Monkey Mountain Paranoia

By Ken DeHaas

2/1 H&S 70-71

I volunteered for Vietnam, what was I thinking! I was a radio telegraph operator with second Anti Tank Bn; Camp LeJeune, N.C. Performing preventive maintenance on a never ending supply of PRC-25 radios was not high on my list of reasons of why I wanted to be a United States Marine. Reckon I saw too many John Wayne movies, so off to Nam I went.

Landed at Danang and unloaded from a C-130 into a hell like wall of heat, inhabited by beetle nut chewing wrinkled dark brown little people wearing pajamas and goofy looking hats. Soon after exchanging our American money for funny money, MPC, all of us FNG’s (F___ing New Guys) were called to formation to be given our in country duty stations. A good friend of mine was told he was going to First Recon. I’m thinking he’s screwed! A few minutes later I found out I was on my way to First Force Recon. I guess I was double screwed!

Got a ride to First Force and dumped my gear on the first empty cot I saw. Bad move, that Marine was on patrol and the worst taboo, was to take his rack.

My First Recon Patrol was one of many hills on Monkey Mountain. The landing zone was so small that we had to leap from the hovering CH-46. In addition to worrying about Charlie scaling the cliff sides, incidents of tiger attacks were becoming more common. Nightfall was near and each of us was busy personalizing his sleeping area with his own favorite booby traps. Never fully asleep, we randomly chucked grenades over the cliff sides, just in case!!!

My Second Recon Patrol was somewhere on Monkey Mountain in an area where a Recon Marine stalked a tiger and in return the tiger stalked and killed him.

We were set up for the night. The fire watch went to wake up his relief. Apparently the heavy, hot, humid breath upon the relief’s face conjured up visions of tigers! He freaked, screamed and tore off into the bush with the rest of his team upon his heels! Me, I’m in the middle of fighting off dive-bomber mosquitoes. I jumped up wondering what the hell was going on! I’m locked and loaded to the max and praying to God for a starlight scope. Wishing the nighttime would hurry up and die.

Little by little my team came cautiously straggling back in. TALK ABOUT PARANOIA!