L/Cpl.
Robert E. Filice
May 1967
Robert
E. Filice, HQ CO/5th Marines Served with
HQ Co. 5th Marines in Vietnam from 6/67-7/68. Operations participated
in include Union II, Cochise, Swift, Houston, Hue City, Baxter Gardens,
Houston II, III and IV, Aubu
rn, and Mameluke Thrust.
On
Jan. 30, 1968, North Vietnam and the Viet Cong opened a new phase of
the war, when they attacked major cities of South Vietnam. The fighting
was especially savage in Saigon, South Vietnam's capital at the time,
and in Hue City.
This
campaign began at the start of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year celebration.
It will always be known in history as, "The Tet Offensive."
I
was in the Da Nang area when Da Nang was hit with a hail of rocket fire
. It was very early
in the morning of Jan. 30. I was asleep in my tent when myself, and
every one else in my tent was awakened by the rocket fire, and the sirens.
The rest of that day, we had to stay at our assigned bunkers on a red
alert status.
I
was in and out of Hue until April, when I was sent to the Quang Tri
Province. All that I got to see of Hue was a bombed-up city that at
one time was a beautiful, and majestic city that also had a beautiful
college, "Hue University."
I
got to Khe Sanh in the second week of June. I had less then 30 days
left incountry. At first I and a few other guys were told that we were
just going to be at Khe Sanh a few days, but we could not get any transportation
in or out of the valley. Finally on July 6, myself and nine other guys
got out of Khe Sanh by helicopter, and for me it wasn't soon enough.
On
July 17, I got on a KC-130 to Da Nang. I spent two days in Da Nang getting
processed, and on July 19, I left Vietnam, and went to Okinawa for more
processing, and finally on to Travis A.F.B., and home.
It
was a year in my young life, that I will never forget.
Semper
Fi, Robert E. Filice
2001
Nov.-Dec.
1967, A bunch of us just sitting around. We were south of Da Nang, a
place name Hoi An, approx. 5 miles south of Da Nang, and approx. 15
miles north of Tam Ky.
Nov.-Dec.
1967, We were doing a lot of mine sweeps between Hoi An, and Tam Ky,
also from Hoi An to the city limits of south Da Nang.
