“Cap, you and the L-T need to see this,” Sarge said, leading them back across the stream to the trail on the other side. “Check this shit out!”
The ruins of four bicycles, heavily laden with supplies, lay where they fell. The handlebars were extremely long, extending back to where a seat should have been. That must have made it easier for the porter to stabilize and maneuver the two-wheeled supply vehicle. Every inch of the frame had something tied to it; sacks filled with rice and fish, two mortar tubes and bases, mortar rounds, and extra weapons spilled over the trail.
“Now that’s something you don’t see in the jungle every day,” the L-T said.
“This is the first time for me, Cap. I’ve never seen anything like this down south.”
“This is a major supply route through the country, Polack; nothing I see here surprises me. Now if we knew of their final destination, that would be icing on the cake.”
“You want me to take a patrol up the trail a ways to see what we can find?” The Spanish sergeant nicknamed ‘Beast’ asked.
“No!” Cap responded. “These supplies are for more soldiers than we have ourselves right now. Let’s be patient and continue leaving mechanicals on these trails to see what develops.”
This turned out to be one of the larger finds in the battalion during the last few months. It took the men almost the entire day to separate and evacuate all the equipment by chopper. Three new mechanical ambushes were set up further up the trails before the men packed up and headed back to the NDP.
Alpha Company spent the next two weeks patrolling through that part of the valley, hoping to find signs of the perceived NVA base camp. They were unsuccessful in locating it, but had much better results with the deployed mechanical ambushes, adding to the body counts and confiscated supplies.
The soldiers only fired weapons before checking blown ambushes and did not sustain any casualties during that time. It was a new record for Alpha Company in the A Shau Valley.
The other companies in the Valley were not as fortunate, as they continued to be mortared, encountered booby traps, and walked into ambushes. At times, Medevac helicopters evacuated the wounded from that company’s area of operations as many as three times in a single day.
Alpha Company heard gunfire and explosions all around them every day, but none close enough to pose a threat or even worry about.
During the third week in the valley, the frequency of blown mechanicals dropped to zero; this necessitated patrols to return to the ambush sites, dismantle the mines and then set them up again in a new location. This exercise was repeated daily.
The Battalion Intelligence Group suspected the enemy might have either redirected their supply routes or stopped them altogether in fear of the dreaded American booby traps. When the week ended without having added to the body counts, the battalion brass ordered Alpha Company back into the mountains to resume patrols there.
The company started to lose men in the mountains every day, but not because of hostilities. Instead, Mother Nature had waged a battle against the grunts. Calls for Medevacs were requested daily as soldiers suffered from heat exhaustion, heatstroke, deep lacerations, and sprains that occurred when some lost their footing and fell down the uncertain slopes. Spinal injuries were also on the rise, as many soldiers wrenched their backs when the heavy rucksacks shifted unexpectedly during a slip or fall. John and the others lost weight rapidly, mostly due to dehydration. Their thigh and calf muscles burned and screamed from the exertion, only to cramp and tighten up when taking a break. Dealing with muscle spasms and charley horses became part of their nightly ritual.
After two weeks of climbing up and down the mountainside without any signs of the enemy, battalion withdrew Alpha Company from the Valley. It had been a very successful mission, with fifty-two kills credited to the company. The men were ecstatic to leave the Valley.
Alpha Company’s new mission was to become a diversionary force in an area to the west of the main highway between Quang Tri and Camp Carroll. Fire Support Base Barbara was several miles west of the American base; Charlie Company moved into the FSB to reinforce those soldiers already there. Intelligence had received word of a large force massing in the area and planning to attack the firebase.
Cap and his warriors were to patrol through the area south of the FSB, looking for signs of the buildup. Intelligence had already cautioned the company that the force may be battalion-sized or larger, and if engaged, the Americans were to withdraw to a more defensible location and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
“What is a diversionary force?” Cotton Top asked.
“You don’t know?” John asked.
“No, really, I’ve never heard the term before.”
“It’s a ploy to divert the enemy’s attention elsewhere. In our case, we’re going to be the decoys used to flush out the enemy and expose them before they have a chance to hit the firebase.”
“That’s fucked up, Polack!”
“On top of that, we won’t be able to leave any mechanicals set up and armed during our patrols.”
“Why not? Those ambushes work great and they cover our backs.”
“I know they do, but the higher ups are worried that if we run into this large force out there somewhere and have to make a hasty retreat, we might run into our own claymores on our way back.”
Cotton Top nodded soberly, uncomfortable with the plan.
During the first day, they found signs of new enemy activity throughout the area, and discovered two recently used staging areas. The NVA soldiers themselves, however, remained hidden.
Over the next three days, Alpha continued sending out numerous patrols in every direction, but they always returned without finding any new evidence of the large suspected force. The men began voicing their opinions, letting everyone within earshot know they were tired of these endless patrols, looking for an enemy that did not exist. Most of the men already believed there was no truth to the intelligence information about the buildup and possible attack on the firebase. They soon found out how wrong they were.
The NVA soldiers had been watching the decoy company for days, refusing to take the bait. Instead, they remained very stealthy, evading the many patrols and skulking around their positions undetected.
Just after midnight on the fourth night, a full-scale assault launched against Charlie Company and the protectors of Firebase Barbara. Mortars and rockets slammed into the firebase for an hour before the ground assault began.
During this barrage, sappers were moving through the barbed wire toward the perimeter, using Bangalore torpedoes to blow holes through the mass of barbed wire. The men in the bunkers kept their heads down and did not seem to be aware of the enemy activity in the wire around the firebase. These sappers created clear pathways for the attacking forces, granting direct access over the berm and into the compound.
The sound of whistles and trumpets blowing from the surrounding jungle announced the start of the ground attack. Hoards of enemy soldiers advanced on the firebase from three different directions. In a wild-eyed frenzy and screaming insanely, they ascended the hill toward the firebase, weapons firing on full automatic. Charlie Company defenders did all they could to slow down the onslaught of feverish attackers. Some claymore mines still worked and quickly blew as the scourge continued pushing forward through the pathways in the wire. The base Mortar Platoon kept the area lit with flares and fired high explosive rounds into the advancing enemy on the hillside.
The 105mm artillery guns leveled their barrels and waited for enemy soldiers to breach the perimeter. Their chambers, loaded with beehive rounds were now giant shotguns - ready to shoot thousands of steel darts at point blank range into the advancing forces.
M-60 machine gunners around the perimeter soon started to have misfires as barrels overheated from continuous firing; the troops were almost out of oil to keep the barrels cool, with no spares seemingly anywhere nearby.
As the ammunition dwindled, a short pause in the firing enabled som
e of the NVA to infiltrate into the compound. A number of Charlie Company men inside the perimeter were surprised and had to resort to hand-to-hand combat to save their own lives. Others were not so lucky, as passing enemy soldiers threw satchel charges into their bunkers en route to the Command Bunker in the center of the compound.
Cobra helicopters soon arrived and fired at the enemy running rampant outside the perimeter. Jet fighters also came on station, dropping bombs and napalm into the jungle areas surrounding the camp.
After two hours of intense fighting, the raging battle tapered off and enemy soldiers retreated into the surrounding jungle. Both sides suffered many casualties in this ferocious battle, but the guardians of Fire Support Base Barbara refused to give up.
While the fight was taking place, Alpha Company left their NDP and moved into a blocking position, about a mile away from the firebase. There, they placed a dozen strobe lights onto the ground, pointing upward into the black sky along the front line of soldiers. Fuzzy and Stud had already alerted the aircraft circling overhead of the friendly forces blocking the enemy’s route of retreat. They also informed the birds that the line of strobe lights extended along the length of their ambush. Overhead aircraft commanders marked the location of the skirmish line, promising the men on the ground that they would engage enemy soldiers well to their front.
One of the Air Commanders informed Cap that a large group of retreating soldiers was coming their way. Prior to taking the defensive stand, the company had set up ten mechanical ambushes fifty meters to their front and fifty meters on each flank, hoping this first line of defense would stop most of them before the actual shooting started.
Alpha’s soldiers had completed their foxholes in record time, sliding into them, and packing dirt firmly to the front of the hole to ensure a clear line of fire.
While waiting for the aggressors to arrive, the firebase fired artillery and 81mm mortars in the direction of the fleeing NVA, flanking them to funnel the retreating group toward Alpha's killing zone.
It was not a long wait until the first of the beaten and weary NVA forces arrived. Nobody in the blocking force could see them, but could hear them crashing through the jungle as if chased by ghosts.
A group of seven NVA tripped one of the mechanicals and fell dead. Those running behind them continued to push forward, thinking the mortars from the firebase had found them. When a second ambush detonated, they finally realized that they had entered a minefield. They came to a stop, assessed their options, and then changed the route, choosing to follow a path leading across Alpha’s front. The grunts had been sitting nervously and waiting for the order to open fire.
Cotton Top gave battalion a clear picture on the radio of what was taking place to their front. He also received word that Alpha was to hold their fire until the rest of the reactionary force was in position. Bravo and Delta Companies airlifted into an LZ a mile away and were currently flanking Alpha’s line on both sides; they were only minutes away from being in position.
Artillery was on standby and ready to fire at the enemy soldiers, and Cobra gunships returned with a fresh and full complement of armaments. When everybody was in place, the gunships would begin their attack, scattering the NVA toward the infantry blocking positions.
The Alpha Company men were watching the enemy closely from their foxholes. Some had been counting the shadows as they crossed through their field of fire. One of the Third Platoon members whispered that he had counted eighty-six so far. He may have missed some or even counted others twice; it was not important because everyone could plainly see dozens of soldiers out there. John knelt in his foxhole, the handset glued to his ear. He peered over the lip at the shadows to his front, hoping that nobody would be trigger-happy and start shooting before everything was in place.
The column of enemy soldiers suddenly stopped and each person quickly squatted low to the ground at the sound of approaching helicopters. The enemy soldiers were confident that the black of night would hide them; they squatted and waited until the birds passed harmlessly overhead.
On a signal from battalion, the strobe lights turned on. The Cobra gunships immediately began their strafing runs on the stalled column of NVA, flying from right to left well in front of the blocking forces lines. Mini-guns buzzed and rockets fired in pairs, signaling the start of the ambush. At the same time, Alpha Company opened fire. They could not physically see the soldiers through the smoke and darkness, but fired their weapons from the rim of their foxholes and toward their front. The Americans kept their heads down, not taking any chances that would make them a lucky target for the other side.
The NVA, surprised by this swift action, was unable to return fire. Just then, artillery rounds began raining down on top of them. After several salvos, the rounds began moving away from Alpha Company’s line, exploding further away, in an attempt to block any retreat in that direction, thereby, effectively trapping them.
There was mass confusion within the enemy ranks. Many refrained from firing and sought shelter instead. They took off at a fast run through the raining steel, only to drop dead onto the ground after just a few meters.
The massacre was over in fifteen minutes when it was clear that no more shadows were moving through the area. The Cobras continued their surveillance from overhead, looking for a reason to start firing again. There were no survivors, and Barbara got some payback.
Alpha Company remained in the immediate vicinity with the other two companies for another two days, chasing down those stragglers retreating toward Laos. Then, as a reward, the brass pulled Alpha Company from the jungle by chopper, flying them to a new base for some well-deserved R&R.
There was much speculation and discussion between the Alpha Company grunts as to where they were going. Most agreed that none of the firebases up in this part of the country would qualify as a suitable location for R&R, especially with all the recent activity around some of them. If given a choice, many of the men would have preferred to remain in the field, where in their opinion, it was much safer in retrospect. However, when considering a place that qualified as an R&R reward, Phu Bai, Da Nang, and China Beach topped the list of probable locations.
The group had worked very hard in the bush during the last five weeks, and welcomed an opportunity to sleep soundly through the night, take showers, and eat normal chow for a couple of days – their definition of a very merited R&R.
Nevertheless, on the day of the scheduled pick up, the men learned they were joining the rest of the battalion at Camp Brooks near Da Nang. No one in the company had ever heard of Camp Brooks or patrolled through that area around Da Nang.
Upon their arrival, the grunts learned that Camp Brooks was a Marine base camp. The jarheads were going home and vacating many camps in the area. The 1st Battalion would secure this base during their withdrawal and stay there until the ARVN’s took it over.
The grunts soon discovered that the area surrounding Brooks had been friendly and quite secure for some time now. After hearing this, they really looked forward to the much-deserved rest.
Mail finally caught up to the moving soldiers at Camp Brooks. Letters from home were a big deal and when received, everything else could wait. The men were filthy, smelled, wore tattered clothing, and had scruffy beards that needed to be shaved. They were hungry, thirsty, and some required medical attention. However, sweet words from loved ones had arrived. The top priority now was to find a private place in the shade to read them.
John looked through his mail and then remembered that he had not taken the time to send his new address to the parents of his former Wolfhound friends. He assumed the same had happened to everyone else but BJ - John’s mother informed him in one of the letters of his new address in the 173rd Infantry, Americal Division. He left those addresses at Phu Bai with his personal gear, but promised himself to make every effort to contact them in the near future.
~~~~~
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Camp Brooks was a refreshing change. The area assigne
d to Alpha Company had all the luxuries of home. The barracks had beds with sheets and pillows, and electricity to power dozens of fans and radios left behind by the Marines. In the day room, troops had access to a refrigerated soda pop machine, a TV, and a pool table. The latrines were equipped with all the modern conveniences, including hot and cold running water. A mess hall operated by the battalion cooks served three hot meals a day. What more could a grunt ask for?
After two days of R&R, the colonel assigned Alpha Company to bunker guard. They were responsible for securing two and a half miles of the extensive perimeter. There were just enough bodies available to fulfill this obligation, with the men working two twelve-hour shifts.
The CP’s responsibility did not change much. They continued to monitor the radios and bunker phones, and battalion headquarters expected situation reports regularly. The four men in the CP also took on the role of goodwill ambassadors, and every four hours one of them drove a jeep along Alpha Company’s sector of the perimeter, delivering hot coffee, cold pop, and sandwiches to those people in the bunkers. Extremely appreciative of this kind gesture, the grunts welcomed the opportunity to learn more about those “lazy” people in the CP.
Every person in the company worked a mandatory twelve-hour shift each day, resulting in an equal amount of time off to catch up on sleep, read, shoot pool, or just lounge around the barracks.
It was, indeed, a serious change of pace for the grunts; many never had an opportunity like this since they arrived in country. Compared to what they had endured so far, this was paradise.
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel - Revised Edition Page 41