Background Information for Louis Beam

Another action below was during the Tet Offensive kill off of Viet Cong. After this time the VC were replaced by NVA (regular army North Viet Nam) troops. This article appeared in the Tropic Lighting News a publication of the United States Army. You may view the original article here in the Tropic Lighting News: http://www.25thida.com/TLN/tln3-23.htm#v3n23p7c

There is more to this story that the newspaper did not see fit to print. We received three to five rounds in the aircraft and were shot down that day (forced landing). Here I give you my written account, never before published of that day, from a recent email to a veterans group..

Well there is more to the story below. We took three to five hits as I recall that day. One, a half inch from my head, impacted into the gunners well, the rest down a line in the tail boom. We had dropped to 300 feet and were chasing a platoon of Cong we found out in the open trying to make it into the tree line at the Parrots Beak. I was dropping them one after another when the last man in line apparently realized he would not make it to safety. He turned looked me into the eyes and I was close enough to see him screaming as he emptied his AK 47 into the chopper. I was shooting at him at the same time. The whole war disappeared for a moment and it was just him and I. It was as close as I ever came to a shooting match during 15 months and over a thousand hours flying. One of my bullets hit the RPG he had strapped on him at the same time his rounds impacted the gunners well and boom. The RPG ignited and the cong started running erratically and then it blew just as he reached the tree line. Meanwhile, we were receiving so much fire that as soon as he was hit I went to the next guy. Red lights came on up front and the AC (W.O. Alan Gould) said we were going to make a forced landing. As we banked hard right an RPG came close by my side of the ship just barley missing us.

It was only after landing that I discovered how close the AK 47 rounds had come to me from the last man in the line. If my head had been 1/2 inch to the left he would have had his kill and we would both be dead. As I recall they then pipe smoked the helicopter out of the LZ and back to Cu Chi. Col. Dames gave me the five kills as I did all the shooting. He also said he was recommending me for the Silver Star as one of the kills had been an "old west" shootout with the RPG carrying V.C. I rotated home the next month and never heard more about the Silver Star, lost in the paper work I suppose. I wish I knew the aircraft number for Col. Dames ship. I was his gunner those last few months during the Tet Offensive. The after action report would give the number of hits. Strange the Tropic Lighting News did not mention our being hit and the forced landing. Perhaps it would not make for such a glowing report of the war---if they put that in...

This picture is from a Houston, Texas newspaper, which I believe to be the "Houston Tribune." The date would be around November 1969.

I find it amusing that today I am considered the "revolutionary" and "radical". When in fact, this my first "political" act that brought me to the attention of the media was one directed against communist supporters of the Viet Cong. I did not object to "peace" demonstrations. Many of those who opposed the war in Vietnam have now become close friends and political allies. I respect their right right to demonstrate against war. What prompted me to action was the flying of the Viet Cong flag by SDS (students for a democratic society) and communist party members, while my fellow soldiers were dying every day in Viet Nam. When they raised that murderous flag above their heads I could not and would not restrain myself from doing what I knew to be right.

I rushed the throng of flag guards grabbing the flag before they knew my intent. Placing it inside of my jacket I attempted to "run with it." Before I could clear the crowd of several hundred people I was thrown to the pavement where they begin to stomp upon my head and body. They were concurrently dragging me toward a concrete embankment where they intended to throw me off into the river below, a twenty or more foot drop as I recall. The Houston Police (God Bless Them) saw my predicament and came charging into the crowd with batons wildly swinging knocking commies off of me right and left. Suddenly I could breath again as the weight of so many people and kicking boots were lifted from my body by the police. The commies were fighting with the police at the same time so there was considerable ado at that moment. I felt strong hands around me as I was lifted from the pavement by two brave officers. Then began the quick exit from the mist of the horde, till we reached safety. As we broke through the crowd I reached into my jacket and triumphantly raised the wadded VC flag up over my head (a picture in the Houston Post recorded this moment).

The police carried me to the station house where they bought me coffee and lined up to shake my hand.

I have read many hundreds, perhaps over a thousand books. I read my first novel at twelve "The Silver Chalice." By the time I finished Junior High school I had read every book in the school library on Southern History. I but seldom read fiction books in my life. "Tell me what you read and I will tell you what you think" is truly a great statement. So I would provide you here with a brief reading list of just a few of the many indispensable authors I think one should make a part of his soul. Since some authors have published several books of merit I will start with an authors list:

Background Information for the humble writer of essays.