EDITOR:

He walked onto the small field and motioned to our two mortar crews. We left the gun pits and gathered around. He wore no rank. Someone later claimed he was a major. His crumpled bush hat, olive drab t-shirt (no jungle jacket) and relaxed manner spoke ‘lots of combat experience’. He nodded towards the three story buildings 50 yards away. “Intelligence has it a Viet Cong reinforced platoon (30 to 40 enemy) will cross the paddy on the other side of those buildings tonight and attack. I’ll be on the third floor manning a 50 ( .50 caliber heavy machine gun ). After dark two armored personnel carriers (APCs) will station themselves between buildings overlooking the paddy. When I open fire, so will the APC’s. That’s the signal for you guys (he nodded at the other mortar crew) to hang the first mortar round. The APCs will spot for you. When they see the explosion they’ll radio the correction. Then you guys (he nodded at us) fire. You’ll both be firing blind, over the buildings, but the APCs will be directing you.”

Just after midnight the fight began. Fifteen minutes later it was over. None of the enemy escaped. None surrendered. None of us were scratched. In the morning an APC crewman walked over and wanted to know who fired the second round. I raised my hand.

“When our 50s opened up a bunch of the enemy sought safety behind a paddy dike. They didn’t stay there long (a dike is a foot and a half thick, a .50 caliber bullet penetrates three foot of packed dirt). Six to eight of them then ran into a nearby hooch. Your round hit it. Want to come and see your handiwork?” I shook my head no. He smiled and left.

While hanging that round I had set the one second delay on it. Throughout the fight I kept asking myself why set a delay on a round destined for troops in the open? You want it to explode at ground level throwing out deadly shrapnel not burying itself two feet in the mud before going off. But that round had hit a hooch. Had I not set the delay the round would have harmlessly exploded on the roof. Instead it went through (starting the delay) and 15 pounds of high explosive detonated belt high among a bunch of enemy.

Strange things happen. God? Buddha? Luck? Who knows. Maybe Platoon Sergeant Hunter had it right. “Don’t worry about the one with your name on it. Watch out for the one addressed, ‘To whom it may concern’.”

William Sirtola

Rock