The Marine Corps Years
Rick Swan

Hill 37 / Danang, 1st Radio Bn.
Feb 70 - Jul 70

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Updated Jun 13, 2003
Bob Hrisoulis Sgt Bob Hrisoulis ("Greek"), center, RIP. Read Tim Lundberg's story of Greek's last day.
Bronze Star
Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Purple Heart
Hill 37 1st Radio Bn unit headquarters under construction.
Can you identify anyone in this close up?
360 degree view around Hill 37. Former Hill 37er's - can you find your hooch?


So now we were in for it.  We left the rockets of Dong Ha behind in return for mortars and rifle fire close in from Dai Loc Village.

Memories from here:
The Lord smiled on us and placed us at an Engineering company which cleared the roads of mines every morning, gave us hot water, and placed us on the side of the hill away from Dai Loc Village - where the fire fights came from at night.

Sgt Bob Hrisoulis, "Greek", had the biggest and most constant smile of anyone I ever met.  Six months after I left RVN and 14 days before he was to leave, he volunteered to go on a patrol as radioman out to Charlie Ridge (SW of Hill 37).  His helicopter was shot down and everyone aboard died.  Bob made life funny, interesting, and amusing.  I have visited The Wall sixteen times since it opened and always make time to run my fingers over his etched name and let my own tears go. I will always miss him.

Memorium, clipped from a Detroit paper, "A BRONZE STAR presentation was made July 1 to the family of Sgt Robert Hrisoulis, who died in Vietnam during January, 1971. Left to right at the presentation areSgt. Tim Lundberg, USMC, 2nd Radio Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC; Mrs. Helen Hrisoulis, George Hrisoulis, Gr. Hrisoulis, Jr., and Capt. Patrick Anthony Paccarino, USMC, I & I, Staff Office, Detroit. Robert Hrisoulis, 20, died in Vietnam 14 days before he was scheduled to leave Vietnam after serving an extended term."

Clicking hundreds of "great" jet attack photos with my new Japanese camera.  Invariably the photos came back with some tiny blur (that would be the jet) far in the distance.

Taking one of our two ARVN interpreters, Zan, by CH-46 SeaKnight helicopter with two Cobra sidekicks on a night time medevac because the local corpsman though he might have spinal meningitis.  Turned out to be untrue;  just a local remedy for a cold which bruised blood vessels over his ribs.

After listening to Gen. Vo Nguyen Gap (supreme NVA General) command many others to attack units around us, we had him located FOR SURE at a set of coordinates. Thousands of barrels of diesel fuel drippings were dropped over a single square mile by UH-34 Sikorsky helicopters.  Jets came in and set fire to it all.  The General kept transmitting the entire time.  We expect tunnels protected him deep under ground but will never know for sure.

People I have found:  Lewis Beck, Tim Lundberg, John Heikkila

People I want to find: Everyone with whom I shared Hill 37, and especially anyone who spent last 3 months with Bob Hrisoulis.

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