Bob Nigra THEN | Bob Nigra NOW |
Bob Nigra on Paul Rodgers & Billy BROWN
I was just going through the roster and saw Paul Rodgers name. Does that bring back memories!. The last time I saw him we were at a strip show, lol I have a couple of pics of him. He was from Philly Pa. Great guy, always a big smile. He had no fear at all, of anything, and saved a lot of lives with total disregard for his own. One night while under fire we realized the VC had disabled our trip flares in the wire. Paul didn't think twice, he got a couple OD bars of C-4, cut it up, crawled on his belly under the wire, with no M-16, just a zippo, and started setting the C-4 on fire along the wire. That's the kind of person Paul B Rodgers was.
Billy Brown
Bob Nigra on Bill Brown:
The picture is a young black man named Bill Brown. When I took that picture he raised his arms, laughed and said "Short MF, 2 weeks and I wake up." He died that night at Soui Cut. He lowered that 105 and fired beehive rounds direct till they got to him. editor’s note: Billy Brown apparently did not die immediately. He is listed as 04-12-68.
(This is after research for his name on the KIA lists, and the wall.) He must have lingered awhile.
Also, in Chuck Boyle’s book “ABSOLUTION” which is about 3/22 Infantry, a unit we “Ran with” in the boondocks…and all the units they fought with or dealt with, during his 67 - 68 tour - Chuck makes a point of mentioning he met what MUST have been Billy and how the conversation touched him, and later, how he saw Billy among the wounded, but he too, thought Billy was dead.
------Many Thanks to Bob Nigra for his contributions of his memories/history/stories to the enhancement of OUR 2/77 Veteran's Site! --OOH RAH!