Page 36 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021 - Online Magazine
P. 36
Jerry Morris
Transparent as Glass
by Jane Bromley
They had barely bunkers. The new “homes” felt
deplaned when an secure enough until the monsoons
officer randomly filled them all up with water.
selected soldiers
for a special detail. Jerry was trained as a mechanic,
Private Morris’ so he worked on all kinds of
first job in Vietnam vehicles. He described Vietnam
was to burn as “a strange place. We had
poop. Thankfully, weapons, but we were never
that wasn’t allowed to shoot unless fired
his permanent on, even though we could often
assignment. He was see the Vietcong looking at us.”
transported to Cu- The Tet Offensive was especially
Chi Base Camp. He trying for everyone in Vietnam at
remembers jumping the time. Jerry remembers being
out of the back of the shot at every single morning and
truck and sinking evening during February 1968.
into powdery dust He lost a couple of friends, and
because everything several others caught shrapnel
was so dry. because of that all-out assault.
Ironically, they were
scar Morris, Sr. and his issued condoms to Jerry turned 18 during his year
in Vietnam – not legally allowed
wife, Goldy, had already put on the end of their weapons to
Ostarted their family when prevent rust because, eventually to drink back home in Texas.
Consequently, one of the most
he served his country during and certainly, the incessant rains memorable things for him was
WWII. They eventually had six would come. the beer run once a month. They
children, three of whom also would take a deuce-and-a-half to
became veterans. The youngest The new G.I.s were assigned to Saigon 50 miles away and load
brother, Jerry, was born in 1949, barracks and told that, if they up two pallets of beer (80 cases
during the time Oscar, Sr. was heard incoming rounds, to get per pallet). Beer was 10 cents
farming in East Texas. Shortly under their bunks and pull and Cokes were 25 cents. Either
thereafter, Oscar moved his their mattresses on top of them. was preferable to the potable
family to Wayside, Texas (20 “Needless to say, I spent the first water which hung in 25-gallon
miles east of Happy). Jerry was night trying to sleep under my
12. More athletic than academic, mattress. In the morning, I found
he could often be found running out that all the rounds we’d heard
back and forth to neighboring were outgoing. Eventually, we
farms rather than studying. learned to distinguish incoming
fire from outgoing.”
Not surprisingly, Jerry’s parents
allowed him to drop out of His company was later moved
Claude High School and join the to straw hooches (huts) with
Army. It was 1967, and Uncle plywood floors and later to long
Sam already had plans for the barracks where they dug ditches
17-year-old. Before he knew it, the along each side for when they
teenager was at Fort Bliss for boot needed to take cover. Even later,
camp, then Fort Ord for combat the Army decided it would be a
training. After a 30-day leave, he good idea to have bulldozers dig
was deposited in Saigon. 10-foot-wide 8-foot-deep holes for
36 Amarillo Senior Link
