The Night Belongs to Charlie
by
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The engines of the great Pam Am commercial jet roared as we approached
My assignment to Camp 213-Red Dragon would take me to CaMau, a remote little village in An Xuyen Province which lies at the southern most point of Vietnam. It is an area of rice paddies and swampland, and infested with snakes, mosquitoes, and leeches. A land where the stifling heat, relentless and constant, is made worse by the oppressively high humidity. It was frustrating, often to the point of anger. Returning from daily patrols, my clothes would be soaking wet with sweat.
It was on those patrols that I learned about the jungle, the tidal canals, and the rice paddies. We traveled through the jungle on foot. On the canals we used sampans which we borrowed (commandeered, really) from the local farmers. The rice paddies were larger than those I had encountered during my brief tour in
Added to the physical discomfort was the more grave and threatening matter of nightly mortar attacks. These attacks were sporadic and could be of two rounds duration or two hundred rounds. This God-forsaken hellhole, the jumping off place of
The captain made the announcement to fasten seat belts, and the landing gear sounded as it locked into place. A myriad of thoughts began to race through my mind. I thought of home, loved ones, friends, happy times. The muscles in my back and neck stiffened as I recalled stories I had heard coming out of
The plane touched down on the runway and eased to a stop. There was only the distance of the plane between my feet and another world. As I waited for the door to open, I was again impacted with reality, and I felt a twinge of anxiety. My stomach did a half turn. "What have I gotten myself into? What the hell am I doing here?" I almost said aloud. I stepped from the plane into blistering heat and humidity that hit me like a steamroller. It was going to be a hot day in Formats Book Details In The Night Belongs to Charlie, an army sergeant tells of events and experiences during his one year stint in The story weaves emotion and dialogue into scenes of daily routine, intimate encounters, and intense combat situations. It builds to its climax where events of the Tet offensive in January of 1968 are chronicled in an almost blow by blow description. The final chapters in the narrative tell of a rugged attack on the base camp and of an event on the last mission that almost ended the sergeant''s life. Two brief chapters conclude The Night Belongs to Charlie. The first is an expression of personal opinion. The second recounts a young girl''s escape from W. C. Garrett, Jr. enlisted in the United States Army on His meritorious service decorations include the CIB (Combat Infantry Badge), Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (2), Joint Commendation/Army Commendation (2), NCO Medal w/5 device, Cross of Gallantry w/Bronze Star and Cross of Gallantry w/ Palmdevice, Good Conduct Medal, 6 other medals and numerous awards. He retired as Command Sergeant Major of a Military Intelligence Brigade. He is married and has two daughters. Lynn Vickers is twice retired, first from a career of public service in education, then from security work. She is a graduate of
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