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I never thought that I would be a prisoner of this Vietnam War on the same side that I volunteered to support, something just isn't right? I received 30 days in the Brig as it seemed that this was what the Corps wanted to do to their best soldiers, that's was fine by me, so I didn't I bother contesting those charges, if my memory recalls that incident correctly .
I was so fed up and disgusted about how this war was being fought politicly, I wanted to go to the Brig just to take a break, getting away from the insanity as this gave the spoon the time needed to reflect about everything that I had seen and experienced as a witness and a war criminal.
After having been intentionally set up just to be found guilty of UnauthorizedAbsent on that Article-15 for someone who betrayed me just for an excuse to transfer me back was more than a low blow of a cheap shot I understand how I could be found guilty of any fake political charge that could be brought against anyone for that matter who has no one willing to defend them with the rules of laws from those who can order a conviction or a fix trial by stacking false illegal evidence to a jury not of my peers, to get the
results needed for a successful conviction, this is how our legal system works.
I followed that order when I was told to drive SGT. Barrow to DaNang witch I did and the other order from SGT Barrows who ordered me to let him drive so OK Sir, you drive, what was I supposed to do. It wasn't my fault that He had orders from Captain Copeland as to make sure that you come back without the spoon. I think old Bobby boy got promoted soon after that for doing that dirty deed. He was like Earl, the only way that he was ever going to make Staff SGTwas to do the Captain a favor while shutting his mouth and voila, a more respected two face deceiving Rat.
It's a good thing the spoon didn't know of this plan to screw me because we would have been ambushes someplace on that road where unfortunately the backstabbing weasel got killed.
The Brig was in Da Nang were I was brought as I never felt any safer anywhere in Vietnam during my 13 Month in Country tour. Why, I had North Vietnamese POW's right next door about one hundred yards away maybe more. Hey I always feared being a POW as the rumor was Marines were killed and tortured if captured because they were to dangerous and a pain in the ass. I never thought that I would be a POW on the same side that I was supposedly fighting for, but here I am, why?
I can just see Golf's third Platoon reaction when they ask, Hey,"where's the spoon?" He's in the Brig in Da Nang ", for what?, "I thought he was cleared of that bull shit charge?" Well, he was sent to Da Nang with SGT Barrows who dropped the spoon off at the PX was ordered not to pick him up so then had an excuse, in order to get him transferred back to Golf but the Article 15 needed a conviction in order for that excuse to work, but it also gave him a 30 day R&R in the Brig in Da Nang. "Tell Me Your Fucken Shitting Me?" "No that's what went down," I'm not joking.
I started getting stupid thoughts like suicide which was easy in Vietnam, just light a cigarette at night would do the trick. I started wondering what if those prisoners escaped after breaking out what would I do if they broke the spoon out to? Imagine how a Patriotic Volunteer who got betrayed and fucked around bad enough to start wondering who is the spoon's real enemy? I 'm either losing my mind or were the bad guys
not the good guys, as advertised .
Man I'm glad that I didn't have to make that decision as I was thru fighting against anyone, as my mind was just to busy defending myself at that point. I was also being treated just like as if I were the VC, and thats for doing a great job saving lives while getting shafted for all my loyalty. My friend Charlie, the guy who did my video calls us the AC instead of the VC as we are the American Kong who need to resist the take over of our Country that was sold by those in power for the Trillions in debt that they put us in, while saying the people are responsible for this debt which is another lie Leaving them off the hook as no one that I know co-signed for anything.
Talk about a one way street as loyalty in this organization flows with the arrow, pointing only in their direction while if a Marine needs some support of some kind, they only get as far as the Do not Enter Wrong Way Sign was installed at the beginning of that section of that road. That posted sign wasn't there for loyal Marines to find some help, it was there as to make sure that the troops, that everyone say they support never would find that fake support or any help at all that never existed, it's just another lie which seems like this could go on forever, sheep, sheep.
I don't understand how The Corps can still get these suckers just like I was back in 1966 where the information age hadn't come alive yet but whats the excuse for all these kids who are walking computers as to fall for all these false flags and Fake News like chemical attacks used just to start wars to rob Countries of their wealth and Natural Resources
My imagination had my mind spinning in every direction which was probably the beginning of PTSD which had been around for thousand of years. While laying down in my cell thinking how nice it was just being dry when I had pictured the enemy overrunning the prison while I'm a prisoner too, just like them. So I'm no longer their enemy because I'm in there too, what if they open all the cell blocks and said Di Di you number one enemy, where would I go?
So what would I say? No thanks, I rather stay in prison so I don't get in anymore trouble? You Dinky Dow Marine, how much more trouble could you get into than being in Prison In Vietnam? You must be the spoon, right? You have respect from VC, for not burning hootch's and heard about you fishing with
grenades on air matress, you save that Bridge many times with hand grenades, you pay attention, You do number one job.
You come with us we treat you better, and have AK-47's. These are some of the kind of dreams that I've had in the past for my loyalty to an organization that intentionally destroyed my life.
They knew it even in boot camp but wouldn't fix the damage, that meant that they could care less because your just an expendable pawn, just a number that we need and abuse and count on, then we shit can you ass after we render you useless disarming you as a felon with no rights.
At this point, I was glad to serve the rest of my tour in the Brig, as the Corps used up all my loyalty and respect that I had left, as I found out very quickly that Loyalty is not a two way street, your just a tool, a machine to be used and abused until you break or your time is up, at that point you are on your own with virtually no support whatsoever as 80,000 Veterans found that out in their DD 214 when they discovered a
secret code was on their discharge paper many years later.
There was no reason to make life harder for those robots who served these criminals. Now this is the way the Corps says thank you, this is our reward so you can all scrounge and suffer the rest of your civilian life as shit birds who are to dangerous for any kind of decent life .
We will make sure that your opportunities will few and far in between as your unemployable because we don't recommend you for anything how's that for a true statement. Your just a threat, to dangerous to hire, a negative stereotype person, not to trust, so thank you Uncle Tom.
I was taken away to Da Nang where I could finally get some rest. I don't think Earl is not going to be very happy about the not guilty verdict as my career still has a chance to be saved, right? Earl was trying to destroy me but instead he just signed his own death certificate just because He was an inconsiderate racist and an Ass hole, with Napoleon Syndrome.
Now I shouldn't even be in H+S company at all because of that verdict, but they couldn't wait for the facts so Captain Lynch knows he fuck up, but everybody does so here I am in Prison in Vietnam, for what?
Another fake charge?how obvious can it get, are you all blind? I didn't kill the MF, right?
This was my war, fighting for my country while getting no support for saving twelve Marines that some would of died for sure but some OCS graduate would have gotten an award for doing what I did if he had the balls that is?
So for my first six months, I didn't-miss one patrol, ambush or search and destroy, then I had no choice to use that Defective rifle that I was ordered to carry even if it didn't operate properly as that was the last straw that told me that this was a fake War, a police action that Now I was told I was a cop?
Now, I'm cleared of the most serious charge, so why was I transferred for? why was I in Vietnam, in the first place, oh to help win a war. The most obvious set up to screw me is still being ignored, as I'm in the Brig, how wonderful, this is a good thing but this won't last very long as they won't let the spoon get that long needed rest of an R+R. this was my prediction. But who had the balls to drive to Da Nang and tell the spoon after everything he's been through? That your needed in the Bush, your to comfortable here.
Well if my fire team showed up with my old M-14 with my eight magazines a case or two of M-26 frags with my initials signatures on all those spoons and a half dozen claymores as you can have a dream list in the Brig you know?
My record will still show I was given a General Court Marshal even though They should erase it from the record, but no, they will leave it as it will still would make the spoon look like he is still guilty, this is how this system works, not just for me, but for all enlisted pee-on's .
Well the Brig was the safest place in Vietnam as the Enemy prisoners were a one hundred yards away far enough so we couldn't communicate, and now I seemed to be one of the enemy, right, well that's how I felt, can you blame me?
Well It was quiet and dry with three squares a day of real chow, wow, I hope I can get more time in here, maybe if I call someone a liberal? that wouldn't work, back then as that word didn't exist yet maybe singing a Confederate Civil War song?I know call all those guards Demorats?
I was in the Brig four nights and three days, my record says six days and someone just pulled up with a jeep and driver to take me out of this palace. You know when things are going to good, something has to screw it up.
Well it's Captain Lynch Golf Company Commander Himself just made a special trip driving up and back would be a 60 mile all day trip just to visit the spoon, right, what a pleasant surprise, now I always respected Capt. Lynch as he carried a pump 12 gauge shotgun with double 00 buck shot on those search and destroy Operations just like he was an expendable one of us, who looked just like the rest of us, as he had his shit together, OK Goulet your out of here, but Capt. I'm in H&S Co., not anymore you were
transferred back to Golf, Sir, I still have 27 days left to complete my full sentence on this Article 15.
They say that if you do the crime that you should do the time as I will have that on my record, it 's only fair, Sir. Come on let's go we need you, besides your on a pick nick here as you've got it made so get in the jeep, shit I knew this Brig was to good to be true, I was just starting to finally enjoy some of my tour
and get to meet some of Charlie's relatives and other enemy soldiers that were not shooting at me. I'm sure we could have made a deal like don't fire or ambush us and we won't call for air strikes, Artillery, or mortars and no Napalm and we will leave packs of Salem, and Newport menthol along the trail, with some number two unites, hey nothing perfect?it's one way to get rid of Ham and MF.
Well this was a bummer, all that crap for four days in the Brig and then I heard on week ends the prisoners get to go to Chine Beach, for a Volleyball tournament as I heard there was a lot of teams. The VC were in first place while us Marines had second place the NVA were in third the Navy Seals had forth, the US Air force were in fifth, was our own peace process, well I'm still dreaming, this is what War does to a Grunt.
Well I wasn't that surprised that the good Captain who was one of the best officers this Marine Corps ever had was the guy who had to listen to Earl's wining as He must of felt like a dog with this nasty tick, digging into his skin. I would bet that the Captain had Evil thoughts too but he knew the spoon did the right thing because he talked to those guys who were there as everyone in my squad, except Earl of course, all had my back, big time and Captain Lynch and Captain Copeland must have had a heated conversation.
Lynch knew he made a mistake because of the tick Earl, and hoped for the best but the no brainer not guilty verdict was like throwing a pipe wrench into a crank shaft, that's not possible but still dreaming, of only good things
He also knew that the spoon wasn't leaving that safe zone for no one other than Him or spoons fire team, I was kind of disappointed that they all should of showed up as we could have gone into Da Nang for some brews and celebrate while raising a little bit of hell, and some Boom Boom to, well that was not dreaming just wishful thoughts.
Well, on the trip back Capt. Lynch said that I was going to Ist platoon instead of third platoon because Earl was still around in charge of the third herd and told me to stay clear of Him and don't start anything, because he doesn't Iike you for disrespecting his rank. Well I was welcomed by a few short timers who knew who I was as they introduced me to a few guys who were around for the moment.
After six , eight months in Country very few faces were familiar or recognizable as most of them had two or four months and were glad to get someone who knew how to play war, but I didn't tell anyone that the old spoon had died. That's right, all these ten stories that you read of what I had experienced took a toll as I left out a lot of the pain in the bush, as no sense going through that with all of you who many of you may have been through worst times. I'm glad the Corps didn't cut me loose as I was very under utilized as far as I was concerned as I could have done much more, but no one who could make a decision wanted to hear the spoon's advice on how to win this war. So fuck Em , they lost the war, not the spoon or another soldier who's hands were tied, as no one was allowed to go rogue.
Then I noticed everything had started changing already. Do you think that Liberalism started that far back?
Now after a patrol or mission the chow hall was the first stop, and now all machine guns, rockets and grenades, C-4 had to stay outside the mess hall, wow! who started that? My guess was Captain Copeland, of course.
Then you needed to take a shower if you were rancid, before getting some chow, which that was understandable, so-what was next, a full inspection ? I wanted to go home so bad as I knew this War was just a waist of time but we were still being killed as if it had to be this way and I didn't have the heart to tell everyone that their just going to die or get crippled for no reason.
We were wasting our time and lives for nothing and I knew it but most guys were NFG and they didn't have that clue yet but they would find out soon enough. It's a good thing I hadn't been to the Hospital Ship yet .
I was like SGT Shultz an said nothing and I knew nothing as the spoon was not myself. He was depressed because his military career was totally destroyed as he came in the Corps as private and he would be discharged as a private not even with an Honorable Discharge, how's that ?
Well I started going out regularly, like the following day , I did everything that I could not to engage the enemy, just wave and not fire that weapon, or any weapon kind of imitating some of the Arvin troops, nothing personal.
I wouldn't burn a hootch's because that would usual draw fire even from momma son as how could you blame anyone for that, if someone did that to me the spoon would rise from the grave unless as I have no choice too but fire back in order to protect my comrades as I just wasn't the same spoon anymore just as if he died. Not being with my old fire team didn't help much either which I never seen again as I wondered how they were coping with their new master?
It was late in the month of June the 25th to be exact, as we were out on a search and destroy mission as I was sick and I didn't know it, I passed out and one of the Corpsman took my temperature it was 104.5 and he told Captain Lynch that I needed immediate medical attention, and the Captain said, "I can't bring in a chopper now look at what's going on here?" Sir, if this guy is not out of here in five minutes, he will be
dead in ten minutes.
He gave the order for the medevac and off I went to A Med and that was the first time I got sick in Vietnam, and it was very good timing, as far as I was concerned because the very next day Earl Daniels was Killed and I didn't find out this information until six weeks later and I never knew what cause his death. I did think that the timing was kind of odd as third platoon gets word that the spoon was Medivac this morning and all of a sudden the next day Earl got killed. Even though I didn't like the guy his death still bothered me believe it or not, it really did for some reason but I wasn't that surprised either as he was a liability as he lasted about 30 days or so is when most NFG got killed was within a month or two.
If you got past 90 days which is a long time in Vietnam you were a no doubt about it, a well seasoned Veteran even if you were in the rear.and your chances of survival was up fifty percent, my opinion only.
I'm sorry if I offended anyone of you as the story was harder to write than I expected because more thoughts came to me while I was still writhing, that I had forgotten a long time ago, started coming back.
The story is what it is, I said things that may have been a stretch for some humor, as to lighten up the dull atmosphere of war that is hard to talk about.
Fifty years is a long time to write something from memory that I wanted to forget but we all had a hard time over there, like Vin, Gary, and my buddy Charlie, just like the rest of you grunts who were never given a fare chance to win that war, we all know why no one wants to talk about any of it and who can any of us for that as it's depressing and it could get us angry but we did the best that we were allowed to do, while writing about it surprised me of what I knew about myself and some others who I served without begrudging anyone as I never was a hater or a racist as I was my own worst enemy.
When I got home, I realized that something was missing which bothered me as home never felt the same any longer as I felt more alone than ever before. This seemed strange but it was my comfort zone for the peace of mind without all the other distractions that I had dealt with in the past, was no longer tolerated. I have lived a much simpler life more stress free in seclusion with my dog in a yurt off grid, the past ten years without noise pollution.
This is my recipe for everyone especially combat war veterans, who were programed for confrontation of the worst kind, this changed my mind set and could possibly have that same effect on you.
I still have more stories to tell.
God bless all of you, and God bless America!
Edgar Goulet (sp00n)
P O W
