Bill Hodder Page Five

Page 5

Corporal W. R. "Bill" Hodder----B 1/22 1969

The following is Bill Hodder's reminiscience of his military service:

Left from Oakland on one of those big freedom birds. I think everyone on the plane smoked,could just make out the front of the plane. Some of the troops were going back for their 2^nd tour.

I still remember getting off the plane in Bien Hoa Airfield, I was soaking wet with sweat by the time I reached the botton of the ladder. They gave us a mini tour of Saigon, what a site, as I remember some of the buildings only had the fronts left. Then we went to Camp Eagle 101^st ABN DIV (Rakkansan’s) They woke us up before the sun. More running, just inside the wire “singing Abn songs.” Then our orders were cut to the different ABN units up north. Mine said Co A,3^rd Bn 187^th Inf. We boarded a C-130 to Phy Bai AFB, from there it was duce and half.

I remember crossing the bridge into Hue, (seen it on the 6 o’clock news in the world) in route to Camp Evans. We stayed there about a week, they had us cleaning up different areas and burning “you-know-what”. Then the big day came, finally going out to the field, A fire base (FB Alpha?) looked like a large rock with dirt on top. You could see Camp Evans on a clear day. That was my first ride on a “Huey”, we touched down on a dusty pad. After the chopper lifted off, A GRUNT NAMED Lem said we want the big one, and he also called us “cherries” not FNG’s. I was taller than the others, that is why I was stuck with the “60”. Before darkness I drew a cherry on my helmet.

First night everything moved, I learned fast not to stare at objects at night. Several weeks later we did a perimeter sweep below the FV, we might have been a click from the FB, and we were getting mortored from our own FB, you can move rather fast when you have to. Must have been some LRRPS in the area, and they thought we were VC.

They would chopper us out to different LZ’s saying “there are lots of NVA in the area’. Then return to Evans after 9 days in field, we’s have steak and beer/soda, etc., then back out to the boonies.

Once while we were out, we surprised some VC cooking lunch, they saw us first. The point man was hit in the ankle. The other rounds came right up the trail, hitting one GRUNT in the helmet, good thing for him he kept his smokes in his helmet (wasted every pack). The rounds went right past the Sarg, in front of me and right past my ear (a sound I will never forget) the Sarg turned and I’ll always remember how large his eyes were. We all took up positions. I fired about 300 rounds off fast. Medivac came in and pulled the point man up through the trees. They must haven him lots of water, cause on his way up, as he was spinning round and round, he was throwing up on all of us. That evening I turned to LEM and said “got our cherries busted today’, so I drew a crack through the cherry.

Once when were out they sent us a Grunt;clerk from Korea, so he could get an early out. His first day in the field “soiled his pants”. Then we all went back to the first FB for a couple of weeks, and then we all walked off the FB and headed for Evans by foot. There was a small FB/LZ not far from Evans, that’s where we were going, it was getting dark so we had to set up in the elephant grass, woke up, eyes, mouth, swollen from mosquitoes. Glad I took my daily-daily and weekly pills. We set up on a small FB/LZ, you could see the lights at Evans. We weren’t there long when chuck hit us about 5:00 AM, sapper’s RPG’s, rockets, we had cases of ammo at each bunker and the CO said put it out there. I think we only had one KIA and several wounded. There were over a dozen KIA-VC Sappers.

Left that night to Evans for R & R Kula Lumpur. Returned one again to RVN, Camp Evans, only this time, we were going to the valley-the A Shau Valley. We didn’t stay there long. I remember leaving the wire and climbing this mountain covered with rock’s and trees. When we reached the top we came into a clearing, there was every kind of weapon you could think of just laying on the ground, still in their packing. Some of them were destroyed from a previous air strike. I think it took 3-4 choppers with nets, never forgot that day. About a week later while still in the field, orders came down for some of (something to do with DERDS dates) ended up going to Co. B 1/22 INF 4^th Inf Div (Regulars by God). 4 months of hell was behind me now. We had to fly down to Eagle, turn our weapon in then we headed to Camp Enari – “Regulars by God”, then out to the field passing a Mongagnard Village, They gave us a boat ride across the river, very wide & swift

Reached LZ BASS became Squad Leader. I can only remember making one sweep around BASS, with some ARVN;s We also made a search of the village not far from BASS which was on the way to JOOD & NO SLACK. I detained one suspected VC. Our platoon left BASS and secured NO SLACK (SLACK). The next day another Platoon arrived and our Platoon left for JOOD, just across the valley.

On the way there, I remember seeing an old car 40’s or 50’s all shot-up. Reached Jood what a hill to climb, went on my 1^st “Green Eyes”, somebody spotted chuck practicing personal hygiene in a stream, you could hear ghee big guns on BASS open up “Oh shit” we must have been mighty close to them, you should have heard the screaming metal flying through the air and the thud it made hitting the ground, we had to move butt fast. On one of our sweeps of JOOD we had to form a perimeter, Lt. Said were surrounded, nothing happened, returned to JOOD, An Air Strike was called in. The jets came right over us, the pilot called ahead and told us to get down, and some didn’t and were knocked off their feet from the shock waves. We all walked back to BASS. Went on two more green eyes then we dismounted BASS, blew the bunker with claymores, then we ended at LZ Beaver getting real short now. On one of my last days there, spotted a light on the river, called it in, the comeback was “he’s a short timer”. Returned home, 6 months Ft Hood, Tx, and 2 weeks summer camp, Watertown, N.Y.

RVN Served –

Co.A 3/187^th Inf (101^st ABN) 4 months

Co. B 1/22^nd Inf, 4^th Inf Div 8 months

Ft. Hood, Texas - Co.C 7^th Bn (Mech)6thInf 2^nd Armored Div.

The following are reflections written by Bill Hodder:

8/20/02

We walked where all the heros fell.

If you were quiet, you could hear their yells.

We were there while others ran

O'l Kissie and Hanoi were having their talks

The military in Vietnam were kept in the dark.

Jane went to Hanoi kissing their butts

The guys in the field just called her a "traitor".

The folks at home, some for and some against.

We went to fight commies but that was a lie, we just survival, not death.

Now we talk on the PC with one another

We all did our duty and came home as brothers.

The chance that we'll see each other are slim to none and all I can say

is that NONE of us did run.....

8/24/02

Our shadows were getting longer

the sun was in our laps

our guard hours were set

we talked about back home until the stars arose.

Those that slept were awaken by such noise that was deafening to the ears

the eastern side took rockets and charges like the 4th of July as the others tried to sneak.

As the flares went up and mortars fell daylight was upon us,

then the Cobras came a flyin'.

We fired so much that early morn, but only to see such horrors.

The Medivac that soon approached was pushed aside by BRASS,

I guess he needed a silver star to stick upon his ass.

We counted more than 12, some still cut half in the wire.

Thirty years from now the troops will be like us,

swapping tales of years gone by,

just hope they tell the truths.

They'll run down the two parties and make some faces red.

Lets not forget the disabled and those that lost their spiritual life.....

8/25/02

there were these old farts from the past

they were just regular guys

they'd sling mud @ the parties

then others would join in

they'd talk of weapons & rations

and patrols gone awry

and there lrrps were to dry

we'd all tell the truth no lies we'd bring back the past

cause it had to be told

cause we're REGULARS BY GOD sort of guys

8/28/02

I still carry my dogtags and P-38

my boots they have long been discarded

but I still remember those days out in the bush

we'd walk down their trails, and it was them we could smell

I remember that day, we were cherries not FNG's

a burst came from the front

the point man he fell

the burst went past our ears

it was too late to get down

the sarg turned to me

all you could see was his eyes

the grunt just in front of us

took one in the helmet

he's now glad for his bad habit

bum'd from us the rest of the day.....

**********************

Thanks to Bill Hodder for the pictures and items above, of his service with 1/22 Infantry.

Bill actually pulled these things right out of his scrapbook, put them all in a padded envelope and mailed them to me, saying "...these pictures were in an album for over 30 years and it's time to let all the 1/22nd view them."

That's the spirit of a true REGULAR, by GOD !

Thank you Bill, you are truly what is meant by:

DEEDS NOT WORDS