A Farmer's Courage II: Vietnam 67'
Chapter 6: Fifteen Days Earlier (Part III): Rumble in the Jungle
(Back to Jack)
"Let me get this right…….you didn't rest for that day?" Rick's making quite a big deal about it. I wonder, how can he sleep well when Nazi pricks keeps on bombing above ground back in 42'?
"Yeah……you're a veteran right? Bet you've experienced a two night guard duty before." Gardner
"No….." No surprise…..I guess
"What? How come? What class are you in the military?" This'll be quite a long argument
"Resistance."
"Resis……oh my god! Jesus…..that's why……you slept in tunnels did ya'?" Rick chuckle, answering Gardner's question through his expression
"Of course I do! Nazi pricks couldn't even found our hide out!" Gardner smiled, a disturbing one
"Just like the VC…….now we're the Nazis if we refer it back to your days in the tunnels….."
(Jack's Flashback)
Spring 9, 1967,
23 KM North of 'Ghost Town',
0630 hrs
"Whoa…..! LT! Wake the fuck up man! You almost fall off!" Kowalski grabbed me just in time before I fall of from the APC. I haven't take a rest since last night, and the only breakfast I've eaten were K-rations that tastes more like paste in a can rather than something 'nutritious'. Kai's been able to stay awake after he chewed a few coffee beans he purchased from Deuce. "A replacement for Coffee and those expensive candy coffees." He said. After chewing 2-3 beans, he starts spitting them and says that it tastes like shit! He hands the rest of the beans to Kowalski who gladly accepts it and start gobbling them up. I don't know why he like em' so much. Junior keeps complaining on 'why are we in the roof'. Gardner and Danny is discussing about something. Short Timer smokes, relieving his stress after receiving a few radio transmissions telling us that two F-4 Phantom codenamed 'Broken Arrow' would be assisting us.
"Better eat some of these coffee beans LT! Bet it'll keep you awake for the rest of the day!" Kowalski offers me some of those coffee beans. I rather turn them to coffee rather than chewing them
"No thanks. I don't chew beans…….how come you like that stuff anyways?"
"What could I say……it tastes like…."
"Like shit. That's for sure!" Kai interrupts from his position
"Shut up Meat Grinder! Go and fuck yourself in that MG position, that'll clear your head a bit, wouldn't it?" Kai stares Kowalski, challenging him after hearing that
"You're trying to say something fuck face?"
"You wanna' fight eh neger?" These two never start a day without a fight
"Bring it on!"
"Please, please…..could we have a peaceful morning, and leave the gunfights and horrors later?" Danny tries to stop the fight
"It's already hell here……where will you get a peaceful morning? Only Scar's men got to have a good time inside the APC!" Short Timer is still pissed about our current situation
"I agree with that! How come we got to sit in the top? And Short Timer….." Junior joins the conversation. Now only Gardner's left
"What?"
"Can I have some of those?"
"What? These?" Short Timer held a pack of cigarettes, Lucky Strike
"Yeah……can I?"
"Help yourself." Junior nags a cigarette from the pack and asks Short Timer for a lighter
"Anyways…..why do we have to sit in the top?" Junior smokes while he continue the conversation
"Well…..in my opinion, its better to sit up here rather than inside." Gardner finally joins our conversation
"What makes you think that new kid? Let me tell you something, we're sitting ducks out here! " Short Timer
"Trust me…..you don't wanna' be inside this tin can when it steps a land mine." Gardner taps the APC as it strolls along the jungle paths of Vietnam
Things were quite in the jungle……just like as what we hope it would be. No VC or NVA attacks occurred. Douglas's APC were okay, we're okay…….everyone's okay. But it everything changes once we reach a clearing, small rice paddies.
'BAM!' Douglas's APC suddenly tip over to the left as it ran over a land mine. The whole thing explodes, killing the gunner and the driver. The gunner was blown away from the APC, and landed somewhere in the rice paddies cause of the explosion and the turnover. Hopefully he survived. While the driver, Douglas himself, was blown off in the comparment. His body, stuck to the driver's compartment, adjusted itself with the APC as the bones on its waste snaps. His men came bursting out of the back door, burned to death. One of them came running toward our APC; he was killed by Kai, to his surprise.
"What the fuck is that? Oh my God! My God! My…." Our driver curses as he witness the scene
'CLANCK!' Suddenly he's helmet rang as a splatter of blood splats Kai's face; the driver, the poor bastard, was killed
"Holy shit! Grinder take cover!" Kowalski calls out on Kai in the MG position as the guy fires another round trying to hit Kai. The VC doesn't seem to notice us
"Kowalski, can you see the guy?" I ask him as situation starts to heat up; more VC came storming out of the jungle behind the paddies
"What the hell's going on up there damn it? Open this shit NOW! I demand…" Scar seems to notice the situation from the APC
"Ignore him for awhile; taking out the sniper is our current objective. Now, Kowalski…"
"Yeah, yeah LT. I got it….its by that scarecrow over there!" Kowalski point out, identifying a female VC with a light blue uniform and a sakkat as a headgear
"Meat Grinder, you won't believe this, but the sniper is a female…..she's quite good is she?" I ask him as the sniper keeps on pining Kai in the MG position
"Damn right! I can bet VC friends had been pumpin' her up with dicks to keep her fit and strong!" Kai replies as he duck hot led
"We better take it out now LT. I see VC coming in to assist!" Kowalski
"Nice advice Kowalski! Junior, could you pick her off?" I turn over to Junior who still had the cigarette in his mouth
"Roger that LT. Now where would you like me to hit? pussy? Breast? Or just a headshot?" Can't believe he still can think something gross like that in this kind of situation! Well..., I still think those stuffs when I'm stressing out as well…..
"Anywhere you like. Just make a shot!"
"Hmm…..pussy would be nice…." He pulls the trigger, sending a led flying towards the female sniper. She bent down, feeling the pain below as Junior fires a few round at her…..an accurate one as well
"Don't waste your ammo Junior….I won't be sharing my M-14 magazines with you!" Kowalski
"Shut up Kowalski! This is the scoped M-14, there's no way I'm gonna' miss!" Junior just deny his word
"No! I mean, you don't have to spend THAT many shots on just one damn VC!"
"Is she dead?" Kai peek for a view in the horizon, and assumes that it's clear for him
"Good! I've been waiting for this!" Kai leap out of his hidings and mans the .50 Cal. Once again, he goes on a rampage if he gets his hands on a Heavy Machinegun or a Machinegun emplacement. No wonder he's called Meat Grinder
"Umm……Lt; Meat Grinder turn nuts again…." Kowalski notice Kai's actions once he got his hands on the .50 Cal. He won't stop firing till everything in his sight is gone
"I could see that. Now who's driving? And somebody please, REMOVE THAT GODDAMN BODY FROM THAT DRIVER'S SEAT? Flies were swarming all over it……ugh…" I order any of my squad mates to just pick up that guy and toss him off. He's dead; we'll pick him up on our way back
Gardner pulls the body of our driver from the driver's seat and toss it away (just like what I ordered). He then jumps on the driver's seat and take control of the APC. In full speed, we head towards the rice paddies while Kai fires his .50 Cal, covering us. While the squad and I fire our guns eliminating the remaining VC forces Kai missed on our way
"Move it faster damn it! Can this thing move a bit faster?" Danny (the medic)
"I can't drive any faster! You drive goddamn it!" Gardner replies sarcastically as he drive straight into the dense jungle, leaving the VC in the paddies behind
"Oh shit! We forgot about that driver guy back there!" I slap my head (while ducking branches) after I remember about the driver who was flung to the paddies if he's dead or not. God, how come I'm so stupid?
"He's dead LT! Leave it! Reinforcements would check up on em' once they've cleared our base!" Kowalski
"Drive faster damn it!"
"I AM DRIVING FASTER!" Danny is still arguing with Gardner about his driving skills
The APC was speeding through the dense jungle. We didn't even know whether were going the right track. The APC finally stopped when Gardner drove it into a mud pool.
"Great. Now were stuck out here……who the hell's driving?" After the dive, we open the ramp releasing Lt. Scar and his men
"I guess this thing won't be much use anymore…." I examine the wreckage of the once called APC
"Yeah……well, guess we'll be walking now." Great idea Shorty! We could also learn how to trigger a trap on our hike
"Nice…..how far are we exactly?" I question him hoping he'll now a good reason why we should walk
"Uhh……hold on a sec……" He pulls out a map (strapped in his helmet)
"Umm…. not sure……can anybody here read this freakin' map?" Great…..he can't read a map……how come he's qualified as a radioman?
"And you suppose to be the communication expert?" Scar
"Just joking…….kay'…..we're still 3 KM far from what to be estimated as their artillery hill. Guess there's a reason to walk….."
"Alright…..PFC Mortimer, lead the way!" Scar ordered one of his men to lead all of us to our objective…..I'm not much convince with this guys since he's still……private first class…
"You're sure he'll find us a way?" Scar laughs at my question
"Don't worry, if he's killed, we still got a few replacements!" What an ass……
Eventually we follow this guy to achieve our objective. We got no other choice since my squad didn't receive any point man. They say the best point man were ARVN troops; southern Vietnamese soldier whom we support. Hope this guy knows when to stop when there's a trap or something...
'creak' thought I heard something
The 'Point man' stops dead in his tracks. We're not sure what's up to him until……
"Hey…uhh….Morty, why'd you stop?" Kowalski approaches him, curious on what he's up to. Mortimer was sweating all over. He squeeze the grip of his M4 Carbine as he clenched his teeth
"Morty?"
"MOVE IT IT'S…….!" He leaps back towards Kowalski, only getting himself killed by an explosion. Trip grenade traps. He isn't cautious enough, and without warning steps (not trip. Tripping the wire will cause an instant explosion) on the trip wire. Releasing his foot from the wire will cause the grenade to react. As Morty blew up, a group of VC ambushes us
"Holy….ACH! I'M…I'M HIT! MEDIC!" Kowalski falls on his back as the ambusher caught him with his AK-47. Blood spills from his chest as he hit the ground. His rifle beside him, his hands at his chest trying to resist the pain; the whole squad is alarmed
"Oh shit! Open fire! OPEN FIRE! Danny! Medic! Get over here!" I call him as I signal my hand. I approach Kowalski and try to calm him down a bit
"LT! I can't see them! I only see them muzzle flashes!" Gardner
"So do I LT! We don't know whether we hit them or not!" Kai
"There's too many of them…..ACH!" One of Scar's men was hit in the neck. He fell on his back with his hands on his neck, struggling to breathe. He sigh his last breath 20 seconds later
"LT!" Short Timer had his hands ready with his radio
"What?"
"Should I ask for help?"
"Yeah sure! Go ahead!"
"Broken Arrow! Broken Arrow do you copy? Over!" That'll teach them a lesson
"This is Broken Arrow; we hear you loud and clear, over!"
"Thank God; Broken Arrow, this is Jungle Hound. Requesting air strike on my position!" On our position?
"Roger that. Throw smokes for confirmation, over!"
"Roger that! Popping smokes!" Short Timer pulls a smoke grenade and start tossing them towards the VC
"Jungle Hound, this is Broken Arrow. We could see yellow smokes, confirm?"
"Confirm that!"
"Roger, flying low and fast! Over and out!"
"Let's run LT! Let's get outta' here!" Short Timer starts running back, away from the VC ahead of us. We did the same, and so is Scar's squad. In a matter of seconds, the whole jungle behind us is blazing red. We could even smell the scent of burned VC
"Wooohooo! I love that smell!" Kai was overjoyed with the scene. I don't think sending napalm to VC is quite appropriate, but that's how things go
"All I smell is burnt flesh…." Gardner sniffs the air, heads up high
"Is everybody alright? Where's Kowalski and Danny?"
"Over here LT!" I turn my head to find Danny panting, breathing heavily with Kowalski lying over there. He rises his hand telling us were still alive
"You okay Danny?" I approach him; gun holstered
"Yeah……I guess. After carrying him and running back here is already a pain in the ass…damn he's heavy!" I chuckle while giving him a hand
"You okay Kowalski? How's your wound?"
"Don't mind me LT! I'm okay…a couple of morphine and bandages fixed me up real good." I sigh in relief after hearing that. I approach him as well and help him up. Then pat him in the back
"At least you're okay…..that's what matters." In reply, he sheepishly grin at me giving a thumbs up
"Alright cut the crap! Let's get moving! PFC Marco, you'll lead the way!" Scar orders one of his men once again to lead our way. We walk pass the area where our F-4 Phantoms drops their payload. We pass over the once corpse of Mortimer; now burned to ashes. Scar comes on his body and exchange his M16 with Morty's M4 Carbine, a shorten version of the M16. It got more rounds than the M16 as well
"Now this is what I call 'fire power'! I've been waiting to get my hands on one of these…." Scar examines the M4 Carbine he picked
"Compare to your Thompson, LT, this thing is way better." Boasting his weapon, he shoves it up to me as I back off a bit
"People have got a weapon of choice of their own. On the looks of that weapon you're holding, that gun's range wouldn't be as far as the M16 rifle since the barrel was cut short. The increase of magazine gives a good mobility in the jungle; but the extendable butt gives quite a problem in handling. In conclusion, that gun is more of a clash between assault rifle & sub-machinegun." I calmly examine the rifle (with the looks of it) and explain it thoroughly. Scar stares back with anger in his eyes
"Ghrm …...let's go!" hissing, he orders his squad to continue while we follow behind him
After that napalm strike, things start going our way. VC starts retreating back towards the jungle, and we keep on chasing them like mad! Scar and his mend were on the lead while we follow close behind them. Like rats, they ran through the jungle, eventually leading us towards the rest of the group. Like a child running to his mother, the VC fear with our sights and put no offense towards us. What they have in mind probably is run…..run…..run. This starts to heat up once we met a whole group; of NVA soldiers. It gives no surprise to us to see these two factions cooperate with each other. By the hill they're on, were 2 Katyuska launcher (a truck mounted with rocket pods) and boxes of rockets. It didn't take long before we clear the whole area. Soon, the whole area was crowded with U.S soldiers stacking up dead NVA and VC.
Spring 9, 1967,
Aftermath of Rumble in the Jungle,
1830 hrs
"You see all these cherries around here?" Kowalski points out towards the group of soldiers around the area
"Looks like a big fucking kindergarten around here."
"Hey Kowalski, I remember the time you wet your pants on our second patrol." Kai
"Kai, stop breakin' my balls man." We were just cleaning our gun till' Scar showed up
"LT! We got a tunnel over there, and the brass wants YOU to check it out!"
"Why me?"
"Cause' I advise them you creep. Now get your fucking ass over there…." Geez….how rude. I pack my cleaning kit, holster my Thompson, and walk up towards the Captain and a few other G.I.
"So this is where these VC storms out, eh?" One of the G.I stares down towards the tunnel
"Yeah…., LT! Glad you're here!" The Captain turns to me and hands a silenced .45
"We've picked you to explore and destroy this tunnel. For that, here's the silenced .45, 3 C-4 explosives, and our new pocket radio. You know how to use it?"
"Yes, sir." I nod while I receive the gadget
"Good. Now go down there and blow some VC son." I order my squad to follow Scar while I'm out. Kai and Kowalski DID complain, but they had no choice. I was then lowered to the dark tunnel slowly, and carefully.
Author's Note:
Damn homework and projects were backing me up real bad. I can't stand it………anyways, Jack's first death experience will be coming soon. I haven't plan it when, but it will be.
Next chapter: Tunnel Rat