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18th Artillery Group Member
Sal Mattina
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Sal Mattina at
Ft Lewis Washington 1964.
• Salvatore J Mattina - took Basic April 7, '64
• 2nd 8 week training at Ft, Lewis - July 1964
• Discharge March 31, '66 - Oakland Calif.
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Sal Mattina & Ace Howitzer |
Sal arrived in the Valley November 4, 1965.
His
Chinook was like the other's it sat down
about 1/4 mile from the Temporary Morgue - all I could see was Sal running for
cover ,with 2 Ammo cases, to where the temporary morgue was. Sal helped clean up
Dead bodies of the engineer's at the Air Strip - we had no Body Bag's.
Sal laid for day's with Malaria and no Medic to assist him, only us men. Sal was
there when Roy Woods, the advance party man, received orders to Blow the Morgue; all
Sal remembers was later, sitting on beach at
Quin-Non, with the only equipment there...
twelve 8"
howitzers. |
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"Sal just smiled as we ate...
when I arrived, the South Vietnamese Kid's had
stole our C-ration's, so we ate at the Air Force base in Quin-Non." |
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Sal, laughing, said, "let's
teach these South Vietnam people to wipe there ass like we do",
and toilet paper got caught in the blades of there
1st Cavalry chopper, making Confetti out of everything...
imagine that! |
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To the left is a picture of the
wash stand where we
washed up out of steel
pots.
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Sal
retired from the
St. Louis Fire Department. He still has a hat
from every Fire Department hanging on his wall. One thing that
impressed me... at his home, was his train, and when his phone rings
it's the Fire Department sound - I bet his neighbors just love him!
Sal just sleeps through the Fire Dept. sound... he says, "I am retired!"
Sal was at the Reunion at Springfield,
Illinois, May 1st to the 3rd of 2003.
Sal and Sue Mattina make there home in St. Louis, MO.
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