FIGMO
Đà Nẵng SHORT TIMER!

by, Don Poss
(© Copyright, 2000)
366th Security Police Squadron, K-9, 1966

My FIGMO calendar, with notes scrawled on it.

The "May 6 Never too short" notation at the bottom left corner of the FIGMO above, refers to one heck of a firefight I had while patrolling Đà Nẵng's ammo dump. Sappers tried to penetrate the post for the second time in 1965 and 1966, but failed both times due to K-9. Tom Baker and his K9 Rex foiled the first attempt and alerted the Marines who opened fire. During the second penetration attempt, my dog Blackie alerted--I didn't see a thing it was a dark moonless night--and then the VC started firing! I went through about three magazines in a heart beat. And it was over. The Strike Team was there in about 20 minutes but I told them stay out until I could get Blackie back. He came back with a bloody muzzle. The Strike Team found blood trails and some expended AK47 shells. My K-9 buddy, Gary Eberbach showed up about 10 minutes before the Strike Team (about a hundred yards off his post). After we both DEROSd and were discharged (we both ended our 4 year tours in Nam), I introduced him to his future wife, Rita. They've been married now for 42 years!

Don Poss, 6252 Combat APS; 366th APS, K-9, Đà Nẵng Vietnam, 1965-66

Photo: Viet Cong finally succeeded in blowing up the Đà Nẵng AB Ammo Dump, 1969. You can see the roofs of Security Police hootches and the mushroom cloud a mile west and across the two runways.