Now I have been asking a lot of people if they have ever heard of the CAPS they served in Nam my Uncle was one of them but I have never heard anyone say that they know anything about the I was given a book called Between a rock and a hard place. It was about the caps I was told by my uncle that they where the one who gone on the Ho chie mine trail and fought they where mostly night fighters. I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about them or knows anyone who is one. Thanks for your help.

Yep he was a grunt he was there heavy weapons expert he told me mostly the carried the M-60 or a 12ga Remington pump. He had his arm blown off in a fire fight one night was going to shot the M-79 but a bullet it the round before it got out of the barrel after he got back to the real world he was told to tell people that his arm was a freak accident that happen on Guam but he came home and told everyone what really happen. I have also asked a lot of marines about them and they don't know a thing about it. I do know that only half of the marine caps that gone over made it back. His job over there was a big hush hush deal.

I think there is alot of dis/misinformation going around.  What I'm pretty certain you are referring to is the Marine 'Combined Action Platoons'.  This was a Marine concept early in Vietnam that placed a Marine rifle squad in a village with two - three squads Vietnamese popular defense force troops.  It was a very successful program that contributed to village security and seperated the VC from their prime sources of income and forced labor.  Unfortunately it was too successful and for political reasons Westmoreland leaned on the Marines to phase out CAP.  CAP was never a hush-hush deal and while CAP Marines saw alot of fighting it wasn't any more than Marines in line company's.

i belive the caps you are talking are called
 Combined action platoons. the grunts would send a squad to a gook vill. and train   the villagers to defend themselves and set up ambushes on mr charles. they were realy good at what they did.even if the gooks  wern,t worth a hoot.   not all of them some were realy good, but most would turn on you or just not get involved.
           Semper Fi. ammo1015

Your uncle's story sounds fishy.  It has all the elements of a classic "wannabe" story.  maybe he did lose his arm on Guam in a freak accident.

The "hush hush" aspect is the fishy part.  Combined action platoons weren't "hush hush" in any way shape or form.  Plus no one is asked to lie about wounds.  What is so secretive about a wound sustained in a fire-fight?

If you are interested, ask to see your uncle's DD214 (which is often faked) as well as the citation for his Purple Heart.

Well let me think I have seen his purple heart the Navy Cross and about 10 other metals awarded to him. So its no BS. He did not train the villages at all I know that because he was mostly placed over the border. All I really know about them is what I heard from two people I've ever meet who where caps I don't know if I'm using the right name or not but the other guy I talked to said that they where the ones who fought along the Ho che min trial and that they where trained by an X-NVA as an attack force, they have both told me about the city that where under ground. All I can tell you is that I know there no fish story and that they where supposed to be the one of the elite fight gropes around. Why did the government tell him to say it was a freak accident because we where no fighting in any other country but Nam. Is that not what they kept telling everyone back in the U.S.  If you want to e-mail him go ahead is [email protected]  do ahead do it he can answer more then I can .

C.A.P. Combined Action Platoons ...Marines pulled security..taught and lived with a Vietnamese village contingent...Had a bro at work in one..
[url]http://www.capmarine.com/[/url]   Here is their web site
By the way the Ho Chi Minh trail wasnt a road or a trail as such...it was a route
with many different trails and waterways..in some places 70 miles wide....It led from N vietnam through Loas, Cambodia and then into many places in South Viet Nam

Oh FYI  heavy weapons ..in the Army were 4.2 (four duece) mortars...50cal (ma duece)...could recoiless rifles etc...an M60 and 12G Pump Shotgun even though the former (the "PIG") was a mother to hump...is still considered a Lt. weapon...though maybe not in the Marine Corps :) hehehehe

tayous1,

Give me his full name and  I will tell you if he ever won the Navy Cross.

Like  isaid, his story sounds fishy.

On the face of it your uncle's story is ludicrous.

A.  The government did not tell him to say it was a freak accident.  There was a war going on.  Why not invent a more plausible cover story; i.e. he was injured in a conventional firefight?  Sorry, buddy, the "gov.org" and especially the military, doesn't work like that.  

B.  History buffs will please tell me what units were trained by ex-NVA soldiers and we can nail down with whom your uncle served.  Keep in mind that everything about the Viet Nam war has been declassified by now.

C. Medals can be bought.  I have seen navy Crosses and Purple Hearts for sale (illegaly, I think) at gunshows.  Many, many people wear them who don't rate them.  Same with "jump wings," Ranger Tabs, Marine Covers, and lots of other gung-ho military gear. Ask your uncle to show you his citations for these medals.

D. Ask your uncle and his buddies to tell you their unit.  I confess that after 10 years, my memory for names of my buddies is starting to fade.  But every Marine remembers his unit.  (I was with Weapons Platoon, Kilo 3/8)  I bet your uncle can't tell you this simple bit of information.  "CAPS" is a little vague.  Not specific at all.  like he read it in a book.

E. As 9DIVDOC pointed out, M60's and shotguns are not considered heavy weapons because they are organic to the rifle company.  Was he a Machine Gunner or a rifleman?  What?

F. I'm no expert, but a bullet hitting a round in the barrel of an M79 would be a "freak accident."  I don't know if that would set off a 40mm round...but I'll let someone more expert than me answer that.

A lot of you non-military guys watch too many movies and are just not skeptical enough about sea-stories.  Everybody tells 'em.  Most of them are bull-shit.  Usually they are confined to tales of heroic exploits with women.  Only the truely dishonorable make up stories about combat.