CIB from Maggie
by Jeff Smith

Gentlemen,

Maggie and two hueys of hangers on showed up at Ben Het just before noon on Thanksgiving Day.  They brought turkey and stuffing in those lovely green cans, and someone had an armload of bottles.  As soon as she climbed the hill to the teamhouse, she started yelling that we were going to have an awards ceremony before anyone got fed.  She called for me, and when I came up out of the commo hole, grabbed me for the obligatory bearhug.  When she finally let go, and I could breathe again, she suddenly looked at me like I had just spilled her last drink.  She roared "what the hell are you doing with a CIB, you haven't been awarded a CIB, cause that's what I came up here to do."  With that, she reached out and literally ripped the tab off of my shirt.  I had picked up some new issue when I transferred from Duc Co to Ben Het, and, since I had qualified for the CIB in the spring, had it sewed on. (come on guys, I was young) Anyway, she called an informal formation, and awarded me the CIB.  There was some talk of pinning it to my flesh, since I no longer had a pocket to pin it above (by then, I would have let her do as she pleased) but she used the pins to put my shirt back together.  At that point, serious drinking began, and Thanksgiving was had by all.  She was a remarkable person, very forceful personality.

Sometime in the early 70's she was performing at a dinner theater in the St. Pete Fla area.  I sent a note backstage that just said "Greetings from A-244" and at the end of the show she came out to talk to the folks.  She asked who sent the note, and when I stood, she looked at me for a few seconds, and then said "CIB?"  I was amazed, because I only knew her for that one day, and we were all crocked to boot.  She had the audience give me applause, and then delivered a two minute speech on the value of SF.  Afterwards, my wife and I were invited back to the dressing rooms, and Maggie gave my wife a short speech on how special Special Forces Soldiers are.  As close as we ever had to a patron saint, an in the flesh, rowdy, bawdy, loud patron saint.

Fondly remembering,
Jeff Smith