Page 261 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

rr
I was lying in an open field. I realized I was dangerous_
1y exposed to enerny fire, Looking around for a possible shelter, I
found to rny chagrin only one papaya tree the size of rny leg. Better
little cover than none, I decided to crawl to the foot of the fragiLe tree
to get concealrnent frorn enerny observation rather than rnurderous
enerny AK bullets, which could easily pierce through it. I corrected
rny helrnet, grabbed rny darnn o1d still caroera and then did the kind
of job I had not done for several rnonths - crawling, crawling very
Iow. It was pretty good exercice anyway. I rnanaged to reach the
papaya tree ajter all. The firefight continued to rage. No sooner could
I take a little rest and a deep sigh of relief than the group leader,
r
Nhu, shouted out an assault order. trForward, {orward,., the shouts
alrrrost drowned out the scattered gunfire. The group storrned the
pagoda. It was ernpty of enerny but full of broken pieces of religious
furniture and, last but not least, ernpty cartridges.
rrThe
enerny withdrew to a nearby school house and an
adjoining abandoned civilian house which stood halfway between the
pagoda and the school, I was rnopping the sweat and dust frorn rny
face when the sound of incorning jet bornbers was heard. rWhooshrl
and thenrrboorn, boorn...rr. Dust, broken ti1e, aknost everything not
cernented to the roof of the pagoda rained on our heads and the floor,
The bornbs scored direct hits on enerny positions between 100 and
150 rneters away, Fragrnents landed near the pagoda where the Marine
assault group r/as waiting for another assault signal. One or two
landed right in front of rne, well inside the pagoda. Curiously, I
touched one black piece of rnetal. It was as hot as though it just had
corne frorn a rnelting pot.
rrI sat in a corner of the bullet-scarred pagoda for five
rninutes. The lieutenantrs radio was in operafion again, directing the
close air support consisting o{ the bornbing and strafing runs by the
jet fighters. Not one bornb, rocket or round of cannon hit the friendly
position. I ower:heard a brief radio conversation j.n which it was re_
ported that another Marine group succeeded in destroying an enerny
bunker with sorne fifteen enerny in it. All were killed. I wanted to go
there to take a few shots of the enerny bodies. One Marine told rne
not to go until the Marines could knock out the enerny positions in
the house and the school. Furtherrnore, he said, it was too dark in
the bunker for rne to get any good snapshots. We were talking when
sorne people in our rank yelled : rrLt Nhut is dashing toward the
enerny position. Why ? No assault signal yet ? .,. r Everyone just

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