This month, there will be a retirement of an Army unit at Fort Benning, Ga., that few will know of or care about. A piece of history will quietly slip away, but to a few people who were part of an event the morning of April 4, 1968, it will never be forgotten.

On that date, Company A, 2/502 Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, moved into the jungle a few miles west of the city of Hue in South Vietnam. The area was saturated by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) having just been repelled from Hue and most of the urban areas following the now-infamousTet Offensive.

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Following a savage all-night firefight, we needed to get two of our more seriously wounded evacuated for medical attention. Even before the sun came up, we called for a Medevac. At first light, Dustoff 65 of the 498 Medical Company, piloted by Lts. Mike Meyers and Ben Knisely with medic Bruce Knipe and crew chief James Richardson, headed for us.

Because we had no landing zone, the evacuation was going to be done using a “jungle penetrator” dropped down from the hovering helicopter and then pulled back up with the wounded tied to it. This was a dangerous mission as the helicopter was a large and noisy target.

Coming in at tree-top level and just before Dustoff 65 reached us, it was hit by a rocket, veered away and crashed at some unknown distance. Although in Vietnam only five weeks, I was assigned to lead a rescue party to see if we could find the downed Medevac and secure the presumably dead crew. Four hours later, we found the now-burned aircraft, and a few minutes after that three of the crew signaled us from under some heavy growth they had crawled in to hide from the NVA, who were also looking for them. They were all badly injured and none could walk.

The crew chief had been sitting where the rocket hit and was blown out of the aircraft. It was several weeks before we found his body.

It took the rest of the day to get the injured crew back to our company's position. It took another three days to bring in a second Medevac to take them – the first two who were injured and several more injured during the continued fighting – back to the rear area for medical attention. It was a total of five days of being constantly wet, covered with muck, eating cold C-rations and unable to sleep because of the ongoing firefights.

It is now difficult to explain those five days. They were not the most remarkable of my Vietnam tour. Few will know of the lousy food, lack of sleep, being scared or being brave.

Most of the world will never know what happened in that jungle or of the brave man from Louisiana who died in an effort to save his fellow soldiers.

The one thing that cannot be changed is that three brave men were saved because a band of mostly teenage soldiers persisted in a dangerous jungle search just to find them. With the retirement of the 498 Medical Company and with Memorial Day approaching, I could not help but think of this event again. I will never forget the compassionate acts of heroism I saw during that mission.

TIM LICKNESS
San Diego

Israel and the bomb

Regarding “The untold story of Israel's bomb” (Insight, May 7):

Thank you for a careful, unemotional explanation of Israel's unchallenged nuclear capability. Forty years. Seems they've handled it pretty well, so far, even with the provocation of the war in 1973.

The same lack of transparency may not be tolerated today, but the private meeting between President Nixon and Golda Meir affects current policy based on mutual trust. Maybe, just maybe, not all countries who have weapons of mass destruction are bent on using them unless they have to. Think Switzerland with an army that doesn't wage war. India is a case in point; as prime minister, I would surely be looking to Pakistan to assess potential threats and plan accordingly, but that doesn't mean anticipating attacks.

In the cases of Iran and North Korea, my mother taught me that just showing a bit of respect can often turn the tide in your direction and defuse explosive situations.

LEE BOTSFORD
Del Mar

Urging the president to set a deadline

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“Deadlines are important. Deadlines help people understand there's finality, and people need to get after it, you know?” So said President Bush in speaking to senior citizens regarding the deadline for the Medicare prescription drug plan.

More and more of us would like to see Bush take his own advice and set a deadline for the bickering factions in Iraq to “understand there's finality” and to “get after it” and for us to stop sacrificing our own people and resources to their petty tribal differences and to our own selfish economic interests in the region. Or do deadlines only apply to the American people and not to our leaders?

Perhaps once we stop sacrificing a major portion of our economy into that bottomless quagmire, we can afford to offer our senior citizens a prescription drug plan that really meets their needs and at the same time stop mortgaging the future of our younger citizens.

BOB SHERMAN
University Heights

It is time we Americans hear what is really going on in Iraq. To think our leaders decided to occupy a country that never asked us for help and now refuse to leave because it can't make it without us is ludicrous.

For those who don't feel a twinge of conscience about killing innocent civilians, how about feeling sorry for us poor taxpayers who are stuck paying for an occupation that doesn't have the hearts and minds of the people we purport to protect? What is wrong with this picture? I say support our troops and prevent the deaths of more innocent Iraqi civilians by getting out as soon as we safely can. Otherwise, we better get some big shovels to dig ourselves out of this hole.

DONNA STAGGS
La Mesa

'One corporation gets many politicians'

Big corporations funnel billions into the American political duopoly known as Republicans and Democrats (Republicrats). Though the years, corporations have been rewarded with pork-barrel legislation, huge tax breaks, easing of environmental responsibilities, minimal financial oversight and favorable constitutional interpretations.

Meanwhile, private citizens without political influence get increasing intrusions into our personal privacy and rights, a dysfunctional education system to cultivate our children, “deferred maintenance” choking vital infrastructure across the country, gerrymandered voting districts designed for career politicians and a 24/7 media that are allowed to bombard our senses with sex, drugs and violence. Look at the hypocrisy. We loosen laws to allow corporations like Coors and Pfizer to hype their drugs to millions of teenagers watching a baseball game on TV, while tightening laws to send federal law enforcement officials after cancer victims smoking a joint in the privacy of their own home.

One person gets one vote, and zero impact on government. One corporation gets many politicians, and many opportunities to craft earmarks and other favorable laws.

Hopes were high that the Randy Cunningham and Jack Abramoff scandals would promote real change, but history has shown politicians will give the issue lip service until the furor dies down, then pass watered-down legislation that the corrupt D.C. corporate culture can run circles around.

SHAUN McLAURIN
Carlsbad

Difficult times for city's public safety

As a firefighter/paramedic, I am saddened at the negative publicity we as firefighters have gotten in the past few months.

Firefighters take great pride in the fact that they will place their lives on the line to save someone else's life. We strive to provide the best service we can with the tools that we have.

In October 2003, San Diego had the biggest fire in its history, and it took every firefighter we had to battle the blaze. That still wasn't enough.

Now we hear about wanting to make cutbacks and that we are overpaid? After the fire, everyone was clearly aware of the fact that the Fire Department was understaffed and now less than three years later we are hearing of cutbacks.

What do you think will happen when the big earthquake hits, or when one of our high-rise buildings catches fire, and we only have four fire stations downtown? What if we have a terrorist incident?

These are all things the public needs to look at and remind itself that public safety should be No. 1. Firefighters not only fight fires, but we also take on a large role as emergency first responders on thousands of medical calls every year. As firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, we respond to gunshot wounds, stabbings, cardiac arrest, childbirths, non-breathers, and the list goes on. When it comes to those kinds of calls, seconds matter, and when it's your loved one seconds seem like hours.

We are placed in extremely stressful situations on a daily basis, and we do it on a 24-hour schedule, oftentimes not getting any sleep. At the end of the day, we go home with a smile on our face because we know that we were able to make a difference in someone's life.

I know that the city of San Diego is faced with some very difficult problems, but public safety should be the last resort for making cuts. The city has grown tremendously in recent years and fire protection has not grown with it. This means we are finding it more difficult to provide the highest level of service to the community during emergency situations, as was demonstrated during the Cedar fire.

Let's not loose focus of what is important in “Americas Finest City.” I would personally like to thank all of the people who provide support to public safety. I know that every firefighter, EMT, paramedic, police officer and lifeguard truly appreciates your support during such tough times. Thank you!

MATT MOE
San Diego

As an acting sergeant with the San Diego Police Department, with 28 years of experience in law enforcement, I can report that from July 2005 to May 2006, 53 sworn officers have left our department for other law enforcement jobs. Those who left took nearly 450 years of law enforcement experience with them.

City leaders have said it costs the taxpayers nearly $500,000 to fully train a cop to “journeyman level.” Ladies and gentlemen, you just watched $26 million walk out the door and nothing to show for it.

Today, between 30 and 40 more experienced officers have submitted applications to go to other agencies. That's another $15 million to $20 million out the door. Can we really continue to afford this along with all the other city problems?

With $10 million in so-called extra dollars for the city's budget, if the City Council and mayor decided to do nothing to stop the mass exodus of sworn officers, their true intentions will finally come into focus: Let experienced sworn staff leave and reduce the costs by paying lower salaries to inexperienced employees. Eliminate their defined benefits plan to reduce the pension liabilities, all to shore up the city's general fund from years of mismanagement.

All of this of course while they continue to shout that “the public's safety is our No. 1 concern.” It's time to stop this charade before someone from your family or mine gets hurt.

ROBERT DAVIS
San Diego

As a wife of a police officer, Scott Johnston, I am truly wary and weary of the understaffing.

My husband began his career 28 ½ years ago. He was awarded the first Purple Heart for rescuing two officers downed by gang members in Logan Heights. He was shot through the leg. The second shot misfired at his head.

The gang member who shot my husband got 22 months after pleading he was an important part to raising his 10 children. The gang he belongs to is associated with drugs.

Sometimes it seems judges handing down weak sentences contribute to the problem. My husband continues to focus on helping people. But it is truly a concern for him, and fellow officers, when they have to go to a call without the mandated backup – because there is no backup.

Why should my husband, or any officer, be in jeopardy when standard procedure dictates backup for basic safety reasons? And why should some stay? The pay is low here. It's 30 percent higher in Orange County and other places for the same job.

Mayor Jerry Sanders apparently believes public safety has not been jeopardized ... so why is less than standard deemed acceptable?

MARGO SCHWAB
La Jolla