Sir, I Fell Off a Bridge
Charlie Bader
Company C, 2/12th Cavalry

In July of 1968, my platoon left LZ Nancy to pull bridge security for a week or so for the South Bridge at My Chanh on Highway 1.

You can see our camp in the clear area at the top left of the pontoon bridge. The railroad bridge at the bottom of the picture had been destroyed by the NVA and in the middle of the picture the Naval Construction Force, otherwise known as the Seabees, was constructing a new bridge.

Picture by Don Barnes

I'm very familiar with this new bridge because I fell off it.

One morning, I walked out on the bridge to see the Seabee Chief and I was told he was working in the water. I walked to the end of the bridge and stepped to the side to look below but the last plank was not nailed down so it tilted like a seesaw. Being a smart lieutenant, I jumped back on the previous plank but that one wasn't nailed down either. So down I went with these two humongous planks. I was banged around by the planks and ended up with a five inch splinter thru my pants in the thigh area but I was lucky as the splinter didn't break the skin. Fortunately, the Seabees in the water grabbed me, pulled me out of the water and threw me on a supply chopper that just landed.

I was flown to LZ Jane where our Surgeon looked at me and knocked on my ribs asking me if that hurt. I said yes that really hurt. There wasn't an x-ray machine for quite some distance but the Doc said I probably had cracked ribs. He taped me up from the belly button to the nipples.

I left the Battalion Aid Station and walked back to the Battalion area without my shirt. The first person I saw was the Colonel and he said "Bader, what happened to you?". I replied, "Sir, I fell off a bridge".

No matter how you say that, it just doesn't sound right if you haven't been drinking.

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