It seems that In May 1969, not everyone held the Snake Platoon in high regards. When Staff Sergeant Christ Kondos reported into the 101st to take his slot in the Headquarters Platoon, the First Sergeant called him in. The First Sergeant said he had a problem in the 2nd Platoon. There was no officer there and the platoon sergeant had returned to Saigon. He wanted Christ to go to Pleiku and run the platoon for ‘about a month’ until the new platoon sergeant arrived. He was on a plane that afternoon for what turned into a three-month stay.
When Christ arrived in Pleiku, some platoon members picked him up at the airbase and drove him to Engineer Hill. They walked him into the hooch, through the bar in the front, and showed him where his room was. As he walked to his room, though, they sicced their dog on him.
Early the next morning, a private from the 330th RRC came over and reported that their First Sergeant wanted to see the new NCO NOW. Christ got dressed and had something to eat, and a member of the platoon took him part of the way to the 330th orderly room. The driver said he had to get back and wished Christ good luck.
Christ went in and was directed to the First Sergeant, who didn’t introduce himself, didn’t offer him a cup of coffee, and didn’t invite him to sit down. He immediately proceeded to rake him over the coals, saying something about an undisciplined mob calling themselves soldiers at the 2nd Platoon. He also told Christ that if he didn’t do something about that [expletive deleted] snake, he would kill it himself. Then he wanted to know when they were getting a real platoon sergeant. Christ said he was it, and the First Sergeant went off on him again. The First Sergeant finally dismissed Christ unceremoniously. Christ had not been in Vietnam more than about 24 hours so far, and he had been diverted to Pleiku, had a dog sicced on him, and been chewed out by the First Sergeant across the road.
Apparently, though, Christ fit right in. Someone in the platoon gave him an M-1 carbine with magazines and ammo, so he didn’t have to carry his issue M-14 cannon, which is reportedly longer than Christ is tall. He flew down to Saigon for a platoon sergeants’ meeting and checked in with the First Sergeant, who asked where he got that carbine. Christ told him the engineers on the hill used them and issued them to the platoon because of the ready availability of ammo for them. Maybe he bought the story, maybe not, but he told Christ to leave it with the armorer while he was in Saigon.
Christ Kondos had been sent to Pleiku to clean up the Snake Platoon, where he was well-liked by all, except for the gentleman across the street, perhaps.
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