"May God Help My Marines." Hue City, 1968 Tet Offensive

Hello!

Lookin' good! We've got a Vietnam-era Navy corpsman here on the forums, maybe he can comment on this one, too?

Thanks for sharing and have a nice day

Paweł

Beautifully rendered all around.

Well,Yeah!

Pawel

...We've got a Vietnam-era Navy corpsman here on the forums, maybe he can comment on this one

Paweł

Well, maybe this diorama is a bit too realistic, not for me but certainly for some Vietnam vets! (I am, I assume, the former Vietnam Nam War Martine corpsman mentioned by Pawel.)

The diorama doesn't trigger my PTSD, perhaps because my battalion operated only in the boonies, at least in the 37 days before I was wounded and evacuated following Operation Utah, March 5, 1966. I'm impressed by what appear to be accurate detail and realistic poses. My friend, Corporal Chuck Pierson, was a Mule driver for my Chuck Latting, Mike Co. commander. I'm wondering if the diorama is based on a scene in full Metal Jacket, certainly my favourite Vietnam War film.

Bob

Yeah, Bob, I thought you are the person to run this dio by - if something were obviously not right you would see it right away, I thought. I persoanlly feel a lot better when my Vietnam-themed model gets OK'ed by a Vietnam vet.

It didn't occur to me before, though, that such a model might trigger a PTSD flashback.

I'm glad I always asked each person if he would be so kind to take a look.

Anyhow - have a nice day

Paweł

I’m not sure how I would feel about doing a diorama based on my wounding in Vietnam. Aside from possible psychological implications, it would probably be more difficult than building an urban scene. 

My Marine Corps company was ambushed just as we were starting to climb a low, brush-covered hill in Quang Ngai Province. The brush was so thick that we could see only a few yards. I happened to be in a small clearing when I was shot, possibly by the same communist who wounded the Marine whose life I hoped to save. In any event, I think that getting realistic shrubs into the diorama would be almost as difficult as creating “toy soldiers” who would look even vaguely like me or like Larry Skonetski, the corpsman who gave me first aid (and stayed with me until I was evacuated on a UH-34D Sea Horse helicopter). I think I don’t even want to try creating a toy soldier who looks like me!

Despite my misgivings about a personal Vietnam War diorama, I am seriously considering a diorama based on my plane crash in New Mexico when I was 19. That would also  require realistic looking shrubs and trees, but at least I wouldn’t be trying to create 1/48 scale model of me! See the thread titled "Plane crash diorama — Your thoughts, please":

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/19/p/184946/2111341.aspx#2111341

Bob

Hey Bob;

First let me thank you for your service, Doc. Being a Marine veteran myself, no one ever really liked hearing "Corpsman UP!" I want to thank you for your honest comments regarding my diorama; and coming from a Vietnam vet, I hold your opinion in high esteem. Its not based on Full Metal Jacket, but more on pictures and videos of the Marines that I've seen who were there. BTW FMJ has had the best boot camp sequences ever filmed. Again 'Thank you' and "Welcome Home", 'Calm winds and fallowing seas' and "Semper Fi".

The dip (dio) looks excellent. Nice work!

Tiger, excellent attention to detail. The figures poses are very realistic.

Bob if you have seen The Boys in Company C, what are your thoughts on this movie? This one was I believe Gunny Ermey's first film.

Thank you both for your service.

Great work on the figures and action of the scene.