Chapter 7: Squad Mates and Patrol

To say I am excited is an understatement, I am ecstatic. We're finally gonna travel at the land of glory. The land of where my dreams will come true.

As the C-130 Hercules roared as it taxied down the runway, I glanced around the cabin, taking in the faces of the men, both familiar and unfamiliar.

Tom was sitting across from me, fiddling with the strap of his helmet, his usual grin replaced with a look of nervous excitement. Next to him, Chuck sat silently, his eyes closed, probably mentally preparing himself for what was to come. The rest of our unit, a mixed bunch of fresh-faced recruits and hardened soldiers, were engaged in various activities, some praying, some joking, others lost in their thoughts.

Our unit, part of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, had been through rigorous training. The Battalion was known for its ability to deploy troops rapidly using helicopters, a strategy that was supposed to give us an edge in the dense jungles of Vietnam. But before we could ride the "Hueys," we had to get there, and the Hercules was our ride.

The flight was long, giving me plenty of time to reflect on everything that had led me here. I enlisted dreaming of glory,that much hasn't changed, but the bonds I formed during the grueling weeks of boot camp made me treasure my buddies even more.

We landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, we were strucked by the unfamiliar humidity of an tropical country as we disembarked. We were herded towards a waiting area, where we would receive our assignments. 

"Alright, listen up!" Sergeant Greene's voice rung out, silencing the ongoing chatter. "You're all assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment. Get your gear and fall in. We're moving out to Camp Radcliff."

The journey to Camp Radcliff was smooth as it could be, I took my time observing the landof Vietnam. the lush greenery landscape of the jungle, and war torn villages we pass by. As we arrived, I see our base, its nestled in the hills, surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers, there's also multiple heli pads positioned in the base, tents for us that will serve as a home in this 13 month and a bunker where our chain of command is located.

Me, Mack, Tom and Chuck finally arrived at our squads tent, surprisingly, we saw a familiar face during boot camp.

"Oh, Bob didn't expect to see you here, moreover, as part of our squad, thought you leave with your bags packing when the D.I. was hot on your ass?" Tom teasingly greet.

Bob, a guy with a geeky look and meek attitude, give a wry smile. He already know that Tom is just jesting. "Good to see you too, Tom."

"C'mon dude, what's with the lackluster response." Mack, swing his arm arounds Bobs neck and complain.

"W-well, you know... were at war, you can't really blame. I didn't really ask for this." He said while trying to take of Macks arm.

'Huh? Then why did he enlist?' i couldn't contain my curiosity and ask. "Then why were you in the boot camp?"

He froze at this, the other guys also clearly intrigued listened, he evaded my gaze but answered nonetheless. "My father...me..."

"""Huh?"""

"Say that again, will ya?" 

"M-MY father had.....me...so..."

I gained a tick mark in the forehead and yelled. "For fucking sake! Just say the goddamn thing!"

"MY FATHER HAD SEEN ME DRESS UP GIRLIE-GIRLIE, SO HE SIGNED ME THE FUCK UP TO THE U.S. ARMY!"

He yelled at us as its our turn to froze at the revelation, he wasn't done as he continued. "Clearly his plan works, just thinking of me dressing up as a girl make my stomach hurl."

We didn't said anything as I patted him, "G-good for you man, you didn't turned into the dark side."

"Y-yeah! your a soldier boy now, not a sissy."

"Beat your fathers ass when this is all done!" Mack yelled in encouragement.

"..."

We stopped the discussion in silent agreement, clearly no one wants to bring that topic again in the near future.

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As we put our things down and arrange them in our tent, four new figures enter the tent. They were laughing and joking around, having casual conversation. 

I looked up and saw them three squad mates and our sergeant. They seemed friendly enough, better strike up a conversation, they're gonna have my back after all.

"Hey, how's it going?" I called out, stepping forward to greet them.

The tallest of the bunch, a semi muscular guy with a broad smile, stepped forward first. "Not bad, not bad. Name's Ernie Savage," he said, extending a hand. "Most folks just call me Sergeant Savage."

"Well Sergeant Savage, I'm Private First Class (PFC) Jimmy James Jackson," I replied, shaking his hand firmly. "And these are my buddies, Mack, Tom, Chuck, and Bob."

Sergeant Savage laughed at this, "Hahaha, what a long ass name with a lot of J's in it." He then turned and look at the others.

Mack gave a nod and grinned. "Nice to meet you, Sarge."

Tom, always the joker, added with a smirk, "Hope you're ready for the best grenadier in the whole damn army."

Chuck and Bob both gave respectful nods, with Chuck adding, "Nice meeting you, Sergeant."

Sergeant Savage chuckled. "Well, it's good to meet you all. Let me introduce you to the rest of the squad." He gestured to the three men who had come in with him. "This here is Bungum, rifleman; Carter, our point man; and Godbolt, a medic."

Bungum, a short guy with a lean build, flash a grin. "Welcome to Nam fellas."

Carter, a stocky fellow, also grinned. "Hope you boys can keep up."

Godbolt, a black american with an easygoing smile, added. "Hey, if you got injured out there, just yell my name. I'll come running, just make sure you still breathing though."

Sergeant Savage clapped his hands together, drawing our attention. "Alright, listen up. I'm assigning roles now. Jackson, you're our new rifleman. Mack, you're on the M60, our machine gunner. Tom, you're our grenadier. Chuck, you'll be handling the radio. And Bob, you're a medic. Got it?"

"Fucking A, Sarge, Fucking A." I said acknowledging my assignment.

"Good," Savage continued. "We're heading out on a patrol soon, so make sure your gear is squared away and you're ready to move. This isn't a training exercise anymore, boys. This is the real deal."

I felt a mixture of anticipation and excitement. This will be my first ever patrol and task.

"Got it, Sarge," I said. "Hope some VC scum show up so I can splatter their brain matter across the field."

"Dude! Don't jinx it for fuck sake." Mack smacked my elbow, clearly still nervous to the thought of encountering NVA and VC's.

And....I might have said that a little too exictedly as Sarge looked at me and sweatdropped.

"Um yeah, you'll get your turn in due time."

As we settled in and began to check our gear, I can see Mack approach Bungum and asked. "So, what's it like out there?"

Bungum shrugged. "Hot, wet, and full of surprises. Just keep your eyes open and your wits about you, and you'll do fine."

Tom, never one to miss an opportunity for humor, quipped, "Sounds like a bad date."

Everyone laughed, even Sergeant Savage. "Alright, boys, enough of that," he said. "Let's get ready to move out."