The Black guys sang acapella DooWop as
we drove to the war: “I wonder, wonder, wonder, wonder, bop, who
wrote the Book of Love.”
“Driving to the war” is what we called the ride in the back of the truck out to be dropped off at the perimeter bunkers for a night of guard duty.
In 1970, the perimeter around the US base at Long Binh, Vietnam was a huge circle of concertina wire, tangle foot wire, and claymore mines. All backed up by a three-foot high sandbag wall with firing positions cut in, with a mini fort of a manned bunker every 50 meters.
.
The sandbagged bunkers were squalor in a pit. Eight feet on a side, dug waist deep into the ground, then built up with wood and sandbags to about 5 feet above that, lined with railroad ties, a floor of wooden shipping pallets; with a machine gun, claymore triggers, a field phone, flares—signal and magnesium illumination, and an artillery map. Each bunker was the nightly responsibility of one of the companies on the base. Every company provided four men a night to man their bunker. And every man on duty brought his rifle.
“Driving to the war” is what we called the ride in the back of the truck out to be dropped off at the perimeter bunkers for a night of guard duty.
In 1970, the perimeter around the US base at Long Binh, Vietnam was a huge circle of concertina wire, tangle foot wire, and claymore mines. All backed up by a three-foot high sandbag wall with firing positions cut in, with a mini fort of a manned bunker every 50 meters.
.
The sandbagged bunkers were squalor in a pit. Eight feet on a side, dug waist deep into the ground, then built up with wood and sandbags to about 5 feet above that, lined with railroad ties, a floor of wooden shipping pallets; with a machine gun, claymore triggers, a field phone, flares—signal and magnesium illumination, and an artillery map. Each bunker was the nightly responsibility of one of the companies on the base. Every company provided four men a night to man their bunker. And every man on duty brought his rifle.
The bunker to our left was the 442d Car
Company. The “Double-Quad, Deuce.” The drivers and mechanics for
the Colonels' and Generals' cars. Chauffeurs in Olive Drab.
In the army, even a pit like a bunker has rules. One biggie was, NO FOOD IN THE BUNKER. Food scraps brought rats. Rats brought snakes. Every Viet snake was more deadly than a Second Lieutenant with a map.
The troops in the Deuce were bad at following rules. Charlie had no gas, so they ditched their gas masks, and hid food in the mask bags.
Late one night, the field phone jangled. These were on one long line. Everyone listened in.
In the army, even a pit like a bunker has rules. One biggie was, NO FOOD IN THE BUNKER. Food scraps brought rats. Rats brought snakes. Every Viet snake was more deadly than a Second Lieutenant with a map.
The troops in the Deuce were bad at following rules. Charlie had no gas, so they ditched their gas masks, and hid food in the mask bags.
Late one night, the field phone jangled. These were on one long line. Everyone listened in.
“Officer of the Day! Officer of the
Day! This is Deuce. There's a SNAKE!
(Sleepy Lieutenant) “Huh? In your
bunker?”
“No, Sir, but he's alookin' in.”
“Leave him alone.”
“No, Sir, but he's alookin' in.”
“Leave him alone.”
“Yessir.”
Ten minutes later. Phone.
“Sir, Sir, he's comin' closer.”
Ten minutes later. Phone.
“Sir, Sir, he's comin' closer.”
“Leave the snake alone.”
Five minutes later.
RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!
“He's come IN.”
“Just kill the damn snake.”
Five minutes later.
RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!
“He's come IN.”
“Just kill the damn snake.”
BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM, the 442 bunker lit up
like D-Day meets General Custer. Through the firing ports it looked
like the NY Fourth of July fireworks were all trapped inside the 8
foot cube.
Hale, in our bunker, jumps up, “Shit, they unmounted the 60.” They had pulled the belt-fed machine gun from its mount in the firing port, and were loosing 30 cal. rounds on the snake at a cyclic rate of 600 rounds a minute. Every 5th round a burning phosphorus tracer. Inside a small room lined with wood.
Then the other 3 guys opened up with their M-16s. And it got louder and brighter.
After 30 seconds of World War, the firing stopped, and silence descended. In the silence, Hale says, “Damn. The ricochets.” That's what we were all wondering about.
Then 10 seconds later, it ALL started again. And we voted to drop to the bottom of our bunker.
Another guy in our bunker says, “I hope they don't have grenades.”
When the firing stopped, the phone was frantic one more time. The Lt. calling now.
“Did you kill that damn snake?”
“No, Sir. But he done left.”
“You burned hundreds of rounds, and you missed the snake?”
“Maybe...........Sir.”
“The snake isn't dead?”
“No, Sir. …. But he left.”
“What the......Are any of YOU hurt?”
(Small voice) “A little.”
I swear we heard laughter from the rice paddies.
Hale, in our bunker, jumps up, “Shit, they unmounted the 60.” They had pulled the belt-fed machine gun from its mount in the firing port, and were loosing 30 cal. rounds on the snake at a cyclic rate of 600 rounds a minute. Every 5th round a burning phosphorus tracer. Inside a small room lined with wood.
Then the other 3 guys opened up with their M-16s. And it got louder and brighter.
After 30 seconds of World War, the firing stopped, and silence descended. In the silence, Hale says, “Damn. The ricochets.” That's what we were all wondering about.
Then 10 seconds later, it ALL started again. And we voted to drop to the bottom of our bunker.
Another guy in our bunker says, “I hope they don't have grenades.”
When the firing stopped, the phone was frantic one more time. The Lt. calling now.
“Did you kill that damn snake?”
“No, Sir. But he done left.”
“You burned hundreds of rounds, and you missed the snake?”
“Maybe...........Sir.”
“The snake isn't dead?”
“No, Sir. …. But he left.”
“What the......Are any of YOU hurt?”
(Small voice) “A little.”
I swear we heard laughter from the rice paddies.
Did they change the name of their unit to Snake Charmers? ~Linda Daily
ReplyDeleteWait til you hear the stories of their monkey, and their pot bellied pig.
Delete