My name is Tom Skiens. I am the web master of the 11th LIB site and buffgrunt.com. I sailed to Nam aboard the USS
General Gordon and was with C 4/3 two Klicks north of LZ Buff on march 16, 1968.

 I address these comments to the men of C 1/20 and B 4/3 on the possibility of a Stone movie.

You can remain silent gentlemen and others will speak for you. You can speak for yourself and they may twist your
words to suit their own purpose. These are hard choices but you have made hard choices before. You made hard choices
on March 16, 17, and 18th 1968. You made hard choices the night of March 16 when C 1/20 and B 4/3 shared
an RON. If you did not kill or rape on these days then I say speak up and tell your story. The world and America need to
know what you went through the two weeks leading up to this terrible event.

 If you killed or raped that day  then bunker up big time and remain in the shadows. Most people in America and the
world would never understand. They only want to judge and condemn. Most of them have never lived out of a rucksack
or thrown the body parts of a buddy on a poncho and dragged it to a chopper. It would do no good to step forward
now some 40 years later and point the finger at yourself as if to say, " I shot an unarmed Gook and raped a baby".
No one needs to know that now. God knows you have suffered enough. We are our own worst critics. We eat bullets
to end our pain. We destroy our own lives and laugh at those who suggest we take care of ourselves.

So if you," got some ", keep it to yourself so some legal freak don't get a hardon. If you were there but did not rape
or kill and simply did your job, then speak up so America can learn what you went through march 1968.
 
Respectfully
Tommy J Skiens

Hello,

I just discovered your site. You mentioned My Lai. I was assigned to the 52d MI Det, 11th LIB,
Americal and I agree with what you wrote.
 
 LT  "Bull",real name omitted for reasons of privacy,  was the only member from the 52d Military
 intellegance Detachment who was involved at My Lai. I went down to IPW expecting to help out
with interrogation as we were expecting some prisoners. The huey landed near the cage and Bull
came towards me. I said, "Bull where's the prisoners?" He stated that the village was abandoned
and empty, however he looked shocked and traumatized when I said, "you gotta be kidding me!"
He said, "No, that's the truth, it was empty." He walked around like a zombie appearing dazed. I
found out later in CONUS about what really occurred at My Lai. Bull never said another word
about My Lai throughout our tour.
 
While still at Schoffield Barracks, Bull temporarily ran our supply in the quad that LT Calley  controlled. 
LT Callley kicked my bunk and another guy's bunk over on a Saturday morning when I was asleep.
He left with CPT Medina saying he would return in 5 minutes for a full inspection. When he returned in
a rage with Medina observing his antics  he got in my face assuming I was a private and called me "Private".
I told Calley, "Get in my face again and your going over the baloney!" Medina just stared and never said a
word.  Calley went to Maj. Fletcher at 52d Military intellegance and complained about me telling  him what
he could do to himself. I never saw Calley again after Maj. Fletcher informed the young LT. that not only
did he not have any authority over me but that I outranked him.
 
I was actually a Spec 5, but Maj. Fletcher told him I was a confidentual informant and said my title was "Mr."
When Calley demanded to know what my rank really was Maj. Fletcher told him he could not under AR-381-101
reveal my rank to him or to CPT Medina. Calley was infuriated and wouldn't give up. Maj. Fletcher then told him
that he needed to co-operate with CPT Smith and not to interfere with his duties or reveal my rank to anyone.
 
I wish today that I had tossed Calley over that balconey. I never saw him again in Vietnam, however, I did go to
CPT Medina for some support assistance, but he couldn't offer me any men because he had them on an operation
at My Lai.
 
No one said anything. I felt betrayed and shamed when I found out about My Lai after returning home. I read that
Bull took the "Fifth". I also heard from LT Greime, 52d MI, about a year ago that Bull had a lot of children of his
own (9?) and that he has suffered because of My Lai. He has never been quite the same sense March 16th 1968 .
 
Lynn Smith