Vietnam 1st Battalion
David W. ``Doc`` Nelms
A, H & H (TF) Companies 1966 – 1967
Wife: Gale
Children: David L., Brian E., and Amanda E.
In country 10/7/66 Phang Rang….10/20/66 assigned 1st platoon “A” Company location TUY HOA ROCK….my first casualty as a medic was Robert Wright (KIA) and one wounded (WIA). Still don’t know first name and more were hit with shrapnel don’t remember names..
11/30/66 TUY HOA OPERATION GERONIMO ..PHASE I in boonies 31 days..12/24/66 KON TUM ….1/4/67 AWARDED COMBAT MEDICAL BADGE (CMB)…
1/22/67 out of “A” company joined TIGER FORCE on HILL 1963 also made combat jump (PHANG RANG) about this time….1/4/67 BANG TOY …..
2/15/67 THAN THIET lost ODOM (KIA) to land mine …SGT. WOODS got frags all over him another SGT. got hit (4) that day…..
4/12/67 KHANH DUONG
4/7/67 OPERATION FARRAGUT Highway I big operation 113 enemy (kia) 21 captured lots of weapons…..
5/5/67 DUC PHOU lost JESSIE JOHNSON (KIA) land mine.
5/14/67 DUC PHOU 50 wounded low on medics 85 VC killed in 2 days.
6/4/67 DUC PHOU LONNIE BALTIS (KIA) …(2) TIGER MEDICS (WIA)…..
6/27/67 DUC PHO…our main ammo dump got blown-up…
8/17/67 made E-5 SENIOR AID MAN….8/24/67 CHU LAI lost (4) medics (1)KIA (3)WIA…I was nine days short and was sent to TAC CP VC was trying to over-run it and we were firing artillery point blank range shot-needles down hill as they were coming in..very close call but I guess we made it because I’m writing this to ya…there is a lot I left out because of the bad memories.
Made it home about middle October 67.
Got a PURPLE HEART but it won’t buy you a cup of coffee on the block…..can’t say that the dates are right on but I was going by the dates on the letters I sent home….
4/6/2001 retired from federal employment of 15 years 100% disability and also 100% disability Social Security for my military service connected problems (PTSD) and degenerative bone disease, am waiting for VA to increase me to 100%.
