The SOI Caper

As we exchange more stories, I was reminded today of another one as I boringly listened to someone tell us about Communications Security (COMSEC). He bet he would guess 10 passwords from the audience by asking a few questions. He got 9, not bad, never got mine because it is a really bad phrase in the worst spanish slang you can think of. I am safe!.

So I thought about the "SOI Caper", brought to us by that daredevil, Captain Bill Allen, snake driver. Do you guys remember him? he is the one who beat up 5 officers from the Americal at the little officer's club run by the Field Hospital in Chu Lai and where we spent so many lovely evenings. Garry Dolin had to report to the Metrecal CG the next to do some explaining and Garry asked him to explain how could one single guy beat up 5. The CG had no answer but still put his Officer's Club off-limits to us, sometrhing that did not affect us because we never went there anyway. He should have the hospital club off-limits instead.

Bill Allen is the same guy who held a glass in his hand, squeezed and shattered it, the blood shoting up to the ceiling. He never bother to explain why he did it but it was nice to be his friend.

Well, trust I have jogged some memories. Back to SOI Caper.

We were about one hour into our daily evening routine at the MAG 13 Officers when a loud but not surprising "SHIT!" was heard coming from Bill. We asked what happened and he told us that he could not find his SOI. We helped him check all his pockets and nothing. A general search of the club came out empty. Some went to the flight line with Bill looking everywhere, no SOI. Having exhausted the search, he had no choice but to inform Garry Dolin who took it rather calmy and asked the usual questions. Still no SOI.

Garry started retracing Bill's steps and jogging his memory and ended up at the refueling point at Tam Ky - POL. It was decided right there and then that unless Bill had opened the cockpit in flight and thrown the SOI out, it could only be at POL. This led to sending me in a Huey with Bill and others to Tam Ky, under my protestation because we had all been drinking. No dice said Garry, "the alternative is to report the loss to Brigade and they will in turn report it to Division and the whole world will have to change SOI..." not a pleasant alternative. But now we figured the enemy knew the nicknames of our pets back in the states.

So to Tam Ky we went, in the dark, near the highway, within shot of anyone with a slingshot, surrounded by aviation fuel, within shot of an RPG that could have flown us to Singapore in one single explosion. We looked everywhere and no SOI. We flew back to Tam Ky and radioed Garry that the SOI had not been found. As GArry was getting ready to call Brigade, another "SHIT!" cout of Bill's lips. He had changed pants before going to the club and the SOI was in the hip pocket of his other pants.

So we went back to the club to catch up on the 3 hours of drinking we lost, and Bill bought a few rounds. Was anyone upset? heck no, we liked the guy.

Back at Eagle, he crashed a Cobra and I was appointed the aircraft accident investigating officer. I went to the hospital to interview him and when I got there he was laughing loud and swapping jokes with some gunnies. He got up to shake my hand and thank me for trhe visit. When I told him my reason for being there, a sudden pain prostrated him in bed and he could hardly talk. I told him that the only way I could help him was if he told me the truth, and he did. He had been making low level passes until the skids hit the ground, and crashed. My investigation revealed that he had hit the ground while attempting to evade intense enemy fire which included .51 cal machine guns while covering a LOH under even more fire. What could I do?

So there you have it Marcus, more stories for posterity. I believe Bill Allen died after returning from Vietnam. Captain Bill was some nut, but we needed nuts like him.

Regards to all,