Vietnam War Interview Forum

Patrick McAleavey

>i just wondered.... when you were fighting, did you get creeped out by 'creepy crawlys'.. like spiders, rats, ants etc?

>sorry its so random

Hi Janice,

Yes....bugs creeped me out. I have never liked insects so being out in the jungle was a lot of fun! :-)

The two (2) top creepies were red ants and leeches. Red ants are absolutely fearless and, although tiny, have a fierce bite. Disturbing a nest was a sure way to get attacked. And then there were the leeches. Most of the areas where my unit operated were wet. Whenever we stopped for a break everyone did a leech check on their legs and torso. And then you either burned them off with a cigarette or sprayed them with some bug repellent to make them let go. If you tried just to pull on them there was a danger of leaving the head attached.

There were of course mosquitoes but I was not bothered by them much...never have been. I believe it's because of my blood type...it doesn't taste good. But mosquitoes did carry malaria so they were definitely considered a pest.

I don't recall seeing many snakes when we were in the thick jungles. When we were in open rice paddy or swamp areas we encountered more snakes. But I don't recall that they were a big problem.

I encountered a rat only once. In November of 1967 my unit was moved to assist the 4th Division. I was assigned to work with a South Vietnamese Militia unit so I ended up living in their camp for a couple of weeks. The first night in the camp I bedded down next to a bunker - I was claustrophobic and couldn't sleep in confined spaces. About 2 AM I woke up and realized there was something sitting on my ankles. I raised my head up enough to see and there was a huge rat. I'm sure he was just looking for somewhere warm to nap. I was afraid if I moved too quickly he would bite. So I gently started moving my feet and he got the message. Once he was off me I moved to the top of the bunker - no more sleeping on the ground.

A larger beastie that we sometimes encountered were wild boars or wild pigs. These were about the size of a large pig but were very aggressive and very dangerous. The males had tusks and these were like razor blades. We had several folks who were gored in the legs.

I have heard stories of crocodiles in some of the tidal rivers and mangrove swamps near the South China Sea. I have been in the Rung Sat swamp which is to the south east of Saigon but, luckily, never saw any crocs. However, we would wake up covered with tiny crabs when we tried to get some sleep. I guess they were trying to find someplace warm and dry too!

I hope that helps.

Pat