Buda took this opportunity to set his own ambush. The water temperature was only around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Dye combined several types of C Rations into a helmet and prepared the food over a fire. }

With everyone back safely, they doffed their gear and returned to their flaks and helmets. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Older men declare war. “. } $(".popup").click(function () { Some were already destroyed completely, while others appeared structurally sound. Please log in again. They reached the destroyed tank and dropped behind the tracks for cover.

Notice it. Sweat burned in his eyes and he tried to control his breath as he hid motionless. “Operations took on a whole new intensity in ’68. I give the fight up: let there be an end, a privacy, an obscure nook for me. They geared up and prepared to move out. Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you. Anything in the air was likely to be shot down. iw = Math.floor(iw * ratio); // use floor to avoid overflow scrollbar “When we pulled into the area I looked across the field and all I saw were body bags and uncovered bodies uniformly laid out,” recalled Buda. He currently resides near Richmond, VA with his wife and three children. text-indent: -9999px; He planned to conduct a visual inspection, having left their gear trailer back on the south side of the city. Similar to the causeway, infantry Marines already occupied defensive positions at the bridge. If I fall, I'll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. } The enemy spanned the width of the trail, moving in ranks towards Buda’s concealed position. }, var hborder = 120; His first obvious selection was Sergeant Robert Hughes. The fight was the first promoted by Don King, who promised each fighter $5 million for the fight. For some, the dangers faced in the jungles and waters of Vietnam are still very real threats. I'm not backing off. In fact, it was the first time American Soldiers rode to war on horseback since World War II, and this ancient form of warfare was now considered unconventional. It has been my great privilege getting to know you. “I’m sure the last thing that brave young boy from Hanoi saw in his life was a rapidly expanding grenade round with USMC written all over it,” said Vogel. By the time helicopters were overhead, darkness had fallen. They discovered their orders now called for the inspection of eight different bridges, on both sides of the Perfume River, spread across the city. “I remember thinking, ‘what in the hell am I doing?’” said Buda.

“I just got out and made it about halfway back to where our gear was in a small trailer. inline: true, The Infantry could now plan a crossing in force. The team approached the south side of the causeway and took cover in a house nearby. They are not the type to boast in their stories or accomplishments. The patrol leader directed air support from the Huey gunships. At the top, with nowhere else to go, the team called a helicopter for emergency extraction. var maxw = ww - wextra - wborder; “I rolled out the line and took a hidden position behind a tree while the rest of the team moved up towards the hill top.”. A pontoon could be constructed for crossing the dropped span, however, the standing portion of the bridge presented great risk.

The causeway, where the dive team first attempted a bridge inspection. There was nowhere else to go. The helicopter stayed steady overhead while the team made trip after trip getting everyone aboard. Whether dangling in midair while taking fire, jumping from a cliff into the back of a waiting helicopter, or diving into an underwater tunnel looking for the enemy, for them it was routine. Courtesy Fred Vogel. I hadn’t ever even seen a tank before in Vietnam! The smell of cordite filled the air as the volume of gun fire swelled. Our collection of BZO designed wallpapers. The grunts established a perimeter on a traffic circle just off the south side of the bridge.

To arm themselves, divers kept their fighting knives close. Their fight adopted various forms for which their skill sets were uniquely suited. Vogel grabbed Buda and they crawled out of the building. It has been my great privilege getting to know you. Without wetsuits, they would brave the chilly water in their skivvies. I fight for my legacy. The intelligence they risked their lives to secure proved an unfortunately underutilized resource. Scuba trained Marines conducted combat diving as a collateral duty. We saw tons of every type of projectile and thing you could dream of, but none of it was rigged to detonate on any part of the bridge,” remembered Buda.
First Force Recon Team Petrify at Camp Reasoner in Da Nang, November 1967.

Given the length of the bridge, and number of pillars to inspect, two dive teams were needed. Resistance continued throughout the city, but the Marines felt they had enough control to finally cross the Silver Bridge. I knew it before I learned to say, after an argument with my siblings carried to the brink of dyspepsia, ad nauseum. “We are the first to fight, the last to fight and now we maintain readiness for any contingency in South Korea.”.

They are not the type to boast in their stories or accomplishments. They ran from the enemy up the side of a mountain in a life or death game of cat and mouse. They had guys on the other side with binoculars watching, and they see these idiots. Out of 180 Marines in the company, 34 were wounded and four killed. He that fights and runs away, May turn and fight another day; But he that is in battle slain, Will never rise to fight again. The entire patrol was extracted alive. Asymmetrically means you're going to try to avoid our strengths. To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. The Marines on the ground saw enemy tracers return skyward towards the helicopters. Originally published in Leatherneck Magazine, February 2018. Capt Vogel assigned Cpl Buda to inspect the bridge with him. They discovered their orders now called for the inspection of eight different bridges, on both sides of the Perfume River, spread across the city. The 3 other divers are also seen around the gear trailer returning to standard combat gear. Want to see more of Battlesight Zero?

“The helicopter came in and hovered against the face of the cliff, which was an outcropping of stone in the mountain,” Buda recalled. The device, called a “jungle penetrator,” looked like a three pronged fish hook and was designed to lift one man.
These Marines never held the spotlight, but their mission was vital, and always kill or be killed. I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out. “Those other eight Marines on our team were magnificent.


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