Dwight McDonald's
Story with Ambassador Martin

Dwight McDonald

THIS IS ONE OF MY STORIES ABOUT AMBASSADOR MARTIN.  ONE WAS WHEN WE HAD TO TAKE HIM TO THIS OF ALL THINGS BOY SCOUT JAMBOREE. HERE WE ARE IN A WAR WITH NO SECURITY AND HE WANTS TO GO OUT IN THE COUNTRY WITH PRESIDENT THIEU FOR A PARADE. I HAD ESCORT THAT DAY AND I REMEMBER CLEM BEING REAL NERVOUS ABOUT IT. YOU COULD ALWAYS TELL WHEN HE WAS NERVOUS AS HE ALWAYS HAD HIS RADIO 
OUT. HE TOLD ME THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO SEE ANY AIR BETWEEN ME AND THE AMBASSADOR ALL DAY. AFTER THE CEREMONY WAS OVER THE DIGNITARIES ALL RETIRED TO A GAZEBO LIKE STRUCTURE TO HAVE REFRESHMENTS AND SHAKE THIEU'S HAND. FOLLOWING CLEMS ORDERS I WALKED RIGHT UP THERE WITH HIM AND STOOD IN LINE. THE AMBASSADOR DIDN'T NOTICE ME STANDING AT HIS ELBOW FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS 
THEN I RECEIVED ONE OF HIS STARES. I'M THINKING ADAK ALASKA HERE I COME. HOWEVER I DIDN'T MOVE AND PROVIDED COVER. ALONG COMES PRESIDENT THIEU AND SINCE I AM BETWEEN HIM AND THE AMBASSADOR HE HAD TO SHAKE MY HAND FIRST. HE KNEW ME CAUSE HE CALLED ME BY NAME AND HE PUT A REAL ICE COLD STARE ON ME BECAUSE OF ME STANDING THERE I WAS SAYING HIS BODYGUARDS WEREN'T NOTHING. AND 
THEY WEREN'T. NO ONE WAS GOING TO GET TO THIS MARINES AMBASSADOR. ONE OF THIEU'S BODYGUARDS ASKED WHAT I WAS DOING THERE AND I TOLD HIM TO GET LOST. Well, WHEN WE GET TO THE RESIDENCE I TOOK THE BAGS IN AND ALMOST MADE A CLEAN GETAWAY WHEN THE AMBASSADOR SAYS "DWIGHT YOU GOT A MOMENT?" I AM 
THINKING HERE IT COMES. HE SAYS YOU WERE A LITTLE CLOSE TODAY DON'T YOU THINK. I SAID YES AND TOLD HIM CLEM SAID TO AS WE COULDN'T CONTROL THE SITUATION OUT THERE. HE SAID HIS FAMOUS "I SEE." THEN HE CONTINUES ON YOU KNOW YOU REALLY EMBARRASSED AND PISSED THIEU OFF TODAY. I SAID AND SINCERELY MEANT IT IT "SIR IF YOU WANT ME RELIEVED YOU MAY I DON'T WANT TO EMBARRASS YOU." HE SAID HELL NO, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY GET YOU GUYS BUT YOU MADE ME PROUD, THIEU IS THE ONE YOU PISSED OFF HE WILL GET OVER IT.

SEMPER FI MY BROTHER 
DWIGHT