Dennis Michael Close “Mike”
Army 1965-1969
Mike was born April 5, 1945 and is originally from a very small town of 300 people in California called Kettleman City, in the San Joaquin Valley. Mike has lived in Forest Park since 1992. In the U.S. Army between 1965-1969. He served in both Vietnam and Germany. Mike was drafted during the Vietnam years and took his basic training at Fort Hood, TX. Following basic training, Mike was sent to Fort Rucker, Alabama for Advanced Individual Training (AIT) in aircraft mechanics. Following his AIT training, Mike was sent to Da Nang, Vietnam to a non-combat unit. He was 21 years old at that time. When he got to Vietnam, Mike received weapon training on the 50 caliber machine gun and M60 and functioned as a perimeter guard around an air base where he was also assigned to work as an aircraft mechanic. Mike’s unit worked with the Marines who preserved their safety during jungle warfare, sniper fire and numerous fire-fights. He also served as an assistant gunner in the guard tower to keep Viet Cong from overrunning the base. Although Mike was not trained as a medic, he assisted in removing severely wounded Marines from downed aircrafts to prepare them to be sent to the nearby Navy hospital. Mike experienced first-hand moving through warfare tunnel systems, watching USO troupes shot down in helicopters, burning parachutes of fallen soldiers, and a woman giving birth during battle. Mike speaks very openly about the serious effects of PTSD and how, at the time, there was limited understanding of the emotional issues many who served in Vietnam suffered long after their return to the U.S. After serving one year in Vietnam, Mike re-enlisted and spent the remainder of his time in Germany where he belonged to an artillery unit. He was both a clerk keeping artillery records and an aircraft mechanic. Mike is a member of the American Legion, the AMVETS, and has more recently started getting in contact with other veterans who served in his unit via social media. Mike proudly wears his 220 Catkillers cap to show solidarity with those who have given military service.
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★ Mike served in the U.S. Army between 1965-1969. |
Danang South Vietnam
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★ Following AIT training, Mike was sent to Da Nang to a non-combat unit as an aircraft mechanic |
220th aviation company “catkillers”
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★ Mike was assigned to 220th Aviation Company as an SP4, Aircraft Mechanic and Supply Clerk
★ Catkiller Nicknames are “Guardians of the DMZ,” “Eyes of the I Corps” ★ They served as “Eyes” for the guns in the south ★ Catkillers flew over 850 missions per month locating the enemy and calling in the fire power to complete the job ★ Unit was heavily supported by the Marines “We were an Army aviation unit and we spotted artillery for the Marines.“ |
Weapons Training
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Mike received weapons training on the 50-caliber machine gun and M60
He functioned as a perimeter guard around an air base where he was assigned to work as an aircraft mechanic. |
“I had to know the 50-caliber machine gun inside and out. I also had to know the M60 inside and out.” |
Assistant Gunner
Mike-upper row left
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★ Mike’s unit worked with the Marines who worked to preserve their safety during jungle warfare, sniper fire and numerous fire-fights.
★ He also served as an assistant gunner in the guard tower to keep Viet Cong from over-running the air base “When we’d get mortared, I’d go up and try to get to the tower, and this might sound odd, but once I was in the tower, I felt pretty safe because I knew that the VC were trying to mortar the planes and the equipment, or maybe a bunker. But I knew if they were going to knock down the tower, they were going to try and overrun the base. And I knew there weren’t enough of them to overrun the base.” |
Medic on the tarmac
★ Being an aircraft mechanic, Mike was not trained as a medic
★ He assisted in removing severely wounded Marines on the tarmac from downed aircrafts
★ He prepared the wounded to be sent to the nearby Navy hospital.
Mike recalls his dilemma in deciding who to prep first for the hospital:
★ He assisted in removing severely wounded Marines on the tarmac from downed aircrafts
★ He prepared the wounded to be sent to the nearby Navy hospital.
Mike recalls his dilemma in deciding who to prep first for the hospital:
“You bring in these guys, and I’m not a medic which is Army and I’m not a corpsman which is Navy. Some wounds are not life threatening but they’re extremely painful and you hear this person crying out in pain and someone next to him is actually bleeding-out, he’s numb, he can’t say anything! And you don’t know if you made the right pick or not!!
Tunnel Systems
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★ Extensive tunnel systems were dug by Viet Cong to combat better-supplied American and South Vietnamese forces
★ Mike experienced first-hand moving through warfare tunnel systems “I was about 5’10” and my friend was about 6’1” and these tunnels were made for people about 5’6” at most, but the both of us were the skinniest so I got to go in! |
Chaos of Friendly Fire
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★ An order came from the Marine Observer to fly up and spot VC for the Marines.
★ Mike joined the pilot and crew chief with his 45 in hand as the door gunner ★ The crew flew down to about 40 feet to get the Viet Cong to shoot at them in order to identify VC location ★ Sometimes VC would not shoot back in order not to give themselves away. |
“.........So we’d try to pretend like we knew where they were and every once in awhile we were lucky. Observers knew there was some movement or action, so they sent out a mess of Marines to check it out. Now we’re in the air and the Marines are on the ground, but nobody told us they sent Marines, and nobody told the Marines they sent us. We saw movement while we were flying around trying to figure out who it is. Now I’m with my 45 up there trying to scare up whatever is out there, AND THERE WERE THE MARINES!! WE WERE SHOOTING AT FRIENDLY PEOPLE! No,nobody got hurt, but you know, that’s the way it screws up sometimes. And, one Marine finally jumped out in the open and started waving his hands like, “We’re out here!”
Death Ritual
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“ I dug a hole and poured some diesel on it and threw his chute in there. Well, first I tried to clean it up because I wanted to send it to his family. I cleaned it up as best as I could to send it to his family, but I was told, “no, burn it!” |
★ Mike had a friend who was a lieutenant up for promotion to captain.
★ He was shot down and killed as a round went up through his back and through his head which exploded from the force
★ Mike was asked to burn his parachute
★ He was shot down and killed as a round went up through his back and through his head which exploded from the force
★ Mike was asked to burn his parachute
“When I went to burn his chute, I dug a hole and threw some diesel on it, but the Vietnamese were there reaching for his pens, and pencils, and the pilots had their little maps. I kept trying to shove them away-just leave him alone! Finally, I got pissed........ I had a 45 and let off a round as this guy was reaching for something on my friend. The round hit the dirt and a whole mess of chars came up and messed up his hand real bad. Then they finally got the hint. I just wanted to burn the chute alone.”
Comic Relief
New Life Amidst Death |
“ It was just shingled with these things and there were so many you would have to pick up one to look at the other one underneath! They had some kind of a rule that you couldn’t have one within 18” of a family picture, but every available space had these foldouts AND....” |
★ A firefight broke out at a distance away from where Mike was standing on high ground
★ Down below was a rice patty where there was a pumping station made of bricks
★ Civilians were hiding behind the pumping station to hide from the flying rounds
★ RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIREFIGHT, A WOMAN WENT INTO LABOR!
★ Down below was a rice patty where there was a pumping station made of bricks
★ Civilians were hiding behind the pumping station to hide from the flying rounds
★ RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIREFIGHT, A WOMAN WENT INTO LABOR!
After Vietnam
★ Following his Vietnam tour, Mike was sent to Germany
★ He belonged to an artillery unit
★ Similar to his job in Vietnam, Mike was both a mechanic and a clerk keeping records of artillery and rounds
★ Although there was no battle in Germany, Mike struggled with his own battle inside
★ He was suffering psychological symptoms that today are identified as PTSD
Reconciling The Past
“Yeah but, in Vietnam my biggest thing that really got to me more than anything was pulling the Marines, the wounded Marines out of the planes.....What’s odd is after I got out.....my cousin was in the Marines at the same time I was. He had a friend who lost a hand and his friend told him.... “If it wasn’t for your cousin, I’d be dead!” And for a long time I’d have nightmares about bringing in the wounded Marines. For a long time I’d have nightmares about pulling in the stretchers. Those nightmares went on for 10-12 years. And then at a reunion I saw my cousin for the first time since the both of us went into the military. It dawned on me that in the nightmares, I was looking for my cousin.” |
“When it comes to trauma, the biggest thing was the actual combat, I’ve been shot at a few times, I said there was this one firefight that lasted about an hour and that was pretty horrendous.” “But another thing too, I was just scared of doing the wrong thing, of freezing. You don’t want to let the guy next to you down-you just don’t. |
Keeping Ties With Other Veterans
★ Mike is a member of the Forest Park American Legion and AMVETS
★ He communicates by phone with a member of his unit who lives in California
★ They do not remember each other, but remember events
★ They talk about their kids, jobs they had, and things that are important to both of them
★ Mike is actively seeking others from his unit on Facebook
★ Today, Mike proudly wears his Catkillers cap in public
★ He communicates by phone with a member of his unit who lives in California
★ They do not remember each other, but remember events
★ They talk about their kids, jobs they had, and things that are important to both of them
★ Mike is actively seeking others from his unit on Facebook
★ Today, Mike proudly wears his Catkillers cap in public
Message To Those Considering The Military
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“If young people today wanted to join the military, I’d tell them to get as much information as they can about the situation of the world, get as much information as they can about the branches of service, so that they can make a decision that would suit them better.” |
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Full Interview - Transcript
| Mike Close-Transcript.pdf |
Interviewing, research, writing and design by Nancy Cavaretta