[Dr Raoul Duke]

Training and tactical training have their place. Training is necessary for initial weapons skills acquisition and safety. Tactical training is necessary to prepare individuals on what to do when the come into armed encounters, proper deployment, positions, responses, team work etc; and this is what a rookie walks out of the course with and uses so he lives long enough that he gains some practical experience. They say train the way you want to fight, as you are going to fight the way you train, and I think that is true. But, even with training, even the best training, most people will respond poorly the first time out of the chute. I know, as I did, and could have caused harm to friendlies.

I was in patrol boats in the Navy in Viet Nam manning machine guns and using M-16s, shotguns, and 1911A1 pistols on suspect boats while boarding and searching for contraband. I saw a great deal of violence there. My training had been at Great Lakes, then further MG training with the Marines at Camp Pendleton and boat drill at Mare Island. Still, the first time under fire I did the wrong things. My PBR was running abreast of our second, or "mate" boat, which was to starboard and I was at the M-60 MG amidboat. We were in "injun country", where attacks on boats happened regularly, so the weapons were hot. I had let my attention wander, this happens when you spend hours running at a gun station, but that is no excuse. I should have been facing the river bank to port, but had let something on the starboard bank catch my attention and had turned to face it, so my M-60 was pointed at our mate boat. When we ran into the ambush the initiation was mortar rounds. When the first mortar round went off it was behind me, and I triggered off the M-60 and almost cut the radar dome off the mast of our mate boat. Had the muzzle of the M-60 been depressed more my burst would have raked the deck and the sailors of that boat. I would have been very unpopular at the dock that night, but as the fight intensified and we came under gunfire, I partially redeemed myself by taking out a 12.7 Dragunov, or as we called them "Russian 51", that was trying to chew off our mate boat's transom. My Chief had a long talk with me that night, and he could have written me up and had me stand before the Man, but he was pleased with my recovery as the fight continued and decided to cut me some slack. I can't say I never let my attention wander; it's not humanly possible in the ceaseless hours of stifling heat, humidity, or continuous rain. But, for the rest of my time in the Delta I never stood to a weapon with it pointed at a friendly boat.

As to plans, I don't have any set "plan" for occasions when threats become life threatening because each one I have encountered has been unique and convoluted. Back to the Mekong; when we went aboard suspect boats that had holds, or compartments below the weather deck, one sailor would go over with a 1911A1 and a GI anglehead flashlight. I had qualified to wear the expert marksmanship ribbon for both rifle and pistol, and wanted to carry the .45, so the Chief let me take the duty. But, when we got onboard the suspect boats, on many occasions the "crew" either tried to kill me directly, or all of us suddenly. This had become more common as Operation Clearwater continued and we were given patrol duties into narrower waterways where our mate boat could not constantly circle us, or pull along the far side and put more men on deck. I shot seven people on board those boats with the .45, and each time it was a "surprise party" situation, and the only plan that consistently worked was to have the pistol cocked and locked, know where my mates were positioned, and keep that "situational awareness" going. The last was the most surprising. I was below deck with an old woman, somewhere in her '60s to '70s, and had just searched a bunch of 10 pound cans of rice, leaving the lids off the cans. When I came to the end there was a stack of bags of beans then a space before the bow. I had made a mistake in considering Mama San "safe". As I crawled onto the stack of beans I heard this mechanical "crunch, crunch" sound behind me. I turned to look, keeping the .45 ahead of my eyes, and saw the woman with a revolver in her hands, and as she tried to shoot me again I heard the "crunch, crunch" again. I shot her below the left ribs. The shot turned her but she did not go down. She pointed the revolver at me again, and I shot her a second time in the center of the chest. She went down and out. She didn't want me to find the store of US M18A1 Claymore mines hidden behind the bags of beans. Her weapon was an old .38 Special Colt Commando that was clogged up with rice from one of the cans. She was the only person I shot with the .45 that did not go down with one shot, but I did not hit her in the chest. My fire below deck had set off a firefight on the weather deck where the men had pulled hidden weapons and tried to kill my mates. I was almost done when one of my mates stumbled and stitched the deck with an M-16, missing me by inches. Where is any other plan than the one I mentioned going to work in such situations?

Also, in law enforcement, there is seldom any plan that can be followed other than "keep your weapon ready, know where your partner is, pay attention to the situation, be ready for anything". Specialized plans work well for warrant service, but responding to a 415F call at 0200 in the morning with the nearest back up 15 minutes away, there is no set plan other than getting yourself and your partner out alive that really works. "Protect and Serve and CYA".


Dr. Raoul Duke
Forever Gonzo