Chapter 15: Ia Drang Valley (Part 3)

The gook continued speaking as the translator translate. 

"Same army that destroyed French. He say that they want to kill Americans very badly....

.....just not been able to find any yet."

Alarmed by this, Lt. Colonel Moore quickly ordered. "Captain Metsker, tell all the patrols to hold their positions."

As Lt. Colonel Moore gave out his order, bullets zip pass at him killing some standing stationary soldier. 

"Captain, you call in all the patrols. We have to regroup and engage the enemy as far away at the LZ possible." Moore commanded one last time as he returned fire.

Quickly scurrying to Metsker, Captain Nadal grabbed the radio as he gave for all the patrols to regroup. But alas, the 2nd platoon got caught in an ambush due to the mistake of an NFG and is now almost three hundred meters separated from the LZ X-ray.

It may not seem that far out but in a terrain like that and gunfights ongoing, its a long way home for them.

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(FEW MINUTES EARLIER)

'Fuck fuck FUCK! This gives me bad feelings.' We shouldn't have give chase at the gook but this dumbo Lieutenant of ours fucking want to take that guy as a prisoner!

"THERE HE IS, GET HIM!"

As that idiot holler more and more, Chucks radio quickly began crackling. "This is Trojan 2-6 to all patrols, you are required to hold your position and await for further instructions." 

Chuck was gonna run on ahead to inform the Lieutenant but suddenly...

I see a bullet directly on course with his head. Then the world started to slow as I get my adrenaline in overdrive to the point I was moving in slow mo. 

'CHUCK DODGE, DODGE GODDAMNIT!!' I desperately shouted but it was only in my mind. No matter how my reaction time increased, or how fast my mind is working to perceive the world in slow motion, that will not change the fact that my body isn't responding and not fast enough to coordinate with my mind.

The bullet entered his head and pierced through his skull, and how his body thudded to the ground, I've seen it all. 

"CHUCK!!" I heard a scream that pull me out of my reverie as I see Tom quickly sprinted to check on Chuck.

But I pulled him out before he reach him, because bullets started raining down on our position. I quickly returned fire as NVA started flooding out of nowhere with intent to overwhelm us. 

"GRAB THE WOUNDED! FALL BACK! GET TO HIGH GROUND!" Sergeant Savage commanded while the fuckin lieutenant is just standing on the open field, firing his rifle, not prioritizing the life of his men.

This angered me to no end, rushing into an enemy territory like an idiot resulted the life of Chuck. If we get out of this fucking situation, I'll fucking murder him myself.

 Arriving quickly at his side, I resisted the urge to put a bullet right through his skull as I drag him away from the killzone.

"What the fuck are you doing Lieutenant?!! C'mon we need to fall back!" 'You cant die in some fucking gooks hand without beating you up first.' I said the last part in my mind. 

The retreat was tedious with those gooks determined to turn us into swiss cheese, the other men were dragging the wounded as the rest gives them cover fire. But with each meter we covered is the lose of someones life, the original thirty men who followed the dumbass is now in twenties and dropping.

When one soldier falls some others quickly tried to drag him to safety, we were taught that way - taught not to abandon our comrades. But alas such method is a double edge sword, while it may save the life of others, it also exposes those attempting the rescue to the same danger.

'Dead men attracts other dead bodies'

The quote couldn't be more true than this in this kind of open field firefights.

Sergeant Hills, who was the squad leader of another squad and the one leading the way, quickly bellowed.

"WERE ALMOST THERE! QUICK ITS ONLY HUNDR-" 

But his talking got abruptly cut off as his body were riddled with bullet holes coming from a PK Machine Gun. Each burst was a rapid staccato of deep, metallic thuds, like a jackhammer tearing through his flesh as he lay dead in his pool of blood with few missing limb.

*BRAP-BRAP-BRAP-BRAP-BRAP!*

To make matters worse, we received fire from our right flank, a few was caught off guard and suffered the terrible fate of becoming a swiss cheese. 

Seeing this, the now still gawking Lieutenant, finally gives order, "Everybody down! Down!" As he dives down first to prone.

The others quickly followed through, with the tall grasses and bushes as our cover. But sadly, Carter wasn't fast enough ad a bullet lodge in his thigh.

"ARRGHHH!!"

I quickly dragged Carter in my direction as I yell for medic.

"Carter!! Medic!!! Godbolt come here!" I yelled with desperation. 

Godbolt did not disappoint as he came crawling his way to ours. He began to access Carters wound while I returned fire, giving the much needed space we needed. but with each passing second and how Carters scream didn't subdue, I checked on him.

"How's he Godbolt, is Carter going to be fine?"

"This does not look good Jimmy. Carters hit in the femoral vein, the largest blood vessel in the thigh." he muttered with a grim tone as he pressed gauze against the gushing wound.

Godbolt look to me in the eyes, with clear resignation in his face. "If we don't get this treated in the next hour, he's going to lose a lot of blood. We need to stop the bleeding now or he'll be in serious trouble." 

"B-but you can close the wound right? Stop the bleeding right? DO SOMETHING, YOUR THE GODDAMN MEDIC!!" I couldn't help but lash out, I couldn't accept it, I couldn't accept that.

"I COULD HAVE IF I HAVE THE TOOLS!!!.... Just accept it man, Carters done for."

Then an idea struck my mind but his next words shattered my hopes in an instant. "Then we just have to improvise, right?? Here, use my belt to slow th-"

"Its no use Jimmy, the wound is too big for such methods. And were only prolonging his suffering by doing that."

"But we have at least to tr-"

Before I could finish my words, Carter interrupted me. "Y-you d-don't have to J-jimmy."

"Carter!" I quickly arrived at his side and grabbed his arm.

"W-we have some f-fun times but you h-have to let go. Y-you were all the best b-buddies I've ever had, m-my brother in all but blood." He said, clearly straining himself to spoke this.

"NO!! Godbolt, use whatever means to slow down the bleeding, I'll break us out of here.

Quickly grabbing my rifle, I began to rain down bullets to the gook fuckers, killing the six who got comfortably close to us. I sprayed also my last bullets to the one with the PK Machine Gun killing the gunner.

*Click-click*

I heard the familiar click of an empty gun without bullets, I quickly slaps another full mag as cocking my gun to start the second round of killing gooks.

But before I can unload some leads, two frag grenades was thrown in my location. One landed near to me and near to Carters position. Due to my quick reflexes, I immediately toss the one nearest to me back at the enemy. I turned to Carters direction to try to toss it away as well in hopes of saving him but seen a scene were he leaped forward, throwing his body onto the grenade and wrapped himself around it.

He smiled at me and muttered.

"Semper fi."

"CARTER NO!!"

"Grenade!"