Mission 3

This particular story is graphic so be warned!! All disclaimers apply so it is up to the reader to decide what is real and what is false. Names as well as regions and topographical locations have been changed to suit the story. This is told in first person and UN EDITED.

I was sitting in the Captains office watching as the orderlies poured our coffee. The Captain hadn't said a word since the runner had brought me in. I was beginning to wonder what was going on since the Captain had always been the type to get down to business as soon as someone came into his office. When the orderly left I took a sip of my coffee wondering when he was going to get down to business.

"Sarge, I need a personal favor from your team."

"Cap, I owe you and you know you don't have to ask, just tell me what you want us to do."

"I need your team to go back into the Ah Shaw Valley."

"Cap, we been in there five times in the last three months. I know you have other teams who are familiar with that area. Why do you want my team in particular?"

I watched as he sipped his coffee thinking this must be hard or he would be ordering us to go back into that hell hole.

"We lost contact with team eight and can't raise them on the radio. They were monitoring traffic on the Ho Chi Min Trail up by the lower part of road 548. They have missed four check ins and we are fearing the worst. The General said to get your team because your more familiar with that area that any of the others. Sarge, I don't have to tell you since the forward SF base up there closed Charlie has been in charge of the whole area and we have only been able to get sporadic information on supply movement in that sector. We sent team 8 in to monitor traffic and troop movement. I think you know the team leader personally."

I did and knew Gunders was one of the best in the field. If Charlie had wiped him out then it must have been by overwhelming odds. I knew Gunders would never be taken alive and his second felt the same way. This was bad and I knew if they hadn't reported in by radio or burst then I could only fear the worst. The Captain was watching me closely as if he could tell what I was thinking. He knew that I would do it but the idea had to be mine as I knew he wouldn't order us in. This set my mind off in a whole new direction and what supplies we would need to survive. My last mission in there had cost me a wounded yard as well as Carlos being shot in the back as we were waiting for dust off by the old forward firebase.

"Cap, if you will push through the supply request we should be able to pull out in the morning. I am gonna tell you that some of the things I am going to ask for may seem a little strange. The last time I noticed several things I plan on using this time to help us all come back. You know of course we won't be able to bring their bodies' home as much as I hate to leave them, but we will be moving fast and won't be able to carry the extra weight."

I felt that familiar pain in the gut as I said this but I had to be realistic, and trying to carry bodies would put us in jeopardy if we had to move fast which I would almost bet we would. I like every other soldier hated the thought of leaving any comrade behind, but sometimes you didn't have a choice. I also knew we all stood the same chance of it happening to us every time we went out. If the NVA had killed them then they probably wouldn't be mutilated, but it was VC then the two white men in the squad would be beheaded, and have their private parts cut off for souvenirs, and the heads taken to their commander to collect the bounty on them. I could feel the nausea rising as I thought about it, and tried not to picture it in my mind. I had been out on a couple of these missions before, and it forever branded the picture in my mind and in my soul. I knew I would see those men the rest of my life, but it happened to be a part of this so called war, and as soldiers we had to learn to accept it. I like the rest of SOG accepted it, but none of us liked it, and we always made Charlie pay three times over for the loss of our men.

"Just do the best you can Sarge. Mark their resting place on your map and we will send a recovery team in to get them. Sarge, just be careful will you? This is the second bunch we have lost in that area since the battle for hill 937. Charlie thinks he owns the area and has been building in there since we pulled out of all the forward fire bases. Sarge, just do your job and get the hell back safe."

I got up and thanked him for the coffee heading back to my hooch to dig out my personal maps and other notes I had made on the area. I wanted to give myself a refresher course and look at my notes. I had a gut feeling this was going to be a real ball buster and I didn't want to make any mistakes before we left. After reading my scribbles for about an hour I got up and headed to the armory to see my friend Gunnery Sergeant Major Hendricks. When I walked in he was chewing out a shavetail, and doing a pretty good job from what I could hear of the shouting coming from his office. I was grinning when he invited me in and I flopped in a chair.

"What the hell do you want and wipe that grin off that ugly puss you call a face."

"Kiss my ass you old reprobate. Besides that's probably the most excitement you've had in a week. I think your ass is getting bigger than the last time I saw you. You need to get out in the bush, and sweat a little so you can fit into that plush chair you stole from the Colonel."

I got the bird with a bent elbow, and he looked at me and grinned.

"They're sending you in to check on team 8 huh? I figured it would be your team cause you know the area. Look Sarge, do me a favor if you can. My ole buddy is in there with his team and if you happen to run into them tell him to get his ass back here cause he's a new papa again. I just got the word yesterday. He should be headed back this way already but if you tell him that he will hurry even faster. I got some new toys for you to take with you. I been working on a new type of grenade that will scare the shit out of Charlie. I happen to have a dozen or so I kept back for a special occasion. They are not exactly ok by the Geneva Convention but they will give you a hell of an edge if you get in a tight spot. Ok, give me the rest of your list and let me check and see if I have what you need."

I handed him my list and he looked at it and started to grin.

"Goddam Sarge, your gonna really play dirty this time aren't you? I have everything but the last item, but I will have them for you before you take off. Man I wish I could go with you but the General won't let me out in the field cause he thinks I am too old. Hell I am only fifty and in better shape than he is. The old bastard!"

I just grinned because I had heard it all before. I knew if I were in a battle I couldn't ask for a better man to cover my back. This man had gone through it all, and had more decorations than the average jarhead could think about. He didn't know I knew he had turned down the CMOH saying that was for sissies when he was nominated in Korea. I told him I would bring my team back after dark to pick up my requests.

"Fine by me but keep that yard of yours away from me will you. He would slit my throat if he thought we weren't friends. He gives me the heebie jeebies the way he watches me."

I went out laughing at his statement about Chung. The first time they had met Chung had not only out shot but threatened to give him a new windpipe if he gave us defective weapons. When Gunny had asked him why it made any difference to a yard what he got, Chung had stepped up close to him and whispered; "if my Sarge get killed cause your gun no work then you die too." From that point on Chung always made the Gunny nervous for some reason. Gunny had told me about it later and said he meant every word. He said all he saw was death when he looked him in the eyes. He said Chung was the meanest little bastard he has ever met.

I headed back to the hooch to grab my maps and send a runner for the yards and to round up my second. I still hadn't formed an opinion about him but he seemed to know what he was doing in the bush. If anything he moved quieter than Chung and seemed to know when VC were close, by some reason I hadn't figured out yet. He had volunteered to be my second when Carlos got wounded. I knew that Chung immediately took a liking to him and I trusted Chung so I kept any opinions to myself until we had a few missions under our belts. He was a full blooded Sioux Indian and had to be the biggest man I had ever met in my life. He stood almost seven foot tall and seemed to be all muscle. We all had our own personal weapons but his were a little strange even to me. He carried a tomahawk that he threw better than a throwing knife, and his personal knife was what he called an attitude adjuster. It was almost a foot long and I had even shaved with it because it was so sharp. He could move through the bush almost as quiet as Chung and was at ease doing so. Chung and the yards called him Chief and it for some reason stuck, and he was proud of the nickname. This was his first tour and he seemed to instinctively know how to conduct himself in the bush. I hadn't seen him react under pressure, but I had a feeling he would conduct himself well in a firefight.

I met them at the team briefing room where we could discuss the mission in private. The room was soundproofed and it had a good blackboard that could be washed completely when you were done. Unlike like the type that used grease pencils this one used regular chalk. When you were in the room you could lock it from the inside so no one could walk in and see what was on the board. It was a good place to keep your secrets when you discussed your mission. Chung and the yards wouldn't be alone until we left, and could not leave the base unless under escort by one of us or an MP. If for some reason a turncoat was slipped in, you had total control of your mission, and they couldn't get word out where you were going. I also had Chung, and he was better at watching the men than I ever could be. I knew if one of them tried passing information to the VC Chung would kill him without hesitation. The yards to a man knew it, and all of them respected him. I had a cooler of sodas and a stack of sandwiches for us to munch on.

When we went in I bolted the door, went to the chalkboard and hung my personal map up. I called everyone forward and started the briefing. Three hours later we were still going at it with Chung arguing that where I planned on being inserted we would immediately come under fire since it was by one of the old fire bases. He pointed to a clearing saying we could slid down ropes from flying bird an sneak into jungle without being seen by VC. I dug out a couple of topo maps and he immediately pointed to the same spot saying VC not expect us to drop from sky so not watch for us there. I had to admit he had a good point and asked the Chief what he thought about it, and he sided with Chung saying it was a good way to get in without being seen by a watcher, and that it was out in the jungle far enough that it would be safer. I finally agreed saying it was thick bush and that we would have hard going for a few hours trying to work our way free. They all grinned at me as if to say no problem so I let it rest. Then I told them what I had requested for us to use as weapons and they all seemed to like the idea saying it would be good because VC think it them fighting and not us. I made it clear to all of them that we would be carrying only ammo, grenades and food for this mission. Everything else would be extra weight that we didn't need nor want where we were going. Chung said the men needed extra bolts for their crossbows because they were all running low after the last mission and I told him I had already ordered double for the men.

I finished up the briefing, we ate the sandwiches and I called the motor pool for a truck to take us to the armory. I was thinking about the insertion on the short ride. Normally I wouldn't ok this type of insertion because on the ropes you were a sitting duck for Charlie to shoot at. This time I just had a feeling it was the right way to go in especially if my little subterfuge worked out like I wanted it too. I was having several gunships hit the LZ by the firebase like there was going to be a bunch of men dropped off. Our chopper would come in from the south just after it started and I hoped Charlie would be distracted enough we could slip in without being seen. If we were able to time it right and got down the ropes it would work. I had trained my yards on this type of insertion, and they all thought sliding down the ropes was fun. Of course with Chung and I being so close I had trained them on a lot of things that raised a lot of eyebrows at HQ. They all shot better than any ARVN, and I spent the time teaching them about explosives as well as several things I later got an article 15 for. I had found out I now held the record for 15's and it was holding at thirty. The General said when I completed my tour this time he would shred them all except two and they were on file back in the world so he couldn't do those ones. He also told me I wouldn't be getting my stripe since I had so many of them here because it wouldn't look right. That really broke my heart cause I thought I deserved it. Yea right! A stripe just meant more pay to me and I didn't spend any of mine as it was. It all went to the bank in my home town and I sent some home to help out my mom with my brothers and family. Everything else the Army furnished so I didn't need cash. I kept my own little stash here to give to my yard's families to help out if I lost one in the bush. Since they were my men I felt it was the least I could do. Chung was always proud of the fact that I did this; although he never said much other than I gave them too much.

We arrived and the driver backed into the single door stopping the truck so it blocked the entrance. He would stay outside smoking until we finished and then would take us back. He wasn't allowed to come in while a team was being outfitted for a mission. This wasn't necessarily protocol but I had instituted it to protect myself and my team from loose lips when the men were drinking in Saigon. There were VC spies everywhere there and they hung out at the bars Americans drank in. Hell, some even owned the bars and Charlie paid them for information they gathered.

We piled out of the truck and were met by Pete.

"Hey Sarge, Gunny said you would be in tonight. I have all your stuff laid out if you want to inspect it. I also have a dozen of the special grenades he said to give you. There's a note with them for you to read. Also the weapons are all new and Gunny reworked them himself. They are about a pound lighter cause he took all the extra junk off of them. All the Mags are new and loaded with armor piercing like you wanted. The bolts for the crossbows as well as new strings for them are on the table by the Mags. Gunny said he already shot them all in, but you're welcome to use the range as you already know. Go ahead and go through them and I will be back in about five minutes."

I noticed the reaction of the Chief as he stepped up and got his first look at what we were taking into the bush with us. He had a frown on his face when he picked up one of the AK's and started playing with it. I watched as he broke it down and inspected the parts, noticing that Chung was doing the same right beside him. The other yard quickly went to the table where the bolts and strings for their crossbows were and started chattering in their language as they started loading the bolts and changing the strings on the metal crossbows I had given them way back when. Chung had inspected them after the last mission and only had one he thought was weak so I had given him a new arm for it. When they got done splitting the bolts between them they came over and got their AK's, and started breaking them down like Chung was doing. As I watched I couldn't help but feel a personal pride in these men who I had trained. When I had first picked them out they didn't know any of this, and I had spent almost two weeks of intensive training to teach them. Now they did it by rote and were damned good at what they did. A couple of them to my surprise even unloaded several of the banana clips checking the springs inside for tension. I wasn't worried about the clips, cause I already knew Gunny would have thought of it and checked them personally. When he worked on the weapons I trusted him completely, but I had always encouraged my men to check everything to assure themselves it was up to par.

When I stepped up and picked up one of the rifles I was surprised by how light it seemed. Gunny from what I could see had indeed stripped all the excess off of it, and reworked the slide as well as the firing pins. They were new and made out of stainless steel instead of the metal that was used in Charlie's weapons which had a tendency to cause them to jam when they got hot. When I put it back together I noticed the camo vests stacked on the table. I had asked for the type that Charlie wore but the Gunny had went one better for us. These were pouched to hold more clips and matched our jungle gear perfectly. Damn but he was good I was thinking, as I picked one up and started putting clips in the pouches on the front of it. I made sure I smacked the clip on the table to seat the rounds in it before putting it in the pouches. Pretty soon the others were doing the same and it sounded like a bunch of giant woodpeckers were trying to eat a tree from the noise. Pete came back in during this and I could see the grimace he made when he stepped in the door from the front. He came over just as we were finishing up and was smiling at us.

"Damn, you guys are noisy! The packs are a little different than what your used to. Gunny said to tell you these were new and not to bring them back because he doesn't like them. He said they were for sissies, and he didn't want his men using them in the field. That barrel is full of loaded clips and the rounds have already been seated, so you won't have to make all that damned racket. There are LLRP meals in the other drum and they just came in from the world and are supposed to be improved and hold more food. Sarge those special grenades are in that bag on the table and Gunny said to make sure you read the note before you use them or you could end up in pieces by some trail. Let's finish up guys; I have another team coming in for supplies in about an hour. Sarge, I don't know where you're going but you make sure you come back. Gunny would be pissed if you didn't. You're about the only man I know that he respects and calls a close friend. I don't know about you, but I would hate to try to work with him if you got lost out there. There's a new med kit for you too. He packed this one himself just for your team."

I had the men load the rest on the truck while Chief and I went through the LLRP meals picking out our favorites. Chung even took a few which I thought was odd, since he didn't normally eat them. All the yards carried their own rations which usually consisted of rice, and that stinking dried fish they all seemed to thrive on. I had eaten the rice but still couldn't handle the dried fish. Even the Chief had tried it and later told me he would rather eat shit than that stuff. He had commented that it was no wonder the yards were good in the bush, because eating that they couldn't sit still long enough to get shot. I had grinned knowing exactly what he was talking about. I had tried Muc Nam and almost puked, but even to me this stuff tasted worse.

We remounted the truck which took us to one of the small barracks by the runway where we would stay until we got on the choppers in the morning. It was guarded by MP's all night, and none of us were allowed to step outside until morning, when we got on the chopper to start the mission. After unloading the truck we went inside and spent the next hour loading the packs and taping any loose objects that made noise. When we started loading the packs I finally got to inspect them and started laughing out loud. The men looked at me like I was crazy and I told they why the Gunny had thought these were for sissies. The straps had extra padding as well as a strap that went around the waist to keep them from flopping and it had extra padding too. I thought they were great and was thankful that I didn't have to report them as lost. I would have kept these ones even if the Gunny had told me to return them. Damn but they were comfortable to wear. They also had an extra pocket that the meals fit in almost perfectly, as it was sewn on the outside of the large pocket that held our extra ammo and grenades. Speaking of grenades I got the bag out and pulled out the note inside to read it.

"Sarge, these ones I made myself. The fuse is only five seconds so be careful. The filler is thousands of pieces of metal shavings that sound like bees when it goes off. It will remind you of the honey bee round that used by the artillery, but up close and personal they will cut a body to pieces. When you throw these be sure to lay flat on the ground, preferably behind something cause the pieces go everywhere. Tell that mean little bastard Chung to be sure and explain it to his men because I don't want him mad because they didn't have sense enough to duck. Let me know how they do in the field. Gunny"

I busted out laughing and passed the note to Chief who read it out loud to my laughing. Chung had a smile on his face when Chief finished reading the note. The men were looking at me and Chung with smiles on their faces.

"Sarge, not trying to be a whiner but you do know these are illegal as hell to use don't you?"

"Chief, you don't have to use them if you don't want to, but if it will kill Charlie and give us an advantage then I will be glad to use them. You haven't been in a firefight with us yet, but take my word for it, if they do as he says it could mean the difference between us getting back or being shot to pieces."

"Sarge, if it kill VC then I thank that big mouth for them."

At that statement I totally lost it. If Gunny had heard it he would be mad as hell. I was still laughing when our evening meal arrived on a cart pushed by one of the MP's guarding the hut. These were cooked by our own chow hall, and sent over under guard to make sure there were no extra ingredients slipped into them. All of us even the yards looked forward to them because they were special and always tasted great. Tonight I was surprised to find that it was baked fish, salad and dressing with mashed potatoes and gravy, and huge chocolate milk shakes with fruit cocktail being the dessert. We dug in and by the time we were finished we were all stuffed. I pushed the cart out the door leaving it at the side for the truck to pick up later. One of the yards got out a small jug of homemade rice wine, and we all had a sip as we sat around the table telling tales until bedtime. I was surprised to see the yards had accepted the Chief as one of us. Usually they were a bit shy around new men, but they didn't act that way around the Chief. He told a couple of tall tales about some of his hunting trips, and had to explain to the men what the hell an Elk was as they had never heard of one. Chung to my surprise presented the Chief with one of the Buddha necklaces like the ones we all wore out in the bush. To my delight, he didn't scoff but accepted it with a seriousness that seemed to gather more respect from the yards. He carefully tied it around his neck and thanked them for the gift. They were all smiling and the wine was passed again before we hit the sack.

I woke at 0400 with the sounds of jets winding up on the other side of the airfield. I got the men up and we all got our stuff ready to move out when the choppers got there. We had scrambled eggs and toast with two large pots of coffee. Again these were cooked by our chow hall and sent over by truck. We all made our last trip to the latrine and carefully brushed our teeth throwing the brushes in the trash can in the barracks. I carried my own in the bush as well as the rest of the men but these were furnished by the MP's for our use and it was considered an insult if we didn't use them. From what I had found out from Gunny this tradition went back to World War Two. I never understood it but went along because Gunny said it was a tradition. We not only worked with the Army but had a lot of interaction with the Marines who always seemed to look out for our welfare better than our own branch of service did. Of course the Army still didn't accept us because they thought we thought we were better than them which by the way was a crock of shit. The legs (regular army lifers) just didn't like the fact that we were self ruled and didn't fall under their purview or rules. They hated the berets we wore and considered them an insult to their uniforms which were all alike and regulation.

The Marines on the other hand had Special Teams in the field and respected us because the information saved a lot of lives since they always seemed to be the first ones in any combat situations. Any time I made a report about Charlie and his movements I made it a point to pass it on to one of the Marine Captains I knew personally. He would pass it on to the men in the field immediately. HQ would sometimes sit on a report about movement for a week or more before passing the info on. This made for a lot of hard feelings between the services. The teams working out of SOG had their own contacts with the other branches, and somehow the info always got out to them. We were always told at debrief not to open our mouths or we could be court marshaled for treason. Nobody I knew of paid any attention to that warning, and because of that all the teams were welcome at any Marine base and could always count on being resupplied by them. I had personally been pulled out of a few hot spots by the Marines because they would immediately come to our aid if needed. I in turn had pulled a few of their patrols out of the bush if I was near and they needed help. Yes, about all the team leaders I knew all respected the Marines and would volunteer to help them if they needed it.

I heard the choppers before they got there and called "Load Up" to my men. We put our packs on and waited by the door for the MP to open it when the chopper landed. Since there were only seven of us we all rode in the same chopper which made it easier to stay together when we hit the ground. This time we all had ropes with clips to snap onto the body of the chopper we would be riding in. The u bolts were all welded on either door jamb and there were always eight of them available to us for this type of insertion. Not all of the choppers had these and it was up to the Captain to make sure we got one with them or we would have to hook up to any place we could find, which could turn into a cluster f—k in a matter of seconds if the ropes got tangled. The chopper landed right outside, and the door swung open and we all ran out climbing in and lifting off in a matter of seconds. We had about twenty minutes ride to our insertion point so we all sat back thinking our own thoughts. That is all except Chung who loved to look out at the ground as we flew over it. I had seen the u bolts as soon as I boarded and smiled to myself thinking the Captain had come through again. This bird had two gunners at either side and they were strapped into their own harness sitting on the edge of the door jamb as we flew. When we got close the pilot would let them know by radio and they in turn would let us know we were getting near our jump off point.

We had been in the air for about fifteen minutes when I opened my eyes and looked out. I started to immediately see familiar landmarks of the old fire base and knew we would be breaking away from the other choppers in a few moments. I yelled; "lock and load" to my men immediately pulling the bolt back on the AK and loading a live round into the chamber. When we broke away going behind the ridge while the others flew ahead to pop up from behind the ridge we were flying around I knew they would come under fire immediately because Charlie occupied the old firebase now. Hopefully they would be too busy with the other choppers to notice one missing from the formation. I knew from past experience that they knew we were coming as soon as we headed out. I yelled; "hook up" and all my men stood up facing the doors hooking the clips to the u bolts welded to the door jambs. We flew for about five minutes more when the chopper dropped to a hover above an opening in the bush below us. We immediately threw the ropes out and started down them as soon as the hover started. Within a few moments we were on the ground, with the chopper lifting back up and flying on in the same direction. They were out of sight in a matter of seconds and would circle around to join the others. The gunners would unclip, and drop the ropes as they flew over the jungle. By the time they got back to the other birds the ropes would not be visible, and thus Charlie wouldn't know an insertion had been made. At least that was the way it was supposed to work.

We came together on the ground facing outward in a circle while I got my compass out and took a reading from the map to pinpoint the direction we had to travel. Since we hadn't come in on one of the usual LZ's I had to quickly figure our route to find where team eight was supposed to be the last time they had reported in. This didn't take long and I got us off in the usual marching formation. Chung on point, two yards about a hundred feet out as flankers and two about a hundred yards to our rear. The bush was thick here but there were plenty of small animal trails that helped us to get through this area with the minimum of chopping. We had been moving for about two hours when Chung came back telling me there was a well used trail ahead of us. I looked at the map to see if I had it marked and I did. I took another compass reading and realized we were only about five miles from our destination. I showed Chung and Chief where we were at.