Mike & H&S Companies 

Third Battalion, Fifth Marines

Veterans of the Vietnam War

Goi Noi Island

by Keith Hansford

I remember around middle of june, '69 word came we were to join several 
units on an OP named; "Pipestone Canyon. We were told it was used as an R&R 
center for NVA, Great! put us in the worst shit you can find. We saddled up and got on Chinooks to deliver us to what turned out to be a safe LZ on the island. I remember it seemed a joke at first sight to me. Engineers with a dozzer, tank,dozzer, tank,etc** in echelon reinforced with grunts from different companies literally making a huge parking lot of the place. That feeling of superior utopia lasted about thirty minutes when we made contact! They decided real quick the big "show" was not going to work and withdrew tanks and dozers and left it to the Grunts. If I remember correctly it 
was 27th.Marines we worked with. at that point there was a lot of confusion 
and we knew we were in shit. Never saw so many tunnels & weapons caches. For 
those who were there they know.

First day and night bad, here we are on an island of regulars and they didn't want us messing up their party. We finally got organized enough before sundown we got our wounded and dead out and got a perimeter set up using several different squads from different companies. Sat up next to a burm wall that was so tall and straight it seemed like a "railroad road bed". 

I was a squad leader and went on LP's like everyone else. NEVER tell a man to do something you won't do yourself. Anyway, I didn't feel right about it that night. I took a guy how had been in country about the same time I had, and a thirty day in man. Took all precautions, Briefed everyone precisely where we would be, radio silence, checked with the line up and down, letting them know all details, still,omething felt wrong.

My "a" gunner assumed the gun in my absence, and about an hour after dark we crawled very silently to our poss.and set up watch. Very uneasy, kept it to myself. About 22:30 heard movement so close my gut ached. Directly in front. The new guy was noddin so I put my hand over his mouth not knowing how he would react, poor guy turned white. at the same moment : Thump>>>>Thump>>>>so close the flash of the tube outlined the gook mortar team, Immediately all hell broke loose , we were between them and our line. Knew we were dead, again,,, We had planned what to do in a similar situation and did it, we radioed by our prc 88's we were comin in on a run in one mike..mike...,we each rolled on our back, pulled pins, on nod threw, got at 
a crouch and beat feet toward line , then it got hairy, apparently in the initial mellee one GUN thought we were gooks and sprayed us! Dropped, and died again! My gut was in my mouth and my mouth was on the prc cussin appropriately! I'm shakin now. we got in , I stormed to that gun, locked & loaded before I realized what I was doin. I stood there ,,,,, the look on that gunners face will never leave me ,,,,the disgust in my heart of what I almost did never will either. God forgive me!

Went to my gun and was called to burm, where some fool on that side had allowed a gun to be taken on their LP. they were not so lucky ,gooks got em and the gun. The screams , god help me ,,, gun started firing at our line ,what can you do man!! not sure our guys are dead .After repeated&repeated&repeated trying to raise them on the net ,our answer came by a gook voice on the radio!