mike is a member of 1st Recon Battalion Association.

PFC Guimond, will appear only on one patrol report with Jim Southall in 1st Recon Battalion.

Corpsman HM3 Gary Graves, this is the only patrol he worked together with Jim Southall in Bravo Company Gary was in Bravo Company from October 1968 through October 1969. I can testify that Gary was one of the best Corpsman in Bravo Company 1st Recon. He is also a member of the 1st Recon Battalion Association.

PVT Romero, this is the 1st time they will work together on patrol in Vietnam.

PFC Mark Angel Guillen, this is the only patrol he worked with Jim Southall on in 1st Recon Battalion in 1969. Mark Guillen was in Bravo Company, 1st Recon Battalion from 1969-1970. He Passed Away on July 21, 1978.

LCpl Steve Grandusky, worked with Jim Southall on two patrols. Patrols 29 & 33 in 1969, Steve Grandusky is a member of 1st Recon Battalion Association. Click out Steve's web page click here.

LCpl Anderson, this is the 1st Patrol with Jim Southall. They will work together on 2 patrols 33 & 34 in 1969. 

PFC Dates, this is the 2nd patrol in Bravo Company. He will work with Jim Southall on 2 patrols 29 and 33.

PFC Herburger, this is the only time they will work together on patrols. 

LCpl Horne, this is the 3rd time they worked together on patrol. Patrols 30-31 and 33 in 1969.

PFC Brandvold, this is the 4th time they worked together in 1969 on patrols. Patrols 29-31 and 33-35.

PFC Spees, this is the last time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 21, 26, 29 and 33 in 1968 & 1969.

SSgt ENRIQUE S "Hank" ROMO, this is the last time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 30, 32 & 33. Hank's a member of 1st Recon Battalion Association. Was in BRAVO COMPANY, JAN. - DEC. OF 1969.

HM2 Sheridan, this is the only time they will work together on patrol.

PFC Plunket, this is the 4th time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 30-32 & 33-34 in 1969.

PFC Merritt, this is the 1st time they will work together on patrol. Patrols 33 and 35 in 1969.

PFC Gillman, this is the only time they will work together on patrol in 1st Recon Battalion.

Missing Team Members

(Now credited for this patrol on Hill 200)

 

Thanks to Gary Graves

Email to: Gary Graves

 Gary, would you like to share your story about this patrol wear Lieutenant Brian Riley, LCpl Harkins and PFC Larson was wounded by the booby trap. I should have asked that in the last message I send you.

PFC Larsen on patrol along streambed leading to the Song Vu Gia 3 Km from Hill 200 OP. Bravo Co, 2nd Platoon, April 13th 1969 (Photo was taken by Brian Riley)

PFC Larsen,  Bravo Company 2nd Platoon, by entrance to a storage cave along a stream near the Vu Gia and Charlie Ridge, April 13th, 1969 (Photo was taken by Brian Riley)

PFC James "Lee" Larsen, point man this is the last time they will work together on patrol. PFC Larsen was also wounded on this patrol off hill 200 on April 13th, 1969 and eventually returned to the Marine Corps to become a Corporal. He was with Bravo Company, 1st Recon battalion from 11/68-5/69. He worked together with Jim Southall on patrols 32 & 33. Lee is a member of 1st Recon Battalion Association.

Lieutenant Brian Riley, this is the last time they will work together on patrol. Lt. Riley was wounded and medevac on this patrol he eventually lost one of his legs and retired from the Marine Corps. He worked together with Jim Southall on this patrols 29-30 & 33.

Medal Ceremony at Camp Reasoner. Cpl. Jim Southall and Sgt Dave Lopez

Bravo Deuce

LCpl Harkins, primary radio man this is the last time they will work together on patrol. LCpl Harkins was also wounded on this patrol off hill 200 on April 13th, 1969 and eventually returned to quite quickly to Bravo Company, 1st Recon battalion. He  worked together with Jim Southall on patrols 29-32 & 33. LCpl Harkins is one of those missing members of 1st Recon Battalion. (I'm looking for Info on Harkins)

PFC Robert M. Coy Jr, worked with Jim Southall on Five patrols. Patrols 29-30 & 33-35 in 1969. Robert is a member of 1st Recon Battalion Association.

LCpl Jewell, worked with Jim Southall on three patrols. Patrols 33 & 34-35 in 1969.

LCpl Cole, worked with Jim Southall on three patrols. Patrols 33 & 34-35 in 1969.

Email from: Gary Graves

November 7th, 2020


I got in touch with Lt Riley several years ago by accident. At the time he was the webmaster of the, I'm guessing here, first 1'st Recon site. I was surfing the internet when I came across the site. This was before social networks. I got in touch with him by email. Lt Riley is now in a VA Home in Vermont. His wife Sara Riley is one of my Facebook friends and she keeps me updated on his condition. Back in 2012 the wife and I took a trip to Maine to see a first cuz of mine. On the way we stopped by Vermont and spend the night with him and Sara. I answered several questions for him on what had happened that day. He had a complete lost of memory. He was medevac to the hospital ship Repose. I glad we got to see one another. I'm sure it brought closer for the both of us. During the ordeal he kept asking me if he was going to lose his leg. I kept telling him "no". For years and years I always wondered if he lost his leg. Hawkins had some shrapnel in his hand and the point man, cannot remember his name, got in the back. As you already know we was patrolling around Hill 200. The patrol came across this creek. The creek had high banks and the VC/NVA had dug holes into the side of the creek bank. Just enough room for a man to sleep in. From Hill 200 you could not visually see the creek. It was completely obscure. The patrol continued to follow the creek. It was getting to the point that the patrol would have to exit the creek and start back to Hill 200. The bank was higher than your head and it took a little bit of an effort to scale the bank. The point, duce point, and Lt. Riley had exited the creek and Hawkins was part way up the bank and I was still standing at the bottom of the embankment. There was an explosion and Hawkins yelled at me and said we have hurt people. As I cautiously scaled the bank I could smell the gun powder. Smoke was rising from the ground and the elephant grass was flatten out from the explosion. Lt Riley was on his back wailing and still trying to give orders to his men. Hawkins at once started calling for assistance on the radio and begin to look for an LZ. The only LZ was a small island about 12-15 feet from the river bank. Just big enough to land a 46. It took 4 of us to carry Lt Riley across to the other side. The depth of the water came well over our waist. It took some effort to keep Lt. Riley's head above the water. We all boarded the CH 46 and the air crew dropped us off at Hill 200 and the 46 continual on to the Repose. I can say for certain this incident took a team effort and every Marine did their job to get Lt Riley out of Harm's Way.

Grenade-In-A-Can

Two cans were mounted on trees along either side of a path. The safety pins on the grenades are removed and the explosives are put into cans, which hold down the striker levers. The tripwire was then tied to each grenade. When the wire was tripped, the grenades were pulled out of the cans to detonate instantly. This could also be done with one can and a stake.

 A message from Sara Riley

(Lieutenant Brian Riley's wife)

A thing happened yesterday, a small but good thing, and unexpected.
Brian is all set up for cataract surgery this month and next. We went to the final prelim exam yesterday. He travels in this huge clunky “transfer chair” that is heavy and hard to maneuver. When it was time to bring Brian in to the exam room, the LNA and I had started wrassling the chair when a man came up and offered to help, saying he was a veteran too and how much he respected Marines although he was “just Air Force.” It was a spontaneous, generous offer. I stepped back immediately and thanked him. He helped us into the exam room and when I thanked him again, he again said how much he admired Marines. So I told him how Brian had given me an appreciation of close air support, so we need them both!
That is all there was to this interaction, but I’ve been thinking about it. It reminded me of how Brian was wounded, of how he and all Marines need and rely on their Corpsmen, and how they all relied on each other, and how the other services each fit into the entire mission and how essential they all are. And of how grateful I am for all of them.
Our whole country is like that, with our different views and jobs and lives. We are individuals, each with roles and opinions and rights and responsibilities, but we are one people with a common mission — to form a more perfect union — and I hope we can all find our way back to remembering that — to believing that — and to relying on each other.
We are one people. It’s long past time we started acting like it.

The Jim Southall Story
Some Give It All

Last night I awoke to the sounds of thunder. I was recalling a small part of a day a long time ago. As if it was yesterday, as I remember, it was the height of the war that day in ‘69. It seems to be bits and pieces of time that have been locked away for fifty + years. Names and places are not clear to me now, so I’ll do my best to remember. The team of 8 Recon Marines consisted of young, tough, bronzed warriors with an attitude, a gung ho bunch of Marines from the 1st Recon Battalion, Bravo Company, 2nd Platoon. Team name “call sign” unknown at this time. I can’t recall the team’s name for this mission but the team names that come to mind are Blue Spruce, Cayenne, Panama Hat and Albrook that I worked with from time to time. My team was getting briefed by 1st Lt. Riley, his name I can recall. 1st Lt. Brian Riley sticks in my mind because I felt I was responsible for his death and that been playing on my mind all these years. You see, as the pointman for this small team of marines. I was responsible for finding and clearing the areas of all the booby traps, mines and all other devices that can wreak havoc on my brothers in my team. As a scout I took my job seriously all the time and on all my missions. It so happened by faith, maybe luck that I considered myself to be very lucky in life and in the years of ‘68 and ‘69 and so was my good friend Lance Corporal Herman Jonse, I’ll call him Jonsey for short. Yes my good friend Jonsey of Bravo Company, at the time had just returned from R&R “rest and recuperation” in Australia where he met Margaret his wife to be, Margaret. What can I say about Margaret but she was a peach, a down to earth woman and I thought Jonsey was the luckiest guy on earth. But at the time I was a dumb kid and I had no plans to go on R&R. As I told my friend I’m saving for a brand new car. And I can recall that car today that I was saving for, it was a green 1969 Chevy with white racing stripes. A new ’69 Chevy Chevelle SS “Super Sport” with a 396 high performance engine with a Holley carburetor, chrome wheels with Goodyear F70-14 polyglass tires and this car had a Delco AM radio. Well to make a long story short Jonsey talked me into going to Australia for a week to meet his wife to be. I can recall that time in Australia and meeting Margaret as one of the best vacations I ever had and thanks to Jonsey and Margaret that R&R to Australia April 8th through April 15th, 1969 maybe saved my life who knows. Only one week, but your life can end in a week. When I returned to the Battalion on April 16th I found out that my team had been lost to a mine or some kind of booby trap. And 1st Lt. Riley had taken the brunt of it all and my replacement at point and our radioman were medivaced and I did not hear from them again. So I felt responsible at the time for not protecting my team on that mission because 1st Lt. Brian Riley was the Marine leading this mission on this day. He was giving the briefing the night before this mission. I recall parts of the mission and the high probability of making contact deep in enemy controlled territory. I recall that this didn’t seem to bother me at that time because I had been on plenty of patrols, about 20 missions in all to date, and because of my experience at that time as a scout. This was to be only one more mission to me. As I think back on this now I wonder why is this one mission constantly on my mind? After fifty years, why is this day on my mind. I seem to be reliving this day over and over in my mind. Like the movie “Ground Hog Day” where Bill Murray is living Ground Hog Day over and over and it seems to never end for him until he can get it right. As I wrote this down for the first time "ten years ago", it seems to be playing out and starting to come back to me a little clearer. Each time I sit down to write now my time line of 1968-1969 is becoming clearer to me.

I stumbled across the 1st Reconnaissance website on June 3rd, 2008. I was on Ebay comparing prices, thinking about inventory on hand in my Mall that day and looking for inventory to purchase for my antique business. I don’t know to this day why I keyed in Recon. It seemed to pop into my mind. I was surprised to see all the items listed under Recon on Ebay that day. I don’t know why, maybe curiosity made me switch from Ebay to my search engine and key in 1st Recon Battalion, When I keyed in 1st Recon Battalion that changed everything for me on that day in 2008. Up to that point in time I thought I had sealed the memories away for good. With that click of my mouse up popped the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion’s website. Oh my God, I didn’t believe it, my old unit in Nam. At the same time a peaceful feeling came over me like running into an old friend. yes like running into a friend. This feeling is hard for me to describe. I can recall the day I arrived at 1st Recon in Vietnam as a green know it all rookie marine with an attitude and gung ho at the same time. I was going to win the war by myself. I can look back today on this and laugh at myself. What a dumb kid I must have been then. Only moments after arriving that day, reality set in and I learned quickly that I was in hell or some where close. I can recall clearly the day I arrived at 1st Recon. It was Saturday July 7th, 1968.  I was one of the replacements for one of those brave men KIA “killed in action” on Hill 200 a month earlier on June 3rd, 1968. I spent the remaining part of that day on June 3rd, 2008 reading stores on the Battalion website. I realized that what once was sealed away in my mind is now racing through my mind like a wild fire out of control. This would go on for weeks before I started writing it down. Working as a pointman, I’ll call it a scout, I'll recall that as a boy I liked to play an old scout, you know like the one out of an old movie of the wild west or some times I played an Indian scout “Native American scout” for the cavalry. You can see my point so from time to time I will call it a scout and not a pointman. I’m just a dumb kid playing cowboys and Indians as my mother would say. I also worked as a M79 grenadier on my earlier missions for Bravo Company. Until two weeks shy of going home for good. (I was hospitalized in Yokahama on July 9th, 1969 and released from Active Duty on August 19th, 1969).

I can recall that time in August of ‘69 when I returned home and encountered the Anti-War demonstrators for the first time. My opinion then was that many Americans thought the war in Vietnam was wrong and the veterans of the war were baby killers and that most Americans hated the veteran. I can recall the words Baby Killers for the fighting men and maybe women too. But returning home in '69 it played on my mind. I never talked about the war , I just sealed it away. But I did not intentionally kill innocent civilians or babies and you can take that to the bank. I am proud of serving in the Marine Corps and my opinion will not change. I’m proud to be a Recon Marine and that you can take to the bank also. Like most of us who served in Vietnam I went there with a different attitude. I never questioned whether, morally or politically, we should have been in Vietnam. We were told and I believed that we were helping our country to stave off communism and uphold the ideals of our way of life.  I missed the anti-war demonstrations in 1968.  As a member of the armed forces beginning on December 7th,1967 I didn’t know about the demonstrations, I didn’t hear about them, and I don’t know why. Maybe I was so focused on going to war that I blanked out the world around me.

For more on this story

Brian Riley

"A Brotherhood Forged In Combat"

A Summer Day In Nam

By Floyd Ruggles

Email sent November 8th, 2020 at 6:00 AM to: James "Lee" Larsen

Lee,

I am currently working on a large project with over 100 patrol reports and 0ver 200 1st Recon Battalion Marines involved in this story. The story is a work in progress over the next several months. If you have a story that you would like me to add send it to me and I'll try to add the Patrol report to it if I can. This is a work in progress on our website. You can follow along with it over the course of the next several months. It's called Some Give It All, The Jim Southall Story, it will include most of the companies in the battalion over a period between 1967 through 1970. This is the link to the the web page to the story. https://1streconbn.org/sgt-jim-southall-story.html

You worked with Sgt. Jim Southall on his 32nd patrol Northeast of Dong Den Mountain & his 33rd patrol on Hill 200 April 9th-22nd, 1969. This is the patrol that Lt. Brian Riley was WIA on and medevac. Do you have a story or Info that you can share with the members of the 1st Recon Battalion Association.

Semper Fi,
Floyd Ruggles
Membership Director & Webmaster

Email sent November 8th, 2020 at 4:30 PM to: Sara Riley

Hello Sara, sorry to hear about Brian. I've been communicating with Gary Graves. How is Brian doing? Keep me updated on his condition. I'm working on a large project for the association. It's called The Jim Southall Story, Some Give It All. The story includes over 100 1st Recon Patrol Reports, over 200 1st Recon Battalion Marines involved in this story. The story is a work in progress over the next several months. Southall's 33rd Patrol was on hill 200 April 9th-22nd,1969. Brian was wounded and medevaced on this patrol,. He also worked together with Jim Southall on patrols 29 & 30. I'll be working on those patrols soon. Brian also worked on over a dozen patrols scheduled to be part of the story. I'm wrapping up the 33rd Patrol which Brian was a part of. I should finish that within a day, Jim Southall's 33rd patrol with Bravo Company.

The team (Year Book) ran two patrols off Hill 200. On the 13th of April 1969 at 1650 hours one of the patrols came in to contact with an enemy booby trap resulting in 3 USMC (WIA)

I'll send you a link to the web page on this patrol.

Thanks you for being a friend on Facebook Sara. Godspeed, I'll be thinking of Brian, keep me up-to-date on Brian's condition. I would love to hear from him. Thank You

The link to the 33rd Patrol Report.
https://1streconbn.org/patrol-report-294-69.html

Semper Fi,

Floyd

Doc Gary Graves, 2020

11/8/2020 6:30pm

TODAY IS A GIFT

Many people will walk in and out of your life,
But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart
To handle yourself, use your head;
To handle others, use your heart.
Anger is only one letter short of danger.
If someone betrays you twice, it is your fault
Great minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.
He who loses money, loses much;
He who loses a friend, loses much more;
He who loses faith, loses all.
Beautiful old people are works of art.
Learn from the mistakes of others
You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.
Friends, you and me ... You brought another friend ... and we started our group ... our circle of friends ... and like a circle ... there is no beginning or end ... Yesterday is history......Tomorrow is mystery.

Today is a gift

Paul Slmon, Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick.

We Are The World

Brian Riley

My heart holds a prayer that carries you friend So close to God's loving heart. I lay out my hope that you'll know his touch, And be healed by the Lord above. ... I wish I could be beside you always, to hold your hand and pray. So I'm sending my love, my thoughts and my faith, to be with you my wonderful friend.

November 8th, 2020

Lieutenant Brian Riley

Bravo Company NOV 68-MAY 69

Bravo Deuce WIA APRIL 13th, 1969

Hey Floyd,

 

Brother, after reading your accounts how you missed the patrol that Lt Riley was WIA, it occurred to me that you were the other pointman in our company that had a stellar record for bringing the team back safely. There is nothing you could have done to prevent what had happened that day. Never, ever blame yourself for thinking you could have affected the outcome. We had no business running patrols off of Hill 200 as every enemy combatant knew we were there and planned accordingly. I went as far as company commander to prevent running that patrol. No one on the team thought that patrol was a good idea. I had premonitions, you know, that sixth sense that made your hair stand on end that made every pointman worth his salt. Everything screamed, “bad Idea” running patrols off 200. To what avail, we already knew we were surrounded by unfriendlies. If anyone deserves to know what happened that day, you do. I’d be honored to share every minute of that patrol, what we found, our thoughts at the time and why it was decided to relieve Lt Riley of command. I’ll walk you through that patrol, every inch of the way from the time we left the perimeter to the time the shit hit the fan until we landed on the deck of the USS Repose.

 

Lee Larsen

 

PS: Before all this happened, Lt Riley recommended me for OCS, along with Lt Brown.

IED

a simple bomb made and used by unofficial or unauthorized forces.

An improvised explosive device (IED) is a type of unconventional explosive weapon that can take any form and be activated in a variety of ways. They target soldiers and civilians alike.

IEDs were used during the Vietnam War by the Viet Cong against land- and river-borne vehicles as well as personnel. They were commonly constructed using materials from unexploded American ordnance. Thirty-three percent of U.S. casualties in Vietnam and twenty-eight percent of deaths were officially attributed to mines; these figures include losses caused by both IEDs and commercially manufactured mines.

The Grenade in a Can was a simple and effective booby trap. A hand grenade with the safety pin removed and safety lever compressed was placed into a container such as a tin can, with a length of string or tripwire attached to the grenade. The can was fixed in place and the string was stretched across a path or doorway opening and firmly tied down. In alternative fashion, the string could be attached to the moving portion of a door or gate. When the grenade was pulled out of the can by a person or vehicle placing tension on the string, the spring-loaded safety lever would release and the grenade would explode.

The rubber band grenade was another booby trap. To make this device, a Viet Cong guerrilla would wrap a strong rubber band around the spring-loaded safety lever of a hand grenade and remove the pin. The grenade was then hidden in a hut. American and South Vietnamese soldiers would burn huts regularly to prevent them from being inhabited again, or to expose foxholes and tunnel entrances, which were frequently concealed within these structures. When a hut with the booby trap was torched, the rubber band on the grenade would melt, releasing the safety lever and blowing up the hut. This would often wound the soldiers with burning bamboo and metal fragments. This booby trap was also used to destroy vehicles when the modified grenade was placed in the fuel tank. The rubber band would be eaten away by the chemical action of the fuel, releasing the safety lever and detonating the grenade.

Another variant was the Mason jar grenade. The safety pin of hand grenades would be pulled and the grenades would be placed in glass Ball Mason jars, which would hold back the safety lever. The safety lever would release upon the shattering of the jar and the grenade would detonate. This particular variant was popular with helicopter warfare, and were used as improvised anti-personnel cluster bombs during air raids. They were easy to dump out of the flight door over a target, and the thick Ball Mason glass was resistant to premature shattering. They could also be partially filled with gasoline or jellied gasoline, Napalm, to add to their destructive nature.

Hi Floyd,

Yes, I was pointman on both of those patrols and was WIA along with Lt Riley on 13 April 1969. I read the page and it said Lt. Riley was the 3rd man back. That is incorrect. Lt Riley was on deuce point at the time, about 15-20 feet behind me, and took the brunt of the IED and I took shrapnel in the back, buttocks, both arms and both legs. Our radioman took shrapnel in the hand. The only place missed was my head. That day has been etched in my mind ever since and there is a back story to what happened that day that would have led to my court martial if we had safely returned to the observation post, Hill 200. I relieved Lt Riley of command about 15 minutes before we hit the IED at the bequest of my team. Let me know if you want the true story of that ill-fated patrol. I’ll share it with you at your request, but sometimes, the truth doesn’t honor anyone. Some things are better off the way people want to remember them.

 

Semper Fi,

Lee Larsen

Bravo Co., 1st Recon Vietnam ’68-‘69

1st email from: Lee Larson November 8th, 2020

2nd email from: Lee Larson November 8th, 2020

Email sent to: Lee Larson November 9th, 2020

Lee,

Thank you for your quick response to my email. I had no idea of the extent of your injuries.  I will be honored to hear the true story of that ill-fated Patrol. Walk me through the entire patrol. I look forward to hearing your account.

Semper Fi,

Floyd

 

Lee Larson & Brian Riley

April 13th, 1968

1968 - 1969

Bravo Company

Hi Floyd,

I hope this finds you doing well.

 

It started with talk that we were going to start running patrols off of Hill 200 and I was to be on point. Since being assigned to Bravo Deuce in Nov. ‘68, Hill 200 was mostly a welcome break from our normal routine of long range reconnaissance patrols. I walked point for 6 months on many patrols and never failed to bring the entire team back from every single one of them. I had a bad feeling about this patrol, so bad that I didn’t want any part of it. Alarm bells were going off in my head and they wouldn’t stop. Everything was screaming “bad idea”. It wasn’t like our trips down to the watering hole, about as far as we normally ventured outside the perimeter. I wasn’t alone in my feelings about that patrol. Every single man on that patrol felt the same way and we all shared our apprehension with one another. I wanted to take my Thompson M1A1 on that patrol because though it was heavy, it was short and maneuverable for the jungle and wasn’t a .22 caliber. Riley nixed the idea but never said why. We headed out off the hill and down and past the LZ. We disappeared off the right side of the mountain where we encountered a steep ravine. We continued down the mountain just left of the ravine until we hit a small shallow stream and followed it to the right. By then I was starting to pickup little tell-tale signs that we might not be alone but unable to tell how recent. Walking the stream bed we had dense foliage on both sides. We continued until we came upon a very small patch of land on the right and that’s where I spotted an opening to a tunnel dug into the side of the stream bed. I pulled up there and waited for the lieutenant. I was handed a .45 and a flashlight and went on in. I cursed my heart for pounding so hard because that’s all I could hear as I explored the interior. Back then flashlights weren’t much brighter than a Zippo lighter and afforded me about 8 feet of vision in both directions of the tunnel. Thank God I didn’t have to use that .45 pistol in such cramped quarters, it would have been LOUD. After finding nothing inside (thank you Lord) we decided it was a good time to take a break. It was at this time when team members started coming up and asking me to end this patrol and return to the OP, everyone was on-board. (We were about to come to a clearing that was going to expose us and compromise our position. Without the benefit of cover and concealment we may as well as have been running naked and shooting flares because the base of the hill belonged to Charlie and we knew it.) I talked to Lt. Riley and told him that we were ending the patrol and heading back. We continued down the stream until we hit the river and followed it to the right and found us on a lightly used trail. My thoughts were to go up the front of the hill towards the watering hole which was about half-way up to the perimeter. We came to a raised area covered with thick grass about 3-4 feet tall. It was so thick I couldn’t even see the tops of my boots. I stepped up and started walking through the grass, got about 20 feet and there was a huge explosion. The concussion blew me down to my knees and knocked the M-16 from my hands. I could barely hear anything at that point. About the same time, I was getting choked out from the CS grenade that detonated on Lt Riley’s cartridge belt, I could hardly breathe. With no wind, the CS cloud just hovered above the ground. Finally, it dissipated enough that I could breathe. I heard Lt Riley shout out, “set up a 360” and I yelled, “No, there may be more booby traps”. With no subsequent explosions or gunfire I determined we were not under attack but stumbled into a possible mine field. At that time, I had no idea I had been hit until everything I was wearing was turning red and I could feel the strength starting to drain from my body. I think everyone was rightly concerned about Lt Riley and didn’t know I was hit so no one came over to me. Soon, I could hear the whop, whop, whop of the medevac chopper coming in for a landing. After about 5 minutes I could hear someone whistle and yell, “Come on, Larsen”. At that point, I could only raise my arm and wave. They got back off the bird to come get me and put me face down on a stretcher and the bird took off. I heard someone say, “Oh, my God” and felt pressure on my back. During the trip I could hear the sound of thunder as I slipped in and out of consciousness before we landed on the deck of the USS Repose. As much as it rained, it was the first time I actually heard thunder on my tour. Because I was so cold from the loss of blood, they completely covered me with a poncho liner on the chopper. On the deck of the Repose I could hear someone say, “This one’s dead”. I pulled the poncho liner back and said, “The hell I’m dead”! The next thing I remember was someone saying, “Do you feel this? How about now, do you feel this” and I was wondering who he was talking to and why wasn’t the guy responding. I opened my eyes and at the foot of my bed was a doctor, poking a needle in my feet. I never felt it.

Funny thing about that explosion, I felt as if the entire burden of the war and walking point was lifted from my shoulders and it settled an argument I was having about faith as the first words out of my mouth as I buckled to the ground was, “Oh, my God”.

 

Lee Larsen

1st Recon, Bravo Deuce ’68-’69

 

It was my responsibility to find that IED and I didn’t. That’s on me, not you. Unless someone had a metal detector, no one would have found it other than the way we did.

Thanks Lee,

I am sorry tp hear about your wife. I am sure taking care of her is very rewarding and difficult. You can send them to 2453 Cowern Place East, North St Paul, MN 55109. I look forward to reading your story. Stay well.

S/F
Floyd

Hi Floyd,

 

Send me your address so I can send you slides and pictures from our recon unit. I’m working on the story about the last patrol but my wife has dementia and I’m her sole caretaker. I’m going to send you links to pictures taken during that last patrol by Lt Riley. One is a picture of my back walking point which bares out that Lt Riley was on deuce point as he took the picture. 

 

http://www.1strecon.org/1strecon/ReconPix/LARSCAVE.JPG

 

http://www.1strecon.org/1strecon/ReconPix/STRM2001.JPG

 

Both pictures were taken on that patrol off Hill 200 about 20 minutes that IED incident by Lt Riley

 

Semper Fi

Lee

3rd Email from: Lee Larson on November 11th, 2020 4:56pm

4th Email from: Lee Larson on November 11th, 2020 7:00pm

Email sent to: Lee Larson on November 11th, 2020 5:15pm

Patrol April 13th, 1969

1st Recon Battalion

November 11, 2020

"Both pictures were taken on that patrol off Hill 200 about 20 minutes before IED incident by Lt Riley"

 

Semper Fi

Lee Larsen

November 11, 2020

"Both pictures were taken on that patrol off Hill 200 about 20 minutes before IED incident by Lt Riley"

 

Semper Fi

Lee Larsen

Hill 200 (OP) Observation post, Bravo Company, 2nd Platoon, Lieutenant Brian Riley.

Photo was taken by Steve Grandusky in 1969. 

60 mm Mortar Pit on Hill 200 (OP) Observation post. Bravo Company, 2nd Platoon, Lieutenant Brian Riley.  

Lieutenant Brian Riley's 1st Recon team accidentally tripped a enemy's booby trap April 13th, 1969 at 1650 hours. He was seriously wounded by the blast of the Grenade in a C-Ration Can he was medevac. He eventually lost one of his legs and retired from the Marine Corps.

Thanks Lee for your detailed account of the events of that Patrol on April 13th, 1969. I'll look forward to seeing your photos of your time in Bravo Company. I will be using this Patrol as one of my highlight patrol of the entire project that I'm working on "Some Give It All" The Jim Southall Story with over 100 Patrol Reports. I can't thank you enough Lee for all your time. Semper Fi

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Photo Gallery

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Photo posted on Facebook by, Doc Gary Graves
I can see several M-16s, one 12ga shotgun, M-14, several hand grenades, some smoke grenades, tear gas and maybe a WP grenades.

Floyd Ruggles wrote November 11th, 2020
Doc, thanks for posting do you remember the hill this patrol was on? Is this one of Bravo companies teams?

Gary Graves wrote back on the same day
Yes it was a Bravo co. team and it was taken on hill 200

Hill 200, Bravo Company, 1969

Thanks Doc

Doc Graves

THE DAY THE CRAP WENT UP IN FLAMES
By Gary Graves, HM3

The story is based on his experience as a Hospital Corpsman in Vietnam while on duty with Bravo Co., 1st Recon Bn, 1st Marine Div..
As any war time veteran has a war story, so do I. I just don’t know how to start this story so it’s going to be right off the top of my head. I thought this would be a good war story for Veteran’s Day so I decided to tell this true war story. First let me set the background. Vietnam, hot, humid, with a less than a platoon of marines on a mountain top refer to us as Hill 200 observation post (OP). There were several bunkers that were connected by a trench and the bunkers and trench formed a circle around the crown of the hill. From the trench line to the perimeter wire was about 25 yards.
As many Vietnam veterans knows there were no privacy when going to the toilet, which was often call the “head” by the Sailors/Marines and the latrine by the Army, but was often referred to in Vietnam as the “shitter”. The head/latrine, back in the secure area, was an enclosure with 4 holes inside with a 55-gal drums that was cut in half and these drums slid in and out from underneath the seat. Fuel oil was kept in the drums so the excrement could be burned during the day. Not a pleasant job for a marine private, but also was contracted out to the locals in secure areas.
Now to my war story on Hill 200. As the Hospital Corpsman it was my responsibility to see to the Marine’s hygiene, which included seeing that the latrine was burned on a daily basis. The shitter was a barrel that was cut off, just high enough to sit on, with a piece of plywood laid on top with a hole cut into the plywood. This barrel was located just inside the perimeter wire and was not enclosed. So, when you took a dump you did your job in front of God and the rest of the Marines on the OP., I always had this terrible thought when I took a dump. I was shot by a sniper while sitting on the shitter and a letter was sent home to my parents and it read, “Your son was killed with his paints down while sitting on the shitter.”
Well on this particular day I thought I would take care of the latrine (shitter to some folks) and burn the excrement myself. I asked the LT where the fuel oil was located and he replies that the fuel oil was gone. All the fuel oil was used the day before. I when on to explain to him the latrine needed to be burned. The LT says to me, “since the fuel oil was gone there might be an ammo can with some napalm”. For those that done know what napalm is, it’s a thickening/gelling gasoline, very flammable. I told myself, “what the hell, the shitter needs to get cleaned out and burned”. I walked down to the shitter and kicked the plywood seat off. As I looked with steadily and intently gaze, I began to wonder why did I volunteered to do this job. A quick thought ran across my mind as I gazed into the barrel “Jesus, what has these marines being eating”. I took the ammo can and begin to pour the napalm into the barrel, which the barrel also contains some residual fuel oil from the last clean-out. As I poured the napalm into the barrel I begin to wonder if I was going to have enough napalm to the job. So, what the hell, I dump the hold ammo can of the mixture into the barrel. I knew from experience that I dare not stand next to the barrel and light a match. So, I went into the ammo bunker and found a flare grenade, which had a delay fuse of about 3-4 seconds. I stood at the trench line, which was a good 10 yards away from the barrel; I pulled the pin and tossed the flare into the barrel. I was really impressed myself. With all those years of basketball in high school the flare went into the barrel. It was all net, 2 points. The flare grenade went off and do I need to explain what happen next. It was pure jet engine afterburner. The barrel didn't even move. Flames shot straight up into the air along with all the crap. Crap was everywhere. I went to inspect the barrel and it was nice and clean and shiny. I thought to myself that this is the cleanest shitter in Vietnam. I thought only a jarhead was capable of doing stupid stuff, but I found out this corpsman was also capable of doing stupid stuff.

Doc Gary Graves