1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Belis Stories Page 12

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

R&R

My R&R came up in either late January or early February 1971. Guys took their R&R outside Vietnam, in exotic locations such as Bangkok,
Japan, Hong Kong or Australia. For a week they would blow their money on girls and entertainment. Some married guys would meet their wives
in Hawaii for that week, spending their money on a hotel room and amenities. I decided to save that money so I could spend it on cameras and
stereo equipment which I would buy through the Army Post Exchange system, and have mailed home, to be waiting for me when I got out of the
Army.

I therefore took my R&R “in country” and remained in Vietnam for that week. I went up to the China Beach recreational facility at Da Nang,
where I figured I would lay on the beach for a week and do nothing but soak up sun and sand. However, I was there for one night, and realized
the place was not for me. It was full of rear echelon types, who worked in safe jobs at the base camps and other installations. Most of them never
saw any action of any kind, as their jobs involved no danger, and they would be given three day passes to China Beach, as a reward for doing a
good job of shuffling papers or whatever.

Their existence in Vietnam was totally different from us Infantrymen, and I did not wish to be around them. I had a couple of buddies in Vietnam
who were in other units, and decided I would go visit them. The first was Chuck Chandler, a guy I had served with in Germany. I had driven a communications track for a Headquarters Company, and he had been a mechanic who worked on my track. He had received orders for Vietnam before I did, and was now stationed with the 85th Maintenance Company at Da Nang, either attached to, or working with a Marine unit there.

I signed out from the facility at China Beach, and found a Marine deuce and a half truck, that was going to the Monkey Mountain area where my buddy’s Maintenance unit was. I caught a ride with them and climbed in the back, where there were several Marines. They all enviously eyed the blue and silver metal Combat Infantryman Badge I was wearing on my jungle fatigues. One of them pointed to my badge and said “you get that for
getting shot at, huh? All we get is a lousy little ribbon.”

I found my buddy Chuck and we spent an afternoon together. We talked about “old times” in Germany and I took a couple of photos of him, with a brand new Canon single lens reflex camera I had bought at the PX just before going on R&R. I next wanted to go look up my roommate from
college, so I made my goodbyes to Chuck and got a ride to the airfield at Da Nang.

Hitching rides around Vietnam was easy. All I had to do was go to the terminal at an airfield and tell them where I wanted to go. They would
check their schedules and let me know of an aircraft or helicopter going that way, and what time it was departing. If there was an available space
on it I could get on. If there was a question or problem, I would show my R&R travel orders and that would be sufficient to allow me to get
on board an aircraft. I rode on C-130’s, C-123’s, C-7’s and Huey’s.

The C-123 was a twin engine propeller driven aircraft. Modified versions of it were used to spray Agent Orange. The flight deck on the C-123
was elevated above the cargo/passenger area. On one flight in a C-123 right after take off, I watched as a senior Air Force Sergeant came out
of the flight deck, climbed down the ladder to the cargo area, and sat in a seat facing a window immediately behind the flight deck. He put on
a set of headphones with a microphone, and actually opened the window. As we flew, he sat there, staring out the window, not looking down,
but straight out the window. I was curious, so after a while, I got up out of my seat and walked over to him. He lifted one of his headphones
off his ear so he could hear what I was saying, and I asked him what he was doing. He said “If the engine catches fire, I have to tell the pilot.”
I don’t know if he was pulling my leg, or if he was serious. Either way, it was the kind of thing that was normal and perfect for Vietnam.

A C-123 aircraft on the flight line at Tuy Hoa 1971

If not carfeul, I could spend long hours at a terminal. Sometimes it was quicker to get on a flight going part way to my destination, rather than wait for a direct flight all the way to where I wanted to go. Then, at that part way stop, I could catch another flight going on to another part way stop,
or even all the way to my intended target. I was literally “hopping flights” all around Vietnam.

Doug Daigle, from New Orleans, and I had been in a fraternity together, and roommates in college before entering the Army. We hung around
together, partied a lot together and were best of friends. I went into the Army before he did, but he deployed to Vietnam before I did. Doug
was a Sergeant in C Battery 1/92 Artillery, headquartered at Pleiku. As I flew into Pleiku, out of the window of the aircraft as we landed,
I could see A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft and C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft in revetments along the runway. I caught a ride going to Artillery Hill
and found Doug’s unit. Doug and his battery were stationed at a firebase many miles south of Pleiku, at Phu Nhon. I was told there was a truck
bringing supplies going to the firebase the next day, and I could ride with them. I spent the night on a cot in a tent at 1/92 Artillery headquarters.

The next morning I was loaned a flak jacket for the ride. I asked if someone could give me a rifle, but they declined to do so. I climbed in the
back of a big 5-ton cargo truck with some artillery guys and we drove down Highway 14 about 32 miles to Doug’s firebase at Phu Nhon.
Situated right off the highway the little compound had a MACV detachment, a ram shackle area where ARVN soldiers lived with their families,
two ARVN 105mm howitzers, the two 155mm howitzers of Doug’s Battery, and two M-42 “Dusters”. While there was barbed wire and some
bunkers, there was no Infantry anywhere. There was some ARVN Infantry at a location across and up the road a ways, but not immediately near
this compound. I took one look at this tiny installation way out in the middle of nowhere, and decided it was pretty much indefensible, and a
bad place to be.

I asked someone where I might find SGT Douglas Daigle, and he pointed to an observation tower at the side of the compound. There were two
guys in the sandbagged area on top of the tower, looking down at the truck I had come in on. I thought one of them was Doug, so I yelled out to
him. Upon recognizing me, he emotionally jumped up, and zoomed down the ladder to the ground. There was then a whole lot of hand shaking,
and back slapping and “What the f___?!” between us. We both couldn’t stop smiling.

Sergeant Douglas Daigle on left, Sergeant Michael Belis on right, at Doug's firebase
at Phu Nhon.

We both felt it was really good to see each other and we spent the day together. I took a number of photos of us and Doug’s firebase, both
with my Canon SLR camera and with an instamatic camera. We ate c-rations together in the little shack that was the compound’s mess hall.
I went with Doug and a buddy of his, as he drove a 5-ton truck to Weight Davis, a firebase a few miles up the road. I spent the night in the
underground bunker under his 155 gun, though they had a fire mission that night so I didn’t get much sleep.

At some point I felt compelled to let Doug know how vulnerable I thought his position was at this little firebase. I told him that I could
come in here with about 100 guys and kill everyone at this place. The next day there was a truck going back to Artillery Hill at Pleiku, so
I made my goodbyes and rode back to Doug’s unit there. I had to spend another night in the tent there.

Next day I got a ride to the airfield. There were no flights heading in the direction of Tuy Hoa, but there was a flight heading to Saigon.
The airport at Saigon was the busiest in Vietnam, so it was certain that from there I could catch a flight going to Tuy Hoa, or at least in that
direction. I flew in to Tan Son Nhut air base and checked with the terminal. There was indeed a flight going direct to Tuy Hoa, but there was
several hours before its departure. There were long lines of chairs inside the terminal building, and I thought it would be nice to stretch out
on them and take a nap. The personnel at the terminal counter had been really nice and friendly, so I asked if one of them would wake me up
for the flight. Without hesitation a guy said he would.

There were not many people inside the terminal, so I went a few rows back and laid across several seats. I used my overnight bag as a pillow.
Inside the bag was my Instamatic camera, a towel, and some personal items. I had my Canon camera around my neck on a strap. I quickly
drifted off into sleep. At some point I suddenly woke up, for what reason I don’t know. After a minute or so of shaking off the sleep,
I realized my Canon camera was gone. I was mystified as to how someone could take the camera, since it had been around my neck on its strap.
Maybe someone taking the camera was what had awakened me. But when I looked around, I saw no one near me.

I found a couple of MP’s and told them what had happened. They said there was nothing they could do. It could have been anyone, a civilian
worker at the terminal, or another G.I. or anyone, who was likely long gone now. I was upset to lose an expensive camera, but more so because
it had a roll of film in it that had photos of my buddies I had visited. I caught the flight to Tuy Hoa, went back to my platoon, and had another
day or two left on my R&R before I had to resume my duties.

Doug Daigle later wrote me a letter. I don’t remember if the letter got to me while I was still in Vietnam, or not until I got home. I had visited
Doug in Vietnam in either January or February, and I went home in May. In the letter Doug said “You remember telling me you could come in
to our firebase at Phu Nhon with 100 guys and kill us all. Well, they came at us with about 1000 guys one night.”

On the night of March 15, 1971 Doug’s compound at Phu Nhon was attacked by an enemy force estimated to be of Regimental size. The fighting
was heavy, with Doug’s battery firing point blank into the enemy. At one point they had to go underground into their bunkers while gunships
strafed their compound above them. Later, over 50 dead enemy were found inside the wire. The initial assault was broken, but for four more days
there were sporadic attacks and more fighting in the immediate area. During the five day period enemy losses totaled 387 killed. Allied losses
came to 1 US killed and 16 wounded. ARVN losses were 70 killed, 137 wounded, and 10 missing.

In 1979 Doug Daigle was my Best Man at my wedding to my wife Margaret. We live 150 miles away from each other and don’t make the trip
to see each other anymore. We keep in touch. Doug still to this day tells me how great it was for me to look him up in Vietnam. He tells me
how as a soldier in Vietnam he felt alone and dis-connected from his life before the Army. When I showed up at his little firebase, I was
a piece of that life before the Army, and it showed him that someone cared about him, and he still had a connection to that life. I felt the same.
Looking Doug up in Vietnam meant I too had a connection to that life back in the world.

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