TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

Que Son
so, bore a high cost. How many they had lost I can’t
remember exactly, but it included their company
commander. Their dead were covered with ponchos and
laid side by side awaiting evacuation by helicopter. But
that wouldn’t happen for another 12 hours: for the
moment darkness was approaching. It’s usually the case
that the situation dictates air‐evac priorities, but it’s
always the case that morale is never improved by the sight
of fallen Marines and Alpha company had a lot.
Happily, among their survivors was friend and
classmate Carlton Fulford, who had been suddenly thrust
in command of what was left of Alpha Company. Carl was
always a particularly serious Marine officer who was slow
to relax on the best of day; however, when I found him
after our two companies had linked up, I was taken aback
by his ghost‐like appearance. He was wounded in several
spots, some seriously; had spent thirty‐six sleepless hours
of hard fighting; had seen a significant numbers of Marines
killed including his company commander, and sometime in
the middle of a night of hard fighting command fell to
him. Leaking blood, he and the other wounded fought
on.
It is a cliché of combat heroism that those who
exhibit it are completely unaware of their heroism, but the
cliché does not affect the fact of it.
The two company commanders (of which Lt. Fulford
was one now) decided that given the difficulty of carrying
the dead and the non‐ambulatory wounded, that an
attempt to return to the battalion area was impracticable,
and that we should remain together in Alpha Company’s
position for the night. The addition of Bravo company
added to the remnants of Alpha company yielded a
complement of one and a half‐companies to handle what
we assumed would be a resumption of evening
unpleasantries.
Common opinion assumes the chain of operational
command in combat to be one of strict hierarchical orderissuing
and order‐obeying from the top (here, the two
company commanders) and ending as a frag order stuck to
the bayonet of Private Joe Banatz. Not really. The reality
is that what precedes the final orders is most often
lengthy and often heated debate by the staffs and other
subordinates of the commanding officer(s). From the first
day at Quantico, officers are taught to state and argue for
their beliefs as strenuously as fairly as they can until the
moment comes when a final decision is made. With that
the decision becomes a directive. Law, tradition, and
wisdom dictate that one then implements the directive to
the best of one's ability. However difficult that may be,
even regretful, duty is clear and unequivocal.
This, perhaps, distinguishes Marine Corps history
and underscores the devotion of its Marines. Steadfast
devotion to duty exemplifies the universal demand of
Marines, present and former, and explains why those no
longer on active duty are referred to as “former” and not
“ex” Marines. There are a few pitiful “ex” but there are a
great many “former” Marines. That night proved to be
one for each Marine to decide exactly which sort he was to
become.
The NVA forces arrayed against us, we later found
out, were significant elements of a full division and they
knew very well how to attack unrelentingly in several
A‐30