Poetry and stuff

A Battle at Khe Sanh

Words: 672

The Battle of Khe Sanh
By Lisa Noe


Charlie was a marine who loved to write in a journal, he was stationed in Vietnam in 1968.
He was in his bunk writing in his diary as usual when he heard the bombs bursting outside.
They were closer than usual he thought and a buddy in the same tent called to him.
“we’re under attack! It’s not just nearby shelling it is an all out attack, get your stuff together and lets get those Viet Cong.”
They were marines, they were not going to run from a fight they would stand up proud and strong and do what they must to protect their buddies and to keep the communism from affecting the people back home in in the States. Charlie grabbed his weapon and his trusty journal and pen, and ran out the door to face the ensuing battle. This was the worst battle they had seen since they had been in Vietnam.
They were attacked by the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. This was an intense siege of the US Marine Garrison at Khe Sanh. The Viet Cong forces launched the Tet offensive, which was a series of coordinated surprise attacks on cities and towns in South Vietnam. The US marines and the South Vietnamese allies fought off the enemy in one of the bloodiest battles of an intense and consuming war.
Charlie and his buddy were in the jungle when three Viet Cong soldiers jumped them. Charlie was able to overpower the one who jumped him and he shot him, then shot the other men who had jumped his buddy but one of them was able to stab Gary, who fell to the ground, Charlie shot the other man who stabbed Gary. Gary was bleeding profusely from his wound in his gut. Charlie immediately took off his shirt, leaving him in a Tee-shirt, and pressed the cloth to the stab wound to apply pressure, blood was oozing from him. They were surrounded by Viet Cong and could not get to their camp to get medical attention for Gary.
“Lay down and hold my shirt to the wound, I’m going to get rid of a few of those little varmints, They’ll not get away with this, I will get you help.”
“Be careful or you’ll end up like me, they are sneaky and quick.”
“I assure you they won’t see me coming, I know where they are and I’ll flush ‘em out with my weapon!”
Charlie was known as a sharp shooter and received awards for his excellence in shooting. He took the weapon and some extra ammunition into the jungle a little deeper than they were. Gary lay bleeding and in bad shape, Charlie was his only hope for survival. Charlie spotted a lone soldier, and feared if he shot him others would hear the shot and converge upon him. He sneaked up behind the soldier and took his survival knife and stuck it in the man’s gut, two different times, until the soldier fell dead at his feet. He then went even deeper into the jungle where he spotted a whole troop of men, he hid in the trees and vines of the jungle and began shooting one by one, killing the twelve men, he missed only three times and then only because the soldier hid behind something. He saw that the way was clear for he and Gary to get back to camp so he went back and got Gary, carrying him nearly a mile through the jungle. When they finally got back to camp, Charlie took Gary to the medical tent. He was in serious condition and would be sent state side . Charlie, however was there to finish his tour for the rest of the year, he would never forget the battle carried out by the Peoples Army of North Vietnam in Khe Sanh. He would write about the battle nightly and would one day sell a book about the battle and his friend who almost died.