On this date in 1968, the Communist Tet Offensive started in South Vietnam. My basecamp, Lai Khe, was located in an unused section of the Michelin rubber plantation and nearly surrounded by miles of single, double and triple canopy jungle. Although the attacks started on the evening of the 30th in some parts of Vietnam, all Hell broke loose in Lai Khe at about 3AM on the 31st, as heavy rocket attacks commenced, driving everyone to the bunkers. A tree-burst 100 yards away was as dangerous as a direct hit. There was very little air traffic for the first few days of the offensive, since aircraft drew more rockets. The casualty numbers in Lai Khe were very high during the first few days/nights. We had a tricky situation as the MARS radio tower was right next to our Battalion Aid Station and Bravo, 1st Med Battalion, the local field hospital. It stuck up above the rubber trees and made an excellent aiming guide for VC rocketeers. It had a red light to warn aircraft at night, since there was also a helipad at the hospital. They eventually turned the light off, because of the continuing attacks.

This photo was taken by my good friend (or so he claims), Tom Hinger in Feb. or Mar. '68. It has been used by him on many occasions since then as proof that the Army would take anyone in the late '60s (pretty much true). In the photo, I am standing in front of our Bn. Aid Station bunker. Leaning against the bunker is part of the propellant section of a 122mm rocket which hit about 20 yards from where I was standing. One night in late Feb., a rocket hit the tree next to one of our hootches, about 40 feet from the bunker. Fortunately, we were in the bunker at the time. It sounded like a jet aircraft landing on top of the bunker, and I thought we had taken a direct hit. Close enough - shrapnel shredded the roof, floors, walls and cots of everyone who slept in that hootch. My little Polaroid camera, which had accompanied me to Vietnam, bit the Big One that night.

When I had 7 days to go I was in the Aid Station doing something (probably writing a letter) when I heard rockets going overhead, and explosions. Before the siren announced an attack, I ran out the back toward our bunker. Just as I reached it, I heard an explosion across the road and turned my head to see parts of a building flying in the air. I thought "Oh sh*t", and ducked into the entry to our bunker. I counted to 10 and nothing exploded, so I grabbed an aid bag and took off on the run to where the rocket hit. It was about 150 yards, which didn't look very far, but I was sucking wind by halfway there and thinking about "What could go wrong?", a little late in the game. I made it and found that there were no life-threatening injuries, so I treated the guys who were hurt and told them that we'd get them to the field hospital (just down the road) as soon as possible. Then we waited for what felt like a long time. Finally, I left the bunker to go get our litter-jeep myself, when I saw it coming. One of the guys said, "Sorry Dave, but the Lt. (a new guy) wouldn't let us out of the bunker. He said, 'If Berry's dumb enough to get himself killed that's too bad, but you guys are staying put until it's all clear'.". I told him it was okay, nobody was dying. Then I saw the Lt. coming toward me. He told me, "Berry, I don't know whether to put you in for a medal or chew you out.". He seemed to make up his mind pretty quickly, as he started to tell me how dumb it was to take off in the open like that when there were incoming rockets. When he finished, I just looked at him and told him, "I've been here a year, Lt., and that's what we do. It's what the guys expect of us and it's what we expect of ourselves.". Then I walked away from him before I could add anything that I might regret later. I wondered for the umpteenth time whether I had fallen through the looking-glass. Just another day in the 'Nam.

I left at the end of March and Lai Khe was still getting rocket attacks at random intervals every day and night. Any time was a good time to come home, but that was especially good. Tom wrote to me a few months later and told me that it was still going on. The number of rocket attacks, and hundreds of rockets, launched against Lai Khe earned it the unenviable nickname of "Rocket City". The heavy attacks made the combat units eager to get back into the field, which was problematic, because all the VC in the World were out there itching for a fight. The Black Lions and other Big Red One units fought many battles during Tet. My former comrades in 2/2nd Inf. (Mechanized), including friend Don Scott, fought in the Battle of Saigon, right after the initial attacks. It was a wild and woolly time.