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Most of the time
when we went back out to the field after a short stand down, we
would be transported out by helicopters, but on this trip we were
being trucked out. So we all loaded up in deuce and a half trucks
and headed out. We were told we would be traveling through part of a
large village or city, the name of which I can't remember. It was a
long and dusty ride and everyone was getting bored. As we approached
the village we thought we would have some fun. There were lots and
lots of Vietnamese kids lining the streets as we passed by so we
began tossing C-ration cans to the kids. There would be a mad dash
to collect the cans. Then someone got the bright idea to drop the
cans off the back of the truck and the kids would then dash between
the trucks and scoop up the cans before the truck behind ran them
over. It was quite a daring game and all for a can of ham and eggs.
About this time, I
looked off in the distance and there was this kid herding his water
buffalo in a nearby field. I turned to Michael Wolfe, my M79 man,
and said, "Give me your M79 and a tear gas round." Well, you can
guess what happened next. It was a perfect shot. It landed right
beside the kid and his water buffalo. You have never lived until you
have seen water buffalo gassed. It bucked and ran like it was in a
Wild West rodeo.
This was fun, so I
began to look for other targets. I soon spotted an old papa-san
sitting by this large pot, cooking rice. You got it! I almost put
the round right in his pot. When the gas hit him, he started running
and ran right into the side of his hooch. It was hilarious. That's
when the truck came to a sudden stop and LT Rees came bailing out of
the truck, runs around to the back and yells, "Who fired those
rounds?" Here I sat holding an M79 with smoke still coming out of
the barrel. He looks at me and yells, "Sergeant Carr, one more stunt
like that and you are riding up front with me." Officers! You just
can't have any fun when they are around! |
