Friday, October 11, 1968
The troop presence on Hill 65 was still low. Kilo Battery gun crews were on Hill 52, and India Company only had one platoon for security on the south end of the compound. We were serving just over 100 Marines at each meal.
As we secured dinner Tink approached me and asked if he could move his gear to our bunker which was adjacent to our hooch. He claimed it would allow him to get up with the cooks and start earlier in the morning. Also, our bunker was dryer than his hooch with the Grunts.
Something wasn’t right about Tink’s request; I didn’t believe him and said, “If you tell me the truth, I might say yes.” He put his head down and related that his Platoon Sergeant was mean and that he constantly berated Tink in front of everyone. “He says I’m a slacker and that I purposely got VD to get out of patrols.” I said, “Let me think about this; I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
I went to Lieutenant Handley, and we talked privately about Tink’s request. I didn’t want to complicate the situation. Handley was annoyed and said, “Do what you want.” I replied, “No Sir, this is your call.” Finally Handley smiled and made a pun, “OK, I will take care of it since you don’t want to ‘tinker’ with the situation.”
Later in the evening Tink moved his gear into our bunker.
My Vietnam Experience 