Tour of Duty (chapter one)

Ever since that first tour in vietnam i served back in '66, i couldn't forget what i remembered. I went back for a 2nd tour, not knowing if i would live through it. This is a story of my 365 days in vietnam 1967....

It felt good to be back in jungle fatigues. I was burning in the sun, i didnt care. I was posted at Firebase Bull Run. in the past days before i arrived, Bull Run had been attacked by NVA in a all out attack. The base has suffered about 2 allmost overruns. All ready, my fatigues where covered in that vietnam red clay dust crap. I walked to the commanders tent to report in. I walked in, the CO looked up from his papers, he took the pipe out of his mouth.

"You must be Sergeant McKennly?" he asked.
I gave him a nice salute, "Yes sir. Reporting for duty sir." I put out. he returned the salute.
"You will report to Bravo company McKennly, they have been needing a new sergeant for sometime. I want to see what you can do for them." He took a whiff from his pipe.
"Yes sir." I said putting back on my helmet, I turned around to exit when he said,
"one more thing, welcome to firebase bull run." he then went back to work.

I exited the tent and picked up my gear. Finding bravo wasn't hard, it was about 100 ft from the CO tent. I entered the barracks. Some soldiers looked up from their card game.

"Who might you be?" a soldier standing next to me asked.

"Sergeant John McKennly, your new platoon sergeant." i said.

"I got that when you said sergeant....sir." he said. "You can have the old bunk the last sergeant had, here, have a beer on us." The soldier said handing me the beer.

"Thanks, Who are you?" I asked him in return.

"McDonald, M60, that man over there is Shorty, that other gi is Raymond. The rest of us are probly..." he had no chance to finish when we hear them shouting.

"GOOKS AT THE WIRE!!!" We heard.

I threw my gear to the ground, I grabbed my M16 and ran out. I followed the path to a foxhole with about 2 men in it. I jumped in and saw it. There were thousands of NVA rushing out of the woods surronding bull run.

"God help me..." I mumbled. I lifted up my weapon and fired. At that time, my old Lt.Colonel ran up.

"Sergeant, get on over to the rest of Bravo.." He looked as if he was going to say more, when his face exploded into gore and blood. His body fell to the ground like a man droping the strings on a puppet.

"Medic!" I cried out. I ran into the Colonels tent.

"Sir we need to drop napalm on them!" I almost shouted.

"Charlie one Alaph 2 oh zero niner, requesting napalm over.....roger." The colonel looked to me, "Get back to bravo, NOW!"
I ran out in time to see the jets fly over and drop the bomds. The night sky turned orange yellow with the glow of the fire.

"Well this is a nice way to start out my 2nd tour." I said.