THIS IS JOHN
ROURKE REPLYING TO BIRDWELL'S MESSAGE ABOUT HOC MON.
THE EXACT
DATE I AM NOT SURE OF BUT AS THE RECORDS SHOW ON THE 6TH OF FEB IS WHEN
WE GOT HIT.
ON THAT DAY
LT RUSSIN WAS IN CHARGE AND WE HEADED OUTSIDE OF TAN SON NHUT TO GIVE
ASSISTANCE TO AN INFANTRY OUTFIT THAT WAS PINNED DOWN. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY
INFANTRY GROUND TROOPS WITH US THIS DAY. WE MOVED SLOWLY AND STOPPED
OFTEN [ AS I BELIEVE RUSSIN WAS GETTING MORE INFO] AFTER MOVING THROUGH A
SHORT AREA THAT WE HAD DISMOUNTS, INCLUDING ME TO LOOK THROUGH STORE
FRONTS TO OUR RIGHT THAT WERE VACANT BUT HAD SOME DEAD NVA IN UNIFORM
LYING IN FRONT OF SOME STORES [ IT WAS AN ODD AREA THE STORE FRONTS
LOOKED LIKE AN OLD WILD WEST TOWN] RUSSIN HEAD US STOP.
THROUGH THE
TOWN AREA WAS MY APC 39 WITH TERRY NULL DRIVING AND PAT DEVANIE TC'ING,
AN APC AHEAD OF ME TC'D BY CHARLES HALE AND TWO OTHERS THAT HAD COME DOWN
FROM BASE CAMP AFTER TET BECAUSE WE WERE SO SHORT HANDED, LT RUSSIAN'S
APC WAS BEHIND ME DRIVEN BY BOB WOODS THE OTHER GUY ON THERE I DON'T
REMEMBER. BEHIND THEM WAS MIKE LONGIBARDI'S [HE WAS TC'ING] APC AT THE
OTHER END OF THIS STORE FRONT AREA. THEN MORE APC'S, HOW MANY I DON'T
KNOW.
RUSSIN THEN
TOLD US TO TURN RIGHT AND MOVE FWD. THERE WAS A HEDGE ROW AT THE BACK OF
THE STORE AREA ABOUT 40 FT AHEAD OF US. I DIDN'T LIKE THE LOOKS OF THE
WHOLE THING. AS WE GOT TO THE HEDGE ROW RUSSIN TOLD US TO STAY ON LINE
AND MOVE THROUGH IT. AS HE SAID THAT, PAT AND HALE BOTH GOT DOWN TO LOOK
UNDER THE 50 SHIELD AS WE ALL KNEW WAS WHAT TO DO. RUSSIN GOT ON THE
INTER COM AND YELLED GET UP WHERE YOU CAN SEE. AS HE YELLED PAT STARTED
TO GET UP AND I GRABBED HIS PANTS AND PULLED HIM DOWN TELLING NOT TO
LISTEN TO RUSSIN AND DO WHAT HE SHOULD. HALE GOT UP IN HIS SEAT.
AS WE
TEETERED THROUGH THE HEDGE ROW, I COULD SEE AN INFANTRYMAN AHEAD OF US
BEHIND A GRAVESTONE AND HE WAS SIGNALING US TO GO BACK. WE DIDN'T.
AS WE GOT
PAST HIM THERE WAS A BERM AHEAD OF US THAT OPENED UP ON US AS WE
APPROACHED. I MEAN THEY LET US HAVE IT WITH EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! OUR TRACK
WAS THE MORTAR TRACK 39 AND DIDN'T HAVE THE MOUNTED 60'S AS LONGABARDI'S
TRACK 29 WAS THE SAME. HIS TRACK WAS TO RUSSIN RIGHT BEHIND ANOTHER HEDGE
ROW.
AS WE WERE
STOPPED AND FIRING OUR ASSES OF I GLANCED TO MY LEFT AND SAW HALE'S HEAD
SNAP BACK AND THEN FORWARD LOOKING DOWN. AS I GLANCED TO MY RIGHT THE
SAME THING HAPPENED TO RUSSIN. WOODS TURNED RUSSIN'S APC AROUND AND TOOK
OFF. THE GUYS ON HALE'S APC JUMPED OFF AND RAN. WE WERE STILL GETTING
NAILED AND AFTER MUCH CONFUSION, WE COULDN'T SEE THE GUYS TO OUR RIGHT
BECAUSE OF THE HEDGE ROW, WE WERE ALL BACK AT A SAFE DISTANCE IN A
DUST-OFF AREA. I COULD GO INTO A LOT MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT DAY.
THE NEXT DAY
WE WENT BACK INTO THE AREA. HALE'S APC WITH HIM ON IT AND LONGABARDI'S
APC HAD TAKEN A DIRECT HIT AND HE WAS STILL ON IT. MYSELF AND SGT KENNARD
WERE ONE "TEAM" WITH BODY BAGS. THE ENEMY, OF COURSE, WAS LONG
GONE. WE CAME UP TO THE INFANTRYMAN'S BODY AND KENNARD LOOKED AT ME AND
SAID "ROURKE I DON'T LIKE IT ANYMORE THAN YOU" AND WE PUT HIM
IN A BAG AND ONTO AN APC. A SHORT TIME LATER WE GOT TO MIKE LONGABARDI'S
APC. TRACK 29 HAD EXPLODED AFTER GETTING HIT BECAUSE OF THE WALLS LOADED
WITH MORTAR ROUNDS AND IT WAS LIKE A BIG SHELL OF CHARCOAL. MIKE'S BODY
WAS BURNED TO A CRISP. IF YOU WANT MORE INFO CALL ME AT 815 385 7519. I
DON'T WANT TO GO ON. THOSE DAYS TET HOC MON AND OTHERS STILL HAUNT ME.
JOHN ROURKE