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We've been learning about Charlie Hettling's Vietnam service in the Marine Corps to help us better understand the Vietnam War's impact on our region.
Charlie Hettling grew up on a farm near Minneota and graduated with the Minneota High School class of 1961.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 1965 instead of waiting to be drafted.
After completing Boot Camp in San Diego and four weeks of infantry training at Camp Pendleton, California, the Marine Corps assigned Charlie to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment at Camp Pendleton as an infantryman and mechanic for his company's M247 mechanical mules. In January 1966 his battalion loaded aboard a troop transport at Long Beach, California and steamed across the Pacific to Okinawa. They spent three months training in jungle warfare and learned what they had long suspected, they were deploying to Vietnam.
Charlie's battalion again loaded their vehicles and gear aboard a troopship in April 1966 and steamed south toward Vietnam. The passage took about a week. Three days before they arrived off Vietnam Charlie's company Gunnery Sergeant shared advice that Charlie remembers to this day.
The Gunnery Sergeant, a combat veteran of WWII and Korea, gathered his Marines as they neared Vietnam. He told them they were going into combat and would see things that would make them want to behave like savages. He told them to fight those urges. He encouraged them to do small things every day to remain civilized, like shaving even when it was difficult.
Charlie said quietly, "That was one of the best pieces of advice I got because things were happening that you couldn't even believe until you got over there."
The Marines went ashore at Chu Lai in the northernmost, I Corps region of South Vietnam, beginning their amphibious operation at 2:30 in the morning. Charlie described the challenge of offloading to their landing craft.
"We went over the side of the ship; got down those landing nets; and entered the landing craft. It wasn't so hard, but you had to keep that rope steady and you had to keep four abreast. There was a couple Marines on each side holding the net tight and you'd go down. Otherwise, you'd be slapped against the ship by the waves."
Charlie encountered other challenges after wading ashore from his landing craft.
"When we got ashore, I could see it was chaos. I was one of the first ones on the beach, me and a friend. An officer come by and gave us orders to help everybody get off the beach. So, that was our job and we stayed on the beach. I was thinking we weren't even under fire and it was chaos. Everybody was lost. Vehicles were broke down in the water. Our Gunny found us about three in the afternoon and he took us. But it took until [then] before he found everybody from our section because we were all over the place. Nothing went quite like the plan."
The 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines organized themselves in Chu Lai and began moving to their battalion base camp at Hill 69 (named for its height in meters on the maps), northwest of Chu Lai. Charlie remembered that as a disorienting time.
"We drove vehicles up to Hill 69. [We were] scared. We didn't know if we should look up over the berm at night. We thought VC (Viet Cong insurgents) were all over. We had a battery of artillery - 105s -- there on the hill and they were going all night, shooting. I didn't know what that was. It was H&I (Harassment and Interdiction fire), but we had no idea. You thought you'd better keep your head down all the time. After about a week, you acclimated and kinda understood what was going on. Once you started understanding, it doesn't scare you quite as much."
As Charlie settled into this new life, he considered what he had seen. A couple things left an impression.
"We got to Vietnam and the beaches were just unbelievable. That deep, white sand, just pure sand. Because it was more of a rural country everybody had gardens, cows, and chickens. Being I grew up in a rural area and lived on a farm, it wasn't quite so foreign to see this."
Charlie explained their base camp at that time was the end of Highway 1, South Vietnam's main north-south road, for vehicle transport in their region.
"Basically it was just dirt to Hill 69. After Hill 69 it was a cow path wide enough for one vehicle and didn't go all the way through. Basically after Hill 69 there was nothing because we were the furthest one out."
Charlie described his responsibilities at the battalion's Hill 69 base camp.
"Taking care of the equipment (M274 mechanical mules); we had guard duty – perimeter watch; and listening posts in which you go out -- three riflemen and a radio operator. You're supposed to be there to alert in case any VC are coming or any enemy activity. You're just supposed to observe and lay in the bushes. You only engage when there's no other choice, when you're spotted and you have to defend yourself."
Charlie and his fellow Marines were in a world where their weapons were always at hand and they were always alert to potential threats.
The Lyon County Museum is organizing an exhibit about the impact of the Vietnam War on Lyon County. If you would like to share Vietnam experiences or help with the exhibit, please contact me at prairieview pressllc@gmail.com or call the museum at 537-6580.