Jayb,

Geez, I'm glad that I was safely tucked in as a civvy at 2 Base Wksp RAEME Morebank and only giving very very long range support.

'evening there JAYB...

As I said your memory of events is astounding. You spoke of Choppers, I recall our insertions from the UH-1B, 9Sqn with our back up against the hell hole firewall without the benefit of harnesses or riding the skids as you say. While both the gunners where elaborately secured. Talking about the B52's watching the 'sound and light show' over the Long Hai's at night when sortie after sortie bombed the bejesus out of them.

While strengthening the defences at 'The Horseshoe' near Dat Do, we strung a stack of wire, and laid heaps of Claymores and M16 Jumping Jacks, between the two rows of wire, so infiltration was damn near impossible.

Anyway they got this bright idea of creating this mammoth obstacle of two rows of wire about six feet in height and laying M16 mines between the rows. All the way from Dat Do, running it down to the coast, a distance of about five or so miles? Whoever thought up these bright ideas didn't have to lay the stuff, in the heat, dust, and humidity! All too long ago now I'm afraid.

o sung wu,

Fascinating stuff. Korea was extremely hot in the summer but tended to be more dry heat; the roads were dusty as they were all dirt except in the cities.
Winter was even dustier as there was no rain to lay the dust for a bit; was a sight to see the snow brown for a few yards on either side of the roads.
Did you ever recover mines?
That was a FUN job!!

osw: Anyway they got this bright idea of creating this mammoth obstacle of two rows of wire about six feet in height and laying M16 mines between the rows.

The Mine field was Brigadier Gramhams idea. It turned into aa Armory for the VC. That's where they got all their Mines from. You don't lay a Mine Field unless it's covered by fire. He broke all the Rules. He was my CO when I was Staff at Battle School at Canungra in 65. Nice guy but he should have known better.

Is Mise: Did you ever recover mines? That was a FUN job!!

Nah... We'd lay them at night on paths & Recover them in the morning Clearing Patrol. P o'P

Hi there IS MISE...

Generally heat itself didn't bother me, but with all the gear you carried, constantly wet GPB's because of the need to wade through endless paddy fields, and the monsoons (in the wet season) plus the ever present humidity that's what stuffed me. And who'd believe dust was a problem in such a tropical environment when everything had a covering of mildew and mold.

Hi there JAYB...

Far be it for me to cast aspersions on the tactical competence of a senior officer. I think maybe their original thinking concerning protecting the mine field during it's initial stages, they were covered by M60's from the 'shoe? Problem being of course, a 7.62mm doesn't have the range from the Horseshoe gun bays to the coast, which was a good 5 miles or so in distance! The amount of M16's lifted by the VC would equip 'em for the entire war? Anyway they wanted a sequence of wire strung, strung wire was what they got, with me often ending up on a damn strainer.

While at the 'shoe, we did some running repairs and a bit of minor re-building at the local high school at the Dat Do village, which had suffered a bit of ordnance damage. The kids seemed to appreciate our efforts though you couldn't really tell, student by day, VC by night? Still it was a bit of a change?

Jayb,

I was really thinking of mines that 'nasty' people had buried and who may or may not have put a grenade under their mines.