Sorry About That

About the Book

The Vietnamese have an expression Xin loi, sorry about that. It covers a multitude of situations. Bill Carter is drafted to Vietnam. A helicopter drops him off at a remote outpost. After vainly searching for anyone, he is bowled over by a retired scout dog serving as mascot. He is introduced to the advisory team of Tan Han consisting of an incompetent commanding officer Maj. Trent and his oddball staff of misguided military misfits. In his first combat operation in the dreaded “Testicles” Carter discovers he is a pacifist, not a coward. He declines to put away a mortally wounded VC. From then on he is at odds with Sgt. Streiker who believes that killing is part of the passage to manhood. When Streiker is not pushing body count, he is amassing a fortune in numerous black market enterprises. Carter is introduced to the friendly ambush. He spends an hour with another advisor and an elderly Vietnamese gentleman who has access to knowledge about which American units have what supplies. Since the Vietnamese supply system is both corrupt and inept, the advisors are skilled at scrounging. Scrounging allows them to barter one precious commodity (plywood) for another (concrete) that is converted to whatever the local forces are lacking. On the way home Carter meets the Mad Miner. The Mad Miner is an elderly VC with poor posture, feeble eyesight and bad timing who mines the road with great flourish but little effect. The major withdraws to his quarters. The medic is evacuated by helicopter when he runs out of beer to fuel his courage. Reports are exaggerated to show dramatic progress in the war effort. Although combat is not frequent, the VC mortar on a regularly scheduled basis. They assert themselves when they want their presence to be recognized. Carter cultivates a young lady back home as a pen pal. The household staff engages Carter as a clandestine labor consultant. They strike for higher wages and improved working conditions. The life style of the advisors is seriously disrupted. Carter serves as radio operator on several operations using recon by fire with dubious results. The Vietnamese demonstrate a flair for avoiding the Viet Cong. The Mad Miner continues to evade capture. After he is awarded a trip to the PX in Saigon, Carter learns the meaning of “You do for me.” He picks up Streiker from R&R and learns about illegal currency exchange and one of the war’s great industries, prostitution. With a surreptitious note to a colonel at headquarters Carter arranges for the major to be relieved. Maj. Gaines, the new commanding officer, provokes concern among the advisors when he appears to be competent and aggressive. He threatens to set standards for dress and behavior. He pushes the Vietnamese officers to be more effective in the field, actually fight the VC and generally upsets the order of things. A helicopter brings boxes of donations from a bunch of do gooders at the bidding of Carter’s alleged girl friend. The boxes contain old clothes, paper dresses and all sorts of junk left over from rummage sales. When the major refuses to deal with it, Carter unwittingly donates it to the VC. A different American radio operator is killed on a mission in a bordering district. When the Vietnamese troops abandon the surviving American officer in the field, Maj. Gaines and Streiker affect a rescue from the radio room. On the anniversary of the Tet Offensive Maj. Gaines and Carter spend a night with a Vietnamese unit in a supposedly pacified area. Major Gaines learns the local VN commander and the local VC have divided the hamlet with the understanding there will be no fighting. The VN commander allows his troops to sleep in a house at night. After the major unsuccessfully pleads with the VN to change tactics, a North Vietnamese unit moves through the area and drastically changes the rules. Two medics arrive unannounced from province headquarters to promote a new program to as

About the Author

The author reported to the draft board for a pre-induction physical the day after his last final exam. He received his college diploma in one hand and his draft notice in the other. After infantry training he was assigned to the American advisors in Vietnam. The year was 1968. As the only pacifist in a combat zone, he fought the war in his own unique way.