Episode 7. Ambush

Typically we would spend one month on patrol and ambush and then rotate back to Tuy Hoa for perimeter guard and ambush around the base. A convoy home was a cause for celebration. We would load up in the back of sandbag-lined open trucks for a long ride to Tuy Hoa. Roads were dangerous but we knew that soon we would be in Tuy Hoa with cold beer and a real bed to sleep in.

The following enemy ambush occurred on one such convoy home.

Just as we exited the mountainous trail and the coastline swung into view we came across a small village. Local people with children gathered by the road waving hoping for us to throw c-rations, candy, or cigarettes. It was a great photo op - everyone with a camera tried to get a few shots.

It happened very fast. There were at least 2 incoming explosions. The gun truck in front of ours was hit and I remember seeing a man hanging over his mounted machine gun. These were big explosions. I had always assumed that the rounds were buried HE artillery rounds since that was what I heard first. Other guys in the platoon maintain they were B-40 rockets. I don't know for sure but whatever they were, they messed up the gun truck in front of me.

We were taking small arms fire from up a hill. Part of my platoon dismounted to assault the hill while others, myself included, returned fire from the truck.

There had been a small boy with a bicycle by the side of the road as we approached the village. The next time I saw him the bike and his body were mangled together and, as one guy said, "he was cut in half". I sorta blank out on the rest.

I was firing my weapon up-slope when our truck suddenly lurched into motion, swerving around the disabled gun truck. One of my buddies was running back to the truck as we pulled away. I leaned out and extended the barrel of my rifle to him. He grabbed it and I dragged him out of the ambush.

When we stopped I had only one minor casualty from my plt. That turned out to be a 2nd degree burn from a weapons barrel. He was ok. Then they brought a guy with a bloody head wound. A chopper was already landing for casualties so I left his makeshift bandage in place and deferred to the medivac. I don’t think this man was from my unit; he was probably off the gun truck but I don't know for sure. At this point we had our casualties sorted out, and all were taken care of.

An officer, it might have been my platoon leader, asked if I wanted to go back into the village to help. I said that I wanted to be with my platoon. They were ok with that and we loaded up and moved on. Now I am bothered by knowing we left Vietnamese wounded in that village that I could have treated.

An officer and Iraq war vet I met in a PTSD ward in a VA Hospital, told me it was bullshit for the officer to lay it on me to decide what to do. Of course I wanted to be with my platoon - that was my job, they were my family, my safety net.

If the officer wanted to go back to the village he should have told me to go back. It all depended on the tactical situation. We would have had to go back in force. It wasn't my call. This all made sense when explained to me, and I am grateful to him, for spelling it out. Veterans helping veterans is what it is all about.