I Left My Platoon a Day Early. I Listened as the Viet Cong Killed My Replacement

[douglas9]

My platoon was about 100 miles from Pleiku City, searching for the Viet Cong within South Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The mountainous elevation offered little protection from the humid air that left us staggering as if intoxicated.

I was the platoon’s forward observer, and March 31, 1968, marked the end of my fifth scary month stationed in South Vietnam. In 48 hours, I would begin a seven-day leave in Bangkok.

The resupply chopper would bring in my replacement, Frank, and fly me out. I was excited about traveling to Bangkok after listening to stories from guys who took their leave there: days of girls, bars, and beer.

The battalion XO requested the platoon’s resupply a day earlier, so I got to leave a day ahead. When I relayed the good news to the platoon lieutenant’s aide, he gave me a typical military reply: “Lucky you, asshole.”

But first we had to march to the landing zone, a miserable nine hours of tramping up and down hills, spending a hellish part of the journey trekking through swampy areas full of mosquitos, snakes, blood-sucking leeches, and unbearable humidity.

Once there, the resupply chopper could land, pick me up and drop off Frank, and unload the supplies.

https://thewarhorse.org/army-soldier-heard-viet-cong-kill-his-replacement/