A TRIBUTE TO LCpl TED WILLIAMS, USMC

MINUS NINE DAYS and counting: a tribute to one of the 69 courageous teenage US Marines fallen but not forgotten on Hill 881, N of Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, St Patrick’s Day; March 16-17, 1967. He was my friend and my brother. We were both 19 years old and were already considered hardened experienced combat vets with one thirteen month tour of duty in country behind us and I well into my second tour. We were MARINES doing what Marines do; hunting down and killing the enemy!

EIGHT DAYS until the last days of his life: 44 years ago.and hungry; numb - just one step in front of the other. Hard Monsoon Rains coming down sideways; stinging our faces; cold as hell - couldn’t stop shivering; humping 100 pounds of gear and ammo through mountainous triple canopy jungles of the area north of Khe Sanh. "Beaucoup" enemy movement all over the place; NVA moving in, in force; could hear them talking when wind was right. Wet to the core, bone tired and hungry; mind and body numb to the pain and misery; just one step in front of the other. Hunting “Charlie” while he hunted us.

SEVEN DAYS until the last day of his life: 44 years ago. LCpl Ted Williams was one of my fire-team leaders. We had become way too close in the few months we had been together. He was a first tour short-timer and I was well into my second tour of duty. He was a tall 6'2" black MARINE from the NORTH: Chicago, and I was a short 5'4" white MARINE from the SOUTH: Texas. We were destined to become brothers. We shared the last days of our lives together.Texas. Williams and I were destined to become brothers. We closely shared the last days of our lives together and we both bled GREEN. Texas. We were destined to become brothers. We shared the last days of our lives together. m Texas. We were destined to become brothers. We shared the last days of our lives together.

SIX DAYS until the last day of his life: 44 years ago. It’s still frickin raining; can’t see ten feet ahead; moving impossible through wet slippery dense vegetation. But still pushed, crawled, climbed up, clawed over and through the triple canopy jungle mountainous terrain; take two steps, fall back one. Shivering like crazy; locked eyes with Williams--we both looked like sh*t and felt worse. Something about that moment: a permanent impression of total exasperation. We both start laughing--the gut wrenching kind of laugh. WAR?! BROTHERS!! CLOSER THAN LOVERS!!

FIVE DAYS until the last day of his life: 44 years ago. Moving into 12 foot tall elephant grass; the edges slice you up like razor blades. Rain never stops, just changes direction and intensity; leaches on grass reach out frantically for you and drop down your back; nothing to do but let them eat. Point jumps NVA machine gun and dies. New guy--didn’t even know his name. Total silence turns to instant insanity. Rounds slice through elephant-grass from both sides. Just shooting at noise and movement; can’t see. Rounds pass by, shooting back in same direction. Crawling! Marines move forward, jerk violently and rest as if sleeping; ghostly forms in field of violence. We move forward; never see them again.

FOUR DAYS until the last day of his life: 44 years ago. Cleared elephant grass; moved back up into the mountains toward Hill 861. Williams tells me about women; I tell him about horses. He’s from the city, I’m from the country. We dug in for the night on side of 60 degree slope. Makeshift fighting hole quickly filled with water so clung to and hung onto small tree trunks to keep from sliding down hill. Covered with gummy sticky clay mud. Heard movement and saw shadows all around us. NVA everywhere! Still Frickin RAINING.

THREE DAYS until the last day of his life: 44 years ago. Williams: 11 days and wake-up to go. We drop packs: moving into killing zone. I tell him to go back with supply chopper: he replies “hell, then whose gonna keep your white ass alive?” We laugh, slap each other on the shoulder and move out again. He limps from small BB size fragment of shrapnel from a grenade I had thrown in the direction of NVA probe; killed the gook and hit Williams in leg. He didn’t complain; just looked at me. RAINING and COLD; miserably covered with mud, even in teeth.

TWO DAYS until the last day of his life: 44 years ago. Very anxious from enemy activity all around us; not really scared but not feeling very brave. Could see NVA passing in the bush but ordered not to fire. Almost reach out and touch them. Raining so hard they haven’t noticed how close we are. Moving down Hill 861: slick wet muddy vegetation; sliding, falling, knocking each other down. Williams grabs me hauls me to my feet and states sarcastically: “Where the f**k you think you’re going?” I say: “HOME I HOPE!”

ONE DAY until the last day of his life: 44 years ago. RAIN STOPS: sun comes out, we warm up. We find a water hole fed by beautiful waterfall. Set out guards, strip necked, jump in like kids in a pond. Laughing, whooping, frolicking in water; getting mud out of ears, hair, teeth. Williams and I jump each other and wrestle, laughing, happy, pushing each other under: the war forgotten. Spent way too much time there and moved out. Bad feeling we were being watched while moving out.

THE MORNING of the last day of his life: 44 years ago. sh*t hit the fan; all hell breaks lose. Moving at dead run UPHILL toward intense firefight on Hill 881 through burning elephant grass; dodging incoming AK and mortar fire. Now HOT as hell, no wind at all; Marines discarding extra ammo and flack jackets to keep from passing out. Area covered with marker steaks; being drawn into ambush. Reached initial LZ; mortars falling like hail; deadly accurate!!

THE AFTERNOON of the last day of, his life: 44 years ago. Moving up and over saddleback to 881 N.; sustained heavy casualties. Hauled and drug them UP with us under Withering fire. Ordered Williams to take his fire-team and set up defense position and DIG IN. Eyes penetrating mine, he says: “This is it, huh?!” I say: “Yeah, this is it!” We touch clinched fists, look into each others eyes: understanding. He moves out and follows orders. INCOMING!!!!

THE EVENING of the last day of his life: 44 years ago. Dead and wounded all around; too many blown completely apart; bodies torn beyond recognition. Everyone hit multiple times. Williams still in position holding his ground; he is hit three times already. Most of squad down, platoon all dead or wounded; NVA moving in all around us. AK, grenade and Mortar fire intense; trapped on area size of basketball court. Teenage Marines still holding-their-own: Ferocious Bloodletting on both sides. Platoon making accounting of itself.

THE LAST HOUR of the last day of his life: 44 years ago. Casualties so high that first medievac chopper in was Chinook; trying to land on sloping hill. Took too long and shot to pieces; mortars hit while trying to get wounded on chopper. Many died who were wounded. Williams & I hit again. AK fire intensifies, hitting everyone who moved. Hot, out of water; throat dry from bleeding, tongue swelling. Everyone the same. No sound except for the roar of combat.

THE LAST MOMENT of the last day of his life: 44 years ago. INCOMING!!! Williams calls out: I get to him just as another mortar hit and blew us both into air; I hit, then he hit. Only half of him hit: he was missing everything below his web belt. He instinctively grabbed me by the arm, locked eyes with me and just said: BURKE! He died and I held him and cried. His blood comingled with mine and we were one for eternity. I had to pry his fingers from my arm so I could move. It was: Move or Die.

LAST TIME I SAW HIM: 44 YEARS AGO. Heavy incoming from all sides. I get up, grab Williams by the web strap; drag his torso into nearest hole as if to protect him. Don’t know why but felt better that I had at least got to him & moved him to safety; even after the fact. I was hit fourth time; weak from dehydration. Set in with the few left in squad to hold out, kill as many gooks as we could and buy time for reinforcements. Hit fifth time in head. Done! Woke up in Field Hospital weeks later.

EPILOG: Delta Co. arrived at 4:00 am; St Patrick’s Day! LCpl Ted Williams was my brother, he was my friend; and BY GOD, we were MARINES!!! I left him in a hole on that hill in Vietnam 44 years ago and never saw him again except in my dreams: his haunting stare locked into my brain forever. A huge part of me died with him that day. Goodbye Ted; I now release you and let you go. You are and always will be REMEMBERED!! SEMPER FI!!!

He is listed among the Bravo Company Honored dead: 232 authorized strength; 205 KIA; 671 WIA; 4 MIA. All companies shared these same statistics.