Loon - Jack McLean [61]
The colonel nodded, and Negron was dismissed. He beat a hasty retreat south to Charlie Company. The two thousand yards may well have been two thousand miles.
MacLean never once came down to see our encampment.
Despite the pesky interference from above, Negron continued building Charlie Company into a formidable fighting force, while earning the gratitude of his men. He obeyed the order to avoid going on smaller patrols, but otherwise continued to thumb his nose at orthodoxy.
United States Marines in all wars have been notoriously ill-equipped. Vietnam was no exception. Our rifles, packs, boots, flak jackets, jeeps, tanks, and artillery were customarily outdated compared to those of our army counterparts.
We were at the bottom of the military supply chain.
Negron was extremely concerned about the prospect of taking us into battle with the gear that we had. Of particular concern was our load-carrying equipment, particularly the web gear and backpacks. The newer men still carried the old two-piece World War II packs that were designed for a midget and required a genius to assemble. Several of the veterans wore captured NVA rucksacks that were well suited for life on the move in the jungle. I had been most fortunate to inherit one a month earlier from a sergeant who was rotating back to the States.
Negron had been in the Marine Corps long enough to know that somewhere north of Dong Ha there had to be a warehouse full of packs and web gear. He also knew that there was no chance it would be a marine warehouse, given our historic supply problems. He called a meeting of the platoon commanders and unit leaders. He asked that we inventory all of our gear and come up with what would be required to go into battle.
Three days later, a jeep dragging an overfilled trailer pulled up next to the Charlie Company command post at the Washout. Emerging from his tent with some curiosity, Negron saw Corporal Dwayne Slate and Sergeant Smiley jump out of the jeep, pull the tarp off the back of the trailer, and throw all manner of equipment to the ground. By the time they were done, the two had off-loaded eighty-seven new nylon backpacks, two cases of load-carrying web harnesses, and piles of other vital paraphernalia.
“Where do I sign?” asked an overwhelmed Negron.
“Nowhere, I hope,” replied a nervous Slate. “Take it easy, Skipper. Gotta go.”
With that, the two marines leapt back into the jeep, made a quick turn, and sped back down the road toward Dong Ha. Negron shook his head as he marveled at the bounty. At that point, he noticed that the web gear boxes had United States Army stencils on them. He thanked God for Smiley and Slate, and for the United States Army.
Negron’s hard work was beginning to pay dividends.
While he was lambasted and harassed by his higher-ups, increasingly his newly energized troops would go to any end to garner his favor. The new gear was but one example. Almost from the start, we adored him.
Late in the third week of May, Negron went up to Con Thien for a staff briefing with Lieutenant Colonel MacLean and his three other 1st Battalion company commander counterparts. He detected a new attitude as soon as he entered the perimeter. Marines were bustling about with purpose, weapons were being cleaned, and new equipment was being issued. Enthusiasm permeated the air. The operations officer called the meeting to order, and all stood as Lieutenant Colonel MacLean entered.
He looked tired.
“At ease, men. Here’s the scoop. We’re getting out of here. Division is abandoning all of these enclaves and going after the NVA where they are. Gentlemen, we’re going to start fighting like United States Marines.”
The four company commanders and others gathered in the bunker gave a loud cheer and began patting one another on the back.
Like the men they commanded, they were eager to fight.
MacLean continued, “The entire battalion has to be ready to move out in three days. Ordnance teams will be coming up escorted by tanks. They will level the bases as we depart. Starting tomorrow morning, the air