Ive been working on my display boards for this summer and I have been going through some stories from guys that drove trucks in Vietnam. In the past ive been not exactly the promoter of seeing these things modified or beat on by their current owners. When I read some of these stories that have been written by guys who drove them to do what they were intended for, it makes me proud to see the trucks pictured in this thread!!!!
Ive heard far to many times "I drove a truck, nobody wants to hear about that"
Let me share one!!!
STORY
FROM
GEORGE GREER
359th TRANS CO 1967-8
THIS IS A LETTER WRITTEN HOME ON16 MAR 1968:
Dear Dad and Mom
Well guess you thought I was dead and like to run. We had three ambushes
yesterday. My truck was the first one that got hit. I was driving along and my windshield
started cracking and I fell to the floor and then I raised up to look and there about 15 feet
stood 4 V.C. and one had a rocket and throwed it at my truck, and I fell to the floor again
and when I raised up again I looked in my mirror and the ass of my trailer was in blaze.
Then I grabbed my weapon and opened the door to jump out. and when I got on the
running board of the truck, 3 more V.C. raised up and started shooting at me and I
jumped back in the truck and layed down again, so I couldn't get out of my truck. So I
just started hitting gears and I thought my tanker would blow up. But I pulled it little over
a quarter of a mile and flames going 50 feet in the air and the road was on fire where the
fuel was running out. So I got to the curve in the road and I'm going 40 miles an hr. So I
thought I'd rather get shot than burn to death. So I cut the truck off the road and as it went
over the bank I jumped out and ran for a big bank. So the truck in behind me, my best
buddy came threw all the fire and I run to the road to get on side of his truck and He don't
see me and keeps on going. So just happen a Tank came over the hill and I ran to it. and
my leutenent came back and I got on the jeep with him and went down to the truck and
fire was going every where. But my tracter wasn't on fire just the trailer. So I run down to
unhook the tracter and the fire is to hot. So I ran back to the road. By then there was
M.P., gunships there and I told my buddy if he would unhook the trailer I would go and
drive the tracter out and then the top & seat of my truck was on fire so he did and I went
and drove it out. and that was so hot I couldn't hardly stand it. And the smoke liked to
choked me to death. But I made it. My C.O. said I would get a Bronze Star for saving the
tracter and be brave enouph to drive all the way threw the Ambush with out stopping in
the fireing zone.
But I never even got one little scratch. When I jumped out of the truck as fast as it was
going I never even fell, about two steps and I was allways across the road. that was the
scardist I ever been in my life.
THE REST OF THE LETTER IS PERSONAL, HE FOUND IT IN THING'S HIS
MOTHER HAD KEPT.