A post in the SOG vet’s Facebook group recently asked what precautions they took at night when back on the FOBs.

I’m reading some info on the sapper attacks and what weapons were used in the camps so that Americans wouldn’t be mistaken for Sappers in the wire. Did you guys sleep with your weapons out and ready to rock, or did guys sleep with y’all’s Brownings under your pillow or did you have time to have it on the table and jump up and start fighting?

-“Never wore socks or underwear in Vietnam. Feet did well and often slept in boots if not wet.”

-“CAR-15 hanging on wall chambered & ready to go. I could grab it and fire from bed if necessary or roll on to floor. Never sit up in bed. That would put head above sandbags. Several people killed that way at CCN. 22 pistol under pillow and .45 1911A1 on nightstand. My “loaded” ready to go LBE on floor under edge of bed. Slept with OD t-shirt, jungle fatigue pants and jungle boots on. You are not paranoid if there really are people trying to kill you.”

-“my weapon was on the wall right next to me charged and ready to go.”

-“I couldn’t sleep in my boots. Feet needed time to clear up during stand down. Issue wool socks were pretty thick. 45 under pillow, CAR ready to grab.

-“Slept with Car-15 on the wall & LBE ready. The camp ( CCN ) wasn’t hit in ’70 but LTC Cole pulled some alerts & you had to wear a helmet to be identified as friendly. That was the only time I wore a helmet in RVN except for the Bucko helmets, jumping wind dummy for VN airborne class at Long Tahn.”

-“Slept with my Browning in my bed…”

-“Well in one project we got hit and a guy was on the perimeter quickly; nekkid, one flip flop, an M-16 and a couple bandoleers with magazines in them. Sometimes it can be a come as you are party. Of course he was also very white and about 6’ 2”

-“I’m known as “PJ” Coulter. One evening I picked up a Colonel at the Da Nang Airbase who came up from Nha Trang. Not quite settled in, rockets started going overhead and was aimed for the airbase. The Colonel went across the back of the compound, and I told him to come my way. He looked down at me and said, what are you wearing? I said, pajamas……..He said, PJ’s?……Yes Sir. My SF Life Membership card, has, Charles PJ Coulter on it as does my Life and Century Membership card from the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare/Special Forces Branch Memorial Museum Association. Jimmy Dean at National made sure PJ was added to my card. I always had a weapon close at hand when sleeping.”