Backstory:
i spent a lot of time in the vn wars, i first signed up back in october 1967, When I first arrived and reported to Lt. John Pape, the platoon leader of the 1st Platoon, Company A, 1/8 Cav, I was intimidated because, here I was in pristine jungle fatigues and all the other members of my unit were in dirty, ragged, torn and scuffed clothing and boots. I had showered and shaved before I reported to the unit, and the veterans in my unit were filthy because they had not had the opportunity to bathe in two or three weeks, or longer. I couldn’t wait until I was tanned and caked with dirt, as well as getting my jungle fatigues worn, torn and faded and my boots scuffed and cut. I wanted to fit in with the veterans in my platoon instead of sticking out as a cherry who had little or no time in the boonies.

My first “initiation” occurred during my first week with the platoon. We were pulling search and destroy missions each day and setting up a perimeter each evening. One night, the cherry yank i was with called joe and I were assigned to share a hole and pull guard shifts. Sam Winsor, our squad leader, wanted to put a seasoned veteran with joe and I so he could watch over us and make sure we didn’t screw up. joe and I, along with Edward House (veteran), had reported to the platoon on the same day, that was a long cold night full of winds expecting an enemy to jump out at any time i hardly slept.
My second, and a much more dangerous “initiation” occurred about one week later. We were still pulling search and destroy missions and we were going through a small village that consisted of four or five hooches. All of a sudden, we began receiving gun fire from one of the hooches, bullets whipping by so fast, and we hit the ground and began returning the fire. After several minutes, the gunfire subsided and somebody said that I had killed one of the attackers, this was my first kill. Then, several minutes later when there was a lull in the gunfire, Sam Winsor, my squad leader, told me that Lt. Pape wanted me to report to him. I started going behind some cover in the direction of Lt. Pape’s position, but Winsor stopped me and sent me in a direct path, which put me in the line of fire of the location from which we had been receiving gun fire. I stooped over and walked briskly because I wanted to reach my destination quickly and take cover. I reported to Lt. Pape, but he just looked at me and said “I didn’t ask to see you.”

I was confused and didn’t understand why Lt. Pape would say that, especially since Winsor was insistent that he asked for me by name. Then, one of the veterans looked at me and told me that Lt. Pape had used me as a guinea pig. All he wanted to do was to see if I would get shot at so he could determine if the shooters were dead, or if we had to remain under cover and continue firing. That was a real downer. I went from the ecstasy of being summoned personally by Lt. Pape because he needed me for an important duty to the realization that I was the least important and most expendable soldier in the platoon.

in my time during the vn wars, i became friends with jackboot joe, we were together for a long while fighting fronts together, however the day the joe got his name *jackboot* im sure he will remember forever, he was told by our squad leader Winsor in a hooch to throw a grenade into a bunker they had set up in during the night, while recieving gunfire joe pulled the pin and pulled his arm back to throw, as he stepped forward he slipped in the soggy wet mud as it had been lashing down all day, slipping the grenade out of his hands and landed onto lt pape who was in a hooch just ahead, as Lt Pape turned around the grenade exploded launching lt pape a few feet in the air only a few people including myself saw this happen.....many people disliked Lt pape but he didnt deserve to go out like this, joe then became known as jackboot joe as this happened on more than 1 occasion of his slipping while he had a grenade in his hands... i didnt report this friendly fire and kept it underwraps as i knew it was an accident what happened to lt pape. i still get flashbacks to this day about the vn wars....

Later years:
in the later years after becoming a veteran and climbing ranks to major i decided to retire and go out an see the world, ive already seen wars i now want to see more peacefull areas however thats when the pandemic happened people dead people start rising up, people just didnt die a normal death anymore, during my travels i cam across a place called nyheim, as i was told by a few travellers on my way that there still might be survivors there......and truth be told i dont want to die alone with noone around me.