VIETNAM STORIES OF SNAKES AND ANIMALS IN THE JUNGLE? What are your Stories of the Jungle?

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 22:37:01 -0400

I have heard and seen some intriguing pictures of Nam, I would like to hear your stories.

http://www.ichiban1.org/html/stories/story_38.htm

The infamous two-step VIPER?

One snake was called a "Two-step" by GI's, because the word was you could only walk two steps after being bitten before you died. This may have been a myth to keep GI's alert in the bush, because there are no known snakes in the world that can kill that fast. The fastest known killer, Africa's Black Mamba, can kill in about 2-1/2 minutes if bitten directly into a major artery or vein that goes straight to the heart. Generally speaking, though, it takes 15 to 30 minutes before life threatening symptoms appear from a snake bite, and usually a minimum of several hours or even days before death occurs from bites of even very venomous snakes.
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Vietnam War Stories - 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 50th Infantry

In late 1969, I commanded Delta Company, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 50th Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade in Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province, South Vietnam, the nuoc mam capital of the World. Whether by coincidence or design, the province is also home to many varieties of venomous snakes. In fact, Vietnam is home to some of the world's deadliest snakes such as asian cobras, king cobras, coral snakes, kraits, and numerous vipers and pit...

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Sep 15 at 2016 10:40 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 22:40:07 -0400

I'm a "Vietnam Era" vet but actually 3 years after US Left and 1 years after the North Won. Sorry All my Stories are a Bit Later.

Response by SFC William Farrell made Sep 15 at 2016 10:40 PM

SFC William Farrell — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 22:40:58 -0400

Thats a big snake SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2016 11:13 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 23:13:47 -0400

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL As a kid, I liked to collect and keep lizards and snakes. I would occasionally be bitten by a snake, but it did not bother me. In Vietnam, we were moving through a bamboo grove, when I came face to face with a bamboo viper. I was not quiet as I retreated from that snake. I now keep a healthy distance from all snakes. I also don't like bamboo.

Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2016 11:42 PM

CPO Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 23:42:55 -0400

Not a NAM story, but I have one from my first state side FTX in 1990, before our deployment to Storm/Shield. We were on what we call Air Det FEX away from main body conducting theirs in Camp Shelby, MS. We were doing our training in Eglin AFB, FL, Ranger training area, and my SQD was out on a Security Patrol, and I was the 60 Gunner. We came up on OPFOR patrol, and we scrambled to set up a hasty ambush I jumped down behind a downed tree, and as I got down rolled over a Rattle snack about 6ft long. I felt something then herd a rattle, kinda got up and then yelled snack or something like that and then we yelled at the Evaluators to come over and check it out, The A gunner started striking his rifle butt, and ended up killing him. The range control came out and yelled at us for killing him said we should have let him go.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Sep 15 at 2016 11:53 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 23:53:00 -0400

That certainly seems to be a long python SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL and it is nice to see an M-113 in the background.
My only dealings with snakes and alligators tended to be in the southern USA - as a child in WV and as adult being stationed at Fort Campbell in 1975 and then Fort Benning [1984-1989] as a soldier which had its share of snakes, alligators and biting ants.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Sep 16 at 2016 12:08 AM

SFC Mark Merino — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 00:08:06 -0400

My first PSG was raised by the Vietnam grunts. They said it was merciful to only step on punji sticks smeared with feces. They also had man traps that had some nasty vipers in them. There wasn't even time to call out for a medic. That wasn't true, but it kept them on their toes. I did a little research and found records of 742 non-combat related deaths in the field and snakes were listed as one of the causes, but they never broke it down by type of snake, etc. I always defer to 1LT Sandy Annala for all the medical nightmares faced in Vietnam.

Response by LTC Monte Anderson made Sep 16 at 2016 6:22 AM

LTC Monte Anderson — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 06:22:31 -0400

We called snakes "No shoulders." My platoon in Nam believed that if we saw a snake in route to an ambush site, we would have contact that night.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Sep 16 at 2016 6:58 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 06:58:38 -0400

A little longer then the snake I saw at Camp Shelby, MS.

Response by SFC George Smith made Sep 16 at 2016 9:38 AM

SFC George Smith — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 09:38:33 -0400

I heard a story from a Cobra Pilot that said they were on Patrol when they ran across a Bunch of "VC" Carrying a Really Long and Silver object...
The crew thought it was a Bangalore Torpedo and "Hosed" them down ... a responding Ground patrol reported it was a 26-Ft Burmese Python...

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Sep 16 at 2016 12:08 PM

SSgt Terry P. — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 12:08:10 -0400

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL A little late but may be of interest. One of the worst fears was poisonous snakes hung from the ceilings of tunnels, the snake's tail was split and then tied to a stake or any obstruction that would allow it to dangle and strike someone crawling in the head or neck.

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Sep 16 at 2016 9:34 PM

SGT Philip Roncari — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 21:34:55 -0400

I will always remember being on patrol being the point man and moving through bamboo groves late afternoon just before setting up our company's night perimeter and encountering a lot of bamboo vipers draped all over the bamboo, needless to say we picked a different location far away from "old Jake no shoulders"

Response by MAJ David Vermillion made Sep 18 at 2016 10:49 AM

MAJ David Vermillion — Sun, 18 Sep 2016 10:49:43 -0400

I remember building a camp, Tieu Atar in II Corp and while there we used elephants to haul logs and also saw tigers near our camp in December 1968.

Response by LTC Wayne Dandridge made Oct 1 at 2016 2:08 PM

LTC Wayne Dandridge — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 14:08:46 -0400

From the military history book, BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE) End Note 52 on page 391 and from "The Living Hazard Data Base" Vietnam page at http://www.afpmb.org/content/venomus-animals-country-v#Vietnam published by the Armed Forces Pest Management Board and from Snakes of the Orient: A Checklist, vii+ 183 pp. and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_snakes_of_South_Asia. The web carries all kinds of tw0-step stories, among them see: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid= [login to see] 4443AAaefUa_ . Armed Forces Pest Management Board lists 43 species of venomous snakes (34 land snakes and 9 water snakes) in Vietnam.

Thanks for the snake story. Most of all, thanks for your military service and support of our troops, veterans, and their families. By the way, I go by my middle name, which is "Larry".

Many years ago I was a motors police officer in Alabama and a regular old Road Dog COP in Missouri and I still own a Harley Davidson 883 Sportster. I also founded and led (and owned the majority shares in) the most successful hospice in Missouri from 2002 until 2012.

My terrific step father, a US Marine World War II Sergeant, was in Colonel (then Major) Pappy Boyington's BLACK SHEEP Squadron and other Marine units, including Infantry and Artillery, in the Pacific war. He got me hooked on becoming an Army pilot and soldier.

I was an enlisted infantryman, aviation warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the US Army from 1967 to 1991. I served in the 121st Assault Helicopter Company, Tiger UH-1D Huey Slicks and UH-1B Viking Gunships, and the 235th Aerial Weapons Company (a Cobra Attack Helicopter Company) in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969 as a Warrant Officer Pilot.

I was wounded seriously on the 28th of March 1969 with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs), broken back, shattered ankles, broken jaw, broken right hand, severely lacerated neck, sprained knees, and terribly whip lashed neck, on March 28, 1969 in a B Model Huey gunship. One leg is now one inch shorter than the other and I lost some brain cells but still working, enjoying grandchildren, and walking.

I retired from the Army in 1991 as a Lieutenant Colonel and then worked 23 years in aerospace, hospice, and law enforcement. Now I am a 100% combat service connected disabled and a full-time writer and editor. And I also work part-time as a volunteer patient adviser, jobs assistance officer, Veterans Service Officer (VSO), customer service council member, and Patient and Family Centered Care (PFCC) Instructor and committee member for the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and the Association of the US Army (AUSA) Chapter here in Charleston, SC.

For the past three years I have been helping to lead the effort to raise funds to build a FISHER HOUSE in Charleston, SC to support the families of troop and veteran inpatients in the RHJ VA Medical Center.

I have also written an all five-star reviewed, non-fiction, military history, and action book titled BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE) to help raise money to build a FISHER HOUSE CHARLESTON to house for FREE the families of the military and veteran inpatients in the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center here in Charleston, SC.

Since this is the 50th Commemorative Year of the Vietnam War,
I have to share this soldier’s story of sacrifice, tragedy, and closure that was in the Albuquerque Journal - The Sunday Journal (http://www.abqjournal.com/.../a-salute-to-a-fallen....) recently with you, On 19-21 Feb 2016, I flew to Albuquerque, NM to meet with the surviving two members (his older and younger sister) of Warrant Officer 1 and Army Pilot Gerald (Jerry) D. Markland who was killed-in-action (KIA) in III Corps, in Vietnam on December 28, 1968 and the person I primarily dedicated BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE) to.
Jerry and I were close friends in basic training and flight school together and we deployed to Vietnam together. Jerry and I tried to drink all the beer and eat all the steaks in San Francisco on our way to Vietnam ---- and it is a good thing Jerry did that, as he was killed in action (KIA) on 28 December 1968. Jerry’s tragic death changed my outlook on the war and my life.

Jerry and his crew of four were flying an armed UH-1 Huey smoke helicopter laying smoke so the Command and Control (C&C) Helicopter in the 187th Assault Helicopter Company could land among 25th US Infantry Division troops, in a heated battle with a North Vietnamese Army Regimental size or larger force, in a rubber plantation. Unfortunately, Jerry’s aircraft was riddled with intense small arms fire, including fire from three 51 Caliber heavy weapons set up in a triangular trap for the unsuspecting helicopter, as it laid smoke directly in front of the enemy’s dug in positions in the forest and jungle along the plantation.

Jerry was shot in the head and may have survived that wound had the aircraft cyclic controls not been shot out. The aircraft flew uncontrolled into the rubber trees at 120 knots, tumbled, rolled, was torn to pieces, burst into flames, and two of the crew (Jerry and the Door Gunner) were killed in the crash.

I had been looking for Jerry’s family for 47 years to tell them what a great guy, officer, friend, and pilot Jerry was but had been unable to find them. His sisters had married names by then and one parent had moved away. It turns out, that Jerry’s sisters had also been looking for someone like me, someone who could tell them more about Jerry’s military service, flight training, combat service, his last mission, and the day he was killed. I myself was seriously wounded on March 28, 1969 and it took me about six months to get back to duty and flying and a year to start looking for Jerry’s family. I had no luck until 15 September 2015.

I dedicated my latest non-fiction, action-packed, and military history book, BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE), ISBN 978-0578-15637-8 to Warrant Officer Jerry Markland and the other 41 members of my flight class who gave the last full measure in Vietnam. Chapter 9 of the book tells the story of Jerry’s last combat mission and his demise. All 2015 profits from the sale of the book went to FISHER HOUSE CHARLESTON and $1.00 from each book sold in 2016 also goes to FISHER HOUSE CHARLESTON. I had a message in several places in my book {BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE)} to all readers asking them to please help me find this family.

On 15 September 2015 an old Army pilot comrade sent me Jerry’s older sister’s married name and contact information. I contacted her the same day and, as she requested, I sent her 10 free copies of the book and set up a visit with her large family for February 19-21, 2016. The Markland’s older sister and her husband immediately donated $1000.00 to Fisher House Charleston!

The visit was a joyous, emotional, sad, and once-in-a-life time event ----- really the visit was a born-again, miraculous, and momentous event! An event I shall never forget. The wonderful Markland family and I got a huge amount of closure to Jerry’s death and the tragedy from the visit. The Markland family treated me like a king and we all cried and laughed together, and the wonderful Albuquerque Journal - The Sunday Journal Reporter and Columnist Mrs. Gutierrez Krueger covered the story, interviewed the family and me for two hours, and had supper with us on the night of February 19, 2016.

I recommend you read the story at http://www.abqjournal.com/.../a-salute-to-a-fallen.... In my opinion, Jerry’s and his family’s story is our story, the story of the sacrifice all troops, veterans, and their families, who suffer the loss of their soldier or the serious wounding or injury of their Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Coast Guardsman, or Airman or Merchant Mariner. The Albuquerque Journal story is hard to read and look at the pictures without becoming emotional.

By the way, BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE) sales, my speeches, and my books signings have raised more than $60.000.00 to help build FISHER HOUSE CHARLESTON.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Larry

LTC (Retired) W. Larry Dandridge

Editor, Writer, and Author with Tigers, Vikings, & Vipers Publishing LLC
236 North Ainsdale Drive, Charleston, SC 29414, Home and Office Phone: [login to see] ; Cell Phone: [login to see] ; FAX: [login to see] ; Personal Email: [login to see]
Web Site: https://www.tvvpublishingllc.com/ and bladesofthunderbookone.com

BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE) I of II, ISBN 978-0-578-15637-8 (paperback), eISBN 978-1-4951-3906-2 (eBook)

P.S. All 2015 profits from the sale of BLADES OF THUNDER (BOOK ONE) went to FISHER HOUSE CHARLESTON, SC! Also one dollar from the sale of each book in 2016 will go to FISHER HOUSE CHARLESTON! The Fisher House Charleston will be a comfort home with 16 bedrooms and private baths. The guests staying there free of charge, for as long as necessary, while a family member is being treated at the RHJ VA Med Center, and will share a common living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room where they will be able to form friendships based on mutual experiences and need for support during a stressful time.

You can order a signed and personalized copy by emailing me at [login to see] or calling me at [login to see] and you can order an unsigned copy through AMAZON, Barnes and Noble online, Books-A-Million, and many other sources.

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