James Neeley comments:
James Neeley & George Davey at what's left of the bell tower at La Vang (now famous as a site where the Virgin Mary has appeared several times since 1798)
James did "OP" (observation post) from the top of the bell tower at night; George who was in a different platoon, led patrols past the nearby statues of the Stations of the Cross. We did not know each other at that time but served there at the same time.
While visiting there in April a man approached our tour guide, asking to be introduced to us. He had been a North Vietnamese soldier. These are photos of us with him.
James Neeley Comments:
La Vang is near Quang Tri (see previous email for photos of it) I forgot to tell where it is located. It's now a huge complex for pilgrims to visit, including large buildings and a shrine to the Virgin Mary.
These are photos made also near Quant Tri - the GPS site of a firefight I was in during TET in Feb. 1968 - now a corn and tapioca field. We did locate what I remembered to be a river, which is now an irrigation canal. Dave Macedonia of Vietnam Battlefield Tours is in these photos with me, George Davey and our Vietnamese guide Mr. Fouk.
(below) These are photos made at the present-day site of a firefight James Neeley & George Davey participated in during the relief of Khe Sahn. George's platoon was up front and mine (James Neeley) in the rear where we secured a medivac area, rather than engaging actively in the firefight. The GPS site is now a very nice private residence with a business (a coffee & tea 'bar' in the rear where people gather in the evenings) in the rear garden. The owner (in red) graciously welcomed us, served us beer and we met her husband the Provincial Governor (in white shirt). They had no idea their home had been the site of a battle in 1968.
