Don't Play With Things That Go Boom

I knew I was in a war zone — half a world away from where I grew up — but life on the Da Nang base was good. Surprisingly good. And then … This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

Click the player above to watch the video or read the transcript below. When people ask me what it was like in Vietnam, I often hesitate to answer. Usually, they are expecting horror stories of death and destruction. I had friends who did have experiences like that, but that wasn’t my experience. My time in Vietnam, especially in Danang, was one of the best times in my life for personal growth. I...

Being the official ambulance driver for the 3/82 Artillery, I was responsible for maintaining the vehicle and making sure it was in working order. But it also gave me another job. Because I controlled the vehicle, I was the designated gopher, sent to pick up and deliver things around the base and in the city of DaNang. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscrib...

The young Vietnamese woman lay on the treatment table in our small clinic in DaNang. I studied her bleeding foot, surgical needle in hand, my heart pounding. Just a few weeks earlier, I’d never even held such a needle. Now I was going to be responsible for stitching up her wound. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vis...

After the Marines left, we turned their base into our own, setting up an aid station to care for our soldiers. From organizing the pharmacy to handling a fainting soldier during a blood draw, to a long day of conducting malaria tests in the field, these anecdotes capture the humor, challenges, and lessons of military life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subs...

I absolutely loved working at the 91st Evacuation Hospital. I learned so much and felt I had acquired some useful skills that I would be able to use in helping others, but I have to admit I was looking forward to returning home. Home being Hawk Hill. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

In "Returning to Hawk Hill," I recount my experience as a medic during a MEDCAP mission in Vietnam, where an unexpected land mine explosion tested our skills and resolve. This article highlights the life-saving efforts we provided to local villagers and the lessons learned about compassion, courage, and faith in the midst of chaos. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with o...

This story begins on a firebase. Although the enemy was always "out there" somewhere, the firebase was generally a safe place. Generally, but not always. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

Now it was time for me to move on to my next stage of training. I was moved over to Pre-Op to learn as much as I could in that setting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

Following my experiences in the Division Psychiatrist’s Office and a hospital ward, my next assignment was to work in the emergency room — the ER — at the 91st Evacuation Hospital. It was a challenging yet fascinating assignment This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

From the stark contrast of my new, lusurious living quarters to the unexpected challenges of nocturnal jungle bugs, each moment was a step into the exciting unknown as I tried to learn what was needed to become a medic. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

Sitting in the captain’s office, I was surprised how calm and relaxed I was. I knew the captain wasn’t going to tell me I would be given conscientious objector status. In the paperwork I filled out I made a point of saying I was not a conscientious objector. Which meant something else would happen to me. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...

PODCAST “Don’t Play With Things That Go Boom” www.clintmorey.substack.com Click on the audio player above to hear the podcast or read the transcript below. Episode 18 “Not An Option” transcript The Decision I made the decision. Killing innocent civilians intentionally, even in a time of war, was murder. Murder was not an option for a Christian. The problem was … what do I do next? Do I write a let...

In this deeply personal episode, I recount some of the harsh realities and ethical dilemmas I faced during the Vietnam War. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

In today’s episode, I want to share a memory of an event I experienced in Vietnam — a dinner with some newly made friends. I was working in the Fire Direction Control Center on a remote mountain firebase in Vietnam. We shared the hill with some American infantry units and even a South Vietnamese artillery unit. The Visitor One day, a Vietnamese soldier stepped into our bunker. I don’t remember tha...

Click on the player above to listen to the podcast or read the transcript below. Episode 15 “The General and the Plotting Pins” As I mentioned in a previous episode, one of the distinctive elements of the Fire Control Center was all the antennas on top of our bunker. We had to be in radio contact with a number of groups — infantry units in the field, other artillery units who could support us if w...

Life on a firebase was interesting. Sometimes we had really nice views of the beautiful countryside of Vietnam. And we knew we were reasonably safe because we had concertina wire around our entire hill and soldiers from the infantry pulling guard duty for us. So we didn’t really think that much about sappers and mortar attacks. When we arrived on a new firebase, it seldom took us long to develop a...

Mary Ann was a small military facility on a hill in a remote part of South Vietnam. I don’t know who gave it the name Mary Ann, but it was a firebase that supported infantry troops on the ground in nearby areas. During my time in Vietnam, I served on several firebases with the 3/82 Artillery — Mary Ann, Crest, Baldy, Casey Jones, and Deja Vu. At least those were the names we gave them. The Army of...

I was on my way. Loaded into a Huey helicopter, I was flown to a nearby Fire Support Base called Hawk Hill. I thought this was going to be my new home but I was wrong. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

Finally. After two months of Basic Training, a brief stint on Temporary Duty, two months of Fire Direction Control School, a month of leave, and a few extra days at Fort Lewis retaking all my shots …  Finally I arrived by plane at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com

Click on the audio player above to hear the podcast or read the transcript below. First of all, I need to apologize to those of you who listened to the end of the previous episode. I said this episode would be called “I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane.” You know, the 1969 hit song by Peter, Paul and Mary. Well, I changed my mind. I’m going to use the same song but I’m going to use the line following “I’m...

Click the audio player above or read the transcript below. Finally, I was on my way to Advanced Individual Training (AIT). When I arrived at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, I was directed to the barracks that would be my home for the next two months. And even though it was a barracks, it had a nice feel to it. The area where I was assigned had more space than I had back at Fort Polk and it had lockers that s...

Click the play button above or read the transcript below. Episode 8: What to do with a security risk Life on an Army base as a security risk was not all that stressful. I was assigned to a barracks where other people on TDY were staying. I was given a bed, unpacked my stuff, and settled in. This was now my home. There were no drill sergeants. No one yelling at us. No military formations and marchi...

Click the button above to listen to the podcast or read the transcript below. Click the play button above or read the transcript below. Episode 07 - Today You Are a Soldier … sort of. The time had finally come.  We had completed all of our training sessions and passed all the required tests. Finally we were going to move on from our designation as “recruits” and become “soldiers” — real soldiers....

Click on the audio player above or read the transcript below. Don’t play with things that go boom. Lessons from my days in olive drab by Clint Morey, Specialist 4th Class, retired.  Well … not actually retired … it’s more like  I didn’t re-up. Episode 6: “Machine Guns & Hand Grenades” The Army still had more weapons that we had to learn how to use. But we didn’t have to master them They just wante...