Letter Home about the Fire
by John Baxter
by John Baxter
Mom and Dad,
Well our mission changed yesterday.
And to sum it up yesterday was just one hell of a day.
We hiked 3.5 km in mountains yesterday morning before we got a call to change missions.
Then we sat in a hot mountain meadow awaiting choppers. We had a combat assault near the red ball Hy#1. 10 minutes later fires started in the dry brush and woods from artillery which prepped the area just before we landed.
The fires literally chased us out of the hills to the red ball. It was the scaredest I've been yet because I was afraid the fires would catch us.
There was no trail off the hill about 170m high & we literally dove off the hill. I took over as lead man part of the way crashing through 10 ft high thorn bushes. All this time we had no water & it was 100+ in the sun and the heat of the fire.
We made it to the bottom safely only a couple of heat casualties but they were all right after a few hours.
Then after finding water we had to push back up another 140 m hill to spend the night. We covered some 10km all day 3km at breakneck speed. All this with packs over 65 lbs.
So needless to say we were an exhausted bunch.
But when we got to the top of the last hill a chopper came with water and mail 3 letters plus Kool-Aid and cigars. Just as well we are holding our position today as I have a stiff knee...
Well so much for another day in Vietnam. I just hope we don't have to go thru another like it.
John
Well our mission changed yesterday.
And to sum it up yesterday was just one hell of a day.
We hiked 3.5 km in mountains yesterday morning before we got a call to change missions.
Then we sat in a hot mountain meadow awaiting choppers. We had a combat assault near the red ball Hy#1. 10 minutes later fires started in the dry brush and woods from artillery which prepped the area just before we landed.
The fires literally chased us out of the hills to the red ball. It was the scaredest I've been yet because I was afraid the fires would catch us.
There was no trail off the hill about 170m high & we literally dove off the hill. I took over as lead man part of the way crashing through 10 ft high thorn bushes. All this time we had no water & it was 100+ in the sun and the heat of the fire.
We made it to the bottom safely only a couple of heat casualties but they were all right after a few hours.
Then after finding water we had to push back up another 140 m hill to spend the night. We covered some 10km all day 3km at breakneck speed. All this with packs over 65 lbs.
So needless to say we were an exhausted bunch.
But when we got to the top of the last hill a chopper came with water and mail 3 letters plus Kool-Aid and cigars. Just as well we are holding our position today as I have a stiff knee...
Well so much for another day in Vietnam. I just hope we don't have to go thru another like it.
John