Crazy Run

Oh how we detested leaving the sanctuary of our Mike boat, but it became more and more demanded of us as Charlie honed his gorilla tactics into perfection. First he would ambush a boat with a light force, similar in size to a standing patrol, about three or four guys. They would fire a few rocket and small arms rounds at the Mike, and then withdraw at speed when we dumped snatch squads, made up of SV Marines and Mike crews, on the river and canal banks. Forcing us to pursue them deeper, and deeper, into the jungle they would re-group and hit us in force. Inevitably, our casualty rate started to soar, just as they did for Charlie in these vicious and costly skirmishes. However, the VC didn’t seem to give a fuck how many guys they lost.

Standing orders gave us no other option than to pursue these small enemy groups. Everyone knew it was a dumb fucking idea crawling all over the jungle hunting a few guys, when all the time knowing that a large attacking force was lurking somewhere ready to rip into us hoping to raise their kill tally

After one such an ambush we had moved a considerable distance into the jungle so decided to stop for the night. We sent out a listening patrol. These were normally two guys who would quietly walk a track for say fifty meters or so, stop, close their eyes and listen. Then, after a minute or two, move on for another fifty. They would continue in that way for about a klick, and then head back. It took a couple of seconds for your ears to tune into the night sounds but it was extremely effective.

Then in the early light our tracker found fresh evidence of movement heading to the west of our night harbor, so we quickly packed up and headed off to track them. We had been moving for about three hours when ...

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...Far from it, it is also crisscrossed with a myriad of tracks, both animal and human. Animals are not stupid, unlike some humans, for when animals make a regular track it is for them to make a safe and swift passage, and it was down one of those which I ran!

After another klick I was on the very edge of collapse again, and I knew it. I had uncontrollable heart palpitations, my breathing rasped in my throat and the sweat gushed from me as my body made one last brave, and defiant, attempt to keep going by mass cooling. Only those who have been this close to the end of their physical stamina will know as to what I am referring .Then salvation, in the form of our emergency RVP, where I literally just passed out at the feet of a forward sentry. Lucky for me he defied his standing orders and did not fire at the staggering, exhausted fool whom had fallen out of the jungle!