Same Same Cowboy

By Dave Stromire

Echo 2/1 ’68-69

How great can a grunt have it? All we had to do was guard the POW compound. It was temporary and short-lived, but good living. In fact, our time there was so short that I really don't remember much about the POW compound part of it at all, except I do remember seeing these big POWs who definitely were not Vietnamese, they had to be Chinese.

This was a real POW compound, just south of Danang it was right next to the Green Berets rear area. The Berets compound was nice. They had cement quarters, with real beds and sheets. Their mess hall had real dishes, glasses and ice-cold milk.  I had an eerie feeling as we were being shown their quarters. The troops were nowhere around. We knew they were out in the bush. I wondered where?

One day, about five of us mingled our way over to their NCO club, a real nice bar, with candles at all the tables. There were a few of the usual in the rear with the gear office poges sitting in the club drinking and having quite conversations.

We were a scrubby bunch of Marines. With that, hey I just got out of the bush, and don't mess with me attitude. We all grabbed a table, laid our weapons down on the floor, and started ordering mixed drinks. One of the Marines in our bunch was a huge private, who had five years in the Corp. I saw why as a Green Beret Officer walked by us, this Big Marine shouts at him” Hey Man, buy us a drink!” The officer said, “Do you see these bars on my shoulder?” That Marine just said, I don't care what's on your shoulder buy us a drink. Well I am thinking crap I am not getting my Rum and Coke we are going to be kicked out of hear. To my surprise, the Captain said “If you John Wayne's check your weapons behind the bar I will buy you all a few drinks.

As we are slapping M-16s, grenades, and pop up flares on top of the bar, I am thinking this Captain is cool. I was also thinking, how happy I was that their troops were still out in the bush.

We all got a little drunk, and finished the night without any more problems.

When we were finished with the POW compound, I remember riding on a tank for my first time, back to 2/1. What a feeling! Standing on all that power beneath me helmet cocked to the side M-16 in hand rumbling through the villes near Dog Patch. I really felt like I was a Marine in a John Wayne movie. The tank stopped to let some civilians pass. A bunch of little Vietnamese kids came running up to the tank. One of them asked, hey you a Marine?  I tipped my helmet back, took another drag off my cigarette, looked at him as proud as I can be, and said Yep! Aah the little kid says, Marines Numba One, Same Same Cowboy.

Standing on that tank rumbling down the road with the wind in my face, thinking of all those John Wayne Movies, I saw as a kid. Knowing no one is about to even mess with us. I felt that same pride as when I graduated from Boot Camp I felt like a real Marine again. I was John Wayne, Same Same Cowboy