TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

Leatherneck Square
problem was less acute than Piroth’s, it still made a dog’s
breakfast out of Leatherneck Square.
***
More than just the 26 th Marines came down the mountains
towards the coast. Missionaries, Montagnards, and French
coffee planters at Khe Sanh bolted, but only the
Frenchmen had hotel rooms in Laos. The rest poured into
Leatherneck Square.
Marine convoys heading out Route 9 to Camp Carroll
or the Rockpile routinely had to pull over and wait for
artillery barrages to sweep past, like rain squalls peppering
in from the Gulf. Not so the Montagnards. Once aimed
downhill toward the sea they kept on trotting, baskets
swinging under shoulder poles. If running through artillery
with all your stuff ever makes it to the Olympics as an
event, look for Bru or Nung women to medal.
The Marines who were pulled over to the edge of the
road in a five ton watched the women skitter down the
road. Late morning was hot already so the 6x6 presented
the only spot of shade the women were going to find. The
young Marines weren’t, then, surprised when a small
gaggle of of them stopped, and while clucking furiously
spread a few blankets down in the shade. Surprise slowly
dawned as the women began to field‐strip a young woman.
Eyes bulged. Some sort of tribal ritual? No, but one as yet
unfamiliar to young Marines, who were soon barfing over
the far side of the 6x6. She was having a baby.
Took her five minutes, tops. No yelling, either. As
splendid as was her fortitude, her determination was a
thing of legends. The old crones cleaned the baby (more
barfing), wrapped it in some rags, crisscrossed some long
ones around the girl that held the baby to her chest, and…
stood her up. She was good to go! The Marines cheered
her fading silhouette as she ran on down the road clutching
her baby.
Welcome to Leatherneck Square, kid.
***
After the 8 May attacks on Con Tien and Recon’s missadventures
in the DMZ, things got moving. The scheme was
straightforward enough, but the naming left no one certain
as to who was on second. First, the 3 rd Division kicked off
operation Hickory with a grab­bag of battalions (some stolen
from Khe Sanh). Alongside them to the east were two ARVN
infantry battalions and three of their airborne. They were
magically on operation Lam Son 54, not Hickory. To both
was added the SLF, who preferred an appellation
more...exotic? Beau Charger it would be.
***
While Lam Son 54 was enjoying some success, the Beau
Charger part of the operation was not. Right from the
outset, the Marines were in trouble. Lt.Col. Edward Kirby’s
HMM‐263 (Helicopter Marine Medium) ran into a vicious
crossfire as his UH‐34 Sea Horse helicopters tried to land
the lead assault group from Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd
Marines.
A‐22