robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

George Wayne Mc Reynolds
Specialist Five
HHC, 593RD GS GROUP, ARMY SPT CMD QUI NHON, 1ST LOG CMD, USARV
Army of the United States
Bristol, Tennessee
June 30, 1942 to January 30, 1968
GEORGE W McREYNOLDS is on the Wall at Panel 35E, Line 77


Sat June 27th our Tac Ops Center was told we had to send someone on outpost duty because the other HQ sections were unhappy our people were exempt from doing outpost TDY.
I had been once the year before but then I became Classified Reports Clerk & Alternate Custodian of Documents - had the combos and codes for the safes etc. They didn't let me out much. I had just trained a new clerk as my backup and to take my place when I got promoted out of my slot in a couple of months so they told me to pack up and go.
Then George walked out of the room where his drafting and cartography gear was and announced he had all work for the next two weeks done and he hadn't been on outpost duty (until then is was a week long vacation, guard at night and sleep all day) plus he wanted to see if they had followed his blue prints for the new bunkers. And as a new E-5 he would command one of the bunkers.

If George had walked into the office a minute or two later I would have been gone and Line77 on Panel 35E of the Vietnam Wall might have been my name, or... Who knows maybe if I had been there instead of George I might have spotted the incoming VC Sapper squad in time to stop them. I will never know.

The first attack of the Tet Offensive in our area was about 2AM on the outpost guarding the pass through the mountains. George and two other guys at that bunker were killed and the other 4 all wounded. Another friend of mine was one of the wounded and he managed to kill the three VC who were running past after they destroyed the bunker with an RPG and satchel charge and threw the grenade into the tent where George was getting his first sleep in almost 48 hours.

Badgertale Loc: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Thank you for sharing your story.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

WOW!

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Your Welcome

JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois

Sad. I never served but knew many who did. One of my friends and pool shooting buddy was killed in Vietnam.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Rest In peace George - you are remembered.

radiojohn

Out of 100 guys in my Intelligence Analyst class, the Army grabbed 10 of us to fill needed slots at the Pentagon handing communications for Army Chief of Staff. So from 66-69 I was there while the other 90 in what was called "Vietnam Prep School" went ???.

Our training was messed up, as we were still prepping to fight Russians (same as in Basic..wrong rifles and tactics) and they took away all our European maps halfway through and gave us ones for Vietnam. So I was happy to spend my time time with shift work on the 5th floor of the A Wing.

BTW, one of my sad duties was to handle initial death reports. There is a small chance that fellow's report passed through my hands. Strange world. You might find my Memorial Day radio broadcast interesting. https://anchor.fm/jack-socha

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Could be as you can see by the date of death he died on the first day of the Tet Offensive at about 2 AM. Those of us in the Tac Ops Center who weren't working the night shift at the time got rousted out to fully man Tac Ops, the joint was jumping. I got there at just about 4AM and not long after we got a casualty report from the outpost and there was George listed as KIA. All the casualty reports for the area came through our HQ's personnel office. Another friend of mine was the clerk who handled them. He got used to all the military and "Three Letter" outfits losses but one day it was a US civilian - the toddler daughter of some Missionaries who had refused to leave because of the war. That night he got totally smashed at the EM/Jr NCO club crying and even screaming about it. His boss, a Major heard about it and looked in on him then told the rest of us to not bother waking him in the morning "Let him sleep some of it off." In the next few days all 4 of our Chaplains talked to him about it. We had 4 who acted as "circuit riding preachers" for units all over who didn't have Chaplains of their own. He recovered but asked to do anything but process casualty reports after that.

radiojohn

I mentioned in my show that it was very hard seeing, as I went from 18 to 21, the birth dates get younger. These were kids who were freshmen in high school when I was a senior. I still carry a bit of "survivor's" guilt, even though I raised my hand an stepped across the same line as everybody else.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

When I talk with people about my service it usually comes out I was Regular Army and they ask what that means. I tell them it meant I volunteered for service and my serial number started with "RA" while the draftees' numbers started with "US". Then they will make some comment about all those kids drafted and sent over. I ask them what % in Vietnam they think were drafted and they usually think it was 75 to 90%. They are shocked when I tell them that only 25% of troops in the combat zone during the entire war were drafted. They also are shocked to know siblings or parent and child who both served could not be sent at the same time unless they both agreed and an only child/son could ask not to go and would serve somewhere else like in the US or Europe. Then I tell them that became policy after the 5 Sullivan brothers all died together when their their ship, Cruiser USS Juneau was sunk in the Pacific during WWII (that ship actually had over 30 pairs of brothers in addition to the 5 Sullivans). Then I will ask if they had seen the movie "Saving Pvt Ryan". I tell them that movie was based on a true event but the real soldier Sgt Fritz Niland was actually picked up by a Chaplin and his Assistant in a jeep. That fight to get to him and save him made an exciting war movie but it was the Chaplain and his assistant who just drove a jeep to a rest camp near the front lines where Sgt Niland's unit was getting ready to go back into combat and drove him back to be flown our of the combat zone and eventually home where he served out the war as an MP. Sgt Niland was one of 4 brothers - because of what happened to the Sullivan's they were each in different units. One died on the beach on D-Day, one just after D-Day and one got shot down over Burma flying a cargo plane so the Army sent the Chaplain to get the last brother to safety. After the war the brother who was a pilot and shot down came out of a Japanese POW camp and came home.

Sorry to get so long winded, I guess Memorial Day is teaming up with my inner "retired" history teacher.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Dalek Loc: Detroit, Miami, Goffstown

I thank the service of all young men who served in Vietnam. I failed my physical after college. When you see the Wall the loss of life is a grim reminder of our engagement in a USELESS conflict.
I salute all who are serving today as all lives matter.

rustfarmer

I, too, suffer survivor's guilt, and even guilt for "just following orders" instead of resisting the madness in some way. I spent my time on several air force bases as a weapons tech loading incindagel, bombs, and rockets on F4s. I never had a gun or rifle in my hands my entire tour and felt absolutely helpless when under attack. Quite different from those out in the jungle but still take drugs for PTSD. Fighting in WW1 or 2 was a whole different world, I know, but those who served in 'nam have a reason to feel angry. My 2 cents.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Land of the Free because of the Brave.

radiojohn

Each military person carries their own baggage and it varies.

With me, it was processing the reports of the dead and "simulating" World War III in an underground mountain bunker. [The old fake civil defense poster about "tuck your head between your legs and kiss your a-- goodbye" is more accurate than we want to believe.]

But compared to being dead or severely wounded or seeing others die or get maimed, our personal reflections are not the stuff headlines are made from.