Alright, like Roger's persona of Colton Lansington on American Dad I'm off my meds. Unlike Colton I don't have bipolar, it's just my jaw meds ran out. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but considering I worked all week 9-5 and my doctor's office runs 9-5 it creates issues. So I've been without meds. My jaw hasn't been noticeably bothered by it, but since my meds knock me out like a sack of door knobs being off it normally it would take me a few hours to sleep, but interestingly enough, I've been getting to sleep.
What's even more interesting is that I've been sleeping, but lightly. Light enough to be a sleep but awake enough for my brain to be able to control my dreams, to a certain extent. My subconscious was in the driver's seat, and I was awake enough to remember it all. I've never had an experience like that before, and now I'm going to share it with you...
My first night, not knowing what to expect I went to sleep.
It was a hot, overcast day on patrol, about two klick North of Vimang Nit, about 20km WNW of LZ English, August 1969. We were sent on an Eagle Flight, a spotting of enemy activity and our platoon was on as a quick reaction force into the area. D troop, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry (Air) was flying in the area checking out reports on possible mortar positions. Our squad was tasked with patrolling the north side of the hill and if we found any mortar positions we were to call in the AH-1 Cobra gunships of D/3/17th Cav. We were in small squads to keep quiet, we weren't going to engage, just sneak and peak. I was leading the squad with Pfc Kirshin on the radio, Pvt Drouillard with the M79 grenade launcher, to fire yellow smoke grenades to mark the positions for the gunships, Pvt Stevens with his M60 in case we do get into some shit and we had a guest of sorts :) We had a nurse on patrol!
Now before you get me started, this is a dream and it doesn't have to make sense, so yes we had a nurse on patrol in enemy territory! Alright visualize. We're on a ridge, not in heavy jungle as we're in the coastal plains. A cool breeze comes off the pacific and there's sporadic cover to cover and tree line, other than that, it's pretty open with the occasional hill and valley, like the hill we're on. Luckily for us a 101st Airborne unit in the area was spotted in the next valley, so the gut wrenching pop of the 61mm mortar round hitting the firing pin on the mortar tube lead us to their position. We spot it and a a few squads of NVA and Drouillard rips with the 40mm smoke grenades and Kirshin calls in the Cobras. With aerial support of OH-6 Loaches we check out the remains of the position. We find a wounded NVA and after searching found some intel on other possible mortar positions in the area. So it's on to the next one, we hump it out and lather, rinse and repeat.
It's getting dark so we radio in for a flight back to a local base. Lucky for us we caught a supply bird back from a local drop off headed for LZ English. You know what that means :) Get to go back to base, hit up the local bars, sleep in a cot, maybe catch a flick with the 61st Assault Helicopter Company as they always had the best movies.
Alright, so that was just the first night. The second night seemed like our group was at Fort George in the admin building, a place where re-enactors can take off kit, hit up the vending machine, relax a bit, as well as offices for paper work, computers, all the runnings of a museum. I wasn't paying too much attention at first, since it was the same scene as Fort George and most of the time I was just in there to use the bathroom. Then I realized something... Fort George uniforms were mostly red coats, with white kit and black hats. These people were in OD green uniforms, jungle boots and wearing Mitchell pattern camo helmets or boonies. Could it be? I looked in one room and saw wall to wall M16's, a few M14's, M79 grenade launchers, M60's, pistols and a few other goodies. I had to admit an unavoidable grin.
I moved towards the door and mentally preparing myself for it... I was waiting to see gunships, jets flying over, cargo planes dropping off crates but my mighty brain wouldn't be that foolish. I did see M151 MUTT jeeps, an M274 Mechanical MULE cart, 2 1/2 Ton cargo truck, a few M113's in the background and a battery of six M102's, 105mm airmobile artillery guns. If you can't tell by now, the group had a functioning Vietnam War Era living history museum. Not one on a runaway budget, but something manageable but still able to have some fun with. Now my dream wasn't me firing off 105mm blank charges, or getting the M113's together to put out a base of machine gun fire, but it was mostly behind the scenes stuff, running the museum, seeing everyone in the group in their own special role and interacting with the public, which inside was just as fulfilling.
Now I can't go back to 1969, but in my time I'd like to bring it to the present, as you all know, and it's one of my dreams that I could turn into a reality. We're working on it ;)
Other than that, nothing majorly awesome or news worthy really. I did have some trouble trying to figure out if I got text messages or emails in real life, or just envisioned them in my lucid dreams which has been fun “Did Josh text me or did I just dream that, gotta check facebook, msn and phone”. Overall it was a cool experience but by now I am looking forward to getting my meds back in me and getting a solid sleep. Mind you I have plenty of other things to do so I'm still burning the candle at both ends.
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