European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 19, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Fog 0 the stars and stripes Friday july 19, not All Are John Wayne marines anymore the pro i i i honest in battle9 editor s note Marine capt. Tom Eagan has been a combat officer in Vietnam for24 months a rare achievement when determination is squared with danger. He likes his Job and does it Well. He s one of relatively Small group generally referred to As the pro he talked to unassociated press reporter As his men prepared to leave he Sanh. A by John Lengel Khe Sanh Vietnam a alter Boring hours on the Trail perspiration Blacken the men Jungle fatigues. Sweat soaks the White cigarette paper Gray be tween a Man s lips. Everyone flops Flat to rest the instant the Point Man stops to investigate another danger , an enemy Claymore mine splits the silence. The sickening pop Roar of enemy infantry Wea Pons spits your Way every common moment in Vietnam the sounds Register crisper than Ever. The eyes perceive every Leaf Vine and face in Brillian Relief. The smells Are Sharp and rapidly identified. Tom Eagen is at Home during these moments. Few will say it but Many look for this test facet move on. Eagen the professional has stayed. His Type is indispensable allies discuss Bonn s ties to West Berlin Washington a the United states Britain and France Are quietly discussing with Germany the future status of the Bonn government s relations with West Berlin. The delicate Issue was put on the Agenda of the ambassadorial group a permanent body con sisting of the envoys of the three Western Powers and state Secretary Karl Duckwitz to assess the practical consequences feast German regulations affecting traffic on Overland routes connecting Berlin with the ambassadorial group sit Ting in Bonn is expected to at tempt to forecast the probability of further communist harass ment and attempts to gain control Over traffic with West Ber Lin. The group also should deter mine How far the West German government May go in main Taining its ties with the communist encircled City without jeopardizing West Berlin s Spe Cial status officials said. To any army. He is a pro who sees his three purple hearts As knows exactly what to do. He knows his men what they want to do How far they can be led How far they can be pushed. He knows textbook a Nevers have a Way of evaporating in circumstances. The enemy cannot always be flanked. It s not enough to charge and expect to carry the Day. During the moment the Battle he has to keep his wits trying to decipher the seeming chaos for the enemy s pressure Points. Of Man is he Good in the Bush says pfc. Ronald hol land one of Eagen s men in Echo company 2nd battalion 1st greatest thrill is a fire fight Eagen says. It s like starting your first football game 1,000 times Over. Contact wit the enemy is the end of your frustration. Whether it s wort hit or not All melts away. In a firefight i be seen the highest forms of anger Devo Tion and generosity. Everything is very honest. If a Man is humane at heart it show. If he selfish it s right there to see. I be seen 220-Pounders who did t want to get up get up with two grenades an take out a machine gun. Every Man you lose puts a scar on your conscience. It use to break me up bad every time. Now i Don t show it la be a time when it s Over and i can cry for All of them at once. When an assault is Over it quiet All of a sudden you know. You Are overcome with physical weariness and revulsion which is probably a reaction fro being put through the Eagen 25, single son of meat packing employee Calls Home 172 Grayson place Tea neck . He went to Middle town . Township High school and graduated from Muhlenberg College Allentown a. He always wanted to be a sol Dier. He was a boy scout. It seems to him he spent most of his time tramping in the Woods fishing Hunting and Reading a lot about War. He liked guns Bow Sand arrows and made a Cannon once out of a Lead College he got average Marks for his indifference to everything but history and Politi Cal had heard a lot of War stories from friends of the family. The Marine stories seemed Best told. He tried to quit col lege but a crusty old gunnery sergeant Recruiter turned him Down. Finish school first the Gunny said and be an officer. This impressed Eagen because the Recruiter had a quota to fill. So Eagen joined a Marine re serve unit at Freemansburg a. That was great. All kinds of people were in it lawyers and steel workers. Everyone would help each wide shouldered six feet tall,185 pounds a Brush Cut framing his face heavy smoker always ready to argue any Point trained the Best the corps knowhow Eagen came to Vietnam in april 1966."if i did the things now i did then i d be dead. Nearly Ever new lieutenant feels he has to prove himself to his d walk through a mine Field to get a casualty s Rifle be firs Down to Check out a Tunnel. First on the assault. I d try an close to move toward the con tact. South of a Nan where we were at the time there were a lot of always knew where we could get Contact. Real simple stuff three guerrillas in a Little Triangle i be got More patience. We try and outman Euver him with air strikes Ana artillery. I Don t expect every one to be a John Wayne Marine All his action Eagen re members two one he and four other marines in a boat were caught by guerrillas firing from the Riv a new Alt rep Pray la bi7� 741, tale w1i4ws, now York eff Cai 41 a sch i York 100m, Tell Jarw Cal Tea Iii fam thu it he u1 Haw Yorki ,
