I am not a writer and while I will attempt to make this readable, you will have to use some imagination to make this real. While I sit here attempting to put this story to words, other memories keep floating to the surface, but they will have to wait until another day.

My name is Steve Head, I was a 32D or fixed station tech controller, stationed at the 8RRFS in Phu Bai. However this story comes from Saigon, where I spent 3 months TDY to Comm Unit Viet Nam. To the best of my recollection I was in Saigon from December 68 through February 69, some things just are not very clear anymore.

In front of the Communication Center, which was there before the Air Force built Tan Son Nhut, there stood a wooden Guard Tower that will always remind me of the Tower in F-Troop. I was on duty as a Tech Controller I think on midnight's when were informed that we were under a Yellow Alert.

Myself, and another soldier, couldn't tell you his name if I had too, were ordered to get into the tower. We were given an M-60 and three cans of ammo to take in the tower, no radio, no field phone, no orders except to get in the tower. The soldier that was with me was drunk as a skunk and passed out in the corner, which left me to my own daydreaming. It was a beautiful clear moonlit night but I could see the flares over the outer perimeter but all was calm.

I started thinking about my plight there in this tower with one of the main streets running just a few yards from me. Here I was sitting in the middle of the huge Air Base, with I believe it was the 82nd Airborne on the perimeter guarding my butt. The whole NVA could be marching down the street and I could do nothing but crap my pants, so what the heck am I going to do. I could not get out of the tower, I could not call anyone to pass on anything I might see. In the moonlight I was just making a good target should a sniper get somewhere close to my position, which I thought was rather stupid.

So it was time to take action, I sat the M-60 and three cans of ammo on top of the trap door in the center of the tower, and sat down leaning against the outer wall of the tower. I was complying with the orders that I had been given, I would not let myself sleep as that was a court martial offence. As I sat there thinking about home and life back in the world I heard a noise. I heard a creaking sound like someone was on the ladder coming up to the tower. This noise startled me and brought me out of my trance like state, I listened very intently for the next step. I listened and listened but heard nothing else, my hearing was probably better then than it is now, so I went back to my daydreaming. All the sudden, another creak, what the heck is going on, am I hearing things or what. I listened and listened again, but nothing. This whole scenario repeated itself a number of times and thought it must me the wind blowing the tower and making a creak and didn't think much more about it. Almost a half hour after I had heard the first noise I found out what it was.

The trap door flew open, up went the M-60 and three cans of ammo, a WO stuck his head through the open door staring right into my wide open eyes, the M-60 and three cans of ammo came back down smacking this stupid WO in the head nearly knocking him off the ladder. I started laughing so hard I could not stop, the look in his eyes and that trap door coming back down hitting him in the head.

I hope that silly bastard is able to read this someday. He spent about ½ hour climbing that ladder to catch us sleeping on guard duty, and I was given an Article 15. I refused the 15 and they actually were going to give me a Summary Court Marshall, I don't recall why they didn't. Someone must have reviewed the facts and thought better, than make fools out themselves.

I hope that this gives someone a laugh or an insight to life in ASA.

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