Article that my Dad is mentioned in...

Here is the article that my Dad is mentioned in. It is so crazy to think that this story is really about MY Dad. Anyways....just thought I would share.

PANTHERS MEET DEAD GUY IN SAN ANTONIO WHAT A GREAT REUNION! Perfect blend of events and free time. Kudos to Dana and his Reunion Committee for the planning and execution of the Reunion and the EC for their strong financial control of it. Well done all. The Panther STICKITT INN was outstanding this year. As usual we rented a Suite, stocked it with beer, wine and camaraderie. Thirty six of us attended this year bringing another 75-100 family members and guests along for the fun. The Suite was electric every night., especially Saturday evening. We had invited John Plaster, a Vietnam veteran with three continuous tours in SOG; also a noted author, Vietnam lecturer, TV commentator, international traveler and bum; to attend as our guest and speak at the Historical Presentation Forum. TWICE! We also invited all the SOG Recon guys living in Texas and the surrounding states to attend. Ten joined us at the Banquet. What a rush. After the Banquet we went upstairs to the STICKITT INN. Must have been over 75 people there including two prisoners of war talking about their trip up the Ho Chi Minh Trail, SOG Team leaders discussing missions with the actual pilots that inserted and extracted them, Woody behind the bar discussing trips to Bangkok with Lash and John and Fearless recalling the battle of Tanh Canh. What a rush. I just sat back and enjoyed the camaraderie that the VHPA Reunion provided for me. And we also met a DEAD GUY. Jim/Fred Morse ( his name is Jim but he was known as Fred in the Army so I call him Jim/Fred ) was a SSGT One Zero ( Team leader) for RT Alabama. He was on his last mission across the border before going home. His team was on a mission to locate and tap a commo wire. As he was applying the tap, his team was assaulted by a platoon size NVA unit firing AK's and B4 rockets. One exploded at Jim/Fred's feet putting numerous holes in his head, face, shoulders, arms and torso. He fell back. His team members, all also wounded and bleeding, took one look at his body, all bloody and mangled, knew he could not have survived the blast so close and, close to being overrun by a mush larger force themselves, declared a PRAIRIE FIRE and started to evade. The NVA overran the position, looked at Jim/Fred, assumed he was dead from looking at his body, all bloody and mangled, and took off after the fleeing recon team. There were emery to kill and possibly capture. Anyway,they could pick up Jim/Fred's body on their way back. Jim/Fred heard buzzing as he came to. He couldn't see. He raised up on his knees and wiped his eyes. They were cover in blood. He tied a bandana across his forehead to partially stop the bleeding. He heard AK fire in one direction so he decided to go the opposite direction. Weak from loss of blood and his wounds he decided to follow a trail about 100 meters where he collapsed from exhaustion in a small clearing with a small break in the overhead foliage. He hoped a passing aircraft might spot him. He knew he couldn't make it out on his own. Again he heard the buzzing and looked up ad Covey, the AF 0-2 C&C aircraft passed overhead. This gave him the adrenaline rush to pull out a pin flare gun an old SOG friend, Allyn Waggle, had given him right before the mission due to premonition Allyn had that Jim/Fred would need it. He fired a pin flare up through the small hole in hopes Covey would see it. Up above, John Plaster asked his pilot if he also saw the red pin flare. Just to be sure he asked the pilot to wiggle his wings. He called White Lead, a 170th Bikini ship, and asked if he had seen the pin flare. About that time Jim/Fred fired a second pin flare. "Wait one" called White Lead. He came down and hovered over the the spot where the pin flare had come through the hole in the trees. Roger Plasticman, we got him." The Huey couldn't land so the crew dropped an extraction harness down. Using the last of his strength Jim/Fred snapped in and the Huey slowly pulled him up as the NVA opened fire. Covey flew passed Jim/Fred as he dangled 100 feet below the Huey. As he neared Dak To guys could see the blood on his uniform, his eyes rolled back in his head, his teeth chattered and his ashen look from loss of blood. There was no pulse, no way he would survive. Loaded into another Huey he was rushed to the 71st Evac Hospital where he went into a coma. He was near death for several days. When he finally awoke he saw the prettiest butt he had ever seen bending over another patient. He thought if he had died at least he had gone to Heaven. Well, he survived. Took several years of surgery and therapy, though. He owns a ranch near Ft hood. Listening to his tale and knowing the Panthers were involved in saving him. What a rush.