Close Call. . .by John Dungan
Eagle flight mission. We went into a hot one. Which just about did us in. We were dropped off into an area with some frogmen from the Navy. We were looking for buried weapons along the riverbanks. We had spent the whole day looking and came up with very little. That is until time to be pulled out. We made our normal area reconn to clear the area for the slicks to come in. On this mission we had a scout dog with us. He was suppose to be able to sniff things out. I think his nose was stopped up that day. We popped smoke, the slick sighted the smoke and gave the color, and we confirmed the color. As the first bird came in, it busted into a huge ball of flames. Charlie was at our doorstep! We couldn't see him. All you could see was the incoming of mortars. The mud splashing and the shock waves knocking us back and forth. We laid down a base of fire. Machine Guns opened up, M79's firing into the surrounding area. The rest of the slicks took off and we were still on the ground. Do or die you had no where else to go. All day nothing. Then when it's time to be extracted, all hell breaks loose. We have been invited to stay for a firefight. But we weren't looking forward to this party. Things were not going in our favor and to make things worse, I could hear over the radio that if we didn't get things under control we would have to stay and fight it out. Because the slicks couldn't stay much longer. Their fuel was getting low. They could not stay in the area much longer. The Lt., replied to the slicks, "With what? We are low on ammo and we have wounded. We are about to be over run, If we don't get out of here soon, there won't be anyone left to pick up. We don't have enough fire power to hold them off much longer!" The three platoon leaders got together and drew straws on who would be the last ones extracted. This time we, (1st Platoon) were the last ones to leave. Things got real quiet again and that scares you. Because you don't know where the enemy is. Nor do you know what he is up to. You start looking 360 degrees in one motion. Then just before the sun was to set we got the order that they were going to try and lift us out again. The wetness of your skin made your clothes stick to you like glue and the ants crawled over your hands as we lay along the dikes. If you were lucky you might even get a leech to bite you on the leg while you lay there in the mud. The time was near and we became very alert. Looking for anything to move out there. Smoke was popped. The slicks make another run to lift us out. First three come flying in low and fast. Nothing happens! First team is extracted. The second three slicks come low and fast and extract the next group. Now it is our turn. It looks like we are going to make it. We hold our circle until the last second. We break, and make a run for the slicks. Only we get a going away present! This time it is only small arms fire. No heavy stuff this time. Mud starts flying up all around you. You see that big bird in front of you. You know it could go up at anytime. But you have to take the chance. It was either make it to the slick or you could end up being left to fight it out with the VC. We were out numbered from what we had been told later. The dog that was with us outran all of us to the slick. He was on it before we even got within 50 feet of them. As you are running your heart feels like its going to bust. You just know one of those bullets was going to rip into your back. But instead you see the slicks being ripped apart with holes. The door gunners smoking those machine guns as you see that slick starting to lift off. You realize you aren't on the slick. You dive for the slick. One leg on the skid and half of your body in the doorway. Someone pulling and holding on to your shirt as you pull yourself in. As you lay there, and you realize you made it. You begin to relax. You look out and see the gunships blowing the ground apart from were you just lifted off. Still half hanging in and half out of the slick, the door gunner taps me on the shoulder and points above my head. He yelled down at me and said, "That was close!" I looked at the holes above my head and then at him. Saying nothing, I just thought to myself, "It's not my time yet!" Then your nerves shake from within and the sweat pours out of your body, on top of the sweat you already have. . .
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