Around wasn’t in any manner we can weight one pallet straight back on the the newest lighthearted vehicle, very as being the an effective Samaritans we had been, i piled as many cases while we you certainly will on all of our V-100-a whole lot that individuals could hardly turn this new turret. Obviously, there are specific disappointed MPs one night and you may a great amount of dreadful headaches the following day.
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 latest Roundup, our local GI newspaper. The April 1970 article was headlined, “66th MP Co. Super Heroes to Combat VC Wrong Doers.”
Occasionally we had all of our moments, such as the day once we were escorting a good convoy up the A keen Khe Citation and something of your autos lost an entire pallet out-of beer
David An effective. Swisher resides in Marshall, Ill. The guy acquired the latest Military Commendation Medal having V Product to have their steps in ambush on A keen Khe Citation in April 1970. For further understanding, see: Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71, because of the Richard Lathrop and you will Jim Laurier; and Combat Police: U.S. Army Military Police in Vietnam, by Rick Young.
A lot of the problems showed up with the QL-19, however, I usually thought much warmer on that street than just to the QL-step one, given that they there are far more convoys towards QL-19 and this greater odds of content. My personal baptism of fire came towards the plant on hairpin contour on the An Khe Violation. All of our V-100 had already come through new hairpin and you will are going off the brand new solution, when the westbound convoy is strike. The words “Get in touch with! Get in touch with! Contact!” emerged along the broadcast net while i was driving, so i became the fresh new V-100 to and you may oriented support the latest solution. Whenever we reached the brand new hairpin, I noticed certain Korean troops pinned down. One of them got his sleeve stuck up floating around leading to the south side of the hairpin change. I drawn the new V-100 between your Koreans while the position he had been leading to, so we you will definitely let them have a tad bit more protection and also engage our firepower.
My personal V-100 are escorting good convoy regarding Tuy Hoa eventually when there is a good amount of design work with the street, leading to a bit an enthusiastic accordion effect
Some thing regarding running the paths daily was which you never understood just what uncommon situation would definitely takes place second. In the event the side of convoy avoided, the back fasten. Then top create begin once more, together with convoy spread out before rear you will start. Because of that, I told our V-100 driver Reno Catalano to get in the midst of new roadway so we will keep almost every other vehicle of the convoy up to i had out from the construction area. Whereas we constantly help reduced auto go ahead and ticket the new convoy trucks, since there was such construction I needed to save the brand new convoy clear of additional tourist.
On a single convoy to Da Nang, one of the trucks struck a Lambretta packed with Vietnamese. It had been somewhat chaos. Brand new Lambretta went off the road and you may down an embankment. Once i had an effective dustoff around and you will had things removed up sometime, there had been all kinds of black colored pajama-clothed those with guns status around talking and you will shouting. By language barrier, a misunderstanding can potentially enjoys arisen, prior to you to happened we had away from truth be told there and you may right back to the convoy.