the enjoyment we have wherever the reunion happens to be.   That reason is you, and the great Marines like you.   Better still, the wonderful families all of you now have who now honor their husbands, sons, brothers and fathers when they come to realize all they have done in fighting their country's longest, most painful war.   The wonderful people I have met, friends & family of 3/3 Marines, are some of the greatest people in my life.   In a perfect world we would form a separate community with the same bonds we had in Vietnam beginning now 40 years ago.   Of course that will never be, but the great feeling we have for each other will last forever.

As for leadership, let me comment about the other guy in the picture; John Admire.   He has always been one of the greats in my book; a truly great Marine, warrior and best of all, friend.   Everything about John is first class.   Even today in many of the addresses or speeches I give to groups all over the country, especially Marines, I give examples of leadership using John as an example.   There's none better.

There is one personal view I would like to leave you with.   Leaders don't always come with a full rucksack of experience, or even all of the principles & traits Marine leaders are meant to have.   They get that from inspiration, and that inspiration comes from the Marines they are privileged to lead.   In my case it was the magnificent men of Lima Co. 3/3.   Of course it was very clear to me that all of the men in 3/3 were superior Marines, but I happened

to have Lima Co.  

Since those days I have come to know the great Marines of every company as well as those who were there before and after my experiences in '66 & '67.   It is now very obvious to me why 3/3 was considered

the exceptional unit that it was, and that is not because of the great leaders--recognized throughout the Marine Corps--at the top.   No, this is not the reason.   It is because of the remarkably great Marines at the other end of the leadership chain; the privates, LCpls, Corporals, Sergeants and Staff NCO's; but most of all, those who did the heavy lifting in the squads and platoons.   Those who did the patrols, the ambushes, the firefights, the convoy security; day after day, night after night.   And although I have not stripped them out because they were and are one of us, the same as us, the amazing Corpsmen who kept us in the fight, fixed us after the fight, and got us back into the fight.

So from now on when you hear the term "leadership", please remember that through your inspiration you contribute more to leadership than all of the schools, training and experience any leader could possibly have. 

Put differently--A GOOD LEADER IS GOOD BECAUSE YOU HAVE MADE HIM THAT WAY!!!   No other reason.

Press the Attack and Semper Fi,

John Ripley

Payable (Fighting Mad) Lima 6 Actual

Page 10 (Printed version)

Page 11 (Printed version)

A CASE OF REAL TORTURE!  

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE WITNESSED:

The first bit of shock the men endure is the removal of all hair from their face and heads.   Should one of them be so unfortunate as to have a mole on their scalps, it will typically be sheared completely off. All of their personal possessions, including their clothing, are taken from them and dumped into boxes.  All during the day, these men are subjected to levels of stress and discomfort you cannot imagine.   Dozens of naked men are forced to huddle together in a shower stall for the purpose of breaking their spirits.   They are regularly called "ladies" and are repeatedly asked if they would like to go home . . . even though they are not allowed to leave the compound.   They are expected to answer any question directed towards them loudly and immediately, and many of them suffer the loss of their voices from time to time.   Failure to answer a question correctly often results in intense physical exercise until they are unable to stand without wobbling.

Although meals are given to them regularly, it is hardly a cause for celebration.   The food is adequate for their nutritional needs, but they are not allowed to talk amongst themselves.   Any infraction of the rules, real or imagined, is quickly punished. Typically that would entail the whole group being kicked out of the area and deprived of a meal.   Other groups of people who have been there longer are forced to work long hours to serve the food and keep the dining area clean; 18-20 hour days are not uncommon for these unfortunate souls, coupled with interrupted sleep to complete assigned tasks during the night hours.   Medical care is provided, but they have to endure humiliating questions from the people assigned to look after them in order to seek even the most basic treatments.   If they complain about their condition, they are often asked, "awh, does your little puddy hurt?" which is then followed by intense verbal and psychological abuse. 

to look after them in order to seek even the most basic treatments.   If they complain about their condition, they are often asked, "awh, does your little puddy hurt?" which is then followed by intense verbal and psychological abuse.  

I personally saw men whose feet were covered in blisters, some limping with stress fractures, and some who were violently ill from the colds and flu that would be spread in close quarters. Those who are found to have wisdom teeth are forced into surgery, and they are never given more than three days to recover.  Then there is the level of physical and mental stress that these men are constantly under.   They are forcibly wakened hours before sunrise and are given less than five seconds to go from sleep to standing like statues at the foot of their rows of beds. Immediately, they must announce their assigned number in ascending order for a roll call and then are allowed only one minute to get fully dressed followed by one minute to make their beds.   Following these first moments of their day, they are worked mercilessly well into the night.   Hours are spent in intense physical activities or in classrooms where they are forced to sit up straight, hands on their knees, and feet flat on the floor with their heels touching while listening to various forms of indoctrination - and they are severely punished if they doze off even for a split second.   I have witnessed these men urinating on themselves after being denied permission to use the toilet, vomiting on themselves after being forced to drink large amounts of water at the end of a several mile run, and collapsing after standing like a motionless statue for hours at a time.   Any complaints of mistreatment are typically met with escalating levels of punishment.  One would think that the tortures I have described are from the horrors of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Gulags, or Cambodia's Killing Fields.

(Continued next page)

3/3 RVN Newsletter  Vol 1, Issue 6