It’s a quiet, hot day on the sands of China Beach in Vietnam. Donovan and the other troops come here on our days off to enjoy ourselves. He brought a copy of the Stars and Stripes newspaper to keep up with the events happening back home. The ocean is calm against the sky. The sand feels grainy and fine between his toes. He can taste the salt of the sea throughout his nose and along my tongue. He is relaxing with his buddy, Jimmy, enjoying the quiet weather. The sand is warm underneath his towel. The perimeter of the beach is patrolled by the United States Naval Fleet. This is the only place where they can unwind on base without any gear.

The Air Force base we are stationed at is several acres, consisting of mess halls, barracks, ammo dumps, fuel bladders, training facilities, the NCO Club (non-commissioned officers’ club), the CO Club (officers’ club), along with several other compounds. Really a city unto itself.  The flight line has been clear cut into the jungle giving them a clearer view. The flight line is shared by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, also known as ARVN, and the United States Air Force. It is located at the outmost point of the perimeter of the base. This clear cut allows them to see any type of enemy activity.  They share part of these responsibilities with ARVN.  They have a working relationship with these troops with little trust. They speak little to no English.  Donovan speaks just enough Vietnamese to catch snippets of conversations amongst the ARVN soldiers.

Donovan and Jimmy’s time at the beach is short lived. Before they know it, it’s time to head back to their positions and prepare for night patrol. Jimmy and he gather up their things that they brought with them to the beach and head back to the barracks to change into their uniforms and get ready for the night. Donovan dreaded putting on his metal plated flak vest. It was so hot in this country. Most days reach over a hundred degrees with one hundred percent humidity. Their heavy gear only made things worse. After they arrive at headquarters, he sends Jimmy and the other troops out to their posts along the perimeter near the fuel bladders. Another long night of patrol begins.

Donovan commands an armored personnel carrier with five troops tonight, which includes Jimmy, Arrowsmith, Smith, and two other guys. He has Arrowsmith on the 50 caliber, like usual. The other guys have their M16s at the ready. The APC is a monster. “It’s a damn heavy vehicle.” (Don Dearstyne)

As the evening drags on, he finds himself thinking more and more about the life he had before he was drafted in 1968. Don was fresh out of high school when it happened. There were vacancies in United States Air Force that weren’t filled by volunteers. (“Vietnam War”) He was following in the footsteps of his brother Dale who was in Vietnam when he entered basic training. Don grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Minnetonka was a small community with farmland as well as suburbs. He was stationed in Amarillo, Texas for basic training, then sent to California for law enforcement training. After that, he was shipped off to Thailand for a tour. While in Thailand on ground patrol, Don witnessed a plane full of jet fuel run off the runway and explode. That is something he will never forget.

When Don arrived in Vietnam, tensions were high due to the constant fighting. Vietnam was a very hostile territory. With its thick jungles and intense temperatures, Vietnam was a terrain far from livable. He was stationed at the DeNang Air Force Base. As a Sergeant, he was in command of all the troops that were below his rank and who were in his division. Jimmy was the one person that Don got along with most. Jimmy arrived at DeNang a few months after he did and they instantly bonded. Jimmy was from Nashville, Tennessee. He was a few inches shorter than Don but he was fairly thin. Smith and Arrowsmith also were two great guards that were under his rank. Smith is from the New England States and Arrowsmith is from Pennsylvania. He didn’t hang out with them as much as he hangs out with Jimmy.

Donovan’s looking out over the flight line from the APC when he hears Jimmy over the radio.

“I think I have some movement on the north perimeter. I can’t be certain, but you better come out here just to be safe”.

“Okay. I’m on my way to your location.”

He starts towards Jimmy’s location. He was several minutes out when he hears Jimmy over the radio saying,

“Sarge! I think I’ve shot someone.”

“Okay! I’m a couple minutes out. I will be there shortly.”

When he arrives, he sees Jimmy standing over what appears to be a tree stump, but as he walks over, he recognized him as a Vietnamese soldier. As Don got closer, he noticed that he had been struck by one fatal bullet to the chest. He was wearing all black pajamas, which wasn’t an uncommon sight for the Viet Cong. Jimmy is surrounded by about 10 Vietnamese troops. Don could hear the soldiers speaking in Vietnamese, but he couldn’t quite make out everything they were saying. They wanted to take Jimmy to be questioned. He knew if they took Jimmy, he would never see him again. Laying near the body were satchels that the Viet Cong would use to carry explosives. Donovan looked over at Arrowsmith, who was one of the guards with him at the time, and he could tell he knew what he wanted him to do. Don watched him mount the 50 caliber gun that was on hand. The other guys had M16s that were trained on the ARVN troops.

Don said to Jimmy, “Start backing up slowly toward the APC.”

He and Jimmy started backing up together toward the vehicle.

“Get in the APC. Let’s get you back to headquarters.”

   As they drove away, the ARVN retreated both on foot and in their jeep, diffusing the tension in the situation.

During the three-mile drive back to headquarters, Jimmy was quiet, concerned, and shaken. Don knew that he would be too. He just took a life. He made another human being’s heart stop.

After Don drops Jimmy off at headquarters with the commander, he’s told to return to his patrol. He was sure he’d see Jimmy the next day at breakfast to make sure he was okay. When he gets back to where the body should be on the flight line, it’s gone. He can only assume the ARVN returned and took the body. He never saw Jimmy again.
           

After Don got back stateside, there was no welcome for the returning troops. Many of the citizens actually opposed the war and didn’t appreciate what the American troops did to the Vietnamese people. Before they got off the ship, they got rid of their uniforms. People considered Vietnam an illegal war of aggression. The American people will never understand what was seen and what was done for their protection overseas on the hostile shores of Vietnam.