Scott Cates – U.S. Army 1968-69, M-88 Tank Commander, Vietnam D

USA [music] Warrior Stories is a not-for-profit organization designed to record, archive, and share videos of veterans’ stories to help [music] veterans make a connection with one another and to help us all better understand their sacrifices for our freedoms. [music] >> [music] >> My name is Scott Cates.

Um I grew up in Key West. My family, my dad’s side of the family came from the Bahamas. My mother’s side of the family came from Cuba. When we were growing up, I mean, it was a military town. My dad was in the Navy. His dad was in the Navy. He worked on civil service down on the base, my dad did.

It wasn’t a a tourist town like it is now. I went to Key West High School, graduated in 1967. My high school girlfriend had moved to California, so I flew out there. We went to Reno and got married, got an apartment. A month later, I got my draft notice came in the mail. So, I came back to Key West to go in because a lot of my friends were going in.

My cousin was going in. Went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic training. After that, uh they sent me to Fort Sill, Oklahoma as on-the-job training as a light vehicle mechanic. When I went to Vietnam, I went as on-the-job training as a light vehicle mechanic. You know, when I got over there and they said, uh “You ever drove a tank?” I said, “Shit, I’m from Key West.

I’ve never seen a tank.” So, that day I was a tank driver. What it was, it was a M88. It was a tank recovery vehicle. It was like a wrecker for tanks. I I drove and then I was a tank commander and I had three guys under me. And then the tanks were M48s. The The tank itself was pretty sturdy. I mean, they would hit some of them land mines sometime and and they would like blow the track off of it, you know, and then you’d have to repair the spindles and put the track back on that.

But the those armored personnel carriers, those square box things, them things were dangerous. They had a B-40 rocket that would leave a hole about that big on one side of it. The next thing it hit, it blew out. Them guys that they the ones that got hurt a bunch was them them personnel carriers.

Cuz where a tank is, you know, sort of rounded and that kind of stuff would, you know, bounce off of it. Well, them things were just a square box. We had to tow a lot of them back in. You know, it was quite a piece of equipment, but you know, it was it was a death trap. And they had some of them that that had a uh there was a flamethrower inside that thing had a big propane tank inside of it.

It had that was just a a bomb just would go down. [laughter] All you had to do is shoot at it one time and it would it would go off. But they could go in the woods and just >> [snorts] >> and just blow out the old fire. Being a tank commander, I had a .45 that was issued to me. And I had what they call a grease gun, small machine gun that shot .

45 shells, which was worthless. I mean, you could hold it like that and pull the trigger. And then you couldn’t I mean, it would it would twist you over backwards, it was. So, I think I shot it one time and wrapped it back up and put it back away. That and I had a a grenade grenade launcher, you know, and it had like a shotgun shell that would go in it, you know, a big shotgun shell.

But those were the weapons that I was issued. And then on the tank we had three .50 caliber machine guns. It was only supposed to be one. I picked up two more that was laying around >> [laughter] >> when we got back. So, I had I had I had three machine guns on our on our tank. Not that we ever used them, but but we used to be on guard duty at night cuz we were just in a circle with barbed wire around the outside.

You know, all the tanks were facing out. Our captain was Captain Abrams, which his dad was General Abrams in charge of the the whole thing. So, we whatever ammunition, you know, we got everything we wanted. So, at night, every hour during the night, he would tell every tank to shoot 100 rounds out of 50 caliber just out into the out into the bushes.

You know, we would be like three tanks together. We’d pick a tree, you know, cut the tree down cut the tree off with the everybody shooting at it. We were in Pleiku up in the Central Highlands. And they moved us down south to Highway 1, which was in between Cam Ranh Bay and then and the ocean. So, what we did was we would sweep the road in the morning for convoys.

The guys would go out there dig the mines up that they found in the middle of the street. And so, A troop would sweep so far and then B troop would pick it up and then C troop. And we were out out in the field in the firebase, but we basically stayed in the firebase until something happened and we had to go get one of the tanks or they came in broke.

And we had a big boom on the tank. I mean, the motors were real easy to pull out of everything was quick disconnects. So, you just unplugged everything, took the motor out. And we would pick them up, set them in, hook them all back up together. You know. You know, they would fly it out you know, in the helicopter on a sling, set it down, pick up the other one.

I remember the first time when I was first there to do it, they came with the sling with the helicopter, get up on on top of the motor and you got the sling and the helicopter comes right there and you hook the the big ring on the hook on the helicopter. Well, I kept saying, “Well, you get out.” They said, “You never done it.

You try it.” It was pouring down rain. Well, I didn’t realize the static electricity between me and that when I touched that helicopter. It threw me right off the top of the and then everybody was laughing. They thought that was pretty funny, but I didn’t think it was at the time. Yeah, they did. So, that’s what I did most of the whole time I was there.

I I didn’t really see any combat, you know, just at night, you know, some mortars coming in and stuff like that, but nothing you know, we weren’t out there with the guys. Unless we had to go out and get one of the tanks out while they were still under fire or whatever, but we pretty much lived in you know, in bunkers and They would bring a one meat one hot meal out a day.

They would fly it out in the helicopter and we were out there and you know, and then it’s just hot and sweaty and rain and mud and it was >> [clears throat] >> nothing and you couldn’t it was no way you you you couldn’t go take a shower and you couldn’t get get all cleaned up and, you know, get all cleaned up next day start again.

You went to bed like that. So, when it when it rained, which didn’t rain a bunch, you know, you get out there everybody was taking showers in the rain, you know, with the in monsoon seasons, I mean, it just rained almost constantly. Everything you had was wet. So, with us with the tank, I mean, you could keep some dry inside of it, but some of them infantry guys, they, you know, they just got wet and stayed wet.

I mean, there wasn’t no The infantry guys were the ones that had it bad. The rest of us, you know, them guys in the tanks or the in the convoys and you know, in the base camps and the mess halls and supply guys, you know. I mean, they all were there and they all went, but you know, there wasn’t But, you know, you got some of them guys that got stories that can’t even imagine and they were supply clerk and, you know, in the base in the headquarters or something, but I say I don’t I don’t regret doing it.

I wouldn’t trade the experience for a million dollars, but I wouldn’t do it again for two million, you know, it was just a whole year. I mean, 365 days, that’s a long ass time. We smoked a lot of pot over there. And drank a lot of beer. We had Yeah, they give you all the beer you want it. And the marijuana, you could buy it in cartons. Nobody cared.

Nobody wore any stripes or medals. So, you didn’t know who was, you know, who was who. You know, I remember we picked up one time we picked up some infantry guys. And they sat up on the back of the tank drinking beer. And cuz I used to have beer cases of beer stacked all up, but you had to drink it hot, you know, so.

So, we would take these guys up, give them a ride. They’d be smoking pot and drinking beer and and uh come to find out one of them was their captain that was back there, but he was smoking and drinking like the rest of them in the back of the boat. On the back of the tank. But, it was Yeah, a lot of ex- a lot of experience for, like I said, for an 18-year-old kid.

When they moved us from up north, we went on ship. They put all the tanks inside these navy ships. When we got there where they unloaded all the tanks, well, they had to the road we were going on had a bridge. Our VTR weighed 56 tons, where a regular tank weighed 52. So, they had a bridge and they didn’t figure we could these they didn’t want to put the VTRs over that.

So, they put us on the landing craft and took us around and put us on the beach on the other side. Now, these were navy ships, you know, so they put down the thing and he tried to get up on the beach cuz he couldn’t and it was cuz of the sandbar. So, he said, “All right, get off.” Well, you know, I walk out in the end of the thing and it’s like 5 ft to the bottom, you know, so, I can’t get off here.

He says, “Get off my ship.” So, I had my guys swim ashore and I drove it off. It went down to the bottom and then it drove it up I drove it up on the beach. It was an experience for 18-year-old kid, you know. That’s the thing. I mean, all them guys over there were just so young, you know. When I got done, when they sent us back in for me to leave, they sent us back into the main fire base was in which was in Cameron Bay.

When I got back there, I had 2 weeks left to do before I could fly out and they wouldn’t fly you out. You had to wait till your 365th day before they’d let you come home. So, you know, I was a little cocky by being out there in the woods all that time and sergeant our sergeant had just got there.

I was a little cocky about going home, so me and him didn’t hit it off too well, so I ended up being the the guy that burnt the burnt the in the Yeah, they had they half of a 55-gallon drum underneath the toilet seat. Open the hatch, slide that thing out, put diesel fuel in and light it on fire. Each one of them and you had to sort of stir it to keep it burning while you’re going.

Black smoke bellowing out of it and smell was But that was I was my job for last 2 weeks so I was over there, but they’d Everybody was coming around, “What are you doing? Private Kates?” So, well, I’m cooking your your dinner. And this is dinner. >> [snorts] >> When I got back in to leave, they were processing me out.

They found out I was still a PFC. And the position I had was an E6 position. So, they said, “Well, we’re going to move you right up to an E4 right now and then if you go back and re-enlist, we’ll move you up.” And I said, you know, I didn’t I was ready to go home. I didn’t I didn’t care about being in the army. I got to go on R&R when I was there and I went I had a choice cuz I was married.

I could have went to Hawaii and have my wife come over or I could have went to Australia. So, I figured I might get to Hawaii someday, but I didn’t think I’d ever get to Australia, so I went to Australia on R&R. It was quite an experience for after being in the out there for 6 or 7 months and and then I got injured when I was in Vietnam.

I cut a tip of my finger off. We had to go out and recover a tank and we were putting this out of tank [snorts] a tow bar which we would hook on there. And a guy dropped it and it chipped off a piece of my finger and hurt my back. And then they sent me to Japan to the hospital. Thought I was going you know going back right over I was walking on crutches.

One night I got drunk and threw down my crutches in the NCO club and I was dancing. And my doctor walked in. So he said >> home? Private K you’ve been bullshitting me. So then he sent me to you know like rehab thing and I so I was there I was there for three almost three months in Japan in the hospital. My sister had called the day that I that he caught me and asked to speak to me and they said he’s being processed they give send him home and give him a medical discharge.

Well that was the night I screwed up. >> [laughter] >> So but live and learn. Well when we landed in Fort Sill, Washington where we came back into and it was a military and private airport. And as we were walking in you know people were grabbing their kids and you know and holding them away from you like I mean nobody spit on us or anything like you but I don’t doubt that happened cuz the way they you know they treated toward they were went towards us but to me I mean it didn’t matter I was just happy to be home. But there was a lot of guys come back over there that weren’t right. I mean there was a guy on the plane with me you know showed me he had this thing open up and he had ears dried ears inside you know they look like dried apricots. What are you guys going to do with them? No man I got them I got every one of them. You know so a lot of them people came back and yes most of them infantry guys. And I was proud to serve I mean

I didn’t [clears throat] really want to go you know cuz you heard so many horror stories about the war over there and I mean people coming back dead and and I wasn’t concerned of coming back dead. I was concerned about coming back with your arm blown off, your leg blown off, you know, cuz while I was hurt there, like I said, when I went to Japan to the hospital, they had an amputee ward there, which I was in because I lost a piece of my finger.

But, there was guys there, you know, that was in bad shape. >> Yeah. I mean and they, you know, and they’re brain dead and man, I hope they don’t send me back. Yeah, I don’t think they’re going to send you back. Yeah, and and then and back then, you know, they put you in a wheelchair and sent you down the road.

You know, now they really work with them guys, but back then they didn’t. It it hurt them. Because there was no place nothing for them to do. Now, you know, it’s all together different and now they’re trying to make up for it. They’re trying to work with all the Vietnam veterans and trying to get them back in, but the ones that are really screwed up, it’s too late for them.

You know, they they’re done. On the memorial we have down there, it’s a living memorial. These guys that, you know, we got a small plaque there for the people that didn’t make it, but on the on the main memorial is three I think it’s 311 names it started out at and majority of all them came from Key West and majority all of them went in in ’68, around ’68.

That’s when they were were really going over there and they were needed to bring people home. There was two guys that initially thought about it and started, but they couldn’t do it on their own. So, they ended up getting Jerry to help and they got me to help and I was like in a liaison between my brother cuz my brother was a mayor at the time.

Every Everybody you talked to, you know, wanted to help out. This is a very giving town, Key West. I mean, if you need something, you can you you can get it here. There’s a lot of money here, a lot of wealthy people that don’t look like wealthy people like you see in other places, you know. They ride bicycles and they, you know, they just but it’s a it’s a very giving town.

People told us when we first started this project that it wouldn’t be done. They said that people don’t really care about you because you was in Vietnam. We didn’t talk about it much. But if you look around this park today and I see all these people’s faces here and all these people that are here today, you do care.

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