Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:46 | On Saturdays, Al Copeland's unit had to go on Air Mobile Assaults. Choppers would pick up the men and ferry them from one landing zone to another, wherever there was intelligence that the Viet Cong were present. This was tough in the Mekong Delta, where you stepped in mud up to your knees.
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He felt he owed it to the country, so Al Copeland volunteered early for the draft. He was infantry all the way, and after basic training and jungle training in the cold rain, he was ready for Vietnam.
He was apprehensive, of course, especially after somebody told him he wasn't going to last because of his height. Al Copeland entered Vietnam as a replacement and began to learn the art of the ambush. After dealing with the mosquitos, he had to deal with the booby traps.
His nickname was "Moose." He was big, and because he was the new guy, he had to carry a lot of extra gear. Al Copeland talks about the constant routine of night ambushes they would set up to catch the Viet Cong. On one of these, they took fire from a village and the result was not good for the villagers.
He made Buck Sergeant about the time he figured out that he and his buddies were basically fighting for each other and for no other reason. They were taking a large bunker complex and when two others were under fire, he went out to get them. After the fight was over, he was disturbed to learn what his superiors intended to do about the enemy base.
The squad was eating lunch and Al Copeland was off a bit, keeping watch on them while the other squad began a sweep. As soon as the second squad set out, they were in a firefight and Charlie started running. The only problem was that Charlie was running right toward him.
