MARINE CORPS TANKERS VIETNAM HISTORICAL Foundation's

Vietnam Personal Accounts

§

Jack Arena

Ontos

 

 

The Ontos was not a good place to be if you hit a mine   I took a lot of small arms fire from all sides and the sloped  plates combined with all the extra junk we carried helped deflect a lot of rounds or softened the blow.  When a round hit the back doors the loader would have a heart attack; and you should have heard the comments if I said get out and change rounds in the tubes! (joking of course).
 

I went in country in 66, but to 3rd recon.   I didn't go to AT's (an Ontos unit) until February 67, all (training) was O.J.T. (on the job training) in the field and with my platoon at Camp Carroll.   I didn't really feel comfortable until after went back to Okinawa and got to shoot all (the 106MM rounds) I wanted on the range.