About halfway through my tour of duty in Vietnam, I was picked by the Battalion CO of First Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment (¼) to be his personal driver and bodyguard. I was taken out of the field, slept on a bed, ate food in a mess hall, and took showers. I hit the lottery of assignments.

I had my first of three Purple Heart medals and welcomed the break from continual combat. My new boss, a WWII and Korean veteran, was at the end of his career. He was a very decorated Marine with two Navy Cross medals and several Purple Hearts. Lt. Col. “Black Jack” Westerman was a Marine’s Marine; he was a true warrior!

I drove him around in fairly safe places (were you ever totally safe in Vietnam?) and met interesting people. We drove the few miles to the American Counsel and MACV (Military Assistance Command Vietnam) Headquarters in the old Imperial City of Hue. Hue would make headlines in two short years during the Tet Offensive of 1968.

Col. Westerman chafed at being assigned a cushy job defending the airfield at Phu Bai, a short flight from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Vietnam. Unknown to me, the colonel had been lobbying our division for an assignment on the DMZ. His wish came true, and as there were no roads to drive a jeep in the jungle, I became his bodyguard.

Our firebase was at a place called “The Rock Plie” within sight of the DMZ. This put us in the sights of the North Vietnamese Army troops all around us. We came under constant rocket, mortar, and artillery fire multiple times a day. I would be following the colonel around the firebase, under fire, as he directed return fire and made sure everyone was doing their job.

I would hear the sound of incoming rockets and mortars falling around us, wanting to find a hole to jump in, while “Black Jack” stood there like the rock of Gibraltar. He seemed fearless! Col. Westerman was one of many heroes I had the honor of serving under or alongside; men who ran to the sound of battle when everything inside said to find a hole and hide. They were giants!

On June 6, 1944 — D-Day — thousands of soldiers died storming “Fortress Europe” to defeat the Nazi war machine. Many died before they reached the beaches. Still, they ran to the sound of battle, with over 4,400 perishing the first day. Iwo Jima saw over 7,000 Marines die on the pathway to conquering Imperial Japan. These campaigns freed most of the world from tyranny.

Today, our warriors are being treated as potential domestic terrorists. The finest military in the world is being sifted like sand to find those who have beliefs and opinions that are not acceptable to our ruling elite. By the time the Left is done, what will our military and our nation look like? I still believe when things look the bleakest, the next generation of “giants” will rise up. Our generation needs the next Gen. George Washington for such a time as this.

Happy Veterans Day to those who served. We honor your sacrifice!

Something to think about?