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War Stories

Counter Mortar Standby at Dau Tieng

Lots of stories will eventually be linked to this Discussion Page. Also see Dau Tieng

Cary Bacon, Bruce Powell

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Cary Bacon Cobra Pilot 70-71 – Living in the Cardboard Box:

I remember pulling Counter Mortar standby at Dau Tieng and the Heavy Cobra team of us decided to toss a football around near the above ground wooden hooch we slept in. Wooden rocket boxes surrounded that structure for shrapnel protection.

One of the guys went to receive the long pass and bounced off one of the large wall of rocket boxes. His impact knocked the hole damn wall down. To my surprise, and everyone else’s in that flight, there was not one single bit of sand or sandbags in any of those boxes. We were "protected" by a wall of empty boxes!

For all that time we had been lulled into a sense of security in that building. I know all those soldiers that had built below ground quarters in Conex Containers under 12” x 12’ beams, sand bags, and yards of dirt laughed their butts off at those silly Cobra jocks living in that cardboard box.

Bruce Powell: One night (1967) on countermortar standby we had a real hot game of Army Pinochle going. The mortar rounds started dropping. Before any of us could even move one of my crew members yelled, with an authoritive and threating voice, "Pick up your cards!!!". He had a great hand and would be damned if a lousy mortar attack was going to mess it up. We did. Upon return from that harrowing experience of running thru mortars to the aircraft and finishing that mission, we finished the game. No; I don't remember who won the hand.