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Show 'Truce was scary ! time reports soldier on duty Describing how one and perhaps per-haps many servicemen spent Christmas in Vietnam, is a letter let-ter received the past week from Larry Weight, son of Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Weight, dated da-ted Dec. 26: He stated: "We left LZ Judy and moved to LZ Betty at Phon Theit today. to-day. The weather was hot with j a little wind coming off the ocean. We moved our platoon of 27 men and gear on a Chin-ok Chin-ok Copter. Usually on patrol and standby, we use the little hueys which carry from seven to nine men. "The ocean is about a 300 meter walk from our guard tower here at Betty. I went swimming today and must have been headed toward the States as a guard motioned me back. "I was scared during the Christmas truce. No weapons ; of any kind could be fired and ;. the silence was terrible. I did not realize how much security air strikes and artillery afforded af-forded until they were silenced. ;'; "On the 24th, just about an hour from truce time, "Charley" "Char-ley" (the enemy) knocked a helicopter down about 400 meters me-ters from our perimeter. I watched it go down but as ; there was no fire I felt the crew was okey. "Airiel rocket artillery ships came and got the enemy. Boy! the fire power was terrific. A Chenok picked up the downed chopper and the crew. They were just shaken up a bit. "That night was very dark and I was using a star scope in the tower. The star scope makes a field as light as day and anything can be spotted. "I saw three people out in ' the rice paddie about 300 or 400 meters out where the chop-,! chop-,! per was downed. I didn't know who they were but any other ;! time, except when the truce ;j was on, they would have been !- killed as that was a free strike zone and no one is permitted j: there after 6 p.m. .1 "Guard was scary and pitch 'j black. I don't know when I ;i felt less Christmacy inclined on -j Christmas Eve. When one us- :; ually thinks of nativity scenes, ' pretty trees, friends and other ; pleasant thoughts, I was think ing of the enemy and which ! spot he might strike and which target he might hit. "Down here, night time is enemy time. That's when he ;i does us dirt. In the daytime, a soldier is quite safe unless he comes upon "Charley" and forces for-ces a fight. "I have been real lucky. Although Al-though "Charlies" have been around, they have never been where we are. I will be here at LZ Betty two or three weeks, during which I doubt we will go on any patrols more than eight or ten hours in length. "We will be standing by as mini-cop or instant aid, if they should find Charley. We will pull this every third day. It gives lots of time for the beach and rest. How's that for infantrymen infan-trymen fighting a war. There has never been a war like this and I hope there is never another. an-other. "Parts of this country are serene and picturesque and one can almost forget there is a conflict, but the next moment mo-ment artillery or air strikes brings one back to reality." |
