Marines won't leave comrades behind

This "Military Tale" comes from John Musgrave's book and tells the story of what happened to him at Con Thien, Vietnam, in 1967.

They were in a battle and outnumbered, when all of a sudden, someone yelled out, "Blair's hit, Blair's hit bad." Blair was Musgrave's buddy, but Musgrave didn't move, however, Sloan was Blair's best buddy and the bravest in the unit, he took off for Blair and yelled, "I'm coming Blair, I'm coming." 

Then Musgrave thought, "What the heck am I doing lying here, Blair is my buddy, I have to go help" and he took off. As he was sprinting toward Blair, the first round hit him. He was shot in the jaw and dropped to the ground unconscious. 

A Marine came to drag him out, now he was awake, a machine gun killed the marine dragging him out and shot him in the chest. He said leaving a hole you could put your fist into. Then a second Marine came for him, an 18-year-old from Louisiana, the machine gunner shot him, too; it was his first firefight. The second marine was just shot in the arm and was firing back at the Vietnamese with one arm saying, "I am not going to leave you, Musky (his nickname)." And he didn't, but he was shot again. Then another Marine, Jim Rye, came and flanked the machine gunner and killed him. Musgrave said Rye was one of the bravest Marines that he had ever known. Then he and another Marine came and dragged Musgrave and the other Marine out by their wrists, even knowing that they were dying. But they didn't die, they survived.

The Marine tradition was never to leave anyone behind and in this case, it saved Musgrave's life. Later, back home he had a recurring dream about the incident all the time for the first year after he returned to the States.

Roger Gregory is a Vietnam veteran and business owner in Priest River. He served in the 1st Infantry Division.