| Full Name | Jahan Acciavatti | Previous Duty Station | |
| Service Branch | USMC | Location In Area | |
| Unit | K-3/4 | Date Arrived In Area | |
| Date Entered | Main Job In Area | ||
| Date Discharged | Rank When There | ||
| Highest Rank | Date Left Proximity | ||
| MOS | Next Duty Station | ||
| Boot Camp Location | Medals Received |
Note:
Jahan: Please go to our Membership Form , fill it out what you can on it and send it in. Don't feel bad. I need to do it too. - Skip
Hi. My name is Jahan Acciavatti and I was not on LZ Russell. I have never visited a Vietnam website before. I put it all behind me.
I was with Kilo co., inside the "Z", on LZ Gould when we got the news that Russell would be hit, (I was with 3rd.batt., 4th.reg., grunt 0331, machine gunner.) We "saddled up" on CH-46s and tried to land to reinforce your position. We circled around 2 or 3 times, but hilltop was "socked in", so we got the word not to land. Sorry we were not there to help you guys. I heard that only ones left were fighting back out of a mortar hole, when we pulled off of LZ Gould.
The USMC decided to leave me and four other grunts behind as we were being attacked by a large NVA force. They told us to set in at a water run and a marine pilot on a CH-46 (I believe he may have disobeyed orders) came back for us at dusk, as we pulled off the hill, It was being overrun with NVA. I will never know who that pilot was, but I know for certain that he saved our lives. The brass would rather "write us off" than have to go out after a downed chopper.
As a "rookie" I was the "ammo carrier in the M-60 squad. I eventually went on to being the "gunner”, as people rotated back to the states.
I remember my first "firefight". As the NVA hit our lines, I was asst. gunner now, and loaded up about 1,000 rounds, for the occasion. Man I was scared shitless. Used to sleep with one finger on the trigger of my m16 when I was ammo carrier.
My best friends were CARL BOYD (asst. gunner) and WALT WHITMAN gunner and supposedly direct descendant to the famous poet.
I remember "instances” but particular dates are another thing. I also served with a guy called Pete "Montoya” Washington. Our Co. Commander was l.T. Fisher. He used to send us on every "suicide" mission. One day someone, deactivated a "frag" and threw it in the "window" of his "mortar crate" H.Q. he jumped out the "window" backwards. After that, things got a little better for us.
End
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