Comments:
0331 Fox 2/1 Oct `67 - April 8, `68 2nd plt, 2 charlie It`s Dec. `67 at Con Thein and it`s time for "Doc" Shultz to go home, but he doesn`t want to go, say`s we need him to take care of us. We all agree of course but we also want him to see L`Anse Michigan again. He stalls for a month and then he must go. One chopper a day between rounds, and we make sure he`s on it. We already wonder who could take care of us like he did? In a few day`s we see the one a day chopper come in. A few moments later this really skinny, pale, kid comes to our bunker. He`s wearing glasses, and brand new clean utilities. He says` I`m Allen Groshong, and I`m you new corpsman. We just looked at each other! First thing, there aint gonna be no "Doc Groshong" It has to be "Doc Allen" so we can scream it easily! Listen this guy fell in with us like he had been there all along. We all new he really should have been a Marine, but thanked god he wasn`t, his sense of humor was rally a breath of fresh air. Soon it was like he`d been there all along, he was one of us for sure. He and I became best friends. We talked about home alot, and I knew all about him and how close he was to his sister Sara. And I told him all about the Midwest. We`ve been here 93 day`s and suddenly we`re told to saddle up, we`re going to someplace called Khe Sanh. We just knew it couldn`t be any worse than Con Thein. By April 7 we had climbed and fought our way up and down every mountain from Ca Lu to almost within sight of Khe Sanh. We had never seen so many NVA! That afternoon we got the call to get ready to be picked up by the 1st Cav. They put us down in a hot LZ of course. As we moved from the elelphant gras into the canopy, we walked into a NVA base camp with the fires still going and gear all over the place. We followed them to the top of the mountain and found ourselves in a B52 crater overlooking a small valley that was full of bunkers. It was our turn to go and we had a real bad feeling. When we got to the bottom, there were bunkers and tunnels everywhere. Allen was right behind me. This Nva stood up right in front of us and threw a granade right a out feet. It went off and all hell broke loose. Allen and I were hit and lost contact with the squad. I was on my back he was kneeling next tp me on my right side, telling me I was going to be ok.I couldn`t here a thing! I looked over and 10ft away at the entrance to a tunnel was ha huge rusty mine with wires in the top. Before I could react it went off. We were throiwn through the air about 50ft. we landed together I was screaming and he was silent. He still had his glasses on, but he had absorbed most of the blast. He just looked at me with that stare and died in less than 5 mins. Allen saved my life. It took 34 months in the hospita, and 20 years more to contact his family. We are close now and talk often. He Recieved the silver star, and they named a new dorm at Newport News after him (his home town). On June 9 2/1 had 22 kia and on May 19 had 33 kia. I know that Allen mounded them as much as I did. I go see all of them at the wall. I can see their 18-19 year old faces as clear as yesterday, and I love them all.

Comments:
0331 Fox 2/1 Oct `67 - April 8, `68 2nd plt, 2 charlie It`s Dec. `67 at Con Thein and it`s time for "Doc" Shultz to go home, but he doesn`t want to go, say`s we need him to take care of us. We all agree of course but we also want him to see L`Anse Michigan again. He stalls for a month and then he must go. One chopper a day between rounds, and we make sure he`s on it. We already wonder who could take care of us like he did? In a few day`s we see the one a day chopper come in. A few moments later this really skinny, pale, kid comes to our bunker. He`s wearing glasses, and brand new clean utilities. He says` I`m Allen Groshong, and I`m you new corpsman. We just looked at each other! First thing, there aint gonna be no "Doc Groshong" It has to be "Doc Allen" so we can scream it easily! Listen this guy fell in with us like he had been there all along. We all new he really should have been a Marine, but thanked god he wasn`t, his sense of humor was rally a breath of fresh air. Soon it was like he`d been there all along, he was one of us for sure. He and I became best friends. We talked about home alot, and I knew all about him and how close he was to his sister Sara. And I told him all about the Midwest. We`ve been here 93 day`s and suddenly we`re told to saddle up, we`re going to someplace called Khe Sanh. We just knew it couldn`t be any worse than Con Thein. By April 7 we had climbed and fought our way up and down every mountain from Ca Lu to almost within sight of Khe Sanh. We had never seen so many NVA! That afternoon we got the call to get ready to be picked up by the 1st Cav. They put us down in a hot LZ of course. As we moved from the elelphant gras into the canopy, we walked into a NVA base camp with the fires still going and gear all over the place. We followed them to the top of the mountain and found ourselves in a B52 crater overlooking a small valley that was full of bunkers. It was our turn to go and we had a real bad feeling. When we got to the bottom, there were bunkers and tunnels everywhere. Allen was right behind me. This Nva stood up right in front of us and threw a granade right a out feet. It went off and all hell broke loose. Allen and I were hit and lost contact with the squad. I was on my back he was kneeling next tp me on my right side, telling me I was going to be ok.I couldn`t here a thing! I looked over and 10ft away at the entrance to a tunnel was ha huge rusty mine with wires in the top. Before I could react it went off. We were throiwn through the air about 50ft. we landed together I was screaming and he was silent. He still had his glasses on, but he had absorbed most of the blast. He just looked at me with that stare and died in less than 5 mins. Allen saved my life. It took 34 months in the hospita, and 20 years more to contact his family. We are close now and talk often. He Recieved the silver star, and they named a new dorm at Newport News after him (his home town). On June 9 2/1 had 22 kia and on May 19 had 33 kia. I know that Allen mounded them as much as I did. I go see all of them at the wall. I can see their 18-19 year old faces as clear as yesterday, and I love them all.