My mind tonight races back as an 18-year-old machine gunner laying in wait for an ambush that we knew was coming. Bravo Company (I think) jumped a company-size NVA unit and pushed them in our direction. I don’t know what is worse, not knowing or knowing and waiting for the event to explode.

The rain started falling heavy when four NVA soldiers stepped in front of my position. The rain allowed their cover to get close without being seen. They were so close that my M-60 was almost impossible to maneuver and fire; three NVA soldiers fell close enough to me to cause a significant amount of their blood all over me; the last soldier stumbled to the ground, dead just a few feet to my left. At this time, the entire platoon was engaged. An NVA soldier throws a grenade; it blows up so close to me that when it explodes, it makes my ears ring, and I cannot hear. No time to recover from the severe pain in my ears NVA soldiers is everywhere. After only a few minutes, these enemy soldiers were killed, and the firefight was over.

The body count of over twenty dead NVA soldiers, I don’t know how many escaped, but there are no wounded NVA soldiers; all are dead. I can’t help but notice this one soldier looks only like a young boy; the SKS he was carrying; I don’t believe it was even fired. On further looking, there was one dead woman NVA soldier. I was ordered to stack the bodies close to the LZ with several other soldiers. The last soldier we were carrying opened his eyes and screamed. I dropped him and pulled out my 45 to shoot him but stopped. One of the other soldiers called for a medic. Watching the medic working hard to save this enemy soldier, I wondered about us trying to kill them and now working desperately to save his life,I was thinking how strange, this thing called war.

About 3 hours later, needing to do a number 1 and 2, I walked out of the perimeter to relieve myself. I took my assistant’s m-16 and walked far enough distance and dug a little hole, and preceded to fill it. My m-16 was up against a tree, not too far away but far away to get me killed. As I sat, I look to my right and get goosebumps like easter eggs. To my astonishment and my newfound enemy, both of us never, I guess, noticed the other, and both of us were in the squatting position, with neither having our weapon close enough to engage quickly. I stayed there watching him as he watched me; suddenly, he ran to his AK-47. As I ran for my m-16, neither of us had time to pull our pants up; he fired first, but I wildly fired back, and neither of us hit the other.