Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:35 | Arriving in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, Carl King saw firsthand how violent the war really was. He arrived in Con Thien after having seen wounded Marines from 1st Battalion being brought back from Hue. Then, he got to see how well prepared his unit was. (Caution: May contain strong language)
Keywords : Phu Bai Vietnam Tet Offensive Hue Vietnam Con Thien Final Protective Line (FPL) Da Nang Vietnam
After becoming a Marine in 1957, Carl King spent some time in the infantry and as an MP before becoming a Drill Instructor. He recalls one recruit who wasn’t like the other Marines. (Caution: May contain strong language)
He’d been in the USMC for a decade but now he was assigned to fight in his first war. Luckily, he’d receive some additional training before he left that would pay off dividends later in Vietnam. (Caution: May contain strong language)
Carl King hadn’t been in Vietnam long when he was sent out on a blocking force. His platoon quickly found themselves in the middle of a firefight that would leave him wounded and medevaced out of the field. (Caution: May contain strong language)
Carl had sustained an injury during a time many others were also being sent to Okinawa to recover. He recalls some of his experience in the hospitals, including one man who lost his life during treatment. (Caution: May contain strong language)
King had returned to Hotel Company which had seen some dark days clearing the road to Khe Sanh. A series of operations put him on Hill 471 where an NVA platoon would make a devastating attack. (Part 1 of 2) (Caution: May contain strong language)
While operating near Hill 471, Carl King's unit discovered a fortified bunker complex and engaged in a fierce firefight. In the blink of an eye, two Corpsmen were killed trying to aid a fallen Marine. (Part 2 of 2) (Caution: May contain strong language)
A raid on Hill 881 ended with a hard walk back to Khe Sanh. Carl King recalls the threat of mortar fire and the toll it took on his platoon. (Caution: May contain strong language)
Coming off an operation, Carl King noticed he had been losing his hair. After getting his diagnosis, the doctor gave him some advice that was very unexpected. He also recalls a helicopter pilot friend of his who got a taste of life on the ground. (Caution: Strong Language)
Carl King describes the sort of pressure Marines were under going on these patrols. It takes a good leader to make sure everyone performs their duty. He also recalls his friend, LT Sam Meale who understood the importance of learning from the experience. (Caution: May contain strong language)
Carl describes some of the heavy foliage Marines often fought through in Vietnam and the one occasion he was extremely grateful for the additional map training he received just before his tour. (Caution: May contain strong language)
Carl remembers his radio operator, a young man by the name of Hayden. The relationship between the platoon commander and his radio operator was essential to their success in the field. Carl tells the story of a patrol near the DMZ where Hayden inadvertently scared a bunch of heat-exhausted Marines. (Caution: May contain strong language)
Carl was coming up on the end of his tour in Vietnam, but he’d end up taking another shot to the same leg that was wounded when he had first arrived. There would be no moment of respite when he made it to the hospital in Da Nang. (Caution: May contain strong language)
