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In reply to the discussion: How did you come by your username? [View all]pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Last edited Wed Aug 29, 2012, 08:41 PM - Edit history (2)
Sure, I remember. I buried it all for 16 years. Had some pretty heavy-duty psychological suppression going on. It wasn't until '82, when the first dedication of the Memorial was televised, that people began to see VN vets differently.
I had no photos of me with my field unit until last year, when I found Dan, the guy I replaced as platoon leader when he moved up to become our Company XO. Dan sent me a couple of pics:
At rear is Russ (platoon leader - KIA the day before I was wounded) and our captain (Company Commander).
Front is Mark (platoon leader - KIA), me in the center, and Dan (Executive Officer), holding the cup. At LZ Sally, Thanksgiving 1969. Bravo Co., 2/501 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division.
Dan had sent me another photo, but it was months before I realized that I was in it. It's the only photo of me in the field:
L to R: Me, Dan and Russ. Near Firebase Bastogne.
The original callsign I inherited from Dan is one he says is embarrassing: 'Itchy Click One-Six.' Shortly after that the Army scrapped the 'Six' system and went to random-number callsigns, so I became Pinboy Three-Niner. Military radio protocol adds the 'r' to '9' to better distinguish it from '5' in radio communications.
Russ is on Panel 14W, Line 108; Mark is on Panel 9W, Line 9.