Uncle Mao By Jim Jordan 17 March 2019 Vietnam June 1969, while on a daytime patrol southwest of Danang, our point man signaled the squad that there was a soldier on the trail ahead of us who was reliving himself on the side of that trail. The soldier upon seeing us pulled his pants up and starting running, he had no weapon and he was wearing a green military uniform. We were in pursuit of him, running as fast as we could. That soldier ran into a dried up old rice paddy and upon our arrival into that paddy we observed what looked like a very large old ant hill and we saw at the top of the ant hill, a hatch door being closed by an arm. We knew the soldier was in there. We immediately surveyed the area and then we surrounded that old ant hill. I was squad leader at the time, deciding what to do with the soldier that was in there. All the time listening to the guys in the squad suggesting we just throw hand grenades in and continue on patrol. I knew that soldier was unarmed when we saw him, so I felt in my heart that I could not give the order to destroy that hill. I told our squad that I would try to get him out of that hill. I decided to drop a green smoke grenade in, so being very careful and cautious I crawled up that hill and lifted the hatch just enough; and tossed it in. We waited outside with all weapons pointed at the top of that hill as the smoke was spewing out around that hatch. Then I tossed in a red smoke grenade, and again we waited as the smoke dissipated. The guys kept telling me that we were wasting time and to stop playing around. I was determined to keep trying so I threw in a yellow smoke grenade and again we waited but then the hatch started opening very slowly and all the guys started yelling to watch out because there could be other soldiers in there and there could be grenades coming out. We saw an arm lifting up the hatch and finally the soldier came out gagging and coughing as he rolled down that hill. We stood him up because he could not breathe or stand and we searched for any weapons or any military documents on him. We noticed that he was wearing a Chinese uniform and it seemed to be a officers uniform with no insignias, and he was much taller than most Vietnamese. I reached into his pockets and found a flag of Mao Tse Tung in one pocket and about 50 condoms in another but nothing else and because of the different colored smoke grenades he looked like a tie dye doll. We immediately radioed back to base telling them we have captured a Chinese soldier and we were bringing him back to the 2/1 area and then we destroyed that hill. As we approached the 2/1 Base we noticed all the Marines standing at the Golf Company wire waiting for our arrival and we were all laughing as they jumped up and down, then we handed over the POW and the condoms to Officers from S-2 and then the Officers asked me what the ( #^%*) did I do to him because of the different colors on him; but I never said anything about the Mao Tse Tung flag and when we got back to the hooch I asked each of my Golf 2 Brothers to sign their names. Somewhere in China there is a Veteran Soldier alive and well. After 30 years it was in an old shoe box and I put it in a frame and it has been on my wall ever since. One day as I was looking at it I wondered what would happen to it when I am no longer around. But when I read in our Email Update that our active 2/1 Marines at Camp Pendleton were purchasing an old Quonset hut to be transformed into a NCO club named the Martini Lounge after our 2/1 Brother PFC Gary W. Martini a Fox Company guy who is a Medal of Honor recipient, I decided to try to donate the "Uncle Mao" flag to be placed in The Martini Lounge if they would accept it. Last week I received word from our 2/1 liaison Tim Stanton that the Sgt. Major of 2/1 was very receptive of the Uncle Mao flag signed by (16) 2/1 guys and granted permission for it to be hung in the Martini Lounge amongst other things donated from their older Brothers of 2/1. I look forward to walking into the Lounge when we are there in November and saying Hello to "Uncle Mao". In The Spirit Of Semper Fidelis James Jordan Golf 2/1 jjmj232@aol.com ==== Tim Stanton, our 2/1 Liason told me the Sgt. Major loved the flag and the Commanding Officer looked at it and said "The Chairman" and he loved it too and but they both accepted it with gratitude. Tim also included other donations such as C-rats , a K-bar and another NVA flag he said was captured by our 2/1 guys. I did not sign the Uncle Mao flag at the time of capture...why I don't know. But, after all these years felt it would not appropriate after the fact to sign it. But my name will be on the Donors Name Plate under the Uncle Mao flag at the 2/1 Martini Lounge. ==== Those who signed the Uncle Mao flag from Golf 2 "The Weasel" George Grey ... "Andy" Don Anderson ... Bob Semple ... "Jake" Mike Moore ... "The Bear" Pat Barker ... "The Bull" Lee Bollinger ... "Darty Dee" John M. Doyle ... "Danny Boy" ... "Ski" ... Eddie Rush ... "Les" ... "The Count" Bill Tanguay ... "The Cop" Raymond Otto ... "Chicano" Tomato Villanueva ... "Gum Jobs" Louie Joures ... "Guns" Joe Cortez