“The Marines have picked up an increase in Charlie’s activities and they seem to be more active towards Highway 1 during the last two days. The command post wants us to travel in convoy if we go beyond the wire and doesn’t want anybody, meaning you and Casey, working alone anywhere on the road. Casey will be at the quarry site and the drilling crew is there. You on the other hand have a habit of wandering south ”
“Well, I guess that I have to if I’m going to do my job and keep the road in decent shape. You want me to limit where I’m working for a day or two?”
“Actually, were you planning on taking Kramer with you? If so I’d like you to finishing getting the road in shape as far as where we’re going to develop a new laterite pit across the road from the first village south of the fence. But the CP wants the two of you to stay together all the time, wear your flak jackets and Ryder has to check on you at least every 30 minutes.”
“Okay with me. You and Ryder all right with it?”
“Absolutely. It’s mostly to keep the CP happy.”
“I’m going to have Ed do most of the work. It will be good experience for him.
The day turned out to be warm and dry and the grader operators accomplished a lot working mostly on the shoulders of each side of the road to accommodate the expected increase in heavy truck traffic that Chief Thomas hinted would start within the next couple of weeks.
The Marine Hueys coming and going from MAG 36 at Chu Lai passed close over head and one slowed down, dropped some altitude and started to zig zag along side of the graders. After a quick wave and salute from the left door gunner the Marines climbed out and headed west into the hills. There was a lot of Army vehicle traffic, more than usual and they left Highway 1 on the many side roads and disappeared into the bush west of the highway.
When quitting time came Dan and Ed Kramer caught a ride from the Chu Lai gate with a cargo truck load of builders. Ryder had checked on them less than an hour before and asked if they minded that he went to camp early so he could mail a package of Vietnamese clothes to his wife and daughter in Texas.
The crews that were working all over the various parts of the Chu Lai cantonment were slowly drifting in from work some headed to the EM club, some to the chow hall and the showers were getting busy with the Seabees who had dirty jobs and wanted to get showered before hitting the chow line. Nobody seemed nervous or especially cautious after the word of a possible VC attack on the camp at been spread at morning quarters. The security forces were joking and screwing around as usual after their muster while headed for their assigned bunkers. Few had their flak jackets on and would possibly wait until the sun started down before putting them on as was usual. Most of the security force were fleet sailors, E2s, E3s and an occasional E4. They had been basically drafted into the Seabee battalions from the fleet. Sent to Port Hueneme and Davisville, RI for the same military training given to the Seabees then assigned to the active MCBs as security troops so more Seabees could work in their trained construction fields.
Dan sat out on the side of the squad’s new bunker reading a paperback until it became too dark to see. He continued to sit out even after full darkness had come on this moonless night. He was enjoying the comfortable, dry evening air and looking south watching aircraft and helicopter navigation lights as the helicopters lifted off Mag 36’s LZ and the winged aircraft took off from the runways further southwest and turned out over the South China Sea.
A strange sound came from the south that drew Dan’s attention but it stopped before he could locate any source for such a strange noise. From where he was sitting on the bunker he could see south across the bay where the Marine Corp swim beach and recreation area was and further to the peninsula where the Korean camp at Binh Son was located. As he sat searching the area the sound of a powerful stream of water hitting on a piece of tin roofing started again. About where he thought the center of the peninsula was Dan could see a line of red streaks going down from an unseen source onto the ground. When the red streak stopped he heard in the distance the unmistakable rumble of a twin engined C-47’s piston engines. The streak of red tracers commenced again from a slightly different spot in the sky. Spooky, an AC-47 was at work.
Three Gatling guns on the left side of the AC-47and firing 6,000 rounds per minute from each gun. For every red tracer round there was five regular .308 full copper jacketed round in between them. Looks like a stream of red water from a garden hose from here. It must be 8 or 10 miles away.
For several minutes he watched the intermittent squirting of red tracers. When they stopped the area was still lit up by illuminating flares that Spooky had been dropping as it fired its Gatling guns over the target area The flares were slowly drifting down on their parachutes long after the guns stopped. He could hear the AC-47 out over the bay coming closer before it turned and passed over the area it had been firing into.
He heard the rest of his squad returning from the movie and club. Shortly it would be lights out and he realized that he and most of his squad were tired and ready for a good night’s sleep.
What in hell is Casey doing standing by my bed? With his helmet in his hand? Dan thought. His mind still fuzzy with sleep.
What’re those bangs?
Shit!! That’s incoming!
“INCOMING! INCOMING! Grab your weapons and helmets. EON2 Dan Davis hollered as his feet hit the floor.
He could hear more rounds and could tell that Charlie was walking them closer to the Seabee camp. He stood by the back door of his squad’s hooch and counted heads as he put on his flak jacket and helmet then with his flashlight gave a visual check of each bunk to be sure everybody was at least out the door.
Those first rounds sounded as if they were on the LST ramps. Those last ones were a lot closer.
Plenty of room in the bunker. He thought as he stepped from the middle step of the hooch’s back stairs onto the top sandbag on the bunker’s side nearest the hooch. There was a huge empty space in the center of the small bunker as each helmeted member of his squad had picked a particular sandbag to hug and make love on the sandbag wall.
Just skivvies, helmets and weapons. If you Seabees only knew how silly you look. Only four of us have flak jackets. and nobody put on their boots. I’d like to do something about that. He thought as the incoming rounds came closer and he too made love to a sandbag.
“Finally!” Somebody exclaimed as the camp’s warning siren started to scream in a night that had been quiet except for the steady thumps of 60MM mortar rounds and the sharper crack of 58 MM recoilless rifle rounds exploded in the lower side of the camp.
Dan turned his back against the sandbag wall and again scanned the inside of the bunker and counted heads putting a name on each of the remaining nine men in his squad. He also saw that the center of the bunker was still empty and nobody seemed to be uncomfortably crowded or in need of more space. Room for three or four more in here. But I no longer have a full squad with Rainer in the brig and Windy home and a civilian again.
The sound of helicopter engines winding up came down off the bluff where MAG 36’s LZ was located almost simultaneously with the dark night sky overhead was being lit up by the battalion’s 81 MM mortars firing illumination rounds. First one helicopter, then another followed as the Marine Hueys lifted off and he could only see their blackened shapes as there were no navigation lights or landing lights showing. The Hueys moved north from the LZ and appeared to be headed for an island in the Chu Lai harbor directly behind the LST ramp where three civilian operated LSTs belonging to MSTS were in the process of unloading.
A short lull in the incoming rounds was broken by a renewal of thumps and cracks as more and closer rounds started walking through the middle of the Seabee camp.
Overriding the sounds from the incoming rounds came the deep rumble of heavy diesel engines moving rapidly towards the port and then a heavy churning of water as the 70 ton Marine Corp
amtracs entered the water off the LST ramps and headed for the same island as the Marine Hueys were now circling around.
Looking around Dan watched as Ed Kramer raised up and looked over the top of the bunker’s wall. The sound of close incoming mortar rounds whistled as he hollered and reached partway across the bunker to pull Kramer down. First round closely followed by another exploded and shrapnel from both rounds sang their deathly tune over the men’s heads smacking into the plywood sides of the hooch and rattling on its tin roof as they fell out of the air.
“Ow!” Came from somebody on the opposite side of the bunker as Dan straightened up.
“Who got hit?” He demanded.
“Something hit my neck. I’m not bleeding. But it’s tender. Like a burn.” Casey Jones exclaimed.
“Everybody stay down.” Dan commanded as the sound of one then another close mortar round whistled in. As all waited, there were no explosions, but a heavy burst of M60 fire erupted from one if the two amtracs that had landed on the island. Continuous gun fire had started from a Huey on the very north end of the island where a Vietnamese village was and they could hear the heavy roar of an amtrac’s engine as it hurried across the island to block any movement from the village.
“Those sounds were incoming. Remember that sound and don’t go looking around to see whatever is making all the noise. And don’t worry about the VC getting inside the wire. Security would be making all kinds of ruckus if the VC were attempting an attack on our perimeter. I’m also sure the Marine Corp Hueys would see any unfriendlies that were inside the base. And as if to validate Dan’s statement a Huey circled the LST ramps then made several passes along the camp’s perimeter facing on Chu Lai Bay.
It was only about 15 or so minutes when the camp’s loudspeakers declared an all clear. The CP put out the word to check around every where for dud rounds and if any were found to contact the CP for disposal.
A Marine medevac passed close over Alpha Company before landing on the battalion’s helicopter pad which was just a few steps from sickbay. It seemed like just seconds after the first Huey lifted off the pad than another one was settling down onto the pad.
We definitely have some WIAs if two medevacs came in.
“You heard the man, guys. Be careful where you walk and give the area a quick check, but don’t wander any further away than the pisser. I have to go, I’m sure others do to. If there are any duds around that we can’t see in the dark we’ll find them in the morning. So stay on the walks and roads where you can see clearly where you’re stepping.
Casey, I have my flashlight, let me look at your neck.”
“Look what I got, Dan.” Casey held his hand out with the palm up. In his cupped hand was a piece of shrapnel about the size of a dime. “It was down next to my leg on a sandbag.”
“I believe that’s what burned you. Looks about the right size. A piece of hot shrapnel falling down from one of those rounds.
It doesn’t look very bad. Less than a good healthy hickey. Be gone in a day or two. Want a Purple Heart?’
“Not for that little thing. If I was at least bleeding a little. I’d be ashamed to tell anybody that I got the Heart for a hickey.”
“All right. It’s up to you. You just have to go to sickbay to collect it, Casey.”
“Thanks anyway, but I’ll pass. Dan.”
Dan noticed that most of the troops in and around the chow hall for breakfast were still a bit antsy and not as relax as usual. He drew a canteen cup of coffee from the huge coffee urn at the end of the serving line than made his way to the very back of the chow hall that was almost empty. Few troops sat back there especially in the morning. He passed the table where several corpsmen were quietly drinking coffee and it was obvious to him that few, if any of them had been in bed since last night’s attack.
“Morning Dave.” several of them spoke as he walked by.
“Rough night, huh, guys.” He responded and the most response he got was the nodding in affirmative of several heads.
When he sat down facing the front of the chow hall he was the only occupant on the very last table before the back door. His friend Pete Reynolds made eye contact with him from where he was sitting with the other corpsmen. Pete’s usual amiable smile was missing. In fact Dan thought that he looked a lot older than the very early, barely twenties he knew him to be. His usually smiling blue eyes weren’t sparkling and were downcast.
“Can I sit with you?” Pete asked and without waiting for an answer slid onto the bench seat across from him. Pete was a slim, 5’7”, blue eyed Mid-westerner from somewhere in Iowa. .
“How bad did we get it last night?” Dan asked him.
Five wounded. one KIA. You haven’t heard?”
“No. Who are we missing this morning?” How else am I suppose to ask the question?
“A builder. Third class from the bridge.” Pete said softly and watching Dan for a reaction. “You haven’t heard about him either?”
“You’re the first one I’ve talk to this morning. I just know that my squad and the several others around my hooch are all okay. Who?”
“Mike Easley. He was the Charlie Company radioman. We think he got mixed up and tried to make it from his hooch to the CP instead of hitting his bunker until the incoming stopped. Charlie Company took the majority of the first rounds to come into the camp. Mostly 58MM recoilless rifle rounds. He got caught in the open and didn’t stand a chance.”
“He was the small builder with the perpetual smile. Right?”
“Yeah. I got to know him on the bridge. Everybody who was anywhere near the bridge job got to know him. You couldn’t help but to get overwhelmed by his personality.” Pete ‘s voice started to break and with his right hand he wiped each eye then wiped his hand on the front of his green blouse that had several dark, with a hint of red, streaks on it.
“Two builders in the same bunker both got hit by a 60MM mortar round that hit the top corner of their bunker as they were diving into it. They’ll live but one of them will have permanent damage to a foot and his calf. May even lose it. He was the first to be medevaced last night.”
“Yeah, I heard the two medevacs.”
Pete met Dan’s eyes, nodded quietly then continued. “A few bunkers over, up the hill more towards Alpha Company some guys in Delta Company have various small shrapnel wounds. But none took a direct hit like the bunker in Charlie Company.”
“Pete.” Dan hesitated. I wonder if he noticed, or if I should even bring it up?
“My squad was all in our bunker before the siren went off. We heard what we thought was incoming on the LST ramps and we’re a lot further from them than Charlie and Delta Companies. Why do you think they were just getting into their bunkers when the incoming were already there?”
“Don’t know, Dan. I was between our bunker and hooch when the siren went off and I had stopped to grab my helmet and aid bag.”
“Go get some sleep, Pete. And Pete, Thanks and take care of yourself.”
“I will shortly. I’m going to finish my shift at noon and I think we’ll probably medevac one of the Delta Company casualties before then. We medevaced the two from Charlie Company last night. The others will be okay.
Thanks Dan “ He said as he got up and with a wave headed back to pick up his canteen cup and follow the other corpsmen back to sickbay.
When Dan arrived in the company compound he saw that most of his squad was gathered roughly where they would need to fall in for muster at 0700 hrs. which was still 20 minutes away. They were talking and laughing animately.
“Hey guys. Hear anything from our fearless leaders this morning?”
“No, but Casey got nosing around this morning as the sun was coming up and we got a bit of a surprise.” Scott Hilliard a third class driver and the squad’s second fire team leader spoke up. “He found two unexploded 60MM mortar rounds. We think they were the two you said were incoming but we never heard the
m explode and you were right.”
Dan looked at smiling and relaxed faces around him and knew instantly that there was no problem about the unexploded rounds and the squad wasn’t going to have any problems from Charlie trying to do them harm in the wee hours of this morning. Actually at 0103 hours when Casey Jones, the first in the squad to wakeup and get out of bed woke him up.
“Where were they?” He asked no one in particular.
The whole squad turned to Casey Jones. It was his moment and no one was going to take it from him. Hesitantly he started to speak. “I sent Kram to the Master at Arms office to have them get EOD here then Scott and I babysat them.”
“It took you both to watch them?”
Casey blushed a bit as if was being chastised before tripping over his next words. “Yeah. One was kind of under and behind the hooch’s front steps. It looks like it hit the sill and bounced a bit into the dark under the steps. Scott stayed with that one. I actually saw it by getting on my knees and looking under the hooch.” Casey stopped, smiled slightly as he realized that the squad leader wasn’t finding fault with what he did or what he was saying. “The other one was almost completely buried in the sand right under the bulletin board next to the latrine. All I could see was some weird shaped metal sticking out of the sand where whoever put up the bulletin board didn’t bother to rake out the extra sand. I stayed with that one until EOD showed up.”
Then Scott Hilliard started to picked up the tale. In the meantime Master Chief Ellsworth the Company Chief and Chief Thomas walked up to the group. “Keep going Petty Officer Hilliard. Finish telling your story.” The Master Chief said.
“Actually it’s Petty Officer Jones’ story, Master Chief. I’ll finish what I started though.”
Every Seabee in Alpha Company knew that Master Chief Ellsworth could get hung up on protocol and by the slight snicker and smile on Thomas’s face the other chiefs were also aware of it. Nobody had ever seen or heard him speak familiarly to any man enlisted or officer. The story was going around how when a second class driver’s mother had died and the Red Cross was arranging emergency leave for him, Ellsworth had to tell the Seabee of her death and he would be leaving Chu Lai on the next available flight out. With no words of sympathy or compassion the Seabee stepped into his office and Ellsworth had burst out with, “Your mother has died and you’ll be on the next flight to CONUS.” His explanation had been that it was best to just get it out and make the Seabee ‘man up’ to what life hands you. He was never forgiven by anybody in the company since word had spread like wildfire by way of Ryan the Company Clerk, who in fact thought Ellsworth was a pompous jerk.