Be advised there are graphic parts in this story about Jed and Rex's experiences in Vietnam.
In the year 1960, Jed Coyote turned age 11 on June 27th. In that same year, younger brother Rex had turned age 9 on April 21st.
Linked below are Jed and Rex as cubs with their family, who live in Duran, New Mexico. These pictures were in the year 1960.
| \r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t +2 \r\n\t\t\t |
| \r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t +2 \r\n\t\t\t |
| \r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t![Cubs Riding Go Karts at Dusk [Page 2] by moyomongoose](https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3374/3374594_moyomongoose_duran_in_part_41_c.jpg "Cubs Riding Go Karts at Dusk [Page 2] by moyomongoose") +2 \r\n\t\t\t |
| \r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t +18 \r\n\t\t\t |
This is now the year 1972, and Jed Coyote is in the U.S. Army, and his younger brother Rex is in the U.S. Navy. Rex had already done one tour of duty in Vietnam, and Jed had done two tours in Vietnam.
Though older brother Jed turned age 18 in 1967, which was old enough to have entered the Army a month after he graduated high school in the Class of 1967, he was drafted a month before he turned age 19 in May of 1968.
Rex turned age 18 in 1969, and joined the Navy in late summer that year.
Twelve years earlier in 1960, the family of the two coyote brothers adopted an 8 year old coyote cub, Clarence, who accidentally traveled through time from the future year of 2018 to what was at that time the present year of 1960. The time machine that transported Clarence to 1960 sustaned damage during the journey, but scientists were able to repair it so Clarence can get back to his home year of 2018. Had the time machine been beyond repair, Clarence would have grown up in the 1960s with Jed and Rex, and would also be serving in Vietnam (Being that Clarence would have graduated in the high school class of 1969 with Rex, he would have most likely joined the Navy like Rex did when Clarence turned 18 in December of that year).
As it is, being that Clarence was able to return to his home day and time, he wouldn't yet be born until December of 2010...long after the Vietnam War was over.
In mid August of 1972 when the Vietnam War was still going on, Jed Coyote and Rex Coyote are home on leave in the U.S., and enjoying lunch in a restaurant with their family; their Dad Al, Mom Marge, and sisters Donna and Beverly (Beverly was born in 1961, thus never yet met Clarence in that day and time). Donna had also graduated high school that year, Torrance County High School Class of 1972.
Jed who is an Army sergeant, and Rex who was recently promoted to Navy Petty Officer 3rd class, are in uniform as they are having lunch with their family. Jed had already done two tours of duty in Vietnam, and his younger brother, Rex, had done one tour, and was scheduled for a 2nd tour. At a nearby table, a hippie opossum and a hippie weasel taunted them by calling them "cub killers" as their hippie girlfriends with them giggled and laughed...
...Keep in mind the coyote brothers have already been to Vietnam.
Both brothers had been through some scary experiences.
Both had seen some really bad things happen.
During Jed's first tour in Vietnam, which was in 1968 during the Tet Offensive, Jed was a private E-2 assigned to a demolition team lead by Sergeant Rodney James Wolverine.
Corporal Oswald Sigmond Rabbit (Ozzie) was 2nd in command under Sergeant Wolverine.
Another member, valuable to that team and 3rd in charge, was Spec 4 Orville Fox, who was the most knowledgeable in military demolitions, and was also the radio operator. As a spec 4, Orville Fox's position was more of being a professional technician and advisor than that of being an NCO.
While Jed Coyote was getting use to his first deployment in Vietnam, Corporal Oswald Rabbit's cheerful and outgoing personality was always a moral booster. There were times Ozzie had noticed Jed's fear when the going got rough. However, Ozzie did seem to have that special gift of gab to instill confidence and motivation.
Corporal Oswald Rabbit had mentioned to Sergeant Wolverine, "Unless that boy gets a helping paw, he's not going to make it out here", which Sergeant Wolverine agreed.
Realizing Jed's inexperience, Ozzie took on being a mentor for Jed, and would often teach Jed of the dos and don'ts of guerilla warfare.
On one occasion, Oswald Rabbit said to Jed Coyote, "There's some things they didn't teach us in boot camp. We have to learn those things out here".
And even though Jed had basic schooling in military demolitions before being deployed, there were still some tricks and tweaks that can only be learned in the field. Ozzie did take the time to teach those things to Jed what demolitions school back in The States didn't teach. And when there was something Ozzie was unsure of, he'd consult Spec 4 Orville Fox, thus there were a few things Ozzie and Jed would learn about demolitions together from Orville Fox.
Back in garrison at the base, there have been times Oswald Rabbit and Jed Coyote would exchange stories of their families and home life, Oswald's home town being Ventura, California, and Jed's home community being unincorporated Duran, New Mexico.
One thing Jed Coyote never made mention to Oswald Rabbit though, was the time back in 1960 when an 8 year old coyote cub, Clarence, arrived by accident from the year 2018 in a time travel machine. This actually happened when Jed was a cub, and Jed's parents adopted Clarence during the 6 months it took for scientists to repair the time machine to send Clarence Coyote back to 2018. Jed knew with no way of proving it actually happened, no one would believe it, and telling about it would risk being sent for a psychological evaluation. Thus, Jed never mentioned anything about Clarence Coyote (who was yet to be born 42 years later) or a time travel machine.
Of course, if an officer was to question about a private and a corporal fraternizing, Corporal Oswald Rabbit would simply convince the officer he was giving Private Jed Coyote a period of instruction about military demolitions. The military frowns on NCOs fraternizing with lower ranking soldiers.
However, though Sergeant Rodney Wolverine knew Ozzie and Jed's conversations in garrison were more of social leisure and less of a period of instruction, Rodney Wolverine didn't mind and was cool with it.
Needless to say, Private Jed Coyote and Corporal Oswald Rabbit had become close friends.
One morning started out as a normal mission on their way through the jungle to blow up a makeshift, vehicle bridge the Vietcong constructed out of bamboo and vines. It was on that morning though Ozzie met an unspeakable fate.
"VCs!", Spec 4 Orville Fox shouted.
"Take cover!", Sergeant Wolverine added.
It was three Vietcong, an Owston's palm civet and two red pandas. For Corporal Oswald Rabbit, the warning came too late. The Owston's palm civet shot Oswald Rabbit in the groin, thus completely blasting away all of Ozzie's genitalia.
"THEY GOT OZZIE!", Orville Fox shouted as the exchange of rifle fire continued.
"It was that damn palm civet!", Sergeant Wolverine added.
As Ozzie laid in the tall grass in a state of shock, bleeding and with his genitalia gone, the three VCs, the then swiftly fled back through the jungle in hit and run fashion.
"THAT DAMN TO HELL BASTARD!", Orville Fox, shouted as he chased after the Owston's palm civet.
"Orville, get back here!", Sergeant Rodney Wolverine called out, then ordered Jed Coyote, "Jed! Hold a compress on Ozzie! He's bleeding to death!"
"With what?!", Jed asked.
"Use his T shirt. And roll it tight!", Sergeant Wolverine replied as he began to chase after Orville Fox.
Jed wasted no time removing Ozzie's uniform blouse and T shirt. Then quickly rolling the T shirt tight and pressing it against Ozzie's blown out crotch to hold back the bleeding.
Spec 4 Orville Fox caught up to the Owston's palm civet running through the jungle then shot him in the back. Noticing the palm civet dropped his AK-47 rifle too far from where he fell to be able to quickly grab it back up, Orville Fox quickly pulled the half empty 30 round banana clip out of his M-16, slammed a full clip into into the magazine well, then locked and loaded.
"Say hello to the devil for me, you son of a bitch", Orville Fox said to the palm civet who was laying injured and conscious in the tall grass as Orville raised his M-16 toward the palm civet.
Orville Fox then emptied the 30 round banana clip at continuous full auto into the Owston's Palm Civet, fanning his line of fire all over the fallen palm civet, literally pulverizing his body, for what he had just done to Ozzie.
Orville Fox then pulled the empty clip from his M-16 rifle, slammed in another full 30 round clip, locked and loaded, then fired 30 more rounds into the VC palm civet's body at full auto. By now, Orville Fox had the barrel of his M-16 glowing orange and smoking.
"CEASE FIRE! THAT'S AN ORDER!", Sergeant Rodney Wolverine shouted to Orville Fox as he came running up.
But it was too late. Orville Fox had already slammed in another 30 round clip and locked and loaded. But this time, the firing chamber was so hot it ignited round after round in a situation known as "cook off". Without Orville Fox even touching the trigger, the intense heat of the firing chamber caused his M-16 to go into run away full auto fire. The last few of the 30 rounds then jammed in the heat swollen barrel.
"Real smart! Cooking off your ammo on that dead piece of shit isn't doing Ozzie any good!", Sergeant Wolverine reprimanded Spec 4 Orville Fox. "Instead, you should be on that damn radio calling in a dust off for Ozzie! He's at death's door right now!".
Upon Orville Fox regaining his composure, he and Sergeant Wolverine headed back to where Jed and Ozzie were.
"That kind of shit could get the rest of us shot", Sergeant Wolverine told Orville Fox as they made their way back through jungle foliage to where Jed was tending to Ozzie.
Spec 4 Orville Fox then called for a "dust-off " for Ozzie on their portable two-way radio, followed by calling in their coordinate location...Dust-off meant request for a medical evac helicopter.
The Owston's palm civet's body looked like he had been through a scrap metal shredder by the time Orville Fox was done with him, as M-16 rounds are designed to show no mercy for flesh, blood and bone.
It was a shocking experience for Jed Coyote seeing his close friend and mentor in shock with his genitalia blown away as Jed braced one arm around Ozzie's waist, and pressed the compress on his injury with the other paw.
What happened to Oswald Rabbit, and how Orville Fox wasted the Owston's palm civet's body all over the place was Jed Coyote's first surreal experience at witnessing anything so graphic.
Sergeant Rodney Wolverine, noticed how Jed Coyote was stunned with disbelief while continuing to apply the compess to Ozzie's blown out crotch.
Sergeant Wolverine then told Jed, "Might as well get use to it, boy. You'll be seeing more of this by the time your first tour of duty in this Hell hole is over with".
That was when it became real to Jed Coyote that Vietnam was a place where a young soldier grows up and grows up quick. Jed continued to apply the makeshift compress to Oswald Rabbit's injury where his genitalia no longer existed to minimize the loss of blood the best he could.
After Orville Fox radioed for the medical evac helicopter, Sergeant Wolverine mentioned to him, "Really toasted the Hell out of your rifle, didn't you. You do know an M-16 isn't designed for any more than 3 round bursts at a time".
"Couldn't help it, Searge. After what that bastard did?", Orville Fox replied.
"I could understand that", Sergeant Wolverine agreed, then told Orville, "Let me see that rifle".
After Orville Fox pawed his M-16 to Rodney Wolverine, Rodney locked open the breach of the rifle and looked in through the ejection port.
"Damn, this thing's still hot", Rodney Wolverine retorted.
Sergeant Wolverine then released the rear take-down pin, allowing the upper receiver to pivot forward from the lower receiver, then dumped the bolt carrier group to the ground.
"As hot as that is, I'm not about to touch it", Sergeant Wolverine said about the bolt carrier group.
Upon looking in from the rear of the barrel, Sergeant Wolverine said, "I thought so".
Sergeant Wolverine then showed Orville Fox the barrel and told him, "See that? There are rounds jammed in the barrel from when you got them cooking off. You're lucky this rifle didn't explode on you".
"I guess I kind of lost my head", Orville Fox replied.
"Uh huh...That could happen literally if you don't use some common sense out here", Sergeant Wolverine reminded Orville Fox.
Sergeant Wolverine then walked back over to the Owston's palm civet's scattered remains, then returned with the AK-47 and ammo belt that belonged to the Owston's palm civet.
"Here. Take this", Sergeant Wolverine said as he pawed the blood splattered AK-47 rifle and ammo belt to Orville Fox. "Technically I'm not supposed to give you an enemy weapon. But you need a rifle until we get back to base. That VC you wasted sure won't be needing it anymore".
"What about Corporal Ozzie's rifle?", Orville Fox asked.
"What about it?", Sergeant Wolverine asked.
"Can I use it instead this gook rifle?", Orville Fox asked.
"Ozzie is responsible for that rifle. It goes out of here with him", Sergeant Wolverine replied, then added, "Had you not pumped all those rounds at full auto into that palm civet, you'd still have your M-16...You know they'll probably make you pay for that rifle too".
Sergeant Wolverine then checked on Jed and Ozzie.
"How's he coming along, Jed?", Sergeant Wolverine asked Jed Coyote.
"I'm stopping the bleeding the best I can. Ozzie's still out of it though", Jed replied as he continued to hold the compress.
"He's in shock right now", Sergeant Wolverine said to Jed Coyote.
Not knowing for sure if Oswald Rabbit could hear him, Sergeant Wolverine said, "Hang in there, Ozzie. Help's on the way. You can make it. Everything will be okay. Just hang in there".
Not long afterward, the Huey helicopter arrived to evacuate Oswald Rabbit. Because of the thick jungle, a basket stretcher had to be lowered as the helicopter hovered above at tree top level with the chop sound of it's rotar blades and whistling sound of it turbine-shaft engine. After allowing the basket stretcher to first touch the ground to discharge the static electricity from the helicopter, Orville Fox and Jed Coyote gently loaded Oswald Rabbit into the basket stretcher. Along with Ozwald Rabbit, his M-16 rifle, helmet, uniform blouse and backpack were also loaded to be taken aboard.
"That's everything", Orville Fox said to Jed Coyote upon signaling the helicopter crew to raise Ozzie aboard.
Sergeant Wolverine kept a sharp look out for any VCs showing up. This was a crucial moment where the helicopter was vulnerable to any VCs attempting to shoot it down. The stretcher carrying Oswald Rabbit and his gear was then raised up, then into the helicopter. The cargo door was slid shut, then the helicopter left taking Oswald on his way to the medical facility back at base.
"Tough damn break", Sergeant Rodney Wolverine said upon lighting a cigarette after the medical evac helicopter left.
The mission to blow up the Vietcong bamboo bridge still had to continue on. It would now have to be accomplished with three members of the demolition team, with Spec 4 Orville Fox holding the billet of corporal, 2nd in command under Sergeant Rodney Wolverine.
Needless to say, the loss of Ozzie weighed heavy on Sergeant Wolverine's mind. The loss of a good corporal and close acquaintance was enough in itself. In addition, the demolition team was now down to three during the mission. Rodney Wolverine dreaded the thought of loosing any more team members.
As a parenthetical note, there was an anti-war protest song released by the Byrds in 1968 that exemplified an eerie ominous feeling about that war.
The Byrds - Draft Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zzv8hd68B4
Oswald Rabbit did survive and was honorably discharged with a generous pension from the Army, and awarded the Purple Heart. Jed and others on the demolition team would later keep in touch with Ozzie, which was good for Ozzie's morale hearing from some of his Army buddies occasionally (Rex was still in his senior year of high school when Ozzie was shot).
In the summer of 1969, Jed came home on leave after his first tour of duty. Al was able to get some time off from Horizon Innovations so the family could meet Jed at the airport in Albuquerque. It was a joyous and emotional reunion and Jed had lots of stories to tell of his experiences in Vietnam. This was also shortly before Rex joined the Navy.
While at home, Jed made a long distance phone call from Dad and Mom's house to Oswald Rabbit's parents in California to talk with Ozzie. Jed even let Rex talk with Ozzie, in which Rex told Ozzie about him planning to join the Navy. Ozzie expressed that he was proud of Rex and advised him to stay safe. This was by the way the first time Rex and Ozzie were acquainted. Donna and Beverly wanted to talk to Ozzie, but Al and Marge told the girls maybe some other time, and that right now this conversation was for the boys. Al and Marge even gave Jed permission to give out their phone number to Ozzie so he can call them when he wanted to.
However, a week later during Jed's leave at home, the family had learned from Ozzie's mom in a phone call that Ozzie had committed suicided by swimming out into the Pacific Ocean one evening after nightfall until he was too worn out to swim anymore.
Ozzie's mom said in tears to Rex and Jed, "When we found Ozzie's suicide note in his room with his purple heart metal on his desk beside it that night, we then knew he never meant to come back".
They knew where Ozzie swam out into the Pacific Ocean. That's where they found his shirt and shoes on the beach.
Ozzie's family lived in the Pacific coastal town of Ventura, California.
During Jed's leave time that July of 1969, he and Rex, like everyone else, noticed the occasional anti war sentiment that summer of 1969. Quite often, it was commonly expressed as graphite on street signs...Jed Rhonson Coyote was a corporal by then.
| \r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t![A Brief Glimpse of the Time Machine into 1970 - Mature Version [Page 7] by moyomongoose](https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/2715/2715288_moyomongoose_0000000stop_sign.jpg "A Brief Glimpse of the Time Machine into 1970 - Mature Version [Page 7] by moyomongoose") +8 \r\n\t\t\t |
Needless to say, the anti war sentiment was not a welcome sight for many of those who had returned from Vietnam. All that wasn't a welcome sight to Rex either being that he was about to join the Navy the following month.
While still on leave, Jed got the opportunity to purchase a 1968 Dodge Super Bee, which had the 426 hemi. It was a one year old car at the time, and Jed's first car which Daddy Al Coyote went ahead and bought for him. Jed Coyote felt like a cub with a new toy, though Al did remind his older son to be careful with it. Daddy Al, and Mama Marge Coyote had always been fans of fast car too, thus they knew all so well that a car is not merely a toy. Earlier that year, Al had purchased a brand new, 1969, Plymouth Super Bird which has the 426 hemi, aerodynamic nose end and high rise rear spoiler...It was truly a rare, hard to get car even back then, as there were only very few of them ever made. However, Al and Marge had always dealt with Dave Pine Martin at the Chrysler Plymouth dealership where they had purchased their cars from. Dave had connections and knew some folks who were able to locate a Plymouth Super Bird for Al.
During the remainder of Jed's leave time, he and younger brother, Rex, would go out cruising and thrill riding. There were times Jed had that Super Bee up to 150 mph on the rural open highways in Torrance County, New Mexico,,,And it got up to those high speeds quick too. Those were truly the days of really awesome mussel cars. They say time flies when you're having fun, and after a couple of weeks it was getting time for Jed to report back to duty.
Shortly after Jed's leave time was over, his younger brother, Rex, had joined the Navy. A day before Rex joined the Navy, Rex's long time friend since kindergarten in school, Bucky Thomas Beaver, joined the United Stated Marine Corps. Bucky tried to talk Rex into choosing the Marines, but Rex decided on joining the Navy.
It would be another 20 months before Jed was sent back on a 2nd tour of duty in Vietnam. During those 20 months, Jed was assigned as a training instructor on a C-4 explosives range in the states. Coincidentally, Spec 4 Orville Fenton Fox, who was with Jed on his 1st tour in Vietnam, was also assigned as a C-4 instructor for those 20 months with Jed. It was during that time Jed was promoted from corporal to sergeant.
During January of 1970, while Jed Coyote and Orville Fox were C-4 training instructors, Jed would occasionally think about that January being the same month in which the Project Courier time machine was being built. Jed never mentioned it to anyone being he knew that Project Courier was high level classified. It was the same time machine, presently being built, that 8 year old Clarence Coyote had arrived in from the future to 1960 ten years earlier. Which is also the same time machine Clarence would leave 2018 forty-eight years later, destined for 1960. Jed Coyote reminisced those 6 months in 1960 that Clarence Coyote was a step brother adopted into the family, until which time the time machine was repaired and Clarence was able to travel back to his home time of 2018.
On a few occasions, Jed would think to himself, "My step brother, Clarence, from 10 years ago hasn't even been born yet...And won't be until 40 years from now".
In March of 1971, Jed and Orville were deployed back to Vietnam. This time, Sergeant Jed Coyote was in charge of the demolition team he was on. The former sergeant in charge, Rodney Wolverine, volunteered for duty as a boot camp drill instructor back in the states, and was later promoted to staff sergeant.
Like on the first tour of duty for Jed, there were still the same dangers as always.
There were concerns of the mercury coated rounds the VCs would use.
There were also booby-traps with things such as; punji sticks (sharpened bamboo spikes) with feces or urine on them to also cause infection, wire tripped grenades, fish hooks hung at eye level, and poisonous snake pits to name a few.
And there were the occasional cub soldiers as young as age 12 among the ranks of the VCs.
A scary experience Sergeant Jed Coyote had on his 2nd tour of duty was when he and his demolition team were on their way to locate a makeshift supply bridge that the Vietcong had built out of reinforced bamboo for their own use. The objective was to set C-4 explosives, det-cord, and a trip wire device on it to blow it up when Vietcong used it transporting supplies. On their way there through the jungle, Private 1st Class Julius Carl Pine Martin felt something go >click< under the heel of his right boot.
In a terrified tone of voice, Julius Pine Martin told Jed Coyote, "Sarge! Something just clicked under my foot!"
"Don't raise that foot!", Spec 4 Orville Fox quickly exclaimed to Julius.
"Do as Orville says. Keep your foot down on it", Sergeant Jed Coyote told PFC Julius Pine Martin.
"No shit!", Corporal Philip Badger added.
"Julius is standing on a pressure release switch", Spec 4 Orville Fox mentioned. "They're usually rigged to a coil in the same way as breaker points are in a car's ignition system".
"If we locate the explosive device, maybe we can disarm it", Sergeant Jed Coyote mentioned as PFC Julius Pine Martin continued keeping his right heel on the switch.
"Too risky, Sarge", Spec 4 Orville Fox replied. "Those VC bastards rig these things to be a step ahead of us on that move".
"Well then, I'm thinking inserting something under Julius Pine Martin's foot to hold the switch down would work", Sergeant Jed Coyote said.
"I was about to suggest that. It will work", Spec 4 Orville Fox assured Sergeant Jed Coyote, then suggested, "One of our daggers would be best for that".
Each member of the demolition team had a dagger used to probe and locate land mines. Jed sacrificed his dagger to save PFC Julius Pine Martin by very carefully slipping it between the heel of Julius Pine Martin's boot and the trigger switch he stepped on which had wires leading from it. The whole ordeal was needless to say very unnerving. Jed and his demolition team knew that one slip-up meant "game over". Finally, Jed had the dagger fully placed where it needed to be.
"Now step off", Jed Coyote instructed Julius Pine Martin as he held the dagger down on the switch.
Spec 4 Orville Fox, with the help of Corporal Phillip Badger, then gathered and placed enough rocks and stones on Jed's dagger to hold the switch down for Jed to let go of the dagger.
"That's enough rocks to keep that switch depressed. It's safe to let go of the dagger now", Spec 4 Orville Fox assured Sergeant Jed Coyote.
Once the rocks and dagger were keeping the switch depressed, the team got away to a fairly safe distance of about 150 meters, which was as far as it could be seen through the jungle foliage.
"It's yours now, Corporal", Sergeant Jed Coyote then said to Philip Badger.
Corporal Philip Stenson Badger was the best shot with an M-16 on the 4 member team. Philip got in kneeling shooting position, checked the adjustments on the rifle's front sight post and rear sight aperture, checked for windage, then wrapped the rifle sling partially around his arm to stabilize his aim.
"Fire in the hole", Corporal Philip Badger said as he slowly squeezed the trigger.
On first shot, Philip shot Jed's dagger off of the switch from 150 meters away. A spring loaded launcher went >sprong<, propelling an object up 4 feet. Then >BANG<, it exploded at chest level.
"Holy shit", PFC Julius Pine Martin exclaimed.
"A bouncing Betty", Spec 4 Orville Fox proclaimed.
"That would have taken us all out", Sergeant Jed Coyote added.
"That's for sure", Orville agreed.
Jed then complimented Corporal Philip Badger, "That was some good shooting".
"One shot, one kill I always say", Philip proudly boasted.
Philip Badger had once scored a possible on the rifle range, which meant a bullseye on every shot. There are very few who have ever done it.
No one ever knew if the bouncing Betty was set by Vietcongs meant for U.S. G.I.s, or if it was set by G.I.s meant for Vietcong.
There was the time when Jed and his demolition team had an encounter where a VC was so close to them in dense jungle they could smell the VC, but they didn't know where the VC was at. They were all but sure someone on the team was about to die...But who?. However, the VC left without firing a shot. It was surmised the VC was alone and didn't want to engage in a firefight against a team of four American G.I.s.
Also during Jed's 2nd tour of duty, Jed and his team discovered the body of a U. S. Marine PFC raccoon who had been declared as missing in action for three days. A Vietcong had already cut the dead raccoon's malehood off and stuffed it in his mouth, which was a common psychological shock tactic used by the Vietcong (reminiscent to the book, Sand in the Wind).
Late one evening after nightfall, as the demolition team was on their way to blow up a Vietcong target, they came up on a Vietcong encampment.
"It looks like there must be a couple of dozen of them", Corporal Phillip Badger whispered to Sergeant Jed Coyote.
"And there's only four of us", PFC Julius Pine Martin whispered.
"Be quiet and listen, and you're about to learn something", Sergeant Jed Coyote whispered to PFC Julius Pine Martin.
"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, I like it", Spec 4 Orville Fox whispered to Sergeant Jed Coyote.
"I am thinking it. It's night time. It will be easy to confuse them", Jed whispered to Orville.
"We'll need passwords for each other out here", Corporal Phillip Badger whispered.
"It will be 'home cookies' ", Jed whispered, making sure all members of the team know it.
"What's next?", PFC Julius Pine Martin whispered.
"We form a half circle around their encampment and fire a few shots on my cue. Then get down and take cover", Sergeant Jed Coyote whispered to PFC Julius Pine Martin. "Now let's spread out".
"Why don't we just wipe them all out?", Julius whispered.
"No", Jed whispered.
"Why?", Julius whispered.
"Because I said so", Jed whispered to Julius. "You'll see why".
Once Jed was sure the team members took up positions half way around the Vietcong encampment, Jed fired a couple of rounds into the encampment. Then the other team members fired a few shots as the team then got down. Immediately, the Vietcong rebels in the encampment went into a wild panic in the night time darkness. Those pulling guard duty just outside the encampment were mistook for American G.I.s and were the first who were shot by their own comrades. It was dark. The Vietcong rebels couldn't tell who was who and began shooting each other, mistaking each other for American G.I.s. From that moment, all semblance of order among the Vietcong rebels deteriorated rapidly into chaos.
A binturong who was their commander shouted, "Dừng lại! Dừng lại! Đó là một mánh khóe!", which meant, 'Stop! Stop! It's a trick!'
A Vietcong palm civet mistaking his own commander for an American shot him in the back of the head.
Jed Coyote and the other demolition team members stayed low while taking cover as they watched from a distance at the mayhem unfolding. The confused Vietcong rebels ran about in the darkness of night killing each other in uncontrolled panic as though the encampment was in self destruct mode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOqtxXMqt1w
After the melee was over, there were only two Vietcong lesser red pandas left. They just stood there among the midst of their fallen comrades laying dead everywhere, looking at each other in surreal disbelief as if to say, "My God. What have we just done?"
Sergeant Jed Coyote and and Corporal Phillip Badger then slowly rose up from the tall grass and shot the two remining VCs.
"Be sure there aren't any still in the huts", Phillip Badger mentioned.
"I know", Jed Coyote acknowledged as he and Phillip shot a barrage of rifle fire through the huts.
https://youtu.be/uZdd3mY-tog?t=5
"Wow! That looked easy!", PFC Julius Pine Martin proclaimed.
"I told you you'd learn something out here tonight", Jed said to Julius.
Then someone came walking over with his guard up in the darkness, and said, "I wonder what the folks are doing at home".
Jed replied, "My grandma has an awesome cookies recipe".
It was Spec 4 Orville Fox. The passwords "home" and "cookies" told each other in the dark of night it was friend and not foe.
Corporal Phillip Badger made sure to tell PFC Julius Pine Martin, "When we get back to base, don't go bragging to anyone how we took this encampment out. We fired first, you know".
"It's a violation of rules of engagement", Sergeant Jed Coyote further told Julius Pine Martin.
"Yea. Rules of engagement my ass", Spec 4 Orville Fox retorted. "The morons who dreamed those rules up should spend a few days out here".
"That's right", Jed agreed with Orville. "Then those clowns in Washington would understand it's either them or us".
The demolition team then continued to press on toward their mission for that night.
On a mission to blow up another makeshift bamboo bridge built by the Vietcong, Sergeant Jed Coyote's demolition team was able to get a ride aboard a duce and a half part of the way...A duce and a half is what some folks call a tandem axle Army truck.
"So you guys blow up stuff", the driver, an otter corporal, said to Jed Coyote.
Jed, who was sitting on the seat beside the otter, replied, "If it belongs to those commie bastards, we do".
"I wouldn't mind getting into demolitions", the otter driving the truck mentioned. "The Army stuck me in motor-T as a supply truck driver".
"You could always request an MOS change", Jed suggested to the otter.
"We have a blast. You know what I mean?", PFC Julius Pine Martin mentioned from where he was riding on the cargo bed.
"Corneeeee", Spec 4 Orville Fox replied to Julius Pine Martin's comment as he and Corporal Philip Badger, who were also riding on the cargo bed, got a good laugh.
"They're just teasing you, Julius", Jed Coyote assured.
As they traveled along the dirt road, they soon met a 3 wheel taxi scooter driven by a sun bear, with his passengers being a family of Javan pangolans. Jed and his crew, as well as the truck driver, knew they were not Vietcong. They were simply freedom loving South Vietnamese citizens who were loyal to their homeland.
As the taxi scooter and the truck met, the occupants of the scooter waved, as Jed, his crew and the truck driver waved back.
"They seem like a nice bunch", the truck driver mentioned.
Suddenly, two hundred feet behind them, they heard a loud BOOM.
"Holy Hell! What was that!", the otter driving the truck retorted.
They looked back and saw pieces of the taxi scooter and body parts of it's occupants going up in a ball of fire.
Immediately, the driver stopped the truck as he and the demolition team locked and loaded their M-16s.
"They weren't attacked! They hit a landmine!", Spec 4 Orville Fox exclaimed.
"That big hole in the road. That's what it was alright", Sergeant Jed Coyote agreed as everyone put their M-16s back down.
"A whole family taken out", Phillip Badger mentioned as pieces of the taxi scooter and body chunks of it's occupants lay scattered where the landmine had just exploded.
"And the driver too", PFC Julius Pine Martin added.
"Just like that...So quick", the truck driver further added. "And we just came through there before they did".
"We were damn lucky", Corporal Philip Badger added.
"Especially with all this C4 we're carrying in our backpacks", Sergeant Jed Coyote added.
Sergeant Jed Coyote then called on the portable two-way radio, "Team Delta Twelve to HQ, over".
"We read you. Go ahead Team Delta Twelve, over", came back over the radio.
Jed Coyote then explained what had just happened...getting a ride in the truck...meeting the taxi scooter...the scooter hitting a landmine.
"Let me get 1st Lieutenant Stanley Raccoon to advise you what to do, over", came back over the radio.
"Roger, over", Jed replied.
"You suppose there are any more of those landmines there?", the truck driver asked.
"Could be", Jed answered.
A minute later, over the radio came, "This is 1st Lieutenant Stanley Raccoon to Team Delta Twelve. Jed, I need your team to postpone the mission and probe that section of road for more landmines, over".
"We're on it, Sir. Over", Jed radioed back.
"And be sure to stop all traffic until you all are sure it's clear", Lieutenant Raccoon radioed, and also mentioned, "And don't let that truck move either, over".
"We copy Lima Charley, Sir. Over", (which means, We hear you loud and clear, Sir. Over) Jed Coyote signed off.
"I'm not complaining", the truck driver commented, knowing he doesn't want to risk driving over a land mine.
The team's mission for now was to probe their daggers at 45 degree angle into the dirt road and pry upward in search of landmines. During that search, they unearthed 17 anti-tank mines by the end of the day.
The anti-tank mines were later analyzed to be of Chinese manufacturer and were obviously supplied to the Vietcong by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). As for the taxi scooter getting blown up, it was determined that particular anti-tank mine it ran over had a defective trigger mechanism. It was supposed to have taken the weight of a tank to set it off, though all it took was the weight of the taxi scooter running it over.
After Jed's younger brother, Rex, joined the Navy in 1969, upon graduating boot camp, Seaman 3d Class Rex Coyote worked boat yard maintenance in the states. It wasn't until 1971 that Rex was sent on his 1st tour of duty in Vietnam, which was the same year his older brother, Jed, began his 2nd tour. By 1971, Rex had acquired the rank of Seaman 1st class.
Rex's first job assignment at the beginning of his tour of duty was helping to provide protection aboard a boat cruising offshore at night playing loud tape recordings of Operation Wandering Soul. It was psychological warfare designed to frighten superstitious Vietcong rebels into abandoning their cause and fleeing back home...The ghost tapes were always played at night, and could be heard for many miles inland in the quiet of night in the fields and jungles. In fact, those aboard the boat playing the tapes had to wear hearing protection because of the loud speakers. Many Vietcong fell for it, thus Operation Wandering Soul had much success.
https://youtu.be/4d9H_1ygEv8?t=39
Shortly after Rex Coyote's 1st tour of duty began, he was then reassigned to a river patrol boat crew aboard Patrol Boat HB165.
There were four crew members on that patrol boat;
Petty Officer 1st Class Charlie Haynes Rat, the skipper in command.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Wyatt Washington Serval, gunner's mate.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Vince Everett Otter, engine maintenance.
Seaman 1st Class Rex Rhonson Coyote, deck paw...
...Rex was replacement for a deck paw, a seaman 2nd class ferret, who was killed while aboard boat by a Vietcong sniper.
Navy patrol boat crews were referred to as "river rats"...Charley Rat's fellow patrol boat skippers would occasionally make puns about Charley's species in that regard.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Vince Otter mentored Rex in his new job assignment aboard the patrol boat. Vince Otter even took the time to teach Rex about engine maintenance in case Rex would ever be called upon to perform that job. Crews of patrol boats were loyal and close knit, and Charley Rat's crew of River Patrol Boat HB165 was no different. And it wasn't long before Rex was in that tight knit friendship among the crew, which was especially so with Vince Otter who was a mentor to Rex.
During a patrol run aboard the river patrol boat, Rex and his crew witnessed a Huey helicopter flying at tree top level being taken down by a palm tree trunk catapulted up above the jungle by VCs, and into the way of the helicopter's rotor blades, thus instantly tearing the blades off...The Huey fell like a rock along with the palm tree trunk as it's turboshaft engine revved to an extremely high rpm screaming sound due to the rotor blades being gone. The Huey then burst into flames upon hitting the ground. To Rex and his patrol boat crew, watching fellow American G.I.s dying aboard that helicopter as it all unfolded was a surreal and helpless feeling.
Bucky Beaver and Rex had went through school together as long time friends and both graduated in the Class of 1969. By March of 1971, Bucky was a Marine Corps fire team leader at the rank of corporal. Rex's long time school friend, Bucky Beaver, had died in Vietnam during a frontal assault on a Vietcong encampment when his M-16 rifle jammed. It was later found out Bucky's rifle jamming was due to activists sabotaging ammo at a munitions factory back in the states. It really hurt Rex knowing one of his long time school friends returned home in a flag draped coffin aboard a C-130.
And Bucky Beaver's death came within a few weeks when all USMC combat units would be pulled out of Vietnam except for some military advisors. Only a few weeks... just a few weeks... a few weeks more, and Bucky Beaver would have come home alive. After the Marines were pulled out of Vietnam in April of 1971, that left the Army, Navy and Air Force still active in the Vietnam conflict.
While on river boat patrol a couple of months after witnessing the Huey being taken down, Rex had a close call with death during a firefight the crew of River Patrol Boat HB165 had with a VC crew of a munitions supply sampan disguised as an innocent sampan cargo boat. Moments after the firefight began, Petty Officer 3rd Class Vince Otter took a fatal shot to the chest. As Rex helped to defend the boat and crew, his good friend and mentor, Vince Otter, died right there beside him. A VC round then ricocheted off the deck of the patrol boat only three inches from Rex's head. Had the round been a few inches closer, Rex would have also been returning home in a flag draped coffin along with Petty Officer Vince Otter. After the firefight was over, there were no VC survivors aboard the sampan. Gunner's Mate Wyatt Serval radioed in a report and to have a tow boat sent after the sampan.
Fortunately, crew members on those patrol boats had been cross trained to be able to perform any job aboard the boat in case something happens to another crew member. Petty Officer Wyatt Serval would be able to fill in as skipper if anything happened to Petty Officer Charley Rat. And Petty Officer Wyatt Serval use to be engine maintenance. When Petty Officer Vince Otter was alive, he knew how to fill in for gunner's mate or skipper if he had to. And it was fortunate that back during the final weeks Petty Officer Vince Otter was still alive, he took the time to train Rex Coyote well on how to maintain the twin diesel engines of the patrol boat. Upon Vince Otter's death, Rex was given Vince's former position of engine maintenance. Rex's former position of deck paw was filled by a new member coming aboard, Seaman 1st Class Andrew Filmore Fox. About a month and a half afterwards, Rex was promoted to the rank of petty officer 3rd class.
When ever a Vietnamese boat was stopped to be investigated, whatever the crew would be up against and if it would end well or not was anyone's bet.
One thing about being deployed overseas is, a deployment taking place during a holliday has a way of keeping those on a tour of duty away from their families during the celebration and festivities.
During the Christmas holiday of 1971, Jed Coyote was still on his 2nd tour of duty with his Army demolition team. And younger brother, Rex, was still on his 1st tour of duty with his Navy patrol boat crew. Though several thousand miles away from their home community of Duran, New Mexico for the holidays, Jed and Rex and their parents, Al and Marge, would write letters to each other. Al and Marge also sent gifts to their sons serving in Vietnam, including large candy assortments to both Jed and Rex. There were also some small gifts sent to them by younger sisters, Donna and Beverly.
Jed had mentioned in a letter to Mom and Dad that he would be home for Christmas of the following year of 1972, being that his EAS (end of active service) was due before then.
Rex still had until 1973 before his EAS.
On Christmas Day, American Forces Vietnam Network Radio played Christmas classics such as:
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xa5O6EnJtLk
Joy to the World
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kyciMYZq2-Y
Deck the Halls
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ar3iOScaFLw
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A4zBSnMhvI0
and others.
Still the same though, Jed and Rex, like others in their units, greatly appreciated sharing letters with loved ones back home, and receiving gifts from family.
In July of 1972, it was about three weeks before the end of Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Coyote's 1st tour of duty and before the end of Sergeant Jed Coyote's 2nd tour. It was only a month before both brothers would be home on leave which would be in August. The rest of the boat crew Rex is with and Jed's demolition team would also be taking leave at that time
Early in that month of July, Petty Officer 1st Class Charley Rat's river patrol boat, HB165, was assigned to patrol the Song Sai Gon River. Petty Officer 1st Class Ethan Weasel's patrol boat that usually patrolled that river, Patrol Boat HB141, was in for repair to one of it's diesel driven propulsion jets after running over a fallen tree hidden beneath the surface of the water.
While Charley Rat's crew was out on patrol, they noticed a small Vietnamese riverside village that had been decimated, and was still smoking from being burned.
"Civilians aren't even safe from those sons of bitches, are they", Gunner's Mate, Petty Officer 2nd Class Wyatt Serval mentioned.
As they were about to cruise past the ruins of the village, Rex called out, "Charley, I hear a cub crying".
"Yea, I hear it too", Charley Rat acknowledged as he turned the boat around and prepared to bring the boat close to shore.
It was a cub in the midst of the decimated village, crying, "Maaaaa...Chaaaa".
Once Charley got the boat 25 feet within shore, Rex Coyote and Wyatt Serval jumped in and swam until they were able to wade in waist deep water.
Charley Rat then piloted the boat near to where Rex Coyote and Wyatt Serval were wading in the water.
"Take these with you in case there's any trouble", Charley said to Rex and Wyatt as he pawed their M-16s down from the boat to them. Charley then said to Seaman 1st Class Andrew Fox, who was still aboard, "Andrew. Keep watch for anything about to go down".
"Got it, Charley", Andrew Fox replied as he lit a cigarette, Andrew presently being the only cigarette smoker on the crew.
They could still hear the cub crying, "Maaaa...Chaaaa".
As Rex and Wyatt waded to dry land, they locked and loaded, their rifles making that heavy cold >click click< sound, and placed their selectors on full auto just in case it was a trap.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nykSPaLqJCM
Once in the chard remains of the village, Rex and Wyatt did not encounter any hostile action.
"No trouble so far", Wyatt Serval called to the boat". "Everyone seems to be dead here except for that cub crying".
"Most likely the VCs have moved on by now", Charley Rat called back from the boat. "But don't bank your lives on it. You still need to watch out for them".
"I found the cub", Rex Coyote called out.
It was a female indochinese leopard toddler knelt beside her dead mother, father and three older siblings, as she was crying, "Maaaa....Chaaaa".
"A little female leopard cub", Wyatt Serval called back to Charley Rat.
Charley Rat called back from the boat to Rex Coyote and Wyatt Serval, "You know we can't leave her here. She's going back to Saigon with us".
Rex then picked up the crying leopard toddler, as he and Wyatt began making their way back to the boat. Once near the boat in waist deep water, Rex pawed the leopard cub up to Andrew Fox right after Andrew tossed his cigarette overboard.
"Don't you worry. You're in good paws now", Andrew Fox assured the cub, though she didn't know English.
"And to think there are idiots back home who call us cub killers", Wyatt Serval mentioned.
"Yup", Rex added. "I'd like to paw their teeth back to them too".
"We all would", Charley Rat agreed with Rex.
Rex and Wyatt then pawed their M-16s up to Charley Rat. Then Charley and Andrew helped Rex and Wyatt back aboard the boat.
As Rex and Wyatt were back aboard dripping wet, Andrew Fox mentioned while cradling the leopard cub in his arms, "I wonder what she's been crying".
"I know a little bit of Vietnamese", Charley Rat said. "She's crying 'Mom. Dad' ".
Wyatt Serval then radioed in, "Hotel Bravo one six cinco to base, over".
"Go ahead, Hotel Bravo one six cinco, over", came back over the radio.
Wyatt Serval then explained their present situation of coming up on the decimated riverside village, and about the indochinese leopard cub they rescued.
Back over the radio came, "I'll get authorization for you to return to base, over".
"Roger that, over", Wyatt Serval radioed back.
A few minutes later, a reply came back on the radio, "Base to Hotel Bravo one six cinco. This is Ensign Larry Ferret. I was informed you have a rescued Vietnamese cub aboard, over".
"That's affirmative, Sir. Over", Wyatt Serval radioed.
"Charley, return to base. Bring her on in, over", Ensign Larry Ferret radioed back.
"We're on our way, Sir. Over", Charley Rat mentioned over the radio.
"Roger, Sir. Over", Wyatt Serval radioed before signing off.
After returning to base, arrangements were underway to find an adoptive family for the rescued leopard cub.
At the base, the little leopard cub was crying, "Họ giết ma tôi. Họ giết cha tôi. Anh em tôi. Chị tôi", which meant, "They kill my mom. They kill my dad. My brothers. My sister".
Charley Rat, knowing some Vietnamese, assured the leopard cub, "Chúng ta sẽ tìm thấy một gia đình. Một gia đình yêu thương bạn. Bạn sẽ ổn thôi", which meant, "We will find a family. A family who loves you. You will be okay".
Though distraught over her natural family dieing in the massacre of the village, she had become fond of Charley Rat and his crew of Patrol Boat HB165. The leopard cub also seemed to feel most secure and comfortable when in the arms of Charley Rat.
"You know, Charley. I'd be willing to bet you remind her much of her deceased father", Ensign Larry Ferret said to Petty Officer 1st Class Charley Rat.
"I think you're right, Sir", Charley Rat replied.
"She seems to like you a lot too, Rex", Andrew Fox mentioned.
"Why not?", Charley Rat replied to Andrew, "After all. Rex is who carried her to the boat".
The modern military buildings in Saigon were a new experience as well to the indochinese leopard cub. Until now, the way of life in the village and surrounding jungle was all she had ever known.
Everyone was convinced that even if the leopard cub lived to be 100 years old, she will never forget that Charley Rat, Wyatt Serval, Rex Coyote and Andrew Fox saved her life. Some even believed that when she's grown up and married with cubs of her own, she'd be sure to tell her cubs all about the heroism of the American patrol boat crew who rescued her.
Late that evening in the NCO barracks, everyone congratulated Charley Rat, Wyatt Serval and Rex Coyote for rescuing the little female indochinese leopard cub. Congratulations were also expressed for Andrew Fox as well, though because Andrew was not yet an NCO, he was staying in the non-rates barracks.
In the NCO barracks, they had a radio tuned in to American Forces Vietnam Network, which was an American radio station network for the G.I.s over seas. During the present conversation, the song playing, which was turned down low on the radio, was The Wind Cries Mary, by Jimi Hendrix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AyVXGHxHec
"We've been past that little village over a hundred times before, Charley", Petty Officer 1st Class Ethan Weasel said to Petty Officer 1st Class Charley Rat. "It's hard to believe it's now gone.
"There isn't a hut standing, Ethan. It's all burnt out", Charley replied.
"Yea, it's totally wasted", Wyatt Serval affirmed.
"It has to take a heartless bunch to wipe out a village like that", Petty Officer 1st Class Dave Cougar, who was skipper of Patrol boat HB137, mentioned. "That's just senseless".
"Yea. No doubt the flies are eating up the bodies of her family tonight", Dave Cougar's engine tech, Petty Officer 3rd Class Don Bob Cat, mentioned.
"Oh gee, Don", Dave's gunner's mate, Petty Officer 3rd Class Randy Woodchuck, retorted.
"Ah, sorry guys", Don Bob Cat apologized. "I didn't mean to come off sounding so grim".
"Well, that is a correct assumption", Charley Rat replied to Don Bob Cat.
Ethan Weasel's engine tech, Petty Officer 3rd Class Amos Mongoose, mentioned, "I'm sure we'll see what's left to that village once our boat is repaired".
"You know, Charley. It's been said 'freedom is not free' ", Ethan Weasel mentioned.
"Paid for with blood", Charley Rat replied. "Who coined that phrase sure knew what they were talking about".
Petty Officer 1st Class Johnny Wolf, skipper of River Patrol Boat HB139, then mentioned, "Try not to play it up with the gory details, guys. My crew and I are going out on night patrol an hour from now, and a night patrol in itself is scary enough".
"My apologies, Johnny", Charley Rat replied.
"Charley and I didn't mean to spook you or anything like that", Ethan Weasel further said to Johnny Wolf.
"Okay then", Johnny Wolf acknowledged.
It was a fact known all too well among the crews that night patrols were far more dangerous compared to day time patrols, and could get pretty scary...There was that element of the darkness of night making it difficult to tell where VCs are hiding in the jungle. A muzzle flash in the jungle foliage is the only way a crew has of knowing where VCs are in the darkness of night. At the same time, a patrol boat is still an open target out on the water. Though the crews on night patrol make use of flood lights, those flood lights can also give a patrol boat's location away. And as it already was, anyone on a tour of duty in Vietnam were never 100% sure they'd make it home alive.
Petty Officer 1st Class Samuel Lion (Sammy), who was skipper of Patrol Boat HB120, mentioned, "My crew and I are going out on patrol tonight too. I can say, we sure aren't look forward to it".
"No one ever does", Charley Rat added.
Johnny Wolf recalled, "I'll never forget that night patrol crew that was taken out earlier this year".
"Edward Opossum's crew", Ethan Weasel recalled.
Johnny Wolf continued, "They stopped to investigate a sampan cargo boat anchored in the river as a decoy that night. And that's when VCs opened fire on them from the jungle".
"I remember hearing about that", said Charley Rat. "Ed Opossum and his crew never had a chance".
Hearing of the fate of Edward Opossum's crew was like a surreal wake up call to Rex Coyote, dreading the time Charley's crew would ever have to go out on a night patrol. Although Wyatt Serval, Rex Coyote and Andrew Fox did have confidence in knowing that if their crew was ever called upon to do a night patrol, Charley Rat was the most experienced and knowledgeable skipper in their fleet, in addition to being the senior NCO of their barracks. The crew knew they were in good paws under Charley Rat's command...Ethan Weasel was 2nd to Charley in knowledge and experience.
"I was on duty the following morning when they towed Ed's patrol boat in", said Petty Officer 1st Class Paul Lynx, a shop maintenance crew chief. "It was shot up pretty bad".
The next song playing on their radio was Incense And Peppermints by The Strawberry Alarm Clock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RghL1rViX34
"I hope they find a good family for that leopard cub we rescued", Rex mentioned, thinking about her.
"I trust they will", Charley Rat assured Rex Coyote, then mentioned, "We all know she's going through a sad experience tonight".
Ethan's gunner's mate, Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Raccoon, then mentioned to Charley Rat, Wyatt Serval and Rex Coyote, "Oh by the way, I hear you guys and Andrew Fox are going home on leave in a month from now.
"Yup...A chance to get out of the Hell hole for a while", Rex replied.
"And I second that notion", Charley Rat agreed with Rex.
"I third that notion", Wyatt Serval cheerfully added.
"You lucky dogs", Ethan weasel congratulated Charley, Wyatt and Rex.
After a station break, the next song on the radio was Here Comes My Baby, by The Tremeloes.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LrwVwKimw70
Casual conversation then continued a while longer until Johnny Wolf's crew and Samuel Lion's crew left to go out on their night patrols after grabbing some coffee on the way. Afterwards, everyone else got a shower and went to bed for the night.
In the month that followed, Jed and Rex were finally home on leave. And like when Jed came home on leave a year earlier, the family again had that joyous emotional reunion at the Albuquerque Airport when Jed and Rex stepped off the plane.
During their leave time, they saw a magazine cover in a drug store that showed Hollywood actress, Jane Fauna Fox, sitting on the seat of an anti-aircraft gun in Hanoi, and waving a peace symbol for the photographer, thus earning herself the name "Hanoi Jane"...With what Jed and Rex had been through in Vietnam, it was enough to make their blood boil.
And now that Jed had been on two tours of duty in Vietnam, and Rex had been on one tour, the coyote brothers and their family, while having lunch at the restaurant, were being taunted and called "cub killers" by the opossum and weasel hippies.
Rex remembered all so well the little female indochinese leopard cub he and his patrol boat crew rescued only a month earlier...which doesn't sound like cub killers.
At one point, the male hippie weasel thumped a glass sugar dispenser along the table, pretending it was a soldier, and chanting, "Hup two three four. Cub killer on the march".
The female hippie opossum thumped a salt shaker and pepper shaker along the table, which were smaller condiment dispensers, pretending those were two cubs.
The male weasel then thumped the sugar dispenser on the table as he sounded, "Pop pop pop pop pop".
Then the female opossum knocked over the salt and pepper shakers.
The male opossum then poured some ketchup on the salt and pepper shakers as he and his friends laughed.
The male opossum then leaned his chair back on two legs and called out to the coyote family's table in laughter, "Hey lookie hu hu. Two cubs bit the dust, man. Hu hu hu hu hu hu".
"Ooo, groovy", the female opossum snickered.
Along with the male opossum's laughter, the hippie girls giggled as the male weasel snickered.
Al and Marge made a complaint to their waitress, a mink, to bring the matter to the attention of the restaurant owner. The restaurant owner, a bear, then came over to the hippies' table and told them to either behave or kindly leave.
"Hey. Okay. Like, everything's cool, man", The male weasel replied to the bear.
"Yea. Peace, brother", The male opossum added.
The female weasel remarked as the four of them giggled, "We'll be good little girls and boys".
By now it was obvious the hippies had been smoking something, and it wasn't cigarettes. And it wasn't long before the hippies were back to taunting the coyote family again.
"Cub killers. Cub killers. Bang bang bang", the male opossum chanted as they snickered and laughed.
"Yat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat", the male weasel added.
The female opossum asked the coyotes in sarcasm with laughter, "Oh hey, cub killers, ha ha ha...Any good resort hotels in Vietnam? I hear they have palm trees".
The female weasel added, "I bet they don't play shuffleboard. They play shoot the cub instead".
"Ya hear that don'tcha", the male weasel called out to the coyote family's table.
The restaurant owner then came over and told the hippies a 2nd time to behave.
The restaurant owner informed the hippies, "I should remind you all the static you're giving those boys in uniform is very un-American".
After the restaurant owner walked away, the male hippie weasel said in a low tone, "Aww, fuck America, man".
The coyote family heard that remark from the weasel and were appalled by it.
As the other hippies giggled over the male weasel's remark about America, Al Coyote called the weasel down, "I tell you what, wise guy. If you don't like it here, you should pack your bags and try living in the Soviet Union".
"That bunch wouldn't last long in the Soviet Union anyway", a raccoon with his family added in support of Al.
The male weasel responded, "Like hey, man. Like who's been rattling you guys' cage, man?"
Al told the weasel, "If you want to step outside, I'll rattle your cage a good one".
Marge said to Al, "Al, don't make a scene. That's just exactly what he's trying to egg on".
The female hippie opossum remarked, "Oooo, Daddy's got a bug up his ass".
The restaurant owner then came over to the hippies' table again and warned them, "This is the last time I'm telling you all to knock it off. The next time, you four are out of here".
After the restaurant owner left their table, the male hippie opossum remarked, "Oh wooooooo. We're outa here?".
"Yea...Like, outa sight, man", the male hippie weasel added.
And within a few minutes, the hippies were back at taunting Jed and Rex again.
When the four hippies finished their lunch, they were short on money. The restaurant owner, had not much choice but to have them pay what they could, though he could have called the police if he wanted to...The hippies obviously didn't leave a tip either.
On their way out, the girlfriend hippie weasel smirked and taunted Jed and Rex, "Toodle-loo, cub killers...Kill a cub for me why don'tcha".
Jed and Rex asked their family to be excused for a moment, then followed the hippies out to their ragged, old, Volkswagen van which had flowers, butterflies and peace symbols painted all over it.
"We have a matter to settle!", Jed called out to the hippies as the females scrambled into the safety of the van.
Jed and Rex then beat the holy livin' Hell out of the two hippie males, giving them a beating like they've never had in their life...During the beating, Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Coyote delivered reverse spin kicks to the male hippie opossum's face and nuts. Rex then lifted the opossum and dumped him in through the passenger's door window and into the van, followed by the opossum's girlfriend climbing over the front seat to console her boyfriend.
The opossum laid on the floor ahead of the front seat, grabbing his nuts in fetal position and moaning, "Ohhhh my naaads...Ohhhh my naaads".
Sergeant Jed Coyote held the male hippie weasel in a head lock and pounded his face, knocking a couple of teeth out of his mouth along with busting his nose for him.
"There are those who died fighting for our freedom! And 'fuck America' is all you have to say about it?!", Jed scorned at the weasel before dropping him onto the pavement.
At one point, Jed had the weasel crawling on his paws and knees begging for mercy.
As Rex ran around to the driver's side of the van, he scorned at the weasel, "I have a good mind to ram a size 11 Navy shoe right up your ass!...You know that don't you?!"
Jed and Rex then pulled the male weasel to his feet and walked him to the driver's door then lifted and dumped him into the van head first through the open driver's door window.
The female weasel, who was sitting on a back seat, called Jed a brute, then tried to close a flip out side window. Jed grabbed the window and snapped it back open with the female weasel's paw still on the latch.
"Yow! You tweaked my finger!", the female weasel protested to Jed.
"You got a problem with that?", Jed replied to her.
"No no...Not really", the female weasel answered.
The opossum continued laying on the floor in fetal position and moaning, "Ohhhh my naaads...Ohhhh my naaads".
Jed then lectured the hippies, "We have friends who got really messed up, and some who died fighting commies like yourselves! You have a lot of audacity to act up at us in there the way you all did!"
Rex added, "You all wouldn't know what valor is if it bit you on the nose".
The male weasel pulled himself up to the driver's window and told Jed and Rex, "You ain't cool, man. You all ain't cool".
Rex snapped at the weasel, "SHUT UP!...SHUT THE HELL UP!"
The weasel backed into the van away from the driver's window in fear of anymore beating and shut his mouth.
The restaurant owner then came out and told the four hippies not to ever again come back, then complimented Jed and Rex for giving the hippies a well deserved attitude adjustment.
"Let's go back inside, boys", the restaurant owner said to Jed and Rex. "The air around this hippie bus has a stink to it".
Jed and Rex got a good laugh from the restaurant owner's remark.
Once the hippies regained their composure, they left. As they pulled onto the street, the male weasel who was driving while holding a shirt on his bloody nose pulled out in front of a brand new, 1972, Ford, Country Squire station wagon. Fortunately the driver of the station wagon, a raccoon, was able to slam on the brakes while blowing the horn in time to avoid colliding with the hippie van.
Once Jed and Rex rejoined their family at the table, the restaurant owner announced to the family, "As far as Jed and Rex's meals and beverages go, it's on the house today...If they want desert, I'll put that on the house too".
Jed, Rex and the rest of the family thanked the restaurant owner.
While Jed and Rex were still on leave, Rex saw a newspaper ad for a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda in lime green with the 426 hemi and 'shaker' hood scoop. The car was a two year old car at the time. The hemi versions of Mopar cars were no longer built after 1971, and a Barracuda hemi was a dream car Rex wanted.
Being that Daddy Al had bought the Super Bee for Jed three years earlier, they took a ride out to see the car, and Al bought it for his younger son, Rex. Rex was thrilled with his newly acquired Plymouth hemi Barracuda which was his first car, though Daddy Al reminded Rex to be careful, as he had told Jed about the Super Bee.
Like his older brother, Jed, Rex also tried his car out on the open highways. And like Jed's car, it would also do 150 mph and get there quick. A couple of times, Jed and Rex took their cars out to the local drag strip on amateur nights.
Knowing Jed's time in the Army was nearly over, and Rex still had a year to go, Rex decided to leave a note in the glove compartment of his Plymouth Barracuda before leave time was up, just in case he wouldn't make it back from Vietnam alive.
This is what it read:
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t| " | \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMy name is Petty Officer Rex Coyote. And if you're reading this, then I didn't make it home. But for every dream that's shattered, another dream comes true. This car was once a dream of mine. And now it belongs to you. So take good care of her as upon reading this note. You'll always be riding with Petty Officer Rex Coyote. Signed; Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Rhonson Coyote, U.S. Navy. Dated 8/25/72\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t | \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The family thought it was sweet and touching of Rex to leave that note in his car before going back to Vietnam. Of course, everyone hoped the note would never have to be read by who ever would be the car's next owner some day.
A music artist would release a song years later that got it's inspiration from such notes left by soldiers, sailors and other military personnel. Though that song was not yet around in 1972.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7mq3m0yRUs8
At the time of the incident with the hippies, older brother Jed's EAS (end of active service) was a couple of weeks away, being 3 months overdue because of how long his 2nd tour of duty ran. In late August of 1972, Sergeant Jed Rhonson Coyote received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army. Upon Jed Coyote's discharge from the Army, Corporal Philip Badger was promoted to sergeant in charge of the demolition team. Spec 4 Orville Fox was promoted to corporal.
After Jed's discharge from the U.S. Army, it would be another 7 months before Army combat forces would be pulled out of Vietnam in March of 1973. That would leave the Navy and Air Force still in the Vietnam conflict, though it was clear the U.S. was by this time throwing in the towel on South Vietnam under pressure from the American public.
No long after leaving the Army, Jed got the opportunity to get a job with the U.S Postal Service location in Vaughn, New Mexico, which was a 30 minute drive north of his home community of Duran. The U.S.P.S. pays well and has good benefits. And they always give hiring priority to military veterans.
Rex still had another year ahead in the Navy and was due for a 2nd tour of duty as he reported back to base stateside on September 6th.
As Rex is deployed to his 2nd tour of duty on September 17th, 1972, the same crew is also back from their leave time and back aboard the same patrol boat, HB165.
One of the crew's first missions since returning back to Vietnam was to drop off two members of the Royal Australian Navy at a location where they are to start their way toward investigating Vietcong activities that were rumored to be a major operation. Aboard with the crew were Chief Petty Officer Maxewell Kangaroo and Petty Officer Calvin Dingo.
Along the way, Petty Officer 1st Class Charley Rat asked Chief Petty Officer Maxwell Kangaroo, "So, what's it like in Australia?"
"Beautiful country, mate", Maxwell Kangaroo replied as they cruised along, then told the crew what Australia is like.
Petty Officer Calvin Dingo also told the crew about Australia, along with Charley Rat and his crew telling Maxwell and Calvin about what the U.S. is like.
Maxwell Kangaroo did mention that Australia was considering pulling out of Vietnam by the end of the year.
"Our government was talking about pulling out too", Charley Rat replied. "But I haven't seen that happening yet".
Casual conversation continued for a while as they cruised on up river.
Seaman 1st Class Andrew Fox later asked, "So what all are you guys checking on?"
"Sorry, mate. Can't tell you that. That's classified information", Maxwell Kangaroo answered Andrew Fox.
"We don't even know ourselves until we go investigate it", Calvin Dingo added.
"Don't be prying into their business, Andrew", Charley Rat said.
"Oh...Okay", Andrew Fox replied.
"Thank you, Charley", Maxewell Kangaroo thanked Charley Rat for getting onto Andrew Fox.
A while later, Maxwell Kangaroo said to Charley Rat, "This is where we get off, Charley".
"You got it, Max", Charley Rat replied as he piloted the boat close to shore.
As the boat moved closer to shore, Calvin Dingo constantly checked the water depth with a bamboo stem they brought along.
"It's about waist deep here", Calvin mentioned.
"That's as shallow as I want this boat to go", Charley Rat replied.
With that said, Maxwell Kangaroo and Calvin Dingo jumped down into the waist deep water.
Charley Rat and Wyatt Serval then pawed their backpacks and L1A1 rifles down to them.
"We pick you guys back up here at 14 hundred hours, three days from now", Charley Rat affirmed.
"Affirmative, Charley. If all goes well, we'll be here", Maxwell Kangaroo further affirmed.
As the two Royal Australian sailors made their way to shore, them and Charley Rat's crew wished each other godspeed and the best of luck. Maxwell Kangaroo and Calvin Dingo were then on their way to their objective. And Charley Rat's crew continued their patrol.
And sure enough, three days later at 14 hundred hours (2 o'clock in the afternoon) Charley Rat's crew picked up Maxwell Kangaroo and Calvin Dingo at the appointment place and time.
"What did you find", Andrew Fox asked with much enthusiasm.
"Remember what I told you three days ago", Charley Rat reminded Andrew Fox.
"Oh, oh yea", Andrew Fox replied.
"You're prying into classified information asking questions like that", Charley Rat lectured Andrew Fox. "Always remember, loose lips sink ships".
"I'll have to remember that", said Andrew Fox.
"Please do", Charley Rat replied to Andrew Fox.
"We'll be glad to tell you all if our superiors give us permission to do so", said Maxwell Kangaroo. "But I can tell you this...it's big".
Once back at base, Maxwell Kangaroo and Calvin Dingo gave a report to their superiors about a major Vietcong offensive being planned against the base in Saigon (Maxwell and Calvin knew Vietnamese and could tell what the Vietcong had been discussing). Soon thereafter, Maxwell Kangaroo and Calvin Dingo were given permission to tell others what they found out. Their findings weren't going to stay classified anyway as ground forces were about to be deployed on a counter offensive.
In early September, a month after the crew began their present tour of duty, Gunner's mate Wyatt Serval accepts an opportunity that he finally has come his way to try out for Navy S.E.A.L.s, which was an ambition Wyatt Serval had for quite some time. That puts Rex as gunner's mate, and Andrew Fox as engine maintenance. Andrew Fox is later promoted to petty officer 3rd class. Seaman 1st Class Joseph Bratchard Hound (Joey) becomes the new crew member.
As for Wyatt Serval, he made the grade, completed training, graduated, and earned the right to wear the title, United States Navy S.E.A.L. Wyatt Serval was now assigned to a Navy S.E.A.L. unit.
Come Christmas of 1972, it was the 2nd Christmas for Rex being away from home for the holidays. Still all and all, Rex did appreciate the letters sent and received between his family and him, as well as gifts sent from home. However, this would be the last Christmas Rex Coyote would spend in Vietnam, as his EAS (end of active service) was due in August of 1973.
In mid January of 1973, the crew intercepted and detained a sampan house boat piloted by a lesser red panda. The panda was aware that being stopped by a U.S. Navy patrol boat meant the crew intends to conduct a search for anything suspicious.
"Looks innocent enough", Joseph Hound mentioned. "He's by himself ".
"Never just assume anything", Charley Rat told Joseph Hound as they approached the sampan.
"Does he live in that floating heap?", Andrew Fox asked as he, Rex and Joseph chuckled.
"Okay, boys. We don't know that just yet. Let's not assume", Charley told the crew.
After mooring the sampan aside the patrol boat, and upon boarding the red panda's sampan, it appeared to be his home on the water. The panda complied with his sampan being searched. Charley Rat then noticed that the red panda kept eyeballing a large wooden trunk at the foot of his bed.
"We need to see what's in that trunk", Charley Rat said as Rex and Andrew held the red panda at bay.
When Charley opened the trunk, behold, it was full of shoulder fire ground to ground missiles and missile launchers.
"Holy moley", Joseph Hound remarked.
"Enough hardware there to start World War Three", Andrew Fox added.
The red panda realizing he was caught, said in perfectly fluent English, "Okay, I surrender. There are four of you, and only one of me. You won't have any trouble from me, I can assure you".
"Where did you learn to speak English so well?", Charley Rat asked the red panda as they were about to take him aboard the patrol boat.
The red panda explained on the way to the patrol boat, "Before your country became involved in this war, I traveled to the U.S. and attended Harvard University. There, I got a master's degree in structural engineering. Upon graduating, I returned to Vietnam to use my knowledge to further the socialist cause my comrades and I fight for".
"Well I'll be damn", Charley Rat replied as he and the others boarded back onto the patrol boat with the red panda.
Charley then had Rex radio in a report of the capture of the lesser red panda.
"Hotel Bravo one six cinco to base, over", Rex radioed.
"Go ahead Hotel Bravo one six cinco, over", came back over the radio.
"We captured a VC with a trunk full of missiles aboard a sampan...A real college boy too, over", Rex radioed.
"A college boy?, over", came back over the radio.
"He says he attended Harvard, over", Rex radioed.
"That's not important now", Charley Rat said to Rex Coyote.
"Oh, okay", Rex replied.
"I'll inform the ensign you have a prisoner, over", came back over the radio.
Charley Rat then told the crew, "See what I said about never assume anything? The word assume breaks down into three words...ass, u and me. When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me...And out here, assuming can get you killed".
"That's the first time I've ever heard that", the red panda mentioned.
"I'm surprised they haven't taught you that in college", Charley Rat jokingly replied.
A few minutes later, over the radio came, "Hotel Bravo one six cinco. This is Ensign Larry Ferret. Return to base with the prisoner. A tow boat will be sent for the sampan. I need the coordinate location, over".
Rex then radioed in the coordinate location of the sampan, Rex also mentioned that the sampan was not anchored and adrift down river.
"Roger. I copy, over", Ensign Larry Ferret radioed back.
"Roger, Sir. Over", Rex Coyote signed off as Charley Rat headed the patrol boat back to base.
In late February of 1973, halfway through Rex's 2nd tour of duty, The patrol boat's skipper, Petty Officer 1st Class Charley Rat, is shot below the right knee during an encounter with three VCs who were aboard a sampan boat. By the time the encounter was over, resulting in two palm civet VCs captured and taken aboard, and the death of a langur VC (a primate), Petty Officer 1st Class Charley Rat was in bad need of a tourniquet to stop from bleeding to death. While Seaman 1st Class Joseph Hound kept the captured palm civets at gunpoint, and as Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Coyote bound them with zip-ties, Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Fox released the takedown pins to Charley's M-16 and used the upper receiver and rifle sling as a tourniquet, thus saving Charley Rat's life.
Despite Charley Rat being in pain due to his leg injury, Charley mentioned, "Ahh...It's back to base, boys", then ordered, "Oooh...I'm down...Rex, take command of the boat. Andrew, fill in as gunner's mate".
"Andrew, issue a status report", was the first order Rex Coyote issued preforming in the capacity of acting skipper.
"Okay, this is new to me", Andrew Fox replied as he picked up the radio mic".
"Just do what you've always seen me do as gunner's mate", Rex Coyote assured Andrew Fox.
While enduring the pain of the leg injury, Charley Rat reminded Andrew Fox, "Yeow...Oh...Haven't Wyatt Serval and I trained you for that job?".
"I have too", Rex reminded Andrew as Charley nodded in agreement.
While still holding the radio mic, Andrew Fox felt a bit nervous being his first time operating the boat's radio for real to make an actual call.
"Hotel Bravo one six cinco to base...over", Andrew Fox then radioed.
"Go ahead Hotel Bravo one six cinco, over", came back over the radio.
"Petty Officer Charley Rat is hurt bad", Andrew Fox radioed, then explained about the Vietcong encounter, and the leg injury Charley Rat has.
"The P.O.W.s", Rex reminded Andrew.
"Oh yea. We captured two VCs...Palm civets", Andrew continued on the radio. "We have them aboard now, over".
"How bad is Charley hurt? And is he still bleeding?, over", came back over the radio.
"The bleeding is stopped and Charley is still conscious", Andrew radioed. "I used the upper receiver and sling from Charley's rifle as a tourniquet...".
"Tell them 'over' ", Rex reminded Andrew.
"Over", Andrew radioed.
They then heard background sound of the base radio operator pawing the mic over to someone else.
"Hotel Bravo one six cinco. This is Ensign Larry Ferret. What is your location?, over", came back over the radio.
Andrew radioed in the coordinate location as Rex showed him the map atlas of the river which was marked with coordinates.
"Bring Charley back to base, Hotel Bravo one six cinco", came back over the radio. "No further away than you are, it wouldn't save much time to send a Huey out for him. Plus you got prisoners aboard, over".
"Roger, Sir. We copy, over", Andrew Fox radioed as Rex Coyote began to pilot the patrol boat back to base.
"Oh...One more thing, Hotel Bravo one six cinco", Ensign Larry Ferret radioed. "What is the present status of the sampan?"
"We were not able to take the time to search it, Sir, because of Charley being hurt", Andrew Fox radioed back. "It is adrift down river. And the body of a fallen Vietcong langur is still aboard".
"We're sending a tow boat out for it", Ensign Larry Ferret replied back. "I want us to have a look at what's inside that sampan. That is all, over".
"Roger, Sir. Over", Andrew Fox signed off.
"Nothing to it", Rex said to Andrew. "You did okay for you first time".
Rex Coyote's compliment was a definite boost to Andrew Fox's confidence.
As Rex Coyote piloted the patrol boat back to base, the two Vietcong palm civets posed no trouble, especially being bound with zip ties and Joseph Hound keeping them at gunpoint along the way.
Upon returning to base, custody of the two palm civets was promptly pawed over to Marine Corps MPs, as Navy medics took Charley Rat to the base hospital.
At the base hospital, doctors were not able to save Charley Haynes Rat's leg from the knee down, thus he receives an honorable discharge, a purple heart, and a generous Navy pension.
The VA (Veterans Administration) would later fit Charley Rat with an artificial lower leg free of charge when he gets back to the states.
That now puts Rex Coyote as the skipper in charge of the patrol boat, with Andrew Fox as his gunner's mate. It sunk in for Rex Coyote as being the boat's new skipper the following day when Petty Officer 1st Class Charley Rat requested his crew to come see him in the Navy hospital.
While sitting in a wheelchair with bandages on his knee where the lower part of his leg use to be, Charley Rat said, "Well, Rex. She's yours now. You're the new skipper. Andrew, you're now his gunner's mate. And Joey. You're now engine maintenance. I know Rex and Andrew still need to give you further training, but it's not a hard job to catch onto".
Charley then further said to Rex, Andrew and Joey, "Take good care of her, boys. And try to remember everything I've taught you all...As for me, it's been fun. I'll be heading back home".
After talking a while, Rex, Andrew and Joey then wished the best for Charley as Charley did the same for them before leaving the hospital.
The following day, the new deck paw member was introduced to what was now Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Coyote's crew...Seaman 3rd Class Lester Dale Cat (fresh out of Navy boot camp).
On the first day out on patrol with Rex Coyote as the new skipper of River Patrol Boat HB165, Rex, Andrew and Joey noticed that Seaman Lester Cat was at times a bit of a klutz, and orders often had to be repeated a few times before he understood them. Lester would also allow himself to become distracted instead of staying focused on the job. Several times, Rex Coyote or Andrew Fox had to tell Lester Cat to stop goofing off and keep a lookout for potential hostile action.
Skipper in charge, Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Coyote, got onto Lester, "Hey look. You're aboard a Navy patrol boat. This is not a cruise ship".
At one point, Gunner's Mate Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Fox remarked to Lester Cat, "I bet your drill instructors must have had to give you holy Hell in boot camp, didn't they".
Engine tech Seaman 1st Class Joseph Hound added, "I bet he believed all that crap about Jody they mentioned in boot camp".
"Oh yea", Rex chuckled. "Ain't no sense in looking back. Jody's got your Cadillac".
Andrew Fox added, "Ain't no sense in going home. Jody's got your girl and gone".
"Well, I'm grateful it never happened to me anyway. And I don't even own a Cadillac", Lester Cat replied.
"Oh brother", Joseph Hound retorted.
"What a dork", Andrew Fox further remarked. "I guess he did believe it".
It was then, Lester Cat realized his reply about being grateful it never happened to him, and not owning a Cadillac, was a classic case of open mouth and insert foot.
That evening in the NCO barracks, everyone congratulated Rex Coyote on his first patrol as skipper, as well as congratulating Andrew Fox on his first patrol as gunner's mate.
A portable radio in the barracks tuned in to American Forces Vietnam Network Radio was playing Wooly Bully.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CHiUN8XTWs
Petty Officer 1st Class Ethan Weasel asked Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Coyote, "Rex, how's that new deck paw working out for you".
"I don't know. I'm not too impressed with him really", Rex replied.
"He seems to have his head up his ass most of the time", Andrew Fox added.
Petty Officer 1st Class Samuel Lion suggested, "Well, the boy is just out of boot camp. If given the chance, he might straighten up".
"I hope so", Rex replied. "The way he's been so far isn't gonna cut it".
Andrew Fox mentioned, "Rex and I being skipper and gunner's mate for the first time is rough enough. Having a discipline problem like Lester Cat aboard makes it even rougher".
"Like Sammy says, give him a chance", Petty Officer 1st Class Dave Cougar advised Andrew Fox.
Petty Officer 1st Class Ethan Weasel then mentioned to Rex, "I know this new position you have as skipper of your crew is a lot for a 3rd class petty officer like yourself", then offered, "Any advice and instruction you need, I'll be glad to mentor you along".
"I greatly appreciate it. Thanks", Rex thanked Ethan.
"Rex can count on me too", Petty Officer 1st Class Samuel Lion added. "He's a petty officer 3rd class dropped into a petty officer 1st class position. That boy's gonna need all the help he can get".
"Andrew Fox could use a helping paw too", Dave Cougar added. "As well as their seaman, Joey Hound, for that matter".
"Amos Mongoose can teach Joey quite a lot about the diesel engines in these boats", Ethan Weasel suggested. "Amos is my engine tech, and he's one heck of a cracker jack when it comes to engine mechanics".
Other 1st class petty officers who were skippers of patrol boats also agreed to mentor Rex Coyote in his position as a patrol boat skipper, along with mentoring Andrew Fox in being a gunner's mate.
Within a few days afterwards, Rex and his crew endured what would be the most harrowing experience in Rex Coyote's 4 years in the U.S. Navy. While on patrol on the Dong Nai River, and with Rex having only a few days experience as skipper of a patrol boat, the boat and crew came under attack by ambush from VCs on the river bank to the starboard (right) side. Rex Coyote quickly grabbed his M-16 and fired back. Andrew Fox scrambled to the boat's bow mounted 50 cal guns and opened fire. Joseph Hound opened fire with the boat's stern mounted 50 cal guns. Some Vietcong (palm civets, red pandas and a binturung) began climbing the trees. There were VCs ahead and behind, thus the boat was pinned down. Rex then noticed Lester Cat proved to be a coward. Lester had crouched down and too scared to fight.
In the midst of the fighting, Petty Officer Rex Coyote hollered at Lester, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! YOU CRAZY OR SOMETHING?! HELP US FIGHT BACK!".
Lester still stayed crouched down and refused to fight.
Rex, remembering what had happened to Edward Opossum and his crew, again hollered at Lester, "HELP US FIGHT BACK! THAT'S AN ORDER!".
Petty Officer Andrew Fox managed to drop a few Vietcong out of the trees with the bow mounted 50 cal guns, but was beginning to run low on ammo.
Joseph Hound did run out of ammo at the stern mounted 50 cal guns after taking down a few VCs along the river bank, and then had to grab his M-16.
"Watch out for that langur to your left!", Rex Coyote called to Andrew Fox. "I got the binturung in the tree!"
Damn, that was close!", Andrew Fox exclaimed after a VC round ricocheted off of one of his 50 cal guns and missed him by three inches.
"It's that lesser panda that keeps ducking behind that tree!", Joseph Hound said to Andrew Fox as he attempted to take down the lesser panda.
After firing a few three round bursts at the lesser panda who almost shot Andrew Fox, Joseph Hound noticed Lester Cat still cowering down.
"WHAT'S YOUR FUCKIN' PROBLEM, LESTER?!", Seaman 1st Class Joseph Hound hollered as he momentarily pointed his M-16 straight at Lester.
Joey was tempted to pull trigger on Lester, but did not go through with it.
While firing at VCs with the 50 cal guns, Petty Officer Andrew Fox also hollered at Lester, "LESTER, HELP US FIGHT BACK, DAMN IT! THAT'S A DIRECT ORDER!".
Seaman 3rd Class Lester Cat still refused to obey orders from petty officers Rex Coyote and Andrew Fox to help defend the boat and crew. A coward refusing orders during an ambush is a worse nightmare for any skipper or gunner's mate to have to deal with...And such a nightmare was the last thing Rex Coyote and Andrew Fox needed, having only a few days experience in their positions of authority.
"I'm out of rounds!" Joseph Hound called out.
Rex then began to make his way toward Lester Cat while ducking low as not to get struck by enemy fire.
"I got you covered, Rex!", Andrew Fox, at the 50 cal, bow mounted guns, assured Rex, then continued, "I hope my ammo holds out. Those gooks ain't too brazing as long as I got these babies going on them!.
At that moment when Andrew Fox was the only one shooting back, Rex then yanked the 30 round clips out of Lester's magazine pouch and tossed them along the deck to Joseph.
"Here. Take Lester's rounds!", Rex said to Joseph. "He ain't doing shit with them!".
Joey then locked and loaded with Lester's rounds and was back in action as Rex dashed back to grab his M-16.
"YOW!", Joseph Hound exclaimed shortly after he reloaded.
"What happened?!", Rex asked.
"I got hit on the arm...But it's just a blaze!", Joseph replied as he continued to fight.
Rex then scrambled to the two way radio and frantically called in, "Hotel Bravo one six cinco to base, over!".
"Go ahead, Hotel Bravo one six cinco, over", came back on the radio as the fighting continued.
"We need a napalm strike, and we need it bad!", Rex radioed back as enemy rounds struck the boat from different directions, then Rex called in the coordinate location followed by, "over!"
With Rex ordering a napalm strike, and Lester going coward, Andrew at the 50 cals and Joey with his M-16 were at that moment the only two shooting back.
"Did I hear you correctly, you request a napalm strike?", came back on the radio followed with the repeated coordinate, then, "over".
Rex frantically replied, "Affirmative! No shit, Sherlock! We got gooks all over us like flies on shit! We're running out of ammo! We have an injury aboard! We need that napalm strike ASAP, over!".
"Napalm strike on the way, over", came back.
Rex radioed back, "Yea, how 'bout that, huh".
Rex then quickly grabbed up his M-16, thus it was back to three crew members fighting back.
Within minutes, two jet fighters arrived. The Vietcong knew what was coming and tried to flee. The ones in the trees dropped their rifles and jumped out of the trees, not taking the time to climb down. Then the two jets sped by at treetop level dropping their napalm, turning the spot where the Vietcong are into a blazing inferno. Lester Cat, while still crouched down, had put his paws over his ears and kicked his heels up and down on the deck as the loud jets flew past.
"Holy mother of Hell", Joseph Hound exclaimed as he saw a red panda VC and a langur VC still running around screaming, covered in the hot, sticky, 2,000 degree, flaming napalm.
We're outa here!", Rex proclaimed as he gave the boat's twin Detroit Diesel 6V53N engines full throttle, quickly accelerating to nearly 40 knots.
As soon as the boat and crew made it to safety, and Rex slowed the boat down, he had Andrew Fox take the helm as he checked on Joseph Hound's blazed arm. Andrew Fox lit up a cigarette as he piloted the patrol boat.
"It's not too bad. Tain't much really", Joseph Hound assured Rex Coyote about his blazed arm.
"It still should be looked at by a doctor though", Rex replied as he cut off some of Joseph's already damaged blouse sleeve and used it as a bandage.
Then Petty Officer Rex Coyote went over to Lester Cat and hollered, "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE SO DAMN SPECIAL WHEN THE REST OF US WERE RISKING OUR LIVES BACK THERE DEFENDING EACH OTHER INCLUDING YOU?!".
Lester timidly replied, "But but but...I was scared".
"NO SCREAMING SHIT! WE'RE ALL SCARED! BUT WE STILL DO OUR JOBS!", Rex replied to Lester, then continued, "You're really strung out. You know that?".
"You're looking at a court marshal, Buddy", Petty Officer Andrew Fox assured Lester Cat while still at the helm with the cigarette in his lips.
The ambush had been enough of a nightmare to the crew, and even more so for Rex and Andrew being new at their positions of skipper and gunner's mate. And having a coward aboard refusing orders didn't make it any easier.
As Rex went back to regain the helm, Joseph Hound mentioned, "That cat's a disgrace to the U.S. Navy".
"Aw fuck him", Rex replied.
Upon Rex resuming control of the helm, he had Andrew Fox radio in a status report.
"Hotel Bravo one six cinco to base, over", Andrew Fox radioed.
"Go ahead Hotel Bravo one six cinco, over", came back on the radio.
Andrew Fox radioed, "We have a slight injury aboard. We're almost out of ammo...Oh, and we have a coward who needs to be removed from our crew, over".
Among a brief moment of static interference, "Wh..>crackle<..owar..>zz<..er", came back over the radio.
"Say again, over", Andrew Fox radioed, knowing to avoid the use of the word 'repeat'.
"Who's the coward?, over", came back, now that the static went away.
"I read you now...It's Seaman 3rd Class Lester Cat, over", Andrew Fox radioed.
"I'll get authorization for you to come in, over", came back over the radio.
"Is that it?", Andrew Fox asked Rex Coyote.
"That's it", Rex affirmed.
Back when Charley Rat was skipper, he had taught the crew to avoid saying 'repeat' over the radio. In military radio lingo, repeat means you request a napalm strike to be repeated. Hence why Andrew Fox replied follwing the radio static, 'say again', instead of, 'repeat that'.
About a minute later, they heard on the radio, "Hotel Bravo one six cinco. This is Ensign Larry Ferret. Return to base, over".
"Roger, Sir. We copy, over", Andrew Fox radioed back as Rex turned the boat around to head for base.
Among the many things Charley Rat had taught Rex Coyote, Andrew Fox and Joseph Hound when he was skipper, was always keep track of your coordinate location. Remembering that saved the lives of the crew in ordering the napalm strike.
While passing back by the burning and smoldering area that was hit by the napalm strike, Joseph Hound remarked, "Yup. They're all toast now".
"Don't bank your life on it, Joey", Andrew Fox replied to Joseph Hound as he flicked his cigarette butt overboard. "Still look out for them".
"There could be survivors. Never assume there are no VCs left around", Rex Coyote reminded Joseph Hound, which was another thing Charley Rat had taught the crew.
Of course, there was no hostile fire while passing by the napalm struck area, which assured the crew there were no surviving VCs left, though they did keep look out just the same.
As for Seaman 3rd Class Lester Cat, he still remained crouched down and silent all the way back to base.
Once they arrived back to base in Saigon, and moored the boat to dock, Rex noticed Lieutenant Harold Bear. Rex immediately grabbed Lester Cat by the arm and yanked him off the boat onto the dock, then marched him straight to Harold Bear.
"Lieutenant Harold Bear, Sir!", Rex said while giving salute, and while still grabbing Lester by the arm. "With all due respect, Sir, get this imbecile off our crew before he gets us all killed!".
"Or before we kill him first, Sir", Andrew Fox added while also giving salute.
"Ensign Larry Ferret told me he heard you have a coward on your crew", Lieutenant Harold Bear informed Petty Officer Rex Coyote as he returned salute.
"This is him, Sir", Rex replied as he let go of Lester's arm.
With that said, Lieutenant Harold Bear had Rex, Andrew and Lester come into his office.
As for Seaman 1st Class Joseph Hound, Lieutenant Bear advised him, "I'd like to have you present too. But you need to go to sick bay and have a doctor tend to that arm".
In Lieutenant Harold Bear's office, with Ensign Larry Ferret also present, petty officers Rex Coyote and Andrew Fox gave a report of how Seaman 3rd Class Lester Cat refused to help defend the boat and crew during the ambush, despite being ordered to do so.
"What do you have to say for yourself?", Lieutenant Harold Bear asked Seaman 3rd Class Lester Cat.
Lester Cat replied, "But I was scared...I was really scared".
Harold Bear then told Lester Cat in a stern tone, "We all get scared out there! But we still do the jobs expected of us! And none of us are a special exception, including you!".
"Out on the boat, I told him the same thing, Sir", Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Coyote mentioned to Lieutenant Harold Bear.
Lieutenant Harold Bear then removed Seaman 3rd Class Lester Cat from the crew and charged him with cowardice, two counts of disobedience of a lawful order, and an article 99 (misconduct in the presents of the enemy).
"Cowardice is a pretty damn serious charge", Ensign Larry Ferret told Lester Cat.
"Oh absolutely", Lieutenant Harold Bear agreed.
"You're lucky this isn't 60 years ago", Lieutenant Harold Bear then told Seaman 3rd Class Lester Cat. "Being found guilty of cowardice back then would have gotten you before a firing squad".
Lieutenant Harold Bear continued to tell Lester Cat he was most likely looking at time in Leavenworth and a dishonorable discharge before having Ensign Larry Ferret call the two MPs in from in the hallway.
"He's yours, boys. Take him out of here", Ensign Larry Ferret told the two MPs from the doorway of Lieutenant Harold Bear's office.
"Yes, Sir", the sergeant replied.
Into the office walked a Marine Corps sergeant wolf MP, accompanied by a Marine corporal German Shepard MP. They then put Lester Cat in paw cuffs and ankle shackles, then took him away to the brig.
After the MPs left with Lester Cat, Lieutenant Harold Bear complimented Rex Coyote on his bravery and how well he handled the situation, especially with only a few days experience in charge of the boat and crew. Harold Bear also complimented Andrew Fox for his bravery and handling the ambush.
"I must say, Petty Officer Charley Rat taught you guys well when he was skipper", Harold Bear mentioned to Rex and Andrew.
"I believe Charley was our best patrol boat skipper, Sir", Ensign Larry Ferret mentioned to Lieutenant Harold Bear.
"He definitely was", Harold Bear agreed. "I hated having to loose him".
After Joseph Hound returned from having doctors tend to the blaze on his arm, Lieutenant Harold Bear complimented him also for his performance and bravery during the ambush.
Lester was replaced with Seaman 2nd Class Fletcher Radcliff Raccoon.
On Fletcher Raccoon's first day out with the crew, he mentioned, "This is my first time aboard one of these boats. This is all new to me".
"I'm also new at being a skipper", Rex said to Fletcher, then assured him, "But hey. You'll catch on".
Andrew Fox further assured Fletcher Raccoon, "Just use common sense, follow orders, and stay alert and you'll do okay...By the way, I'm new at being a gunner's mate myself".
Joseph Hound added, "And remember the things we teach you out here".
"Yes. That's important too", Rex Coyote further said to Fletcher Raccoon.
During the time that followed, Fletcher Raccoon worked out okay and proved to be an outstanding crew member. Several weeks later, Fletcher Raccoon is promoted to seaman 1st class, and Joseph Hound is promoted to petty officer 3rd class.
A week later, petty officers Rex Coyote, Andrew Fox, and Joseph Hound were summoned as witnesses to Lester Cat's general court marshal...Needless to say, that meant a day off for Fletcher Raccoon being he was not a member of the crew during the time they were ambushed.
Lester Cat's appointed defense attorney, Lieutenant Junior Grade Barney Pine Martin, knew he had a case in which the only option was to try to get a reduced sentence for Lester Cat. After all, the testimony of three petty officers goes without dispute, in addition to the excuses Lieutenant Harold Bear and Ensign Larry Ferret had heard from Lester Cat.
After Lester Cat's defense attorney questioned all witnesses, the prosecutor, Lieutenant Russell Coyote, asked the witnesses to give testimony. As each witness took the witness stand, the three members of the crew gave testimony of what happened aboard Patrol Boat HB165 during the ambush, as well as the two commissioned officers testifying about the inquiry they conducted afterwards. After the attorneys gave closing arguments, Seaman 3rd Class Lester Cat was found guilty on all counts that Lieutenant Harold Bear had charged him with. Lester was then sentenced to a mandatory seven years in Leavenworth, levied a $25,000 fine, and was issued a dishonorable discharge from the U.S Navy.
After sentencing, the military judge, Lieutenant Commander Wilma Wolverine, briefly reprimanded Lester Cat, "Recently out of boot camp, aren't you...And your only accomplishment in your very short military career was to turn coward while your fellow crew members were risking life and limb keeping you alive. I hope you don't have the audacity to feel proud of that, because no one else here does. That's all I got to say".
After the court marshal was over and the court dismissed, Fletcher Raccoon asked, "Oh hey. How did the court marshal turn out for that young boot?"
"They nailed his ass good", Rex replied to Fletcher.
"Seven years and a dead duck", Andrew Fox affirmed.
"Good riddance to him too", Joseph Hound added.
Being in command of a river patrol boat was an overwhelming responsibility for Rex's rank of petty officer 3rd class, plus seeing to it that the other three members of his crew are cross trained to perform the other job positions if need be. That's usually a job for a petty officer 1st class, such as former Petty Officer Charley Rat. However, there was no one else available to fill Charley's former position as skipper aboard Patrol Boat HB165, so Rex was it. However, 1st class petty officers in charge of other patrol boat crews, such as Ethan Weasel, Dave Cougar, Johnny Wolf, Sammy Lion and a few others, would take the time to mentor Rex with advice and further training on being in command of a river patrol boat. Their advice and training was of immense help to Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Coyote, which Rex greatly appreciated. Rex Coyote also passed that knowledge down to his crew in case Andrew Fox or Joseph Hound had to take command of the boat...Or in case Fletcher Raccoon became the sole survivor of a Vietcong attack...In such a scenario, Fletcher Raccoon would have to know how to radio in and pilot the boat back to base on his own.
Something the 1st class petty officers made sure to remind Rex about is that solemn creed "no fallen comrade left behind". Like many others, Rex had been taught that when he was in Navy boot camp. Rex remembered that when Charley Rat was skipper of Patrol Boat HB165, he had also mentioned that to the crew, including the time Petty Officer Vince Otter was killed in action.
One evening back at the Tan Son Nhut Military Base in Saigon, some of the guys in the NCO barracks were waging bets on a poker game they had going. They had a radio tuned in to American Forces Vietnam Network, which was an American radio station network for the G.I.s over seas.
On their radio was playing Hey, Hey, What Can I Do, by Led Zeppelin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM9_TL2niSQ
Players in that poker game were;
Petty Officer 1st Class Ethan Levit Weasel, who was senior NCO of the barracks,
Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Nyler German Shepard,
Petty Officer 2nd Class Sebastian William Lynx,
Petty Officer 3rd Class Rex Rhonson Coyote,
Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Filmore Fox, who was on a good winning streak,
Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Bratchard Hound,
Petty Officer 3rd Class Owen Tyrone Serval,
and Petty Officer 3rd Class Theodore Franklin Cheetah.
There was also an ash tray on the bed being that Andrew Fox, Sebastian Lynx and Franklin Cheetah were cigarette smokers.
When everyone least expected it, Lieutenant Harold Milton Bear came into the NCO barracks.
"Ten hut!", Ethan Weasel, being the senior NCO, called the barracks to attention.
"At ease", Lieutenant Harold Bear replied. "Thought I'd drop in to see how everything's going".
"Uh oh", Andrew Fox said as Lieutenant Harold Bear noticed playing cards and money laid out on the bed where the poker game was going on.
"Guess we're busted", Rex added.
"Petty Officer Ethan Weasel, do you have an explanation for this?", Harold Bear asked Ethan, being Ethan Weasel was the senior NCO of that barracks.
"No I do not, Sir", Ethan answered. "And I apologize that I allowed it, Sir".
"Not a very good example for these NCOs who are junior to you to follow, is it?", Harold Bear asked.
"No, Sir. It's not", Ethan Weasel admitted.
"Okay. I'm not going to press this", Harold Bear assured the guys much to their relief. "Put the cards away so I don't have to confiscate them. Any money you all now have, put it in your wallets. And I don't want to see anymore gambling in here...Am I clear on that?"
"Yes, Sir. It won't happen again, Sir", Ethan Weasel assured Harold Bear as the playing cards were being put up and those involved in the poker game were putting their money away.
Noticing the Led Zeppelin song on the radio, Lieutenant Harold Bear chuckled, "Huh...Doper music".
Everyone got a chuckle from Harold Bear's remark, knowing that he always jokes like that about the music they listen to.
As Lieutenant Harold Bear bid everyone a good evening and left the barracks, Petty Officer Ethan Weasel called the barracks to attention, "Ten hut!"
"Carry on", Harold Bear replied.
The following morning, the chow hall was serving creamed chipped beef on toast they occasionally serve instead of the usual scrambled eggs for breakfast. Consequently, nearly everyone called that by the acronym, "S.O.S".
"Oh crumb bummer", Seaman 1st Class Rick Opossum retorted. "Good ole shit on shingle this morning".
"And to think I was looking forward to scrambled eggs", Seaman 1st Class Fletcher Raccoon added.
"Just hold your nose and chomp down", Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Hound jested as everyone at their table laughed.
"Would you rather have what those gooks we're fighting have to eat?", Petty Officer 1st Class Ethan Weasel asked.
"I hear they eat fish heads on rice", Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Fox added.
"Compared to that, creamed chipped beef on toast sounds good to me", Joseph Hound admitted.
"Yup. Good ole shit on shingle", Rick Opossum added.
In the time that followed, Lieutenant Harold Bear, realizing Rex Coyote was a 3rd class petty officer performing a 1st class petty officer's job, had put in a request mass to get Rex Coyote promoted to petty officer 2nd class. A month and a half before the end of Rex's 2nd tour of duty, he was finally promoted to petty officer 2nd class, and awarded a metal for service above and beyond the call of duty.
In the late summer of 1973, Petty Officer 2nd Class Rex Rhonson Coyote's EAS (end of active service) finally came up. Rex received an honorable discharge, thus putting Vietnam behind him for good.
Once Rex was back home, Mama Marge asked if she could keep the note Rex left in the glove compartment of his car a year earlier in a scrapbook as a momentum, which Rex agreed to.
This was also around the time Daddy Al bought a car for Donna, who was now age 19. Donna wasn't interested in high performance like her older brothers are, thus she chose a car that she found to be humble, cute and very economical to drive. It was a brand new, 1973, Plymouth Cricket (British 4 cylinder car imported by Plymouth) in yellow with sport stripe decals. With high gasoline prices on the way, the family felt that Donna's choice of car was a good one.
It would be another five years yet before Beverly would be old enough to have a car.
Rex Coyote coming back home was also not long before the Arab oil embargo ushered in the nationwide 55 mph speed limit. Those rural New Mexico highways didn't seem the same with the 55 mph speed limit signs...especially to young coyotes like Jed and Rex who have fast cars.
| \r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t![2023 is on the Way...This was 50 Years Earlier [Page 3] by moyomongoose](https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4305/4305547_moyomongoose_speed_limit_55.jpg "2023 is on the Way...This was 50 Years Earlier [Page 3] by moyomongoose") +3 \r\n\t\t\t |
In the months that followed as the U.S. gradually pulled forces out of Vietnam, Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Filmore Fox was now the skipper of River Patrol Boat HB165, with Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Bratchard Hound as his gunner's mate, Seaman 1st Class Fletcher Radcliff Raccoon as engine maintenance, and the new crew member being Seaman 2nd Class Gerard Jefferson Genet. The knowledge that Rex Coyote had passed down from the 1st class petty officers who mentored him proved to be of immense help to what was now Petty Officer Andrew Fox's crew. Several months later, Fletcher Raccoon is promoted to petty officer 3rd class. They were the last crew of River Patrol Boat HB165 before all river patrol boats in Vietnam were eventually pulled out of service.
It was a year and a half later, in April of 1975, that South Vietnam was left on its own to be taken over by communist North Vietnam...The capital city of Saigon fell on April 30th.
Those who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War, including Jed and Rex, were appalled by it, along with families who had lost loved ones.
Scientists and design engineers, like Albert Rhonson Coyote, took the pull-out and fall of South Vietnam personal as well. Though Al Coyote was never in the military, he and fellow scientists often spent many hours designing and building prototypes of many things that were tested out at Area 51, which proved to be of great help to those who were fighting in Vietnam...Thus the rocket scientists and design engineers contributed to the war effort as well.
Below is linked the U.S. Navy Hymn, Eternal Father Strong to Save.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i7xbU0Ff2ao
These were some of the popular songs of that time era...This list is truly a wealth of the golden age pop music of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
If you are too young to have ever herd these songs before, you don't know what you're missing;
George Harrison - What Is Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiH9edd25Bc
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Tears Of A Clown (1967)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcd9N62nOLg
Alive And Kicking - Tighter, Tighter (1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjG9wK-Cn-o
Wooly Bully - Long Version - Vietnam Background
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CHiUN8XTWs
Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me - 1971
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efiDnHS3fzk
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - 1971
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDK7TiEiMOI
Incense And Peppermints - The Strawberry Alarm Clock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RghL1rViX34
Crimson and Clover • Original • 1968 • Tommy James & The Shondells
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5eoH4-5z4w
The Guess Who - Hand me Down World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt6zQK6_WWw
The Guess Who - No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMG-Mi9I0-k
Hanky Panky - Tommy James
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0lz0qYq98z4&pp=ygUpaG...
This one was a 7 year song at the time;
A World Of Our Own - Seekers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m7A_o7pTNI
Love Grows - Edison Lighthouse - 1970
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TfY8hR5frEQ
Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck_MfAdmTeg
Edwin Starr - War (Original Video - 1969)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01-2pNCZiNk
Signed, sealed, delivered. I'm yours - Stevie Wonder
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0BU4PMtMakA
INDIANA WANTS ME--R. DEAN TAYLOR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCJrPhPVbCc
The Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Loving
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joqjBAJx4ZA
Pictures of Matchstick Men - Status Quo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huybJRdzyNk
Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride 1968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4WiyxXpyZc
Older song at the time, but still popular;
The Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTroJlLPRHM
Shapes of Things - The Yardbirds - 1966
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc17DqcA6Qc
Heart Full of Soul - The Yardbirds - 1968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjmkeXj9bRI
Creeque Alley - The Mama's and the Papas
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qZHxoUd6HBo
The Grass Roots - Let's Live for Today - 1967
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ_oJVuhfLQ
Love Is All Around - The Troggs - 1967
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxxwtTjLKJs
Lay, Lady, Lay - Bob Dylan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S4B6zxIOTE
Get Together - The Young Bloods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAB3fyCIHpc
The Jackson Five - ABC - 1970
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ISqzbbZVIiU
Bitterblue - Cat Stvens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkWYyeSgndw
Don McLean - American Pie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z13vOA7s0FI
The Byrds - Eight Miles High
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxyOhFBoxSY
The Byrds Turn! Turn! Turn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkuBh5n_Shc
1967 HITS ARCHIVE: I Can See For Miles - The Who
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK76Immcde8
Niel Diamond Cherry, Cherry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egZPeAyIOd4
I'm your Captain / Closer to Home - Grand Funk Railroad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D295vdVGJu4
Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime ORIGINAL 1970
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUQcnfwUUM
Amos Moses - Jerry Reed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7GyLr7Cz2g
Dizzy - Tommy Roe (1969)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arpidGq8SlA
Grateful Dead - Friend of The Devil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XacvydVrhuI
Grateful Dead - Uncle John's Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSIajKGHZRk
Grateful Dead - Truckin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pafY6sZt0FE
Gratful Dead - Sugar Magnolia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkKuhAxcH7g
1966 HITS ARCHIVE: Lil' Red Riding Hood - Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aKRy87ho5w
Amboy dukes - Journey to the center of the mind 1968
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mrUH9pGk90w&pp=ygUham...
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - The Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_yMaeTdWlY
Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8WMGBuNaus
Buffalo Springfield - Stop Children What's That Sound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjSpO2B6G4s
The Last Time - The Rolling Stones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DaXDrQq4cE
A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You - The Monkees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRJtvnvGVbA
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoDaYjdfSg
Jimi Hendrix Foxey Lady
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThkRVTd-tPc
Jimi Hendrix The Wind Cries Mary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AyVXGHxHec
Led Zeppelin — Hey, Hey, What Can I Do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM9_TL2niSQ
Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KPEHohJMuw
Led Zeppelin - Ramble On
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzGBQerkvWs
Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TA9Rec1qAFQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA9Rec1qAFQ
Led Zeppelin - Battle of Evermore - 1971
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_AfMHCVoxA
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Fortunate Son
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec0XKhAHR5I
Steppenwolf - Rock Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9oXFNbUdn4
The Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4irXQhgMqg
Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9k6aa4QvJ4
White Room - Cream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5BF1V1pbTs
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJRdDhnTRoo
I've Seen all Good - Yes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJM7TdshUbw
DEREK "Cinnamon" 1968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsxX8uZyZ2Q
Small Faces - Itchycoo Park
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGEgRnvFzLY
Mother Goose - Jethro Tull
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCOxuwWP724
Do You Believe in Magic? the lovin' spoonful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO0akwvUh_c
Listen to the Music - the Doobie Brothers - 1972
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3ta4T9tIUM
Misty Mountain Hop - Led Zeppelin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6fBQRaygeo
The cars Jed and Rex had back then were really cool.
Jed's car was a 1968 Dodge Super Bee with the 426 hemi, in blue
https://www.google.com/search?q=dodge+super+bee+1968&am...
Rex's car was a 1970 Plymouth hemi Barracuda in lime green.
https://www.google.com/search?q=1970+plymouth+barracuda...
Their dad, Albert Coyote, worked at Horizon Innovations as scientist and design engineer, and was able to afford those cars for his sons.