"Angry Skipper" D 2/8 Cavalry, 1st Air Cav On the morning of August 19th, 1968 word was spread around the perimeter of Landing Zone Carol, we would "Charlie Alpha" [i.e., run a combat assault into] a new area of operation, liftoff 1200 hours. Roger Fast was one of my new "Cherries". He had been with us exactly four days (the entire four days we were on LZ Carol) and had never been in the bush yet. At around 0800 hours I sent Roger and another "Cherry" out on O.P. (observation post) duty. The O.P. was just a few sandbags and ammo boxes in a horseshoe shape with several claymore mine detonators and a couple M72 L.A.W.s and a radio. It was located down the mountain about 40 yards. It wasn't ten minutes after the two Cherries got to the O.P. when the first of several artillery rounds from NVA positions across the border in Laos hit. The first round landed about three feet behind the O.P. where the horseshoe was open and offered no protection. Roger was between the high explosive round and the other trooper. He took the blunt of the explosion and died within minutes. What is really difficult for me was that Roger and the other trooper had volunteered to take my place and that of my assistant gunner so that they could be together in solitude before their first venture into the jungle. He took my hit. Rest in Peace Brother He is remembered on the "Angry Skipper" Honor Roll of the Delta 2/8 Cav site

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