Main page      The attack on their C.O.     20 Nov 68 documents        Maps

 

 

EXCERPTS FROM

 

The Eyes of The Eagle

By Gary Linderer

 
Preface

“This book is a nonfiction work based on my experiences in Vietnam. Based on 238 letters… "subsequent information and verification of people, places and events described in my letters were collected... Historically accurate.”

 

June 26, 1968

Page 39

“We left the perimeter at first light, going out through the east gate of Camp Eagle…Our mission was to patrol the eastern half of the AO, avoiding civilian contact, and look for anything out of the ordinary… Intelligence had reported occasional VC activity in the hamlet. VC tax collectors and supply parties often traveled the trails in the AO at night.”

 

July 27, 1968

Page 80

“Our new company commander arrived… and announced several changes…”

 

Page 81

“Someone needed to get the word to Sheperd [Captain James G. Shepard] that this kind of shit wasn’t going to fly. He wasn’t at Benning, and we weren’t stateside troops.”

 

July 28, 1968

Page 81

“Captain Sheperd added to our misery by raining some of his crap down on our heads. He handed out three Article 15s by noon— two for not being present at morning formation, one for insubordination. Three E-4s busted to E-2. This is insanity in its highest form. 24 hours in the company and he had already moved up to 3rd place on the LRPs shit list, right behind the NVA and rotten pussy.”

 

July 29, 1968

Page 82

“Captain Sheperd [Shepard] announced at morning formation that animals, other than scout or tracker dogs, were not authorized in the U.S. Army. We would have to get rid of Dixie. Fuck him! The asshole! We would hide her out until the stink blew over or he forgot about it.  The entire division apparently thought that our whole company was nothing but a bunch of animals. Maybe this bastard could get us all discharged! If looks could kill, Graves Registration would have picked up pieces of Sheperd [Shepard] all over Camp Eagle.”

 

July 30, 1968

Page 82

“I [Gary Linderer] had been assigned to TOC (Tactical Operation Center) shed with Sugaar from 2400 hours to 0600 hours…[Sugaar with a flashlight] offered to escort the captain to his tent… “The two men left the building the CO in the lead. Twenty seconds later, an explosion shattered the night. I saw a flash over my shoulder as shrapnel and gravel blew into the TOC shed through a wire screen… I heard a scream….”

 

Page 83

“I found Sugaar bent over the CO at the entrance to the officer’s tent… I picked up the flashlight where my team leader (Sugaar) had dropped it and swept it over Captain Sheperd. His right foot was nearly severed just to the front of his ankle… About then several other LRPs ran up… Doc injected a morphine syringe into Sheperd’s thigh. He soon quieted down to a steady whimper…. “that fuckhead won’t be kicking any more ass around here.”

 

Page 83

“There was no morning formation… Word had filtered down to us that a CID investigation team would arrive sometime in the afternoon… If the sons of bitches had investigated Sheperd, maybe none of this would have happened in the first place.”

“Around 1300, two jeeps arrived carrying six CID personnel….”

 

Page 84

“When it was my turn, I walked into the supply tent and stood at attention across the table from the man dressed in fatigues who appeared to be in his midtwenties. I didn’t know whether to salute him or call him “sir” or not because there was no rank or insignia on his uniform.”

“Next he wanted to know if I liked Captain Sheperd. I told him that I doubted very seriously if his own mother liked him. He seemed somewhat taken aback by my response, and I began to wonder if I hadn’t gone a little too far.”

Then, he politely asked, “Private, did you place the mine in your company commander’s tent?” That did it! Now I was pissed. That smug son of bitch wasn’t going to get away with that crap. I answered, “No… no. I had thought about it, sir, but I’m really not too keen about standing in long lines.”

“When the interviews were nearly complete, a case of CS gas grenades exploded over near the ammo bunker. All the LRPs and the CID personnel quickly unassed the area. Luckily, a stiff breeze was blowing towards the perimeter wire, and the cloud of CS dissipated to the northeast.”

“Order was soon restored and the interviews continued. At 1830 hours, the CID people returned the personnel files to the orderly room, gathered up their notes, and departed for whatever rock they lived under.”

 

Page 85

August 1, 1968

“At morning formation, the first sergeant announced that our company was on stand down until further notice. No more missions? No one figured on that happening.”

“Top” also announced that the CID’s comments after the interviews were somewhat interesting. He said that they concluded that at least forty percent of the men in the company were psychotic. Another forty percent suffered from delusions of grandeur. The reminder were merely criminally insane.”

 

END OF EXCERPTS

 

 

Back to main Gary Linderer page

 

Don C. Hall and Annette R. Hall

Website created by Annette Hall

September 3, 2004