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They did not let me get back in the fight, I received the Purple Heart and went back home, I really wanted to go back but I also glad that I was home with my family and I was glad that I was back with mom because I had someone to talk to and share all my stories and nightmares from the war. But the reason I wanted to go back was because of Jim, I met his mother and sister, and they told me the news; Jim was still in Vietnam and labeled as MIA, missing in action, they also said that he might be a POW but we are not sure about that. There are doing another prisoner release as the war is highly unpopular with everybody it seems, I decided to turn on the tv and see what was on and I stopped on the channel were they were passing the list of the prisoners that were being realesed and I was about to shut off the TV and I heard them saying the name Jim and I looked over and saw that it was a picture of him and his name, I ran over to the phone and called Jim’s mom and when she picked up the phone she went “Did you see it? Huh? Please tell me I’m not hallucinating, please.” and I said “You aren’t, don’t worry. All we have to do is figure o-“ and I was cut sort by his sister saying “They are dropping him off in a naval base in California! Tonight!!!” I responded with “Don’t worry, I will pick him up and you guys can come in a plane no big deal.” And I hung up and set off to California. When I got ther it was night time and went looking for him and eventually found him, he did not look that good he was really skinny and when he saw me he put a smile on his face and we hugged. When. When we got to the motel web had dinner and talked about our experiences in the war like he was a prisoner but had very high morale and how I was shot and got a Purple Heart, he called his mom and the next day they were here. I was happy for them I really was and that a good friend had come back home.

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It was night when it happened; we moved north toward the coast to reach the POW camp, we consisted of two platoons and were told to free most prisoners as we could and that it was a highly dangerous mission, the good thing was that we had a platoon of seals at our side. As we got closer to the camp we heard nothing and could only see the light from the camp as we moved closer to it; and when we placed the breach charges much to my displeasure, we heard an alarm. We thought we had been caught and I accepted it and dropped my gun, put hands up and said “I surrender. Please dont shoot.” And to my surprise thee alarm was not concerning us, and everybody told me that it was an scaped prisoner or prisoners and we took this opportunity of a lifetime and went in. We fought like hell, giving guns to prisoners and we killed ever last one of them, and when I stared asking for everybody’s name and counting heads a dead looking Vietcong soldier shot me in the neck, somebody shot him dead and we waited for a heli evac, took long but I was still living; the last words I heard before I passed out was “you are going home.”

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We have been fighting; a lot. We just got the news that Nixon won the presidency for the states, personally I’m not a republican but rather a democrat since Kennedy came along but I could not vote at that time since I was 16 at the time. Most of us including myself are bored and burned out with the war, reasons being we have not gotten anything done other that’s protecting and playing defensive, but we believe that Nixon will probably put a quick end to the war; I hope. Our next mission is to free a POW camp way north toward the west coast I still hope that my old friends are there, I almost gave up hope but the new POW camp intel we got I feel that I might get somewhere. Mother has told me that the protests have gotten worse both about the war and segregation, she told me that students were blocking themselves in college campuses in form of protest, and staging walkouts. The war might be over soon they all say and I agree, considering everything that has happened.

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We went out yesterday toward the north, we passed my old campsite and I skipped a day because I did not do anything after the battle. We kept walking north toward and into the jungle, and while were walking below the cool shade of the trees we heard the piercing screams of women and children, and I looked at my captain and I could see it in his eyes that he  thought the same thing as me, run. So we did we ran to save strangers, knowingly that they could be well dead by now or it could be a trap by the Vietcong, we didn’t care and we ran. When we got there I saw a sight that I could not forget, women, men , and some children were slaugthered and the villagers that managed to make it were scared, begging for mercy and running away. We found out what happened and I wanted to die and leave the USA and Vietnam, it turns out that soldiers from the Charlie company 11th brigade came to this village and slaughtered some 300 people. We left the village after helping burn the corpses. We went back to Saigon and reported it to a Sergeant and a reporter. I want to die of shame because of something someone did but will shape the view of the US for the years to come.

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The surprising thing was that it was the Vietnamese New Year and nobody was expecting an attack, after I explained my situation to the commanding officer, we got halfway through putting up the defenses and calling for reinforcements they attacked us, some were disguised as citizens, and some came from the outside. We repealed their attack but we knew they were coming back, we had very high casualty rates but so did they, so we waited ad we held them off again and got reinforcements, they probably realized that they were not getting anything done so they retreated. The casualties were high but we had at least won but I don’t think we got anywhere with this battle. I asked around if they saw my old squad but no luck, I went back to the campsite but found nothing I assumed that they took the prisoners because there was no blood in the ground. I got assigned to a new regiment until or if my captain or old squad is found. I hope they find them, I really do.

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I was woken up early by Jim, who was still in his pjs said quietly “Don’t make a noise the Vietcong know we are here” “I think they are moving to Saigon” he said again “How are the captain and the rest of the squad doing?” I asked “Captured” he said instantly I said “We have to get to Saigon and set up defenses” as I was going out with my M16, he grabbed me by the arm and told me “We’ll both die if we go out there, so I’ll stay and create a distraction and you run back and you don’t stop until you get there, you hear me?? Don’t stop!!!” Before I could say anything he ran and stared engaging the Vietcong screaming “Run Ivan, run” And so I did and I didn’t look back and when I got there I screamed “Set up the defenses! Do it now!! They are coming!!” And while they saw me coming I think they thought “What the Beep is this guy doing?”

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I woke up at 0300 in the AM to take a shower, I half believe the boys about the hot water but just in case. The morning was cool and crisp, but the day was not even close to what the morning was. After I took my shower I stayed outside and wrote a letter to my mom saying how my day was yesterday, a few hours later the rest of my squad mates woke up and as they took turns taking showers I saw one of the most beautiful woman I saw in my lifetime. When we got the briefing from our captain I asked him who the women were and while most of my mates stared making jokes he said, “They are battle surgeons from the United States.” We stared moving out one of my mates, Jim came up to me and said “Were are you from friend I’m from Miami Florida” and gave me a friendly handshake, which I took and replayed “Idaho” and kept on walking. We carried a friendly conversation until the captain told us to make camp were we were and said we would continue tomorrow, the sun was already setting and said it would be dangerous to continue in the night. I realized that I was not alone in this green hell.

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I landed in Saigon, South Vietnam, I was not accustomed to the weather yet because I was a farmboy from North Dakota. Right after I landed I got to my camp and I was made a part of 4th brigade infantry unit, I met my captain and squad mates, and the captain informed me that we were moving out tomorrow at 0600 and also some of my squad mates informed hat I should wake up at least a 3:00AM to get hot water before everybody else used it up. I am about to go to bed and I’m nervous for tomorrow, well it is my first day out the battlefield, so it is for a lot of others as well so I guess evreybody is nervous right?