They were just two infantry soldiers. The two of them had come to the unit together. It had been a long trip, but they were both willing to come; in fact, they both had volunteered to come. They never told anyone this because no one would really understand. They were curious about the war, and they supported what their country was trying to do.
Since they had joined their unit, they had been on patrol in the area around Hue in what was then known as the Republic of South Vietnam. They were just two infantry soldiers and reported to a squad leader that had been in this area since the Tet offensive in early 1968. He was firm, competent, and he gave them confidence.
They were southwest of a firebase called Sandy. It had artillery and a company of soldiers in the bunkers surrounding it. There was always lots of activity around Sandy with helicopters going in and out and ground patrols being sent out into the countryside surrounding Sandy.
The squad leader had positioned the two soldiers along a trail the evening before. He had told them that the enemy sometimes comes down this trail and that he would like to catch them in an ambush. He told them how and when to fire and under what conditions they were to fire. He also told them they were to look out for each other. He told them where he had positioned other members of the squad and checked their weapons once before he moved to place the next position.
It was raining in the evening, but about midnight, the full moon came up enough to light up the surrounding area. It was spectacular, but if it caught their attention neither ever mentioned it. They did not talk much to each other or to the other members of their squad. When they did talk, they spoke of their homes and their families. This was a hard tour and they lived under very difficult conditions. The tension was sometimes unbearable, but they worked well with each other and trusted each other.
They remained in their positions through the morning. Their routine was that one would stay alert at all times and the other would rest or do whatever chores were necessary to maintain their existence. They had both eaten a small breakfast in the early hours. The food was never good, so they ate only to maintain their bodies. One of the soldiers moved further into the bushes to relive himself, came back, and sat beside the other soldier.
The chopper pilot, the co-pilot, and one door gunner had been hit. The chopper was also damaged. When the firing started, the whole squad fired at the chopper. The squad leader would not have started the fight, but once it started, he wanted to knock the chopper from the sky.
A patrol from the recon platoon of the 101st Airborne Division was about fifty meters away when the shooting started. I was the platoon leader of the recon platoon and had taken a patrol out earlier that morning. We had set up an ambush in the area the night before and were continuing to search out for enemy activity in the area. The recon platoon had three squads and the other two squads had been left behind to catch some sleep and do some maintenance on themselves and their weapons.
A few minutes earlier, we received a message that enemy soldiers had been spotted by a helicopter and that we were to investigate. They said the helicopter was also going back to investigate.
I told the squad leader that he was to control the squad and I would take point. I only recall doing that three times during my tour since you have no control of anything while walking point. If something were to happen, my role would be as the point man and not as the platoon leader. The squad leader would have to assess the situation and control the unit. He understood.
The helicopter pilot was talking to Firebase Sandy. The rest of the recon platoon was about a half a click (500 meters) away and were listening on the same frequency. The helicopter pilot says: "Firebase Sandy, we see recon moving into the field. They're close to where we saw the VC... We're receiving fire. Recon's point man is down. We're hit. We're hit!!"
I was down all right - down between the furrows of the plowed field. The guy behind me was down also. Neither one of us were hit. We ran in a crouched position to the side of the field and up the bamboo thicket toward where the helicopter was. The helicopter was staggering - lumbering to stay afloat - it sounded bad. It turned and moved toward Sandy. The second man in my patrol is about ten feet behind me. We both stand up - all at once four people's eyes meet in desperation. The guy behind me and I fire at the two soldiers to our left as fast as our guns will fire on semi-automatic. The two soldiers, one man and one woman, stare at us, and die - each with an AK-47 rifle in their hands.
There is no time to think or to feel. I hear crack-crack from an AK-47 from the thicket in front of us. We pull back to the thicket we had just come out of. I see black clad soldiers moving towards us. The rest of our squad had moved up to support us. An explosion goes off some distance from me. A piece of shrapnel stings my neck, but it does no damage. By now, our squad is deployed and firing across the field. The black clad figures are running straight at us. The guy to my side empties his clip. He is out of ammunition, and he has no more ammunition clips with him. I have a bandoleer of ammunition clips across my chest, but I am so nervous I cannot remove one from the bandoleer. The guy next to me is yelling for a clip. A black clad soldier is racing towards us up the bamboo thicket to my right. I cannot get a clip out, so I pull a grenade from a pouch at my side and throw it at the enemy soldier. The grenade explodes. I pull clips from my bandoleer and reload my weapon and throw one to the guy beside me. I can see enemy soldiers running out in front of me. I never saw the soldier again that I threw the grenade at.
I am holding the handset of the radio. I see the gunships coming straight at me in a dive. I yell for everyone to run and I take off - still holding the handset. The radio operator does not run as fast as I do and I pull the handset off the radio. We now have no communication with the air or with anyone for that matter. The gunships are shooting enemy soldiers that are on the other side of the thicket from us. They do see us and they are directing their fire where it is needed.
By now, the rest of the recon platoon is pouring into the area giving us support. We sweep the area and find the bodies of the two soldiers we shot, but there are no other bodies. We take the rifles from the dead soldiers and search them for any papers. There are none. We take the rifles with us and leave the bodies.
Later that day, Firebase Sandy sends us out another radio by helicopter and lets us know what happened to the helicopter that was shot down. My medic says I should get a tetanus shot because of the shrapnel that hit me. He also says I can get a purple heart for that. I think of Jim and say no to both.
John Herschelman
C Company / Recon / D Company / 1/501
The reason I was in three is another story.