Upon arriving at the Khe Sanh Combat Support Base in late 1967 as a Private First Class, I would wear my helmet and flak jacket constantly.  Other Marines would laugh at me because it was relatively quiet then, prior to "The Tet Offensive."  Early in 1968, I was transferred to THE HILL, Hill 881 South!  The helmet/flak jacket attire for me was constant, the laughter continued!

As the month of January progressed, the incoming of rockets and mortars commenced.  One day while messing around on the LZ, which was about the highest point of the hill, I began talking to a young Marine of about the same age as I was.  I remember he was a Marine with blond hair with blue eyes.  I think he was with the shore party platoon, they directed (w/hand signals) the landing of the helicopters providing the hill logistical support.  That particular day, he asked me if I wanted to learn, w/hand signals, how to bring the choppers in for landing.  I stated yes!  He said for me to meet him on the LZ the following day  whenever I heard the incoming chopper(s).  The next day, during the morning I think, I was in the FDC bunker and for some reason, did not have my helmet on.  The Officer in Charge and I heard the rotors of the incoming Chopper.  He instructed me to go up and check for incoming mail.  Now with his permission I had a good excuse to go to the LZ, for mail and to learn a new technique.   I happily ran out of the bunker up toward the LZ.  Before arriving to the top ( LZ), I had realized that I forgot my helmet.  I immediately return to the bunker to retrieve the helmet.

Upon returning toward the LZ, and just before reaching the top of the small hill, there were multiple thunderous explosions on the LZ.  As I arrived on the LZ,  there appeared to be at least 20 Marines on the ground, deceased or severely wounded.  Matter of fact, I remember seeing only one Marine standing (maybe a senior enlisted) I just don't remember.  He was administering aid to one Marine.  He screamed at me to help someone, you see, I was stunned!  I immediately regain my whereabouts and commenced what I knew from aid training.  The first person I assisted, incidentally, was the young Marine who was going to show me how to bring the chopper in for landing.  He was face down in the prone position.  I immediately attempted to administer first aid.  He could only moan.  He was struck by shrapnel in the face and I believe in the upper torso also, a tremendous amount of blood!  Very little I could do to comfort him, because there were so many Marines needing assistance.  I did wrap a bandage to his face and attempted to comfort him with what little words I could muster in that situation.  As I was leaving him to go to others, I looked back to see what I thought was a Corpsman who was arriving on top of the hill to provide assistant.  I also remembered, after I arrived up on the LZ, the supply chopper that had received shrapnel during landing, was attempting to regain altitude.  However, it sputtered and crash landed just outside of our southern lines.  I remember seeing a pilot jump out of the downed chopper and he ran safely back to our perimeter.  I also remember, that later during that day, we transferred the deceased Marines to the downed chopper, which was being used as a temporary morgue, no other choppers were coming in, due to the hazardous conditions.

Fast forward, somewhere, around 1990-91, I was walking around the (at that time) San Diego Miramar Naval Air Station Exchange's (Book Store Area), there I noticed a paper back, titled "The End of The Line" - "The Siege of Khe Sanh, publisher Robert Pisor.  I purchased the book and a couple of days later I begin to read the book. As I reach page 106, the last paragraph of that page caused a chill up and down my spine. You see, it was a short description of the events that had occurred that eventful day on the LZ.  I was there and forgetting my helmet probably saved my life!!

Sadly though, I do not remember the name of the  young Marine I'd befriended.  The thoughts in my mine of that day are constant and I will always wonder if he survived.