Vietnam Memoirs Quotes

“Now I was grateful for these few days in Saigon to again start the process of returning to a land free of combat. It was like living in a half-way house after being released from prison or some form of rehabilitation.”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“we were lucky we had some ground pepper or hot sauce from a care package sent from home.  Having an onion was like having edible gold.”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“C-rations (MCIs) we heated with sterno cans or heat tabs. We had a choice of 12 meals in a box.  Each meal had three parts that came in a total of 4 cans.  There was a meat portion, a bread portion and a desert.”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“But then the practical, organized part of my personality took over.”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“Wiggle your light so I’ll know it’s you.” ”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“The airborne FAC was in contact with everyone, filling the role of orchestra leader with aircraft as instruments and firepower as music.”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“There were stories of friendly units telling the color ahead of time and then the pilot seeing multiple smoke grenades go off while the enemy pretended to be a friendly force. ”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“We never revealed the color of the smoke grenade ahead of time.  We knew the enemy could listen to the radio transmissions and could also”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“That was all the attention I needed to shift to the tape (short) antenna which was not visible to the enemy. ”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“My value as an advisor was highest when the situation was at its worst.  It seemed my day of reckoning had arrived.”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps

“This involved one fuse to set off the first string of detonating cord which set off the blasting cap in the first block of C-4, which was connected by detonating cord to the next block of C-4 at the next bunker and so on.”
― Don Bonsper, Vietnam Memoirs: Part 2: My Experiences as an Advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps