Vietnam '75...When The Levee Breaks (OOC)

by **The Tiger Kingdom** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 4:46 am

VIETNAM '75...WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS

AN EXCALIBURVERSE JOINT

Cryin' won't help you,
prayin' won't do you no good,
no, cryin' won't help you,
prayin' won't do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama,
you got to move.

THE STORY SO FAR

After 35 years of continuous conflict, the Vietnam Wars are finally ending.

Although Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN) at the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973 ostensibly secured "peace with honor" for the United States, allowing it to leave the Vietnam War from a position of strength, nothing about the fundamental calculus of the conflict had been changed at Paris. In exchange for allowing the US-aligned Republic of Vietnam (RVN) to remain in Saigon and in control of the South, the DRVN had been allowed to keep its armed forces in place in the South - an impossible bargain that spelled doom for the Republic in the years to come. To reassure the Southern government, President Nixon promises that any further Northern aggression will prompt an immediate US re-entry into the conflict to save the South once again.
Perhaps Nixon and Kissinger believe these promises. Regardless, they are beyond their power to give.

_{Kissinger and DRVN negotiator Le Duc Tho announce the signing of the Accords.}

By 1973, Nixon's government was already weakening. By 1974, the Watergate Scandal had sent it into collapse. At the same time, the RVN had already been disregarding the Paris agreements almost as soon as they had been signed. In violation of the treaty, the RVN had been undertaking a series of failed counter-insurgency campaigns and border raids against Southern revolutionaries and DRVN Army forces, succeeding only in provoking the Communists to fight back and violate the peace treaties in return. Many in the North demand a counterattack to finally do away with the US puppets in the South forever, but the DRVN government is cautious - despite their victories, they still have a healthy respect (and fear) for Nixon's aggressive policies. Nobody wants to bring the B-52s back over Northern skies, or risk another demoralizing loss like the one suffered by Communist forces in the 1972 Easter Offensive. But with Nixon gone and replaced by Gerald Ford, the calculus has changed for good.

Almost immediately after Nixon's resignation in August of 1974, the North decides to begin the final campaign against the South. This unintentionally aligns with a major reduction in US military aid to the RVN under the new Ford administration, forcing the Southern government to fight a "poor man's war" against the Communists, now supplied with tanks, artillery, and small arms from the USSR and China. The North is still cautious - they plan on the campaign lasting for two to three consecutive dry seasons, likely ending in mid-1977 if all goes as planned.

The campaign is successful beyond their wildest dreams. Almost as soon as the Northern forces cross the DMZ, RVN forces begin to fall apart - and then dissolve into an armed, terrified mob streaming South, followed by millions of refugees. The DRVN forces, emboldened, push south along the coast. Major cities begin to fall - first the ancient imperial capital of Hue, and then the major port city of Da Nang. It is at Da Nang that the world first realizes what is happening, as American news agencies fleeing the chaos capture dramatic footage of RVN Army deserters storming an evacuation plane at gunpoint, pushing aside their own families to get aboard.

CBS Reports - March 28 1975 - Last Flight from Da Nang

Code: Select all: O 280930Z MAR 75 FM AMEMBASSY SAIGON TO SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 4282 S E C R E T SAIGON 3697 EXDIS E.O. 11652: GDS TAGS: AEMR, VS SUBJECT: REFUGEE EVACUATION FROM DANANG REF: STATE 070169 1. AT THIS WRITING (1600 28 MARCH) ONLY THING CLEAR ABOUT SITUATION IN DANANG IS THAT IT IS BAD. PRECISE SITUATION IS NOT CLEAR, NOR ARE NEAR TERM PROSPECTS. CONSULATE GENERAL IS NOT ABLE TO FUNCTION; NEITHER (REDACTED) NOR REMAINING MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF ARE IN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH SAIGON. 2. INTERACTING FACTORS WHICH PRODUCED AND ARE HOURLY COMPOUNDING DANANG SITUATION INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: A. IN MILITARY SPHERE, TRUONG'S STILL EFFECTIVE AND ORGANIZED DEFENSIVE FORCE SEEMS TO BE LIMITED TO THE MARINE DIVISION AND PART OF THE 3RD ARVN DIVISION, TOTALLING JUST OVER 10,000 TROOPS, WITH WHAT APPEAR TO BE MINIMAL ARTILLERY AND AIR SUPPORT. NVA MAIN FORCE UNITS WHICH APPEAR TO BE AVAILABLE FOR ATTACK ON DANANG INCLUDE FOUR NVA DIVISIONS (324B, 325, 304, 2ND) PLUS OTHER INDEPENDENT REGIMENTS PLUS CONSIDERABLE ARTILLERY OR ROCKETS AND AT LEAST SOME ARMOR (TOTALLING A CONSERVATIVELY ESTIMATED 33,000). B. DANANG IS SWOLLEN WITH WHAT IS CERTAINLY AROUND A MILLION REFUGEES AND THE ACTUAL NUMBER MAY BE CLOSE TO 1.5 MILLION, PLUS THE NORMAL POPULATION OF ABOUT 500,000 WHO ARE NOW THEMSELVES "REFUGEES." THIS SHEER MASS, EVEN IF ORDERLY AND CALM, WOULD PAGE 02 SAIGON 03697 281047Z STRAIN CIVIL GOVERNMENT TO THE BREAKING POINT. C. THE POPULACE OF DANANG IS NEITHER ORDERLY NOR CALM. THE AIRPORT IS BEING MOBBED AS ARE VIRTUALLY ALL CONCEIVABLE SHIP AND PORT EMBARKATION POINTS. KNOWLEDGE THAT THE MILITARY SITUATION IS FRAGILE HAS INTENSIFIED FRIGHT. FURTHER COMPOUNDING THE PROBLEM ARE A LARGE NUMBER (PERHAPS SEVERAL THOUSAND) ARMED ARVN STRAGGLERS FROM SEVERAL ARVN DIVISIONS WHO HAVE NO COHESION, ORDER OR EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE. YOU HAVE, IN SHORT, A CITY UNDER SEIGE AND PERHAPS ON THE VERGE OF BEING UNDER ATTACK WITH OVER TWO MILLION PEOPLE MILLING AROUND, MANY OUT OF CONTROL, AND EFFECTIVE LAW AND ORDER (LET ALONE GOVERNMENT) BREAKING DOWN. 3. THE ABOVE IS SOMETHING RESEMBLING THE REAL WORLD. TALK OF AN ORDERLY EVACUATION, UNDER PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES, IS NOT, NOR IS "QUESTION OF SECURE REDEPLOYMENT SITES FOR REFUGEES" SINCE NO GUARANTEE CAN BE GIVEN THAT ANY LOCATION IN SOUTH VIETNAM CAN BE CONSIDERED SAFE SO LONG AS BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH VIETNAMESE ACT UNDER ASSUMPTION THAT U.S. WILL DO LITTLE, IF ANYTHING, TO AID SOUTH VIETNAM EVEN IN FACE OF OUTRIGHT MILITARY INVASION FROM THE NORTH, AND SO LONG AS THERE CONTINUES TO BE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT CONTINUITY AND MAGNITUDE OF AMERICAN AID. 4. WHAT IS CRYSTAL CLEAR IS THAT WELL OVER A MILLION HUMAN BEINGS -- PROBABLY NOW CLOSER TO 1.5 MILLION HAVE CHOSEN TO TAKE WHATEVER RISKS FLIGHT MIGHT ENTAIL RATHER THAN TO REMAIN IN TERRITORIES COMING UNDER CONTROL OF NORTH VIETNAM, WHICH HAS NOW SENT MORE THAN FOUR ADDITIONAL DIVISIONS INTO SOUTH VIETNAM IN CYNICAL EXPECTATIONS THAT UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE ITS PRESENT PARALYSIS. THE MORAL DILEMMA THIS SITUATION POSES FOR THE UNITED STATES IS OBVIOUS. AS FAR AS WE KNOW THERE ARE NO LEGAL LIMITATIONS WHICH WOULD BAR THE UNITED STATES FROM USING WHATEVER ASSETS MAY BE AVAILABLE TO IT, INCLUDING ITS MILITARY LIFT CAPACITIES, BOTH AIR AND SEA, TO MEET THIS WHOLLY HUMANITARIAN REQUIREMENT. WE SIMPLY DO NOT BELIEVE THERE WOULD BE MORE THAN PRO-FORMA TOKEN CRITICISM FROM EITHER PRESS OR CONGRESSIONAL OPPONENTS OF THE RVN IF THE USG TOOK PROMPT AND EFFECTIVE ACTION TO QUICKLY MOVE THESE REFUGEES FROM DANANG, IF INDEED IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO DO SO. PAGE 03 SAIGON 03697 281047Z 5. PENDING CLARIFICATION OF THE LATTER POINT, AND ASSUMING EFFECTIVE ACTION IS STILL POSSIBLE, WE BELIEVE FOLLOWING COURSES OF ACTION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED...: THE USG SHOULD, IN RESPONSE TO GVN APPEAL, CALL WORLD ATTENTION TO SPECIFIC SITUATION AT DANANG RESULTING FROM RENEWED NVN INVASION AND STATE IT WAS DEPLOYING USG NAVAL AND AIR FORCES TO ASSIST IN REMOVING THESE REFUGEES TO SAFETY. 6. ALTHOUGH ONE WORLD AIRWAYS 727 FLIGHT WAS MADE TODAY FURTHER FLIGHTS INTO DANANG HAVE BEEN STOOD DOWN TEMPORARILY WHILE EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO RESTORE ADEQUATE SECURITY AND CONTROL AT THE AIRFIELD. IN CALLS TODAY ON PRESIDENT...AMBASSADOR STRESSED NECESSITY TO RESTORE MODICUM OF CROWD DISCIPLINE AT AIRPORT AND SEAPORT TO PERMIT REASONABLY ORDERLY EVACUATION OF REFUGEES. 7. SEA LIFT SITUATION IS MUCH EASIER TO CONTROL. ONE MSC SHIP IS NOW LOADING BY USING BARGES TO SHUTTLE REFUGEES FROM SHORE TO SHIP THUS ENABLING CONTROL OF THE SITUATION AND SECOND SHIP IS ARRIVING LATER TODAY. SIMILAR TECHNIQUES CAN BE USED FOR FOLLOW ON VESSELS. LSTS WOULD PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY FOR POSSIBLE OFF THE BEACH LOADING. PAGE 04 SAIGON 03697 281047Z 8. BEST TO CONCENTRATE EFFORT AT THIS TIME ON SEA LIFT EVACUATION WHILE BEING READY TO RESUME AND EXPAND AIRLIFT ON MINIMUM NOTICE. WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT COMBINATION OF SEA LIFT WHICH WILL RELIEVE PRESSURES AND GVN EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH BETTER CONTROL AT AIRFIELD WILL ENABLE US TO RESUME AIRLIFT SOON. MARTIN

^{The evacuation beaches at Da Nang - 3/28/75. Almost no civilians managed to escape.}

After that, the situation went from bad to worse. Desperate for US aid, RVN President Nguyen Van Thieu makes the incomprehensible decision to order a full military evacuation of the Northern and Central areas of the RVN. Ostensibly, this is to shorten supply lines and draw out the Communist forces in preparation for a counterattack, but many suspect that Thieu is trying to sacrifice cities to force the US to intervene - and all that is achieved is that even more Republic forces and civilians join the panicked mob streaming South. DRVN forces storm into the coastal highlands, with almost all inland territory north of the Mekong Delta under their total control. The Southern government functionally collapses, and the US government ties itself in knots trying to decide whether or not to hand them over $722 million dollars worth of military aid. Ultimately, the aid is voted down in Congress.

When the invasion starts, there are approximately 5,000 Americans left in Vietnam - mostly contractors and advisers working with the ARVN military, along with a handful of US diplomats, intelligence agents, and Marine security forces operating at American consulates and embassies. While there are plans in place to evacuate US personnel using ships, civil airlines, military cargo flights, and Navy helicopters operating from the Seventh Fleet as a last resort, there are no plans in place to evacuate the hundreds of thousands of Southern Vietnamese citizens affiliated with either the US or the RVN regime. Refugees, deserters, and US intelligence agents report endless atrocity stories of massive purges and summary executions gong on in captured RVN territory of anyone suspected of collaborating with the Southern regime.

To complicate things further, the one man charged with carrying out the evacuation - US Ambassador Graham Martin - is stalling. Perhaps the one man left in the country who still believes that South Vietnam might survive, he views evacuating US elements - to say nothing of ARVN elements and civilians - as a fundamental betrayal of the Republic's trust, and insists on dragging his feet in the hope that a miracle might save South Vietnam at the last second.

The day is April 23rd, 1975. The last lines of RVN defense have been broken. Communist forces are slowly encircling Saigon, the last Republic stronghold. Word has just leaked out that RVN President Nguyen Van Thieu has resigned and fled to Canada. Everyone in the South who can afford to flee the Communists is streaming into the city, hoping against hope to obtain passage on a ship or American jet out of the country. All remaining Southern revolutionaries are also relocating to Saigon, planning to wreak havoc in advance of the DRVN Army's ultimate triumph.

After 35 years of fighting, the Vietnam Wars will soon be over. Uncountable numbers of people have died, and countless more throughout Indochina are in mortal peril. The world turns its eyes to Saigon, waiting with bated breath for the final end.

^{The Midway carrier group approaches Vietnam to save American civilians - but what of the Vietnamese?}

But the end is not here yet. And while death already hangs over the Republic of Vietnam like a shroud, the stakes of this last battle are far higher than anyone can imagine.

Hidden deep in the Indochinese jungle, a dark legacy of the Vietnam War, hidden for many years, is about to come to light. Evil men plot to seize this legacy for their own twisted ends. If they succeed, the consequences for the entire world would be utterly unthinkable. In these last days and hours of the War, the stakes have never been higher.

And now, with the final curtain closing in, the only people capable of stopping a possible Armageddon converge in Saigon, all preoccupied with their own dramas, unaware of the terrible danger...

RULES

1. Don't be an ass. Really, you know what I mean. Be courteous, be polite, whatever. Just get along.

2. Inactivity. That's a thing. And it's annoying as hell. I've tried implementing systems, I've tried being nice about it, and it just doesn't work, so it comes down to this:
If I judge you to be inactive, you're out. Period.
Here, I'm defining "inactivity" in a manner hearkening back to the judgements of the Honorable Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: "I'll know it when I see it."
So to avoid that, post in IC and OOC regularly.

3. No godmodding. Real surprise, right? I know we're a tough bunch and all, but there is a difference between being an well-trained, dashing, elite secret agent/mercenary/soldier/etc. and being a literal demigod. You get the idea.

4. I expect good posts from you people. I do not intend for this to be a throwaway RP for people to post one-liners and poorly written posts. Good grammar is a must. Detail is great. Interactions with other characters are great. Description is great. Make each post as good as it possibly can be. I don't want to see throwaways.

5. As far as I can foresee, I am not going to be appointing co-OPs. Do not ask to be a co-OP. You are only asking to get your own heart broken.

5a. If I ever, due to some act of god/debilitating mental illness/honest mistake, ever WERE to establish co-OPs, you are to listen to them as though they were me. Were they to exist, they would be solely appointed and managed by me and none other.

6. If you can't post in the IC or OOC regularly, make sure that I know that. If you drop out sans notice, you've got no justification to complain when you get cut. There re numerous things that count as fine excuses, like family stuff, but make sure to let me know.

7. Actual English proficiency is required.

8. Nobody in V75 is allowed to build cairns. We need the stones for things that are actually productive.

9. I reserve the right to deny any and all applications for any reason I see fit.

10. I reserve the right to cut anybody from the RP I see fit, at any time, for any reason.

11. Providing inspiration, intentional or otherwise, to self-appointed liberators of India is strictly forbidden.

12. No outside food.

13. This is An Excaliburverse joint, with all the ownership rights going to me as part of that. Just for the record!

THE CREW:

- Ulysses Stone, Gunnery Sergeant - USMC - American Tiger Kingdom

- Leslie Jones, Executive Officer (Saigon) - HMDS - Kouralia
- Eric Faraday, Lieutenant (ret.) - British Army/MI6 - GCCS
- Peter Stanford, Operative - MI6 - GOram
- Alister Caine, Flight Lieutenant (ret.) - RAAF/ Air America - Morrdh

- John Van Der Beek, Corporal (ret.) - US Army - Gibberan
- Nguyen Van Vien, Lieutenant Colonel - ARVN - To Quoc Duc
- Robert Raines, Staff Sergeant - USMC - Cylarn
- Y-Bhi Nai Hanh, Volunteer - ARVN/PF - Occupied Deutschland

- Erwin Hyatt, Senior Airman - USAF - Zachary Nichols
- Eddie Seng, Operative - CIA-SAD - UKP
- Pius Silva, Staff Sergeant - USMC - Len Hyet
- William Roland, "Captain" - CIA-Air America - American Tiger Kingdom

APPLICATIONS

Note:

Code: Select all: [b]Name:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Rank (if applicable):[/b] [b]Physical Description/Picture:[/b] [b]Place of Origin:[/b] [b]Experience In Vietnam:[/b] [b]Weapon of Choice (if applicable):[/b] [b]Specialties/"Fun Facts":[/b] [b]RP Experience:[/b] [b]Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):[/b]

by **Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:27 am

Jolly good. I'll plant my app here as soon as I've wrestled my studies under the table.

by **Kouralia** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:24 am

This is not in fact a tag that will be replaced in short order with an app on the basis that any RP OP'd by Tiger will be of the highest quality.
Nah, I lied: it is.

EDIT:

Leslie A R T-Jones

Age: 32

Rank (if applicable): Totally an Executive Officer for the Diplomatic Service.

Physical Description/Picture: I promise there's a reason for this actor being used. Usually wears fancy clothing suited to the climate such as pale suits with a regimental tie and a hat.

Place of Origin: Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England

Experience In Vietnam: Has worked in the Embassy there for six months as an aide to the Passport Control Officer. Previously served in Malaysia while serving in the British Army, so has proficiency in fighting in jungle environments.

Weapon of Choice (if applicable): As a civil servant of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, Leslie doesn't have much of a need for weapons. He does however have his old service Browning. He is, of course, not in possession of anything sent under diplomatic privilege from Swanbourne in Western Australia. He carries a walking stick habitually too, and knows how to use it. <.< >.>

Specialties/"Fun Facts": He's a Passport Control Officer for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office British Embassy in Saigon. That is all he is. Nothing else at all. Not. Even. Once. Oh, fine, go on then. Working in Malaysia with the Parachute Regiment he demonstrated aptitude for jungle warfare. He has inherited artistic talent from his father and adores doing simple pencil sketches of landscapes and people he knows. He is also somewhat talented with linguistics - speaking French, German, Latin and Russian with ease, and (with substantially less skill) Ancient Greek and Vietnamese. A final, if surprising skill would be knowledge of what amounts to 'posh gentleman the martial art', also known as Bartitsu. It's amazing how much largely semi-relevant bollocks one can pick up over the course of a public school upbringing.

RP Experience: Here.

Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Leslie was born to a family proud of its service to the Army - military men practically one and all. Why, his father served in the 'Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry' in WWII (and did not do anything else, not one bit I'll have you know, wink-wink-nudge-nudge), and his Grandfather and Granduncle died in WWI. His Great-Grandfather was a Lieutenant Colonel assisting Colonel Charles J. Long at the Battle of Colenso, and his Great-Grandfather was a Cornet carrying a Guidon in the 11th Hussars at the Battle of Balaclava, assisting Lieutenant Dunn VC in his recognised acts and surviving the encounter. Going back further even, a relative of Leslie's was Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton's second in command of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot, killed at Quatre Bras, and another died in the retreat from Corunna. It was clear he would have a lot of work cut out to equal the quality of service of this lineage to Britain.

Born in 1943, he never remembered anything of the war (quite naturally), and his formative years were spent with the big 'bogey-man' as the communism of the Soviet Union rather than the national socialism of Germany. A fancy school, a classical education and time playing rugby were the staples of his growing-up, with sufficient skill to merit a prestigious further education at Oxford studying a BA in Classics. That went swimmingly - both for his degree classification and the Oxford Men's 1st XV Rugby Union team. By this time a 'man of action' rather than a 'restless boy', the course of action was clear - and it was one he gladly took. The degree superfluous, but the physical conditioning of 10 years of rugby - from year 7 to final year of university - was perfect for the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Not quite worth the sword of honour, he was still a model cadet who was perfect for the maroon beret of the prestigious Parachute Regiment. There he saw six years service in Malaysia, the British Army of the Rhine and in the British Commander in Chief's Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany before leaving the Army in 1970. At this point Leslie disappeared for approximately a year before reappearing working as a Queen's Messenger for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, travelling worldwide. This job took him from place to place, rarely stopping for more than a week in a location, though he would regularly be employed for trips to Eastern Europe such as Potsdam in East Germany. Finally, in February 1974 he ceased working in that capacity before being appointed as the Deputy Passport Control Officer of Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service for the Saigon embassy in Vietnam. In early March of that year he replaced the previous incumbent as the Passport Control Officer, being raised from an Administrative Officer to an Executive Officer, and becoming the sole member of that department at the embassy. His task could be summarised really rather simply: 'make sure British interests don't go completely tits up.'

EDIT 2: Minor changes such as addition of QM section rather than just straight in as Passport Control Officer. Don't worry, GCOCS, I promise I'm not copying you, no matter how close our 'classy brit employed by the FCO' characters are.
EDIT 3: Muuuuuhhhhhhhh ruuuuuhhhhhhnnnkk uuuhhhhmmmmuuuuhhhhnnnddddmmmmuuuhhhhhnnnnnntttttsssss
EDIT 4: slightly altered QM section to affiliate it with something.
EDIT 5: slightly altered military service history to have different deployments, and greatly changed formatting.

by **Gigaverse** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:27 am

Oh dear God

For once this is an RP set in Vietnam that might actually garner my attention (though perhaps not participation).

by **Cenning** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:39 am

Maybe.

by **Gibberan** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 9:07 am

Consider this tagged.

by **Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 10:00 am

Name: Eric Thomas Faraday
Age: 42
Rank: Lieutenant (left-tenant, you colonials)
Physical Description/Picture:

Place of Origin: Cardiff
Experience In Vietnam: Some early experience with BRIAM, then as trainer of Saigon police units and finally as MI6 attaché to the Vietnamese government.
Weapon of Choice: Browing Hi-Power (as sidearm), L1A1 Rifle (whenever he get his hands on one
Specialties/"Fun Facts": Training troops in jungle warfare, a very social man. Was called ‘Overlord Teatime’ by the troops he trained, who referred to him as one of the few good Europeans around. He always denied accepting the term ‘European’. He also has something against being called ‘English’ too, despite his very English demeanour and manners.
RP Experience: Quite a lot. You’ll be pleased, I hope.
Personal History/Bio: Spring 1953. A very busy time for the world indeed. Rebellions in Africa, the US declares to have the world’s first hydrogen bomb, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin dies of a stroke… And, one month later, Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. Of all these events, which would all be instrumental in the future of young Eric, none would be so influential as the last. He bought the book in the book store of this university campus, like so many of his friends did. Of course, studying history leaves one with a taste for simple literature, when the main dish is Scottish sermons from the early 12th century. It was a book that would change his life.

In a few days, he’d burned through the book (in a figurative sense). In his dreams, both in his sleep and during lectures, he saw himself jumping out windows, racing cars in the streets of Washington to steal the secrets of the American hydrogen bomb. He envisioned himself treading carefully through the Kremlin, on his way to poison Stalin’s food. James Bond became his personal hero. He made his decision to join the Royal Engineers right after the East German uprisings in June that year. He finished his studies in the quickest way imaginable, with only acceptable grades, and applied at the Cardiff recruitment office. Within a few years, he was a trained Royal Engineer. Right after being sworn in, he proposed to his long-time girlfriend Rebecca Springfield, whom he married later that year. 1958 that was.

Which appeared to be just in the nick of time. One year later, Eric was dispatched to join the fight against communist insurgents in Malaya. With the images of the East German uprising still on his mind, he joined gladly and proudly when they asked for volunteers. In his heart, he held a strong dislike for communism, which he thought was based on a false hypothesis and could only bring untold suffering on the people it governed. It was not an open dislike, but something he held close to heart. He came home a lot while on duty, but he was officially stationed in Malaya until 1963, totalling four years. He gained lot of experience in jungle fighting, which was instrumental for his later life. Especially handy for the Royal Engineers.

In 1963, Eric was asked to join the three-year-old BRIAM program, which had a job of training both American and Vietnamese soldiers in the art of jungle warfare. Something Eric knew lots about, from his experience in Malaya the years before. So, he accepted, and was transported to Saigon at the earliest opportunity. His wife soon joined him with their two-year-old son, with whom he lived in Saigon for the years to come. He was now stationed at the British embassy for more permanent employment, their son being taught in the international school there with other kids of embassy personnel. Rebecca herself, in her desire to do something as well, became a reporter for the London Times, for which she reported on all the events of the Vietnam War.

This continued for two years. BRIAM was formally dismantled in 1965, leaving Eric without immediate employment. Of course, the American government was glad to take him on, his child could even stay in the international school at the British embassy. To his dismay, Eric got the nationality ‘English’ on his nametag, which frustrated him greatly. But, he was not without a job, something he enjoyed thoroughly. He trained many a Vietnamese police agent and an American GI until 1973, and even then he continued with the Vietnamese until 1975.

In 1972, however, his marked expanded. Being so close with the Americans and the Saigon government, Eric was contacted with a job offer from MI6 in Hong Kong. They were searching for a new attaché in Saigon, since the last one had bought a farm in the Scottish highlands to live off his retirement. Eric appeared a perfect replacement, having the right background, training, and apparent loyalties for such a delicate assignment. The only thing MI6 was not pleased about was his apparent Welsh roots, but it was something they could gloss over for the time being. So, Eric was in double assignment between 1972 and 1975, working for his dream employer; MI6. He relished, and reread all his favourite James Bond novels.

And now, we find ourselves in 1975. Saigon is on the brink of capture, the South Vietnamese government is about to fall. Rebecca and John Faraday have been safely spirited out of the country, with no small amount of begging from Eric being necessary to get her to leave the nation. He has a few more tasks to perform. A lot of equipment and documents require burning, and Eric has vowed to take the last possible ship out of Saigon. He has grown to love Saigon, in her oriental beauty and eastern mysticism. Trying to maintain semblances of order is proving fruitless, but that hasn’t stopped the stubborn lieutenant from trying. How will this day end? Only god knows, but god has abandoned Vietnam long ago.

by **Morrdh** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 1:21 pm

Colour me possibly interested Tigger.

Got to do some research first before consider character options.

by **Goram** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 1:41 pm

Haven't read all the OP, but it's a Tiger RP. Tagged. Will make an application when I get home from work.

PS, Tiger, good to see you back in action mate.

by **Morrdh** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 2:19 pm

Will complete by end of the weekend, just a bit busy at present.

Name: Allister 'Al' Caine
Age: 27
Rank (if applicable): Flight Lieutenant upon discharge from RAAF.
Physical Description/Picture:

Place of Origin: RAAF Base Point Cook, Victoria, Australia
Experience In Vietnam: Huey pilot with No.9 Squadron RAAF as part of the Australian Task Force, discharged due to concerns over his mental health. Kept flying by joining Air America.
Weapon of Choice (if applicable): Browning Hi-Power
Specialties/"Fun Facts": Pilot primarily on the Bell UH-1 Iroquois, but has flight time on a host of other aircraft (including fixed wing) with Air America.
RP Experience: Oh, a little old RP called Excalibur...
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Caine was born two years after of the end of the Second World War, over year after his father returned home after serving as a RAAF pilot since 1940. The elder Caine would continue to serve with the RAAF for a few more years and so Allister grew up as a service sprog, his childhood spent on various different RAAF bases and was taught to fly by his father.

It is not surprising that Allister joined the RAAF and managed to successfully qualify as a pilot, getting assigned to No.2 Course of the RAAF's then fledging training programme for the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter. Not long after completing training in December 1966 he was deployed to Vietnam and arrived in country early 1967 to begin flying with No.9 Squadron RAAF. Soon he was flying sorties in support of SAS teams and the Australian Regular Army, but found himself regularly exposed to ground fire, poor flying conditions, nighttime medevacs and dangerously small jungle landing zones that were sometimes booby trapped with land mines.

In 1968 Caine's Huey crashed after sustaining heavy ground fire as he tried to rescue a SAS team that was in trouble, he'd found the LZ too hot and had been forced to abort the attempt and ended up crashing enroute back to base when the Huey suffered engine failure. The helicopter crew were lucky that they came through largely unhurt and were picked up by friendly units soon afterwards, though in the crash Caine had sustained a head injury. After a short recovery period Caine was soon back flying missions, though he was quickly noted that he was increasingly taking undue risks and was beginning to be regarded as being unhinged. His commanding officer attempted to have a quiet word with him but things became heated as Caine lost his temper when he found that he was to be grounded. Needless to say he days in the RAAF were numbered.

Facing a discharge and being shipped back to Australia, Caine found himself in a bar in Saigon with a pair of MPs keeping an eye on him. A stranger approached him claiming to be an agent of the US Government and offered a job working for a "strictly civilian" company called Air America. With an uncertain future waiting for him back home in Australia, Caine took the job offer and found himself right at home amongst Air America's unorthodox pilots and aircraft.

Seven years later Caine find himself back in that same bar in Saigon...

by **Organized States** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 5:05 pm

Hmm, thinking either a Naval Aviator flying the F-14 with VF-1 or VF-2, or a green Marine PFC at the Embassy.

Suggestions?

by **Goram** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 5:46 pm

Name: Peter Douglas Stanford (Otherwise known as Jim Stokes, George Bennett, Karl Homann or Felix Pröll)
Age: 30
Rank (if applicable): non-military

Place of Origin: A farm house in the vicinity of Tempsford, Bedfordshire
Experience In Vietnam: Two years
Weapon of Choice (if applicable): A black market bought Tokarev.
Specialties/"Fun Facts": Linguist. Speaks six languages including Russian and German with no noticeable accent. Fluent in Vietnamese and Mandarian but with a noticeable western accent. Insatiable womaniser.
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):

Peter Stanford was born in the first months of 1945, in a small cottage in Bedfordshire. His parents were both members of the Royal Air Force and had met in 1940 whilst part of the highly secretive (and still classified) Excalibur Squadron. His mother, Corporal Kaya Stanford (then, Kaya Waddock) had secretly married his father Flying Officer Douglas Stanford in 1944. Barely two months after their wedding, Peter's father was killed on active duty. His mother, then pregnant, informed her commanding officer. No. 319 Squadron never was one for regulations, and it's commanding officers tended to look out for their own. This, however, was one step too far and she was dishonourably discharged from the Air Force. Shortly after birth, Kaya gave her son up. Owing to the circumstances of her discharge, she received no pension and on the grounds that she had kept her marriage secret, it was decided that she would receive no compensation after the death of her husband. Thus, she could not afford to keep the boy. Ultimately, her fate remains a mystery to Peter and something he does not care to spend time thinking about. As far as he's concerned, he's an orphan.

Growing up he showed a great interest in languages, learning to speak several fluently. As the Cold War grew in intensity, and the espionage game grew with it, his fluency in Russian, German and Chinese made him attractive to the British secret service. Thus, he was recruited and ended up a scalphunter; responsible for carrying out the service's dirty work. Under the name Karl Homann and later, Felix Pröll, he spent five years in East Germany. In his time there, he ran a highly successful network which resulted in the successful defection of several high ranking East German officials and at least one senior military officer.

In 1972, his network helped facilitate an Operation: TESTIFY - the defection of a Czech General with highly sensitive information deemed vital to the safeguarding of the service. The operation was a disaster and a British agent was shot. In the wake of TESTIFY, and the international incident it caused, Peter was recalled. Unlike many, he was promoted and reassigned to Hong Kong - however, this was considered a demotion by most. Some time later that year, after a lengthy investigation, a mole was discovered at the very top of the Circus and the service brought into political and professional disrepute.

In 1973, a North Vietnamese officer approached the Americans wishing to defect. However, owing to the recently signed peace accords the American's could not risk what would be a very public failure. Thus, the decimated Circus offered it services in an attempt to rebuild their reputation and rekindle trust with their American cousins. To this end, Peter was dispatched from Hong Kong to Hanoi with papers under the name of Jim Stokes - a British stockbroker. He was successful and the operation went without incident. The officer was handed to the Americans and the Circus regained some small measure of credibility. To the best knowledge of the Americans, Stanford returned to Hong Kong. However, given the success of the previous operation the Circus elected to keep their man in Indochina. Over the course of the next two years Peter built up a small network on both sides of the border.

He based himself, this time under the name Bennett, in Da Nang and when the city fell he barely managed to escape. It was during this time when one of his people made contact, insisting on the highest levels of secrecy - akin to those that Peter himself had used during his time in East Germany. He claimed to have information about something hidden deep in the jungles - something that could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. The man was prone to exaggeration, but when it came to important matters he had never been wrong. His insistence on strict "Berlin Rules" as Peter liked to call the highest levels of caution was enough to convince the British agent that his contact was not lying.

Peter watched a letterbox for days, always looking for the thumb tack pushed into a park bench that would indicate that a tree hollow not ten yards away would hold the secret information. It never came. With the NVA closing in, Stanford could no longer wait. Contrary to Berlin Rules, he paid a visit to the contact's home only to find him dead and the place ransacked. If any doubt remained in Peter's mind about the validity of his man's claims, then they had been put to rest by the fact that someone was prepared to kill for it.

Now, Stanford is in Saigon - having boarded one of the last flights out. He cannot go to the Americans. If they were to find out that MI6 had been running a spy ring on their patch, what little cooperation there still is between the British and their Cousins would be all but over. He cannot return home, as he knows the British do not have the resources to get involved covertly or the political will to intervene overtly. He has only one choice, to somehow do the impossible and find out what terrors are hidden in the jungle.

EDIT: Yet another Brit. Sorry, I've been rereading a certain trilogy of spy novels recently...

by **Kouralia** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 5:55 pm

Okay, I think I am fully happy with and no longer need to update my app. I see Goram has gone for the ExSqn callback approach, like myself.

by **Gibberan** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:36 pm

Name: John "Dutch" Vanderbeek, Jr
Age: 28
Rank (if applicable): Corporal at time of discharge
Physical Description/Picture:

Place of Origin: Schenectady, New York
Experience In Vietnam: Two tours of duty (1968-1969, 1969-1970)
Weapon of Choice (if applicable): M16A1, Browning Hi-Power (as a sidearm)
Specialties/"Fun Facts": Dutch is especially experienced with jungle-fighting, as well as wilderness survival (he credits both Vietnam and the Boy Scouts). Good with communications, and excels when dealing with inept bureaucrats (from his time with AP). Speaks Vietnamese fluently, can get by with Khmer, and knows a little bit of Russian and Chinese. Don't get him near alcohol unless absolutely necessary. Has a sort-of-dark sense of humor. Cynical, but still social. Smokes, but not excessively. Loves pointing cameras, hates it when they are pointed at him.
RP Experience: Only the greatest war RP in the history of P2TM
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):

John Hannibal Vanderbeek, Jr was born on February 28th, 1947 at St. Clare’s Hospital in Schenectady, New York. The Vanderbeeks, descendants of the original New York Dutchmen, were a long line of military men stretching back to the Revolutionary War, albeit none of any major historical importance. His great-great grandfather fought at Chancellorsville, his great-grandfather at San Juan Hill, and his grandfather at the Argonne. His father himself was a battle-hardened GI who served with the 3rd Infantry Division during the war, fighting in North Africa, Italy, and southern France, before being wounded and subsequently discharged near Strasbourg. The pressure on young John to go into the armed forces was enormous.

Life went on. John earned high marks in school, where he earned his perpetual nickname of “Dutch”. Growing up in the era of the Korean War and the Red Scare, however, he longed to be something for his country at the earliest opportunity. And he got his chance: after graduating near the top of his class in 1965, the idealistic 18-year old Dutch enlisted with his similarly-idealistic group of friends at the Army Recruiting Station. Rejecting the protests of his mother and the anti-war ideals of his younger siblings, and with no love interest or other friends to keep him back, he shipped out in early 1967.

Arriving in Vietnam, he was assigned to Bravo Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment, First Air Cavalry. The rough, bloody, and unceremonious fighting contrasted sharply with his previous romantic view of war. However, he quickly became accustomed to the grim reality of life in the jungle, and attempted to keep up the morale of his fellow soldiers. Despite numerous combat missions in the Binh Dinh province throughout Operation Pershing, losses were minimal, and the group developed a special camaraderie. This would all change on January 31st, 2015; the Tet Offensive. Nearing the end of his tour, virtually all of Dutch’s platoon was wiped out. Though he earned the Distinguished Service Cross by wiping out much of the enemy force while reinforcements arrived, Dutch felt somehow responsible for the deaths of his comrades. This, along with the desire to avenge them, influenced his decision to sign up for a second tour of duty.

Returning home in 1969, his two tours had left him battered and cynical, but despite the worsening situation he still had hope that Vietnam might be saved. After working a variety of odd jobs, he he landed one with the Associated Press as a photographer. It had good pay, good benefits, and best of all, he got to see the world. Not to be deprived of what he saw as the best part of his new job, he applied for an international assignment, and of course, he was sent exactly where he feared he would be: Vietnam. His manager thought his experience as a veteran was invaluable. Despite having the opportunity to decline, he decided to go for it, maybe because of the opportunity to somehow make peace with his past, or maybe because with what he had been through, he wanted see Vietnam through until the end.

After an extended layover in Saigon, Dutch became a field correspondent, alongside the soldiers fighting on the frontlines; as fate would have it, he was once again attached to the 1st Air Cav. Though he was able to make peace with the memories of his former comrades, what little hope he still had for an American victory withered away as he experienced the setbacks the military was facing first-hand. He covered the incursion into Cambodia, and was wounded during the Easter Offensive. Eventually, his role as a field correspondent brought him back to where he began, Saigon, and took shelter in the American Embassy. As the situation worsens every day, every hour, his fellow Americans urge him to evacuate. But he has decided to stay just a little bit longer, because he has a gut feeling that something big is about to happen, not just for Saigon, but for the world. And his gut has never been wrong.

by **The Tiger Kingdom** » Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:02 pm

Kour, GOram, and GCCS are accepted. I anticipate I'll be accepting all the other apps once they're actually, you know, written out.

GOram wrote:Haven't read all the OP, but it's a Tiger RP. Tagged. Will make an application when I get home from work.

PS, Tiger, good to see you back in action mate.

Good to be back!

by **The Tiger Kingdom** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 3:10 am

Name: Frederick Sherman Stone
Age: 32
Rank: Gunnery Sergeant, United States Marine Corps.
Physical Description/Picture:

Place of Origin: San Diego, United States of America
Service History/Experience In Vietnam:
- Private, October 1965, 1st Recruit Training Regiment, MCRD San Diego - Basic training
- Private First Class, January 1966, Marine Recon Training Battalion, Camp Pendleton - Recon training
- Private First Class, May 1966, 1st Recon Battalion, 1st Marine Division - Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase I
- Lance-Corporal, June 1966, 1st Recon Battalion, 1st Marine Division - Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase II
- Corporal, June 1967, 3rd Force Recon Company, 3rd Marine Division - Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase III
- Sergeant, January 1968, 3rd Force Recon Company, 3rd Marine Division - Tet Counteroffensive, Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase IV-V-VI, Tet '69 Counteroffensive, Vietnam Summer-Fall '69
- Staff Sergeant, November 1969, 3rd Force Recon Company, 3rd Marine Division - Vietnam Winter-Spring '70, Sanctuary Counteroffensive, Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase VII
- Gunnery Sergeant, June 1971, 2nd Recruit Training Regiment, MCRD-San Diego - reassigned to drill-sergeant duties
- Demobilized - June 1972
- Recommissioned - July 1974
- Gunnery Sergeant, July 1974, Marine Security Guard School, MCB-Quantico - MSG training
- Gunnery Sergeant, September 1974 - "Company E", Saigon Detachment, Marine Security Guard Battalion
Specialties/"Fun Facts":
- Stone has extensive combat experience using almost every American infantry weapon ever deployed in Vietnam, from the WW2-vintage rifles used to supply the ARVN to the advanced assault rifles and grenade launchers used by Force Recon. His personal preference is the M60 heavy machine-gun, mainly for its high ammo capacity, intimidation value, and the brush-penetration quality of its larger bullets, which can tear through the dense jungle foliage with ease. Its considerable weight isn't much of an issue for him. He also made considerable use of the specialized Stoner 63 combat rifle during his Force Recon service, but the Embassy doesn't have access to firepower like that.

- In addition, Stone's extensive training and experience has put him among the world's elite when it comes to special forces operatives. He is both scuba-qualified and airborne-qualified, and has been SERE-qualified by the MACV-RECONDO Army Special Forces school at Nha Trang. He has served in combat in Vietnam for a cumulative total of approximately six years, and has regularly taken part in spectacularly dangerous and difficult operations that almost any other soldier would be unqualified or incapable of doing. His instinct for Recon-scale leadership is second to none, and his numerous decorations attest to his bravery and skill even further.

- Perhaps the best testimonials to Stone's leadership capability come from the men who served alongside him. Veterans of his patrols describe him as a combat natural, cool-headed, lethally focused, and capable of inspiring confidence and adapting to circumstances on the fly. His personal doctrine of "force minimization" - emphasizing stealth, precision, and total control of the battlefield rather than shock-and-awe displays of firepower and indiscriminate force - has been proven successful on operations time and time again, often despite initial resistance from his fellow soldiers more accustomed to the latter style of warfare.

- Stone is also, however, something of an enigma to those closest to him. His personal life - as in, his life outside the Marines - is a total cipher, something that he simply never speaks about to anybody. While he has an intuitive grasp of how to gain the trust of the soldiers around him, he also has a habit of avoiding friendships with those same men. This is an even more pronounced tendency when it comes officers, whom he instinctively distrusts and frequently avoids whenever possible. He has repeatedly declined opportunities for officership training and promotion.

- His foreign language fluency is limited to Vietnamese and Spanish (a relic of his Southern California hometown). He also knows a few useful phrases in Korean, Khmer, and Hmong languages, the former picked up while liaising with the ROK Expeditionary Force in Vietnam, and the latter two picked up as part of the Cambodian campaign in 1970, working with allied Royal Cambodian and Laotian forces.

RP Experience: Unlimited.
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):

Early Background
Born in San Diego, 12/14/43. Father, Ulysses Ambrose Stone, was a Second World War veteran ( serving with the 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion in Europe) and shipbuilder working for Naval Air Station San Diego. Mother, Mary Siulai, was a domestic servant recently immigrated from American Samoa. Eldest of five children - three boys, two girls. Attended various "colored" public schools; attendance record checkered.

Father's employment record also spotty in the aftermath of VJ-Day - likely that his status as a black man played a significant part in this, given postwar attitudes towards black workers in traditionally white labor positions. Family residence shifts frequently around the California coast throughout childhood as the family follow the work at the shipyards. Often charged with caring for his smaller siblings alone while his parents worked long hours to make ends meet.

Educated at a variety of local public schools - grades remarked as being "impressive", but his attendance frequently suffered. Excelled both socially and in various sports, including football, baseball, and surfing. Serious rebellious tendencies visibly set in at teenage years - likely traceable to the death of his youngest sister Lily in an unsolved hit-and-run accident on 3/4/55. Classmates and teachers recall a charismatic, intelligent, and absolutely incorrigible young man who showed great academic capability, but almost no inclination to pursue institutional education any further than he had to. Frequently described by many as "fearless", even going so far as to bait fights with local ruffians and bullies for fun. Numerous police citations for underage drinking, smoking, and truancy. Narrowly graduates high school in June 1959.

Civilian Life

Period of civilian life lasting from mid-June 1959 to late 1965 leading up to enlistment in USMC not attested to to any great extent in local records. No record of higher education. USMC enlistment paperwork, reveals that his conscription into the USMC was the product of a plea bargain struck with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in lieu of prosecution for numerous criminal charges originating from 8/11 to 8/17/65, including assault and battery. Marriage certificate on file with Los Angeles County Clerk between Stone and one "Gabriela Barrera", registered on 7/2/62 - certificate annulled on 10/3/65. No children.

Military Record

Officially enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 10/12/65. Underwent recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. His raw talent, obvious physical prowess, and "natural" willingness to fight were highly praised by his superiors during training - out of earshot - but his willingness to stand up for himself and talk back when disrespected frequently resulted in trouble with the drill sergeants. Reigned as the informal MCRD - San Diego Heavyweight Boxing Champion until title was vacated by the conclusion of his assignment there. Scored "anomalously high" (in the words of his USMC records) on almost any intelligence or technical test put in front of him.

Basic Training completed and officially commissioned as a Private First Class on 1/27/66. Assigned to Reconnaissance Indoctrination Program (Camp Pendleton), graduated with honors on 4/11/66, assigned to 1st Recon Battalion/1st Marine Division, deployed to I Corps Tactical Zone. Assigned to two-week jungle combat acclimatization course at Camp Gonsalves on Okinawa, completed by 5/1/66. Landed in Da Nang and joined 1st Recon BN in the vicinity of Chu Lai on 5/3/66.

Platoon assigned to division-level reconnaissance and support operations, generally revolving around local pacification and security details, patrolling, and interdiction. Recon activity also frequently involved taking part in large-scale undertakings, such as the relief of 1st Recon BN's "Patrol Team 2" as part of Operation KANSAS on 5/14/66-5/15/66. Operation was concluded successfully; stranded Recon teams were extracted safely. Stone awarded Purple Heart for valor after being wounded in action during the latter engagement. Promoted to Lance Corporal on 6/20/66.

Assignments to regional pacification and "big-unit" pursuit operations along the DMZ until mid-1967. Stone's platoon was frequently used for long-range interdiction and patrol efforts in attempts to smoke out VC and NVA "main force" units, as well as to track and neutralize Ho Chi Minh Trail outposts and route outlets. Due to their perceived combat flexibility, elements of the 1st Recon BN were also frequently used as "fire-brigade units", intended to relieve or reinforce endangered units across the 1st Corps Tactical Zone (I-CTZ), also known as Military Region I.

Recollections of Stone's combat performance during this time almost uniformly positive. Superiors assessed Stone's combat competence and "will to fight" as commendable "even by Recon standards", and noted a natural ability to effectively motivate and lead his fellow troops, even in the intense or unplanned situations that the Battalion frequently encountered. However, Stone was also noted to have a "worrying" antipathy and mistrust towards officers - a trait that frequently got him in trouble with the Lieutenants and Captains who commanded his company and his platoon. His natural combativeness could also occasionally spill over into trouble in off-duty hours, as a string of bans from various local taverns and clubs would attest. No evidence of serious alcohol or drug abuse prompting these issues, leaving their exact psychological roots difficult to deduce.

Stone promoted to Corporal and transferred Stateside for training pending redeployment from 1st Recon to 3rd Force Recon Company on 6/2/67. Assigned to US Special Forces MACV-RECONDO school for parachute and scuba training, in addition to long-range . Both courses completed by 9/1/67, transferred back to 3rd Force Recon at Phu Bai Combat Base by 9/8. Force operations tended to be even smaller in scale and higher-risk than ordinary Battalion ops, with most being set around "KEYSTONE" (IE long-range reconnaissance) or "STINGRAY" (IE long-range search and destroy) templates. Stone's Force patrol given the callsign "BLACK EAGLE". Awarded Bronze Star for Valor on 12/14/67.

Stationed at Phu Bai at the time of the Tet Offensive on 1/31/68. Sergeant commanding Stone's patrol killed in rocket barrage, Stone promoted to Sergeant under fire as a result on 2/1/68. 3rd Force Recon deployed into Hue City with the first counterattack wave on the same day. "BLACK EAGLE" assigned to take part in the assault on the An Cuu bridge in order to cut off potential VC/PAVN reinforcement routes. Bridge was reported secure by midnight on 2/2. Platoon then reassigned to secure the Hue University campus, widely reported to be heavily fortified and defended by VC snipers and sapper teams. Going room-to-room, the campus was cleared with the aid of ARVN armored reinforcements and heavy Marine air support. Stone awarded the Silver Star on 2/10/68 for this action.

3rd Force Recon redeployed out of Hue City on 2/12/68 as part of various counterattack efforts against NVA forces endangering Khe Sanh Combat Base to the west, including Operations PEGASUS and SCOTLAND II, finally concluding with the evacuation of the Khe Sanh base in late June. During this time, the persistent use of the "BLACK EAGLE" callsign gave Stone (now often left to supervise the patrol without officer oversight) and his patrol a considerable degree of notoriety among among the Marines serving in the I-CTZ, and rumors spread that the NVA was specifically assigning bounties on the heads of any "Eagle Marines" confirmed KIA. The patrol was renamed after this.

Despite the offer of NVA gold, Stone's patrol always takes care to maintain best possible relations with Vietnamese civilians. The Sergeant frequently eschews the typical S&D tactics used by Marine patrols in the bush, emphasizing the use of "minimal force" in order to achieve objectives cleanly and with the least collateral damage possible. While this isn't always possible, the results of these rules of engagement are inarguable - as is Stone's ability to convince his own troops of their efficacy. Officers frequently raise objections over low body-counts on patrols, but the missions are always carried out to the letter - and the bodies claimed are well-verified.

Ordinary service resumed after the last vestiges of the NVA's gains during Tet '68 had been wiped out. During this time, Stone and 3rd Force Recon members were periodically assigned to oversee training of the ARVN Marine Division - one of the most elite formations in the RVN armed forces, and one that was deployed only infrequently (due primarily to political concerns). Recon incursions now frequently transnational, delving deep into Laotian and Cambodian territory in an attempt to destroy NVA arms caches and trail routes located there. Hostile contact occasionally reported with Cambodian Khmer communist forces ("Khmer Rouge") as well as Pathet Lao forces.

Promoted to Staff Sergeant on 11/3/69 after conclusion of Operation DEWEY CANYON. Stone awarded Navy Cross 7/15/70 for valor during the Cambodian Incursion for his part in the rescue of the crew of a downed B-66 Destroyer in the vicinity of Dong Ha, bordering the DMZ. Stone's last deep-patrol assignment, part of Operation POLAR CIRCLE, believed to have involved cross-DMZ reconnaissance of the Son Tay prison camp. 3rd Force Recon deactivated and withdrawn from Vietnam on 8/1/70, their role being taken over by ARVN Marine and Ranger detachments - all personnel reassigned to Camp Pendleton pending redeployment. Upon return from leave on 9/7, Stone accepts transfer to MCRD-San Diego as a recruit drill instructor, as well as a promotion to Gunnery Sergeant. Service continued until June 1972, when Gunnery Sergeant Stone's tour of duty was registered as complete without re-enlistment.

Service was resumed in June. Entrance evaluations quoted Stone as saying he wanted to "go back to Vietnam, or the hottest spot there is". Stone was advised to consider applying to the Marine Security Guard Corps, given the general Corps-wide drawdown in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Entrance into and completion of MSG course concluded by 10/1/74, assigned to 36-month tour of duty at the American Embassy in Saigon, RVN.
Tour ongoing.

by **Kouralia** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 5:01 am

Do we get a prize for the first to produce a one-shot?

by **Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 5:34 am

Yeah! Acceptance! Whohoo!

Just wondering, would any of our characters know each other already? Saigon is a big place, but I can imagine a few of our characters having seen each other before.

by **Kouralia** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 5:53 am

Great Confederacy Of Commonwealth States wrote:Yeah! Acceptance! Whohoo!

Just wondering, would any of our characters know each other already? Saigon is a big place, but I can imagine a few of our characters having seen each other before.

Well, your guy is based out of the Embassy so he'd probably be familiar with the funny ol' Passport Control Officer, Leslie Jones, who keeps himself to himself and spends much time out traveling around the city - even with the approaching spectre of war.

by **Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 6:05 am

Kouralia wrote:
Great Confederacy Of Commonwealth States wrote:Yeah! Acceptance! Whohoo!

Just wondering, would any of our characters know each other already? Saigon is a big place, but I can imagine a few of our characters having seen each other before.

Well, your guy is based out of the Embassy so he'd probably be familiar with the funny ol' Passport Control Officer, Leslie Jones, who keeps himself to himself and spends much time out traveling around the city - even with the approaching spectre of war.

"Morning, Jones"

"Morning, lieutenant"

"Weather's nice, aye?"

"T'was better in Buckinghamshire, sir"

"There's a good lad"

by **Kouralia** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 6:21 am

Great Confederacy Of Commonwealth States wrote:
Kouralia wrote:Well, your guy is based out of the Embassy so he'd probably be familiar with the funny ol' Passport Control Officer, Leslie Jones, who keeps himself to himself and spends much time out traveling around the city - even with the approaching spectre of war.

"Morning, Jones"

"Morning, lieutenant"

"Weather's nice, aye?"

"T'was better in Buckinghamshire, sir"

"There's a good lad"

Indeedy-doody.

*Jones potters past with a walking cane and a limp*

Hrm, I already have some one-shots planned... 'Authorised Citizen', 'Axecruciating Pain', 'Cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it', and 'Persona Non Grata'.

by **Morrdh** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 11:43 am

App, it is done.

@GOram; You sneaky English bugger!

by **Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 11:57 am

Morrdh wrote:App, it is done.

@GOram; You sneaky English bugger!

Currently, our little program does feature a lot of Commonwealth citizens...

by **Goram** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 12:07 pm

Morrdh wrote:App, it is done.

@GOram; You sneaky English bugger!

by **Goram** » Sun Jan 03, 2016 2:46 pm

Great Confederacy Of Commonwealth States wrote:
Kouralia wrote:Well, your guy is based out of the Embassy so he'd probably be familiar with the funny ol' Passport Control Officer, Leslie Jones, who keeps himself to himself and spends much time out traveling around the city - even with the approaching spectre of war.

"Morning, Jones"

"Morning, lieutenant"

"Weather's nice, aye?"

"T'was better in Buckinghamshire, sir"

"There's a good lad"

That conversation seems a lot more Yorkshire than Buckinghamshire.

Vietnam '75...When The Levee Breaks (OOC)

Vietnam '75...When The Levee Breaks (OOC)

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