Memories of an Infantry Small Unit Commander in Viet Nam, with B/1/8 and D/1/8,
4th Infantry Division, AUG 1968 - MAR 1970.
Here you will experience life among the
Grunts who
slept in the mud of the Ho Chi Minh Trail on the Cambodia/Laos Border.
There are stories of unsung heroes, bravery, regrets, and haunting
mistakes. I was a Platoon Leader,
Executive Officer,
Headquarters Commander in base camp, and a Company Commander in the field. Come
along as I recall courage, death, anger, fear, sadness, and
red Pleiku mud.
Ivy Leaf Shoulder Patch of the 4th Infantry Division
Click Here for More on Patch Symbolism.
Bullets was the nickname of 1/8th Infantry. We wore a bullet in the camouflage
band of our our steel pots.
Arriving a Second Lieutenant and leaving a Captain after two consecutive tours, nearly
destroyed me psychologically. After more than a quarter century,
I finally have the courage to face the aftermath of being only too human.
This is my story, as I remember it. It is also the story of some
most remarkable, ordinary young men called forth by their country.
May we all learn something about the horrors of war from
this site and work to prevent such insanity in the future.
Me as
XO on run from Dak To to Pleiku
during the dusty dry season.
"Thou Shalt Not Kill."
Someone I deeply regret KILLING, was a young NVA
Medic, Hoang Ngoc Dam.
This photo of Dam is on an Altar in his family's home. Click on the photo
(Page loads very slowly due to photo's.)
to view other
Personal Documents carried by this heroic Medic, the story of our deadly
encounter, and the impact of returning
these personal documents to his family and village, nearly 35 years later.
This simple act resolved only one of the nearly 200,000 missing in action
cases Vietnam is still desperately investigating.
Bathing in a stream at Polei Kleng, just minutes before a mortar attack and my departure to join Task Force Alpha.
Any of you who served with me, please contact me and tell me what you remember of these
events. I can't be sure my memories are accurate after over all this time and I
know each of you have different viewpoints and memories. You
all have stories to tell, many that I was too busy to even notice. Write,
email, send photo's, video, audio tapes. I will incorporate all stories into this site's
guestbook and return your precious materials to you safely.
I want to tell our story from all our perspectives. It's time everyone found out about
us and what we did over there. Not all heroes got medals, in fact most
did not. I do not remember all your names, but I do remember your
courage every day, when I wake up alive and free, and again every night before I
fall asleep. Help me to keep the memories of those we left behind alive
for future generations. Let's "Give peace a chance".
Email me if you want to purchase this site on CD for
$5. Hear Radio Interview about returning documents to
Vietnam Hero's family Here.
All Email
addresses are in picture format only to discourage web bots
harvesting for junk mail lists. You will have to write them down and type
them into your mail manually.
Homer R. Steedly Jr. (Email:
)
Copyrighted ...
06/23/2008.
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