Dec 1968

As I've said before, my first six months in the 458th I had my nose to the grindstone. But by December I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It was perhaps a week before Christmas that the 1st Sgt came into the supply room and informed me that he was going to put all E-6s on the Charge of Quarters duty roster. I told the 1st Sgt fine, and would he put me on duty Christmas eve as I wanted to see the floor show at the NCO Club New Years Eve.

This 1st Sgt was a E-7 by the name of Wiley. Whom from here on in I shall refer to just as Wiley.

Christmas came and went, I pulled my duty, and about 29th of Dec someone came into the supply room and told me that I was on the roster for News Years! Well believe you me I bounced over to the Orderly Room quicker than I can type this.

I asked Wiley just what this shit was and didn't he remember that

we had made a deal on this CQ duty. Wileys lame excuse was that the clerk had made up the roster and that the CO had signed it and there was nothing he could do about it. I guess he thought perhaps I had just got off the boat?

Well I have a long memory and my motto has always been that if someone does you dirty, get even!

In Jan or Feb 1969 Company Hqs moved to Saigon. It took a few

weeks to get settled in, but after that I found that I really had some free time on my hands for a change.

Well for those of you who spent time  in Saigon, you will know what I mean when I say I was like a kid in a candy store. Every evening along about 5 I was in the shower and then out the front gate. Curfew just meant you had to be off the street. Most of the time about daybreak I would make it back to camp.

One day Wiley asked me if I was going to town that evening, when I said yes, he said he was going with me! Didn't ask just he was going!

My first thought was to tell him to get lost, but then the old brain started working. OK we just as well take the 3/4 ton rather than catch a taxi I told Wiley. Being the 1st Sgt he bought this idea right off!

That night about two hours before curfew, found us setting in my favorite Bar. We'd had a few drinks and Wiley was about ½ drunk, I'm stone cold sober. This one young lady that I knew had joined our party and I had convinced her to play up to Wiley. ( I think it costs $10 to convince her )

As it got closer to curfew Wiley would say ( maybe we should head back to camp ) I would tell him we had plenty of time and pour another drink. This kept up until after curfew ( 11:PM ), then its to late to go back, and Wiley was drunk enough to care less. Upstairs they just happened to have rooms, where Wiley and this young lady retired to.

Next morning about daylight I rounded-up Wiley and we head back to camp. When we hit the front gate my clerk ( Pender ) was on guard duty " Where have you guys been? Cpt Amick has been looking for you guys since last night and boy is he pissed!"

Well I went on to the barracks , took a shower and opened up the supply room and went to work. Perhaps a hour later I hear this terrific commotion coming from the orderly room.

Amick is giving holy hell to Wiley, well Wiley made the mistake of trying to make a excuse. Long and short of it was, Cpt Amick ran Wileys Ass out of the company that morning.

Perhaps 10 minutes after his Ass chewing Wiley walked into the supply Room, was he mad, he accused me of setting him up! I set there and let him rant and rave, when he slowed down I asked him ( Do you remember me pulling CQ last New Years? ). He turned and left and I have never seen him since.