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| Chuck Searles and David Nelson were my friends. 45 Years Ago On July 4
Chuck and I were short timers in Nam, scheduled to rotate home in two weeks. I was going home with him to meet his parents in Burbank because we would be coming in through El Toro south of Los Angeles. We had a supply run to the firebase at An Hoa in the Arizona south of Danang. The Arizona was one of the baddest of all the bad places in Nam. I had been a 50 cal. gunner on the July 2nd run, and Chuck and David were assigned one of the gun trucks for the July 4th run. Chuck was an city boy and David was a farmer from Kansas.
They liked to argue with each other, in a good natured way, but at times they would get mad. This was one of those times. Since I got along with both of them, I decided I would make the trip as sort of an assistant gunner for Chuck to keep them from arguing. That was my excuse. I had a bad feeling about this run and wanted to be there.
We were on the gun truck and ready to join the formation when we got stopped by Captain Maggio, who ordered me off the truck. He said we were too short in-country and since I had been a gunner on the 2nd, he did not want to risk losing both of us. I guess he had a bad feeling about the run, too. I shook hands with both of them and laughed when I told them not to argue. They both just smiled at me.
"I'll see you when you get back tomorrow," I told them.
When leaving a base camp, the lead truck broke down and Chuck and David took the lead in their gun truck. The NVA ambushed them moments later with recoilless rifles, mortars and small arms fire. Chuck was hit and knocked from his gun and died in the truck bed. An enemy soldier ran from cover and dropped a grenade into David's lap, killing him in the cab. The enemy soldier was cut down by fire from the truck behind them.
If I had been on the truck, I would have died. For whatever reason, I had been spared. I feel it is my duty to keep their memory alive. They were young men in their early twenties. They had hopes and dreams like all young men, and they answered the call to duty.
It's been 45 years since that July 4th day, and their image has never left my mind. We honor them at our 7th Motors reunions along with our other 7th Motors KIA Marines, and in that sense, they are still alive and young and the way I remember them. We must never forget their sacrifice.
Semper Fi to my B Company brothers living and dead and to my belief in honor and duty. As long as there are those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, I know America will always exist with our independence guaranteed.
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