QUOTE: Those of you who have seen the movie “Platoon” might remember the big jungle battle that closes the film.
If you thought it was a Hollywood concoction divorced from real life, you’d be wrong.
The movie’s director, Oliver Stone, was a young soldier with the Army’s 25th Infantry Division at Firebase Burt on the Cambodian border when what seemed like the entire North Vietnamese army overran the post.
Peter Holt, who later would become chairman and CEO of the San Antonio Spurs, was there, too.
“They were all around you, so there wasn’t anything to do but fight all around you. Yeah, it was scary. Lit up like a Christmas tree. I remember they had that big, whatever that was circling around, dropping those flares, so that place was eerily lit up. I thought (Stone) got it pretty right.”
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I’ve noticed some confusion about when Charlie Company 3/22 arrived at Burt. It was on 1 Jan 68. I know because I was a member of C Co. and we were in the Michelin Rubber on 31 December. Three of us (including myself) were hit by shrapnel from a mine and medevacued out. Survivors told me in Saigon that they went out the next day and the positions there were a ‘mess’.
Yes I also was there that night I served as a combat medic assigned to C Company I like the movie Oliver Stone’s platoon but yet at the same time I don’t agree with all the boozing and the drug use which I never seen none of when I was there. But I have read that he was also in three other different units so it may be that happened in one of the different units but all in all triple deuce that unit I was in mech one good tight kickass unit proud to have been part of it proud to serve with all the good men that I seen there all good, all brave,all honorable, thank you. doc Vance
The read was pretty good but nothing like being there, Doc Vance 2/22 inf mech 67/68 combat medic.
I was with Battery A ,3rd 13th Artillery located on the North end of Fire Base Burt. 12/31/67 to 01/10/68.