Re: Crows Nest -- 3/1 Message Board

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Date Posted: 02:26:20 06/24/11 Fri
Author: Bob Stetser
Subject: Re: Crows Nest
In reply to: Roger Rash 's message, "Crows Nest" on 19:50:13 09/02/02 Mon

I remember you, Roger Rash! I was on Marble Mountain for about 30 days late in 1966, though I don't recall exact dates. I was in H&S, Comm Plt: Capt Leo Kelly, Sgt Cowan. After 40-some years, I am not clear about Marble Mtn vs Crow's Nest. I was on the higher of 2 marble hills, with a ville between them and the 3/1 CP right at the base of the north hill that I was on. I think that HMM-??? was just across route 1 and to the north, and they would often get hit by VC mortars at night. I remember that a UH-34 would resupply us every few days. Toward the end of my stay on the mountain, our landline was cut, a common occurrence. A two-man wire team came out at mid afternoon and repaired the wire where it had been cut, then came the rest of the way to the top, where we made cocoa or coffee for them. About 20 minutes after they started down there was an explosion, and the old man of that wire team (about 21 years old) took a bouncing betty and lost his legs at the knees. I can no longer remember his name, but a week or so later after I'd come off the mountain I went with someone else to see him at the Naval Hospital facility (quonset hut) near DaNang, where he seemed to be recovering well, minus his lower legs. Several days later word came down that he had died, but I never did get any further information.There was some speculation that he may have taken his own life, distraught as he was, though I do not know whether that was true.

About five years ago I read an article that claimed that there was an NVA division inside Marble Mountain, which was said to have been tunneled and hollowed out, and that there was even a functioning hospital in there. It's good that I wasn't aware of that at the time. I still remember lobbing those WP grenades over the side toward the ville (and the path up the mountain) at night when I was on watch. Then if we heard actual noises, it was frag grenade time. I am surprised that none of them ever fell down onto the ville!

Lots of long-forgotten memories.

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