Question for the combat grunts...

[exlrrp]

I killed 7 men with one Claymore one night in the Song Ve on one of my first ambushes.

We were sitting on an ambush along a high speed trail,almost a road., a couple squads with two MGs on each end
I hadn't set the mines out nor the trip flares so I didn't know really where they were. I was awake during one of the late night shifts, aitting at one of the MG positions, and I might have been the only one awake on the whole ambush.

We had heard firing up the valley earlier in the evening, the Oh Deuce: kicking ass, no doubt. Along about the middle of the shift, I heard dogs barking in this little ville up the road a click or so.

Well, I ain't no Indian but I can read sign good enough and I thought: Those dogs are barking at SOMETHING! I grabbed up the Claymore clicker and waited. I had been told to blow the Claymore when the trip flare stretched across the trail went off. Thats all I knew.

Sure enough, a short time later, the trip flare went off and I blew the Claymore.
I will remember that scene for the rest of my life.

I could see the VC going down by the light of the trip flare like they'd been hit by a shockwave. It was the most hellish scene I'd ever seen,people screaming in agony, bits and pieces ALL OVER! It turns out that if I'd opened up with the MG, I might have gotten more but all I could do was sit there openmouthed

I could only sit there with my mouth wide open, in shock myself, and I have to say I flat out did not know what to do next. But those other guys sure did---they woke up pitching grenades. We threw grenades untill all sound and movement stopped.

We crept out by dawn's early light and it was a scene right out of hell. There were bodies lying everywhere, 6 in all. One of them was lying under a plastic tarp he'd pulled over himself and he tried to pitch a grenade. My Squad leader typed him up and it went off harmlessly.

I thought: thats how I want to go if the time comes, fighting to the end.

It was shocking to me then and its still shocking to think about 40 years later. I felt like I'd caused a HUGE fatal car wreck and then walked away scott free, whistling: Gee whiz: Sorry, sorry, Sorrrrreeeee!

I looked at all those dead bodies lying there and I thought: By God, nothings ever gonna be the same after THIS! ( and I was right!)

There were blood trails leading into the bush and me and Dan B, who you know now as Pighumper, were told to go in there and find them. We went in aways, stopped and had a smoke and then came back and said they'd gotten away. Sure hope THAT wasn't what lost the war!

So there were 6 dead bodies stretched out, or at least chunks of them. I mentioned the flat stick scenario didn't I?
They'd been a medical detachment that was carrying wounded,later the same day we found the dead body of one they'd been carrying that they'd dropped.

That made 7--- Seven with one blow! I wish I could say I felt good about doing this but in all honesty I still don't.

Stay good
James