Forward observer story

[1Cane]

I was a Project Superintendent on a job at Fort Irwin Ca. My specialty trades was concrete , wood and metal framing. When it came to finish work we hired outside help. Ron was the man we got and he was great at his job. Eventually we got to shooting the bull about our military  experience. He told he had been a forward observer for Navy guns at khe sanh with the marines on a hill near the perimeter. One day he was given orders to call in a strike  and given the coordinates . He told the officer that was his position! He was told you will call in the fire mission, yes sir was his reply. He told the marines and they moved out. The mission was called in and they shot up there old position. No explanation  why the hit there own position was given.   

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[Shuffler]

Interesting..... maybe they had acquired some explosive weaponry from enemy combatants and needed to destroy it. Leaving it at their old position and having the Navy shell it.

[Peabody]

Didn’t know we had naval guns that had ranges in excess of 50 miles in the 60’s or 70’s.

[Maverick]

Yeah the story doesn't pass the smell test.

[Peabody]

In all fairness maybe the FO was at Hue with the marines and the story got botched with the passing of time. In any case my hat is off to all the veterans who served in SEA. 

[1Cane]

i have seen a destroyer  in the river near Sacramento nearly 100 miles from San Fran bay. Both Sacramento and Stockton have deep water ports. I know there was river access near Khe Sanh .  Can a navy man say if we sent a destroyer up any Viet Nam River?

[Peabody]

Fair point. I wasn’t there, your friend was so I’ll defer to him.

[SIM]

This story would be an amazing story if it were true, but I have serious doubts about the use of a multi-million dollar destroyer in a restricted waterway, of changing depth. A monitor or brown water boat may have been able to do the job......A destroyer? doubt it.

[GasTeddy]

Cannot say about this case, but I've read few times about similar incidents, where someone has deliberately asked an artillery or mortar strike to his own position. In one case it was in Afganistan, where Apache was asked to shell the position of British marines, as they were surrounded by Taliban and distance between them was just few meters. It ended well, cons got minced and marines had some minor scratches.