After back at compound, we unloaded the newest alcohol, put it to your a cut right out-out-of 55-gallon drum and you may iced they down

Around was not in whatever way we are able to weight that pallet straight back on the lighthearted vehicle, thus being the a Samaritans we had been, we stacked as many cases while we you will for the our V-100-much that we could not turn the fresh turret. Naturally, there were some disappointed MPs you to night and you may numerous dreadful head aches 24 hours later.

To the men who served on a V-100 for a year, the vehicle became more than just a machine. It became your life, your friend and your protector. All but two of our V-100s were named after comic book heroes. These included “Captain America,” “Thor,” “Big Ben,” “Flash,” “Spider – man,” “Barbarian,” “Atom,” “Daredevil” and “Iron Man.” The other two were named “Road Hog” and “The Lemon.” Each of the V-100s had a painting of the character or the name across the front, life-sized and in coloric book superheroes painted on the front of the V-100s made for an interesting article in The fresh Roundup, our local GI newspaper. The April 1970 article was headlined, “66th MP Co. Super Heroes to Combat VC Wrong Doers.”

Sporadically we had our very own minutes, for instance the time whenever we were escorting a good convoy in the An enthusiastic Khe Violation and one of trucks destroyed a complete pallet away from beer

David An effective. Swisher lives in Marshall, Sick. The guy received the new Military Commendation Medal having V Product getting his methods within the ambush at A keen Khe Ticket when you look at the April 1970. For further studying, see: Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71, of the Richard Lathrop and you will Jim Laurier; and you will Combat Police: U.S. Army Military Police in Vietnam, by the Rick Younger.

Most of all of our problems appeared on the QL-19, however, I considered more comfortable thereon roadway than just to your QL-step 1, given that they there had been alot more convoys towards the QL-19 and this higher probability of backup. My baptism from flames emerged on bush at hairpin bend about A keen Khe Ticket. The V-100 had already break through the fresh new hairpin and you may are lead off the newest admission, if westbound convoy is actually struck. The text “Contact! Contact! Contact!” showed up along the broadcast web once i try operating, thus i turned the fresh V-100 around and you can oriented backup this new pass. When we surely got to brand new hairpin, We noticed particular Korean troops pinned off. Included in this had their arm stuck-up in the air directing to the south side of the hairpin turn. We taken the newest V-100 within Koreans as well as the reputation he had been pointing so you can, so we you are going to give them a tad bit more safeguards and have build relationships all of our firepower.

My personal V-100 is actually escorting good convoy regarding Tuy Hoa one-day when discover escort Flensburg girl a number of framework work with the street, leading to slightly a keen accordion effect

Something about powering the fresh roads daily are you never ever understood what unusual procedure would happens second. When the front of one’s convoy avoided, the trunk fasten. Then your top would start once more, additionally the convoy spread out before bottom you certainly will initiate. Due to this, I told all of our V-100 driver Reno Catalano to get in the center of the fresh roadway therefore we will keep almost every other car off all of our convoy up until i had outside of the structure town. While i usually assist reduced car feel free to pass the fresh convoy automobiles, as there try such build I wanted to keep the latest convoy free of one other customers.

On a single convoy so you’re able to Weil Nang, a trucks struck a good Lambretta packed with Vietnamese. It absolutely was somewhat chaos. The latest Lambretta went off of the path and you may down a keen embankment. Once we had a dustoff here and you can got something cleaned right up some time, there are all types of black pajama-clad individuals with firearms updates as much as talking and you may shouting. By the difficult, a misconception can potentially has developed, prior to one to took place we got of indeed there and right back to our convoy.