Chapter 17

  The stars filled the sky as darkness rapidly filled the dense jungle. Jesse looked upon the broad band of the Milky Way and thought of the contrast between something so serene and beautiful and the ugliness of war all around him. Little did he know that it was about to get uglier.

  They came just as they were getting ready to leave their position. Shawn was the first to see them coming through his night vision goggles. Giving off a green hue, they looked more like apparitions of deadly green ghosts rather than mere man who would give no quarter if they came upon their enemy. He counted twenty NVA soldiers moving slowly up the trail with no end in sight. Knowing they would not have enough ammo for a sustained firefight, Shawn continued to count until he could see no more coming, then he slipped behind the large bolder and told the other man the bad news.

  “We got company boys. I counted at least thirty NVAs and probably a few more coming up the rear flank. I think the stragglers for the Squad we ambushed got some reinforcements. They are definitely looking for us.”

  Hung took the NVG from Shawn and looked for himself.

  He returned them and said, “If it was just the remnants of the Squad we encountered, we could fight right here, but we’re now outmanned and outgunned. We should be okay in our position, but once they pass, we’ll have to change routes or get caught in a pinch.”

  Shawn watched as the main body passed without incident. However, he grew very concerned as two NVA soldiers at the end of the column worked their way up the hill. They were coming straight at them. They came within 20 yards of their position and then stopped. One lit a cigarette, and they spoke and laughed momentarily before continuing up the hill again. Shawn ducked down behind a bolder and told Hung what he wanted him to do. After he agreed, he signaled Jesse and Tang to take cover. Shawn and Hung pulled out their Rothco combat knives and waited.

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  The first soldier with the cigarette passed by Shawn only five feet away. Shawn was pleased that he wasn’t a disciplined soldier. He seemed more content with smoking his cigarette than looking for the men from the downed chopper. The second man was much more observant. He stopped as he came even with Shawn. The man sensed something was wrong but didn’t get the chance to tell his partner. Shawn sprang from the ground and drove the six-inch blade into the man’s throat. The second soldier stopped and was about to turn when Hung moved like a ghost and grabbed his mouth from behind. With a quick thrust, he stuck his knife deep into the man’s back, piercing his heart. The cigarette fell from his hand as Hung eased the dead man to the ground.

  All four men breathed a sigh of relief when the rest of the NVA soldiers were no longer in sight. Knowing their fellow soldiers would be missed very soon, they cut some brush and covered their bodies. They finished the task quickly and quietly moved out.

  *****

  Hung was the master of the night patrol. He had a sixth sense of finding the best trail and could move effortlessly through the jungle where other men would be totally lost and confused. He said he could smell and feel the enemy, and Jesse and Shawn didn't dispute it. The decision was made to take a more difficult route back to Xuan Loc. They wanted to avoid any further contact with the enemy. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

  After traveling another klick without incident, they stopped to rest. The terrain was much more challenging than Hung had expected, and despite the morphine, Dang was struggling to keep up. Hung looked at his map and guessed the distance to Xuan Loc was no more than three klicks. At the rate they were traveling, it would take two more hours to reach the city's outskirts.