Terry was a corpsman with 1st Platoon. He had gotten in country on 14 March, 1969. After some time at the Battalion Aid Station, he got transferred to Golf Company. Terry had been with us only about a month, he came to us just as we were finishing up Operation Pipestone Canyon (the taking of Go Noi Island). We had moved off of Go Noi and were being choppered to just west to the Que Son Mountains.
I quite honestly do not remember too much about Terry. Again, he was really new and I was showing less than 5 weeks left in country. We had moved up the mountains and were two ridges over from Hotel Company who were to move up Nui Mat Rang (Hill 845) on the 25th. We had finally had some decent weather and were awaiting resupply.
In the mountains, resupply was really tricky. The choppers could not land because of the terrain and were bringing in supplies in nets slung under the chopper.
As the resupply choppers were coming in with their loads, the NVA opened up on the choppers with 12.5's and 57 RR rifles. One round of 57 RR went by the choppers and hit a huge rock. When it exploded it showered us with rock fragments.
Terry had been just sitting there relaxing without his helmet. A chunk of rock hit him in the head, taking away the side of his forehead.
Terry was KIA before I could call a medevac or anyone could do anything.
The resupply chopper's gun ships hit the NVA gun sites and I called some Arty on the suspected location of their retreat. The resupply choppers then came in for Terry and we winched him up in a jungle perpetrator stretcher.
Terry was the first corpsman that I medevaced that was KIA. We were all shaken because the Marine Corpsman was like a Grunt Saint. Grunts protected the Marine Corpsman. Grunts helped him carry his load. The Marine Corpsman was loved by the Grunts.
Little did I know that this little fire fight would lead to one of the worst memories I have from over there, the fight would start the morning of July 25th, 1969 and finish on July 29th, 1969.
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