Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Privilege

What a privilege to be able to stand up and salute/clap for those veterans when they passed by with the flag of our United States of America. Everyone seemed truly glad to give them honor.

Your Comments

were uncalled for and disrepectful to the people who fought and died so you had the freedom to make such low life statements.

Thank you to the men and women who served in the armed forces. We appreciate what you have done.

Inane reply?

It was directed at the poor typer and/or speller who asked what happened at the parade. First, they're so lazy they don't take the time to check what they've typed. Second, they ask how the parade went when they could call a Lion's club member, but that might mean getting involved. Third, THEY'RE exactly what this site has become. Some of us who have been here for years are tired of doing all the work for others. Simply, inane questions deserve inane answers. And quite frankly, the reply wasn't off by much. Lighten up and do some homework.

By Understand the message

Names on the WALL

I wanted to share a personal story about some of those that didn?’t return to America after Viet Nam. It was 41 years ago this week that I said good by to a group of 18 U.S. Marines from the 2nd recon division from Camp Lejeune North Carolina.

We had spent most of the early parts of 1966 training on different beach landings in Key West Fla. As a Navy Diver, I was stationed on a submarine and our mission was to deliver these marines to the beach near the DMZ and North Viet Nam. This was an extensive training period and only the best of this Marine company was selected for the mission they were about to embark on. Not only were there physical requirements, there were classroom and other requirements associated with the mission. Clearly we all needed to know the ordnances being used and that was a large part of the training along with long swims (2000 yards or more) with gear.

In 1966 there was no GPS only compass. The coast was blacked out so the swim in would be compass only. Forty-one years ago this week we surfaced near the coast of North Viet Nam and began the trip into the beach. Since it was over cast and very dark the captain of our Sub surfaced. This allowed us to use the rafts instead of swimming in with the gear. It made my job much simpler in that I only had to open the rafts and in the pitch black darkness one by one direct the marines to their assigned raft along with their equipment. We were only armed with small arms and the only big gun the marine Sergeant had was a 50 caliber rifle. The sailors had old carbines from the WWII. If either of us encountered the North Viet Nam gun boats the marines and the sailors on the deck were out gunned.

As they slipped away in the darkness we waited for over an hour to make sure that they had reached the shore. We were also listening for gun fire which we heard none. We slowing turned the boat around and submerged further out at sea. We stayed on station for over three weeks in case we were needed to take them back out. No word ever came to extract the 18 marines.

The 18 marine were lead by a Captain Carroll from Miami Fla. He had a small daughter. He was a graduated of the Annapolis Naval Academy. The enlisted men on his team were the finest this country had to offer and I would stack them up against any Marine today.

Sixteen of the eighteen man assault squad were killed in action over then next few weeks and they were medivaced out mostly in body bags.

When our training began in February of 1966 the temperatures dropped into the 30s in Key West Fla. There were over 100 in the initial class. Those that graduated were less than 30. Only those that swam the fastest, those that got the highest test scores were sent to war.

Since that dark night in September of 1966 I have often wondered to myself what if. Why was I allowed to come home to raise a family? As for those that march in parades I doubt they are wannabees for anything other than what they had seen in battle or what they were close too. There are over 60,000 names on the wall in D.C. Now. One is Capt. Carroll along with most of his squad.


By A Sailor