Thursday Sept 24th, 1970
…exactly 50 years ago this week
During our early walkthroughs, we learned that a couple of our men from Redwine were going to have to bring down some power poles to make the LZ safer for when the helicopters return to pick us up.
<<Fast forward to the actual Raid. Here’s how bringing down the poles turned out to be more complicated than we thought.>>
“0228 hours, November 21st, 1970
Son Tay, North Vietnam
One of Redwine’s roles was to clear the planned LZ by cutting down light poles. That task revealed one frustrating surprise.
We had brought a chainsaw to cut down certain wooden telephone poles, but Sgt 1st Class Charles Masten and Sgt 1st Class Ronnie Strahan were to blow up a tall, concrete light pole.
The moment that Masten and Strahan had finished placing the four one-pound packets of C-4 explosive, were ready to blow, and were confirming that they should activate the fuse, Apple 1 was arriving (it had been delayed)! They waited until Apple 1 had landed, offloaded Greenleaf, and departed.
Ensured of safety, they detonated the C-4. BAAMM!
As the pole rose into the air in a huge flash of light, Masten and Strahan could see that this was NOT a light pole—it had four large high-tension power lines! Dancing sparks were everywhere as the four huge power lines hit the rice paddies—the very rice paddies in which our soldiers and POWs would be marshalling to load the returning choppers!
Were we going to have to find a new location for the LZ?
Masten, Strahan, and Capt Jim McClam, as MACO (Marshalling Area Control Officer), immediately set about ensuring they understood the location of all the lines and whether they were hot. After assessing the situation and ensuring there were no other potential hazards, they began placing the “beanbag lights” in an area suitably distant from the power lines.
Life Lesson 7: Don’t be a Complainer. The world is moving on and needs people to solve problems. Evaluate your situation, make a decision, and execute any new plan without complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.”
Read Sgt Terry Buckler’s full story in Who Will Go.
Click Here: The book.