O'Neil's Legacy & The Legend of The Sacred Sword

O’Neil’s Legacy &

The Legend of the Sacred Sword

MARK RAYMOND

C O R R I G A N

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SMASHWORDS EDITION

O’Neil’s Legacy & The Legend of the Sacred Sword

Copyright© 2018 Mark R Corrigan

Cover Design & Interior Layout: Laura Shinn Designs

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O’Neil’s Legacy & The Legend of the Sacred Sword

Throughout history some men build legends without really trying. While others who thought they were great pass through this World hardly noticed that they had even been there. This is a story about two such men who lived centuries a part, yet their ideas came together to give rebirth to the Legend of the Sacred Sword of the Vietnamese King Le Lio who expelled the foreigners who had enslaved his people.

There would not have been a Legend of Captain Michael Patrick O’Neil if the men he taught how to become expert Snipers did not pass on what they learned from Captain O’Neil to others. O’Neil’s Legacy was not only how to hit their targeted enemy on the first shot but how to survive on the battlefield to kill their enemy again. This story deals with one of Captain O’Neil’s first students called Goof Off from the first 8th Army’s Advanced Marksmanship Training Class in South Korea.

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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to those who earn the right to be called a Sniper.

Chapter One:

USING THE LESSONS LEARNED

After six days of heavy rain everything outside of his poncho was extremely wet. Under the US Army poncho, it was almost as bad since the heat of the jungle along with his body temperature produced almost as much moisture as if he had not worn the poncho at all. At least the rain might have washed away some of his body odor which he knew made him smell awful rank.

The trail he had been paralleling was nothing but soft slippery mud. It was easy to become buried in over your boot tops and every step forward required you to pull each foot out of the mud before he could take another step. This progress was becoming very tiresome. Now with a little grass he could get off the path into the higher grass which would also offer some concealment.

Staff Sergeant Jerry Collens was supposed to have contacted the 2ed Battalion Headquarters two hours ago. His radio had been blown apart with the same burst of AK-47 rounds that killed his partner. Without a radio he had no chance to get a chopper in to pick him up and fly out of here. Not that there was an open field in which a chopper could have landed nearby. He was stuck in this mix of triply canopy jungle since he and his Sniper Team were dropped off into an Hot Landing Zone (LZ).

Jerry was the Commander of a four, 2-man elements of his Sniper team that had taken a beating just to get in on the ground. He lost 2 men within 20 seconds of their arrival. Jerry had been lucky to be one of the first men out the door with his element partner Ray Cornwell who had fallen along with Jerry when the skids of the Chopper suddenly change positions causing them to lose their balance. The second element had safely made it to the ground. At least the chopper had put them on the ground alive without any holes in them.

The Crew Chief and the two Door Gunners had been cut to ribbons as they caught the enemies point blank fire into the open Chopper doors. The Chopper was already starting to smoke as some of the enemy bullets had hit the engine. Despite of the damage to the Chopper it departed whining and squealing like a stuck pig who was trying to avoid the butcher's knife. Jerry and Ray laying on their backs watching the damaged Chopper gain altitude and limp off in the direction they had come from.

The second Chopper carrying Sniper Elements Two and Four had not faired any better except the two door gunners had not been hit and they were laying down some hot covering fire for the first two Sniper elements who were already on the ground without being hit. This covering fire allowed these two Sniper Elements to quickly disappeared into the tall elephant grass before the Chopper was hit again and it limped off smoking. The Snipers who gotten off the Choppers reported their condition. The First and Third elements, were untouched while the Second and the Fourth elements were either dead or seriously wounded.

Their original orders had been to take up positions along a trail into Doc Toe and then coordinate with an ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) Battalion who would give them support in their long distant shooting capabilities along the route. Just why they could not have been choppered directly into Doc Toe was never answered.

Jerry’s new Battalion Commander had no idea of how to use the Snipers that had been assigned to his unit. He had sent them on Reconnaissance Missions and even as general support for his unit probes in the hope of gaining some military intelligence. What he failed to realize was the Intelligence Information should be coming to the Snipers rather than from them. Snipers were designed to control large open spaces where their long-range shooting capabilities to destroy the enemy as it attempted to move quickly through an area. If the Snipers could force the VC and NVA units into the jungle areas where the battalion's ability to concentrate and direct their Artillery fire on the enemy who would be sitting ducks. There were larger maneuvers called the Hammer and Anvil where two or more Battalions drove the VC and NVA into a blocking position of another Battalion where the enemy could be killed. Although these maneuvers looked good on the maps and they may have worked during World War Two the VC and the NVA seldom cooperated. Such an operation may have lasted over 45 days and produced one dead VC per day while a Sniper Team on the same position of the blocking Battalion had been would kill twice as many VC in less than three days. Jerry knew this was true as he was a member of the Sniper Team who did it several times.

This was the Sniper's first mission with the Battalion Commander who had allowed the snipers to prove themselves. The only problem was the Battalion S-2 Intelligence did not have any data or military intelligence to share with them on the area where they would come into with their choppers. They had nothing to share with the snipers.

The whole deal was smelling rotten from the top down since the first Order of the Battalion Commander. The unidentified insertion location, an un-scouted area without out any Mohawk reports and no artillery activities for the last 10 days could mean anything and everything was waiting there for them. The more Jerry pressed for the information that should be available to anyone who would be dropped into the area or to be given the assignment of specific support Units who would protect them was not available to him.

Jerry as the Sniper Team Leader could not accomplish what officers should be able to do. When Jerry was part of the 8th Army’s AMU, Army Marksmanship Unit he had seen Captain O'Neil literally threaten the S-2 to get the latest action reports for the area they were going to be dropped into. At a minimum he demanded to have the Artillery Action Reports which would help him to assess the latest Enemy activities in the area. The High altitude, Infar-red and other activities within the Mohawk's capabilities could give O'Neil a fair assessment of the enemies’ activities in the area from 10,000 feet.

Jerry made a call to an old friend of Captain O'Neil's and after they exchange the news, Jerry told him where his Sniper Team was going. Sergeant E-7 Shackelford was able to provide the latest maps, showing stream beds, river crossings, heights of the small hills and the open areas. The opportunity to obtain current Map updates were priceless. Sergeant Shackelford also promised the latest high altitude and Mohawk electronic Reports. These were so good and technically advanced that you could pin point where every VC and NVA had been standing when the images were collected.

With his fresh information Jerry and his team mates looked at the whole area as being hot and it could get even hotter once the snipers were on the ground. Jerry contacted the Artillery Firebases which could be called upon to support their operation. He also contacted the Forward Air Controllers to get their latest frequencies and call signs.

Jerry tried to think of everything he might need to make a safe insertion into the Landing Zone (LZ) Jerry set up his defensive positions with each Sniper element having two men. These pairs of shooters had worked together and made a close net team who could look at each other and know what he was thinking. They had to have that level of confidence as they depended upon each other to stay alive.

Going into this LZ would be like the really lose goose shit hitting the fan even before the music started to play. Jerry and his partner Cal had worked together on seven previous insertions so far and both men found themselves a partner they could work with and totally count on. Thinking and answering each other's questions and concerns before it was necessary to speak them.

Cal got up on one knee while Jerry was telling him to stay down. Cal was struck with a three-rounds of ten shot burst from an AK-47 within 50 yards from where the chopper attempted to set down. By the time Jerry could reach Cal, the boy was giving up the Ghost. One bullet had shattered the elements radio which Cal had been carrying on his back. The other two rounds were just on either side of the radio, making all three shots in the killing area. This type of shooting could only have come from a seasoned soldier who had participated in dozens of US Army landings like this one.

Jerry felt Cal’s jugular vein in the desperate hope that Cal was still alive. The man was dead. Jerry made the sign of the cross to bless him. Jerry pulled off his Dog Tags and stuffed them into the top pocket of his Camouflaged fatigues. Jerry pulled out the 357 Magnum that Cal carried as his back up. Jerry unhooked Cal’s Sniper Rifle that had been slung over his back. He also pulled off Cal’s Back Pack, the two 30/06 Ammo pouches and the three canteens of water. Jerry holstered his own Colt Gold Cup 45 Automatic. He pulled out Cal’s knife and sheath from Cal’s right boot.

Taking all this would leave the Zip's little to fight over. Jerry looked up just as the VC who had killed Cal broke into the small pocket that had been made by Cal, Ray, Jim and himself when they had fallen out of the chopper. Jerry was a second quicker with his Model 12 Winchester 12 Gage Shotgun. This weapon had originally designed for the trench warfare during the First World War. This weapon became a favorite of many GI's when they were dealing with the VC and the NVA in the triple canopy jungles. The only problem was you needed to use full length Brass cartridges as the plastic ones would take on water and swell up making them impossible to load or extract after firing.

The real advantage of these shotguns was you could carry a load in the chamber and all you needed to do was pull the outside hammer back, point and pull the trigger. That difference was perhaps a fifth of a second faster and in most cases became the difference in killing or being killed as it was this time.

The surprised look on that Zip's face as his body was almost torn apart with a load of double ought Buck Shot and the rest of the load between the Buck Shot was filled with Number 2's goose loads had the cutting and shock power to bring a man down with several critical parts of his body missing. This Zip was no exception as the shotgun's blast had caught the Zip just below the rifle he had been carrying. For a moment Jerry believed that he could look right through the man before he collapsed to the ground.

Jerry knew that they would not have any time to pick over the Zip for information or documents. This was bug out time, big time. Jerry yelled for their report and only four voices responded. If they are dead leave them or if they can walk head for that finger of the woods on east side. Block D-1 Before the team left the Battalion Jerry had made an over lay of the landing zone marking it of in square yards, numbers North and South, Capital Letters from the West to the East. The order B-1 was almost the North West Corner. Jerry departed from the first Chopper landing site with only Ray's and Jim's Dog Tags. Their Weapons were useless as the rounds fired by the VC had busted them up. Their backup weapons had also taken a beating. Jerry picked up their pistols and knives so that he would not be leaving anything of value to the Zips.

Jerry made a large jump through the elephant grass trying not to brake any of the grass down which would show his trail. He stopped and pushed back any of the tall grass that could stand by itself or with stronger grasses next to it. Any bent grass would show which way he had gone. For his next step or jump Jerry went sideways to his original direction and again pulled up the high grass that had been pushed down by his footsteps before he made his third side step. The fourth and fifth jump were made before he made his next step side step jump hoping that by his moves he could avoid easy detection. Getting away from the scene of the crime (The Landing Zone) and covering your tracks that those who will be coming after you will not be able to follow you too quickly was the objective of each member of the Sniper team.

Jerry always believed in covering his trail if nothing else put something down which would disguise your tracts leaving some doubt as to which way you went. If you left a clear trail they would be after you so quickly that you would never have any time to set up an ambush or a trap for them. You had a choice in the expenditure of your time to hide your tracks or run like you never ran before.

Jerry had put a lot of long hours studying this landing Zone and it was deeply embedded in his mind and he could bring it back and compare the real thing with the maps and Recon images that he had received. Based upon that map in his head, he was heading in the right direction towards the finger in the wood line.

He moved at a maximum safe speed base on the hostel conditions he was in yet with deliberate quiet movements to maintain his cover, believing his men were ahead of him. Once he reached the finger of the tree line Jerry took up a defensive position under his Gilley Suit that he was wearing over his tiger striped combat fatigues. Once on the ground he looked like any old lump of ground with some dry or dead grass growing out of it.

These Gilley Suits had been made by Captain O'Neil using a mosquito net which was originally used to keep mosquitos away from a person when he is sleeping in bed. The opportunity to keep mosquitos off your body while you were in the jungle was not over looked either. The primary purpose was however to allow a sniper to operate in minimum cover without being exposed. With the proper foliage tied into the mosquito netting it would blend into the background in front of the enemies’ position or even on an open field without being seen.

Using this Gilly Suit within the jungle only enhanced the sniper’s ability to remain undetected and he could make several kills before the enemy would have the slightest idea where he might be. Being about to go undetected gave Jerry's snipers the idea that they were supermen.

Some of the other standard equipment that Jerry had found more than just useful. The bright yellow shooting glasses which were favored by Skeet and Trap shooters as they gave them an edge in picking up the clay pigeons in flight. The yellow glasses eliminated the gray area and brought the sharp corners of the targets into quick focus. Here in the jungles and green areas all around the yellow found the shadows quickly as many times a shadow was an enemy waiting to ambush you and your party. You needed this edge when you were shooting in high grasses and along the jungle trails that required the split seconds that keeps you alive.

Being a sniper and staying alive depend upon his shooting skills but also his ability to hide, remove your tracks and strike before anyone could see you. The other things they did was because of their own personal Sniper's Code of Survival. These tricks that had been picked up along the way and passed on to the next generation of shooters is the responsibility of every sniper no matter what his age.

Jerry looked in Cal’s Back Pack to see how much damage those three shots from that AK-47 had done. Two of the C rations cans had been blown open. In his personal property were photos of his girlfriend and several letters were part of the pack that he should not have been carrying in the first place. Jerry would write and send these things home to her anyway. There was some extra ammo for the man's M-16 which might come in handy. After picking through Cal’s Back Pack Jerry had a tuff time putting everything in his own Back Pack.

The gray yellow meadow that had made up their LZ was so deathly still. Jerry could hardly believe that less than 15 minutes ago bullets were flying in so many different directions it would give Graves Registration a bit of a puzzle to determine just who shot who. Jerry contacted the other two men that he knew were still alive. The two men from the other Chopper had saved a member of Bill's element who had taken two rounds in his left ann. Nothing life threating or an emergency.

With the square Yard grid system established before they departed the First Chopper landed at L-11 and the second one was J-12. Jerry told the men that they needed to pick up the bodies when they could get another Chopper to come in.

Jerry whistled like a Meadowlark and hoped that he would hear a response. There was nothing. Jerry carefully worked his way back to the location where, Ray, Cal and Jim had hit the LZ with him.

There was plenty of blood but no bodies. Jerry moved silently North and West in the attempt to find where the other Sniper Team Elements had put their feet down. Here again there was a lot of blood on the ground and on the grass but no sign of any living GI's or VC. Jerry worked his way out from those two chopper insertions and he circled the area to find any path going out from these two Chopper locations. He found nothing except an inbound trail of a VC. Most likely that was the man that he had killed since his body had been picked up and all the Americans bodies were gone. The VC must have captured the Americans, or they had killed them and then taken them out of the area. There just was no other trail leaving that point where the two American choppers had put the Snipers in place. Whoever had taken the American's out did a hell-of-a job disguising their trail. Finding a trail at this point was absolute necessity or Jerry might be running off in the wrong direction.

Jerry studied the one trail and concluded that the VC had back tracked out the same trail they had made it into the LZ. With such a high reward being offered on American Snipers, the VC and NVA would like to keep them a live long enough to get credit for taking the Sniper and his Rifle. Just bringing in an American’s Sniper Rifle was worth $1,000 American Dollars.

Having not heard from anyone else, Jerry had no alternative but to believe that seven of his eight-man sniper team were either killed or alive and in the hands of the VC. It was also possible that all those men were dead as they would not look forward to being prisoners of the VC. Stories of death by a thousand cuts were strong incentives to avoid being taken prisoner at all costs, but sometimes you just do not have the opportunity to take your own life.

As Jerry kept circling the points where the two choppers had dropped off the snipers, there was their track where the VC had put the GI's down and made them walk in a close column. One American was dragging his left foot on each of his 13th steps. This was a simple code which told anyone following them that they were being held by 13 men. That was about the right sized of the group to handle 5 Americans. 13 men might also indicate that there were two men on each American with a point man and the Unit Leader up front.

Just how far ahead they were Jerry had no way of knowing, except to assume that they were as far ahead as the amount of time he had taken to leave the insertion point and for him to come back to find their trail. He could hardly believe that almost an hour had past. Jerry also knew that if his team mates were still alive they would try to slow things down to give him a chance to catch up and help them. There was no doubt in their minds at if Jerry were alive and could walk he would be coming to save them.

Jerry was running on the tips of his toes hoping that his feet would not step on dry twigs or branches that would alert any VC that one man had not been killed in that hot insertion. The thought of one man coming to rescue his team mates when there was a VC squad of 13 men there to guard them, may not have entered the VC Commander's mind.

The column stopped at a fast running stream and each man had drank his fill which as an American GI's guts would not be able to handle. All the impurities in the Vietnamese water required that each GI put a small pill in each canteen of water before drinking it. Those GI's that tried to put their water pills in their canteens were rewarded with a swift butt stroke to the kidneys. These Zips knew what they were doing and were not going to be deprived of the opportunity to see these big Americans vomiting their guts out in front of some local village elders or even a whole village.

One should never underestimate the abilities of the VC to inflect pain and suffering on their prisoners. They had nearly 40 years of experience dealing with prisoners and had seen just about every trick in the book. They were also experts in the little games prisoners would attempt to play. The moment when one of the prisoners started something to distract the attention of their VC Guards it was never enough to cause both VC guards to look or investigate what might be happening. Even if they did the other VC Guards would immediately point their weapons at the American who caused the distraction and shoot him.

It took Jerry three hours to locate the VC patrol that had captured his team mates. In watching the way, the column was moving, Jerry knew that his best attack would be from the rear with a fast movement from one guard to the other and from each pair of guards. The Colt 22 Caliber Woodsmen with a sound suppressor was the perfect weapon to accomplish this.

Jerry silently walked up behind the last VC guards and popped the left guard behind his ear. The second guard was turning when Jerry hit him in the center of his forehead and he went down with his partner. Jerry waved for the American to drop back and get one of the weapons that he had been carrying with him. Jerry handed him a knife to cut himself loose. Jerry ran up to the next pair of guards and popped them as quickly as the first pair.

With two Americans now free and armed the odds were starting to even out in Jerry's favor. The third pare of guards went down as quietly except one of the guards ahead turned when Jerry shot the last of the third pair. He of course received the priority of being next with a quick hit to the center of his forehead. The VC’s partner was hit as fast as Jerry could turn and shoot him. This was a quick shot and the man was hit in the center of his neck which killed him all the same.

The last pair of VC guards turned to see what was happening behind them. Jerry nailed one but one of his team mates that he had just freed got the other one. That had accounted for 8 VCs. The VC Commander started to turn as Jerry's Woodsmen caught him with two quick rounds to his head that emptied the Colt. Ejecting and slamming home the next magazine Jerry waited for the point man to come back or for any other VC he had not accounted for.

Jerry moved forward with as much speed as the situation called for. He did not want to use his shotgun as if he did it would be loud enough to bring in every VC within miles around. As he past the dead VC Officer Jerry noticed the two shot-group just under the dead man's Safari type hat with a small red star on the front. Picking up the hat Jerry put it on as he forced his way toward the point guard. Jerry was hoping to gain a second or two by wearing this hat with the red star.

That star would stand out well in this type of jungle. By the time that the Point guard realized that he had been fooled he would be dead. Jerry’s planned distraction was not enough as the point guard was coming around with his AK-47 leveled at Jerry's mid-section. Jerry was hearing this strange echo as if each shot fired by the Point Guard had a string attached to it that was pulling the noise from behind him.

It was one of his own men who had been cut loose and had come up running to help Jerry out. He was standing beside Jerry with his smoking Woodsman. The slide was back, and the clip and chamber were empty. Just how many shots he had fired Jerry did not know and really did not care.

However, there was one VC that Jerry somehow missed when he was coming up the line freeing his men. Jerry turned towards the area he felt the man was, but he did not shoot as the man yelled Chew hoi when he stepped out of the jungle with his hands over his head. Why are you willing to give up? Jerry demanded to know

His first answer was not one that made Jerry feel good about. His answer as he held his hands over his head and fell to his knees was he could get all the women we wanted. He even had a sister that was old enough to be a proper companion for a man like the Sargent.

Do I look like a man who needs someone like you to get a woman? You insult me, and I need a better reason not to kill you. Jerry told him.

I am not a VC. He exclaimed. They were forcing me to carry their supplies.

When Jerry asked the captured man about the American with the arm wound, he was told that the VC had cut his throat before they started on this march.

Okay guys the party's over. Jerry told them. "I want each of you to gag and retch all that water the Zips had you drink. The men did not like this as they protested that they were fee1ing fine.

You may feel fine now but in a few more hours you are going to be in deep shit. You got to get as much of that water out of you as quickly as you can. I have some good water in my canteens. I will ask you to take just enough water to wash out your mouth. Do not drink any, spit it all out. We are heading back to that same stream where you can refill your canteens and drop one of those magic pills in each one of your canteens. After he witnesses their emptying their canteens Jerry outline what they would do next. We also need to see what these Zips were carrying and get our own weapons back, so we can attempt to accomplish the Mission the Colonel has sent us on.

Their next stop was at the same stream they had filled their canteen's before only this time the little pills were added. Jerry told them they could drink as much water as they wanted. They only had to wait until the pill dissolved.

Jerry broke his team into three elements even though he was alone in one of the element’s. The men picked up the rifles that the VC guards had been carrying. One of Jerry's questions was directed at the man who had kept his Colt Woodsmen hidden from the VC.

The man claimed that he opened his trousers and hooked the slide of the Woodsmen on his underwear and it was now hanging down his leg. None of the VC wanted to touch it as they thought he was extremely excited by having been through all this fighting at the LZ. The ZIPs bought it, but he just could not get to the gun with the two Zips Guards watching his every movement.

Jerry patted him on the back for his quick thinking and for saving his life. The man said it simply, You saved my life just thirty seconds ago and I was just paying you back as quickly as I could. You know that I hate being indebted to anyone for a long time.

They moved quickly back into the meadow where the VC had been waiting for them to come in. The Snipers found the VC's day camp where the VC had set up to drink their tea and eat their rice. There had been no attempt to hide their trail which meant that they had been controlling the area for such a long time that they forgot what it took to control it.

The 5 men from the Sniper Team had been embarrassed in getting ripped up by the VC in what was reported to have been a Cold or a friendly LZ. The 4 men of the Sniper Team had also paid a heavy price in the loss of their personalized Sniper Rifles. Jerrys plan to go after the other VC Units who had been involved this ambushed would give them a chance of getting their Rifles back that was worth dying for. At first, they moved as fast as they thought was prudent. However, with hours to make up for they were running at a fast dog trot. Running down a trail like this would be a sure way of getting yourself killed. But somewhere in the backs of their minds, this was also worth the risk as well as the honor and dignity of being who they were.

The Captured VC, they called Tom was running point with the teams point man. They had not given him any weapons yet as there was plenty of time to see if this man deserved a bullet or a weapon to fight with them. At the pace they were running for the past three hours they came up behind the VC force that had hit them up on the Landing Zone.

Tom told Jerry who these people were, and this would be a good opportunity to kill them all. Jerry signaled to spread out in a line and then rush the bastards shooting them as fast as they could. The sudden attack from the rear created a great deal of confusion all along the sizable front. The attack might as well have been staged in some 'B movie lot with the Indians making a raid or the white men out smarting the Indians who were about to attack them.

Their attack had caught more than 30 NVA and VC completely off guard and ten of their number were cut down in the first burst of fire from the Snipers who were using the captured AK-47s they taken off VC unit that had been guarding them. The second burst of fire which was about the time it would take to change magazines and they took out an equal number of the VC and NVA. The next burst was more spontaneous as the Snipers were becoming more selective as they were picking off the rest of the VC and NVA. Even Jerry was bounding forward as quickly as he could, firing his 12 Gage Shotgun as he had run out of bullets for the AK-47 that he picked up. The battlefield was suddenly quiet as the smell of cordite, blood and human discharges hung in the air.

The Snipers picked up all the weapons that these VC and NVA soldiers had been carrying. Picking up their Baby and inspecting it for any damage, and scrapes, every Sniper had become distracted. Fortunately, with all the shooting and hand grenades going off none of their Sniper Rifles came even close to any harm. There is one thing a sniper really hated to have done and that was to have something damage his Rifle. Letting his enemy get his hands on it were almost as bad. Somehow the good Lord looked after these Sniper's rifles as there was not a scratch or nick on them.

Jerry was just taking in a deep breath when a string of AK-47 Rounds went off just behind him. There was Tom with the smokingAK-47 in his hands. Tom could not say anything for a moment. All he could do was point to an NVA Soldier who was now slumped over himself. In his hand was a Chi-com pistol, the type the VC and NVA issued to their high-ranking officers. The best Jerry could tell was the man was a Major in the NVA.

Good job Tom! Jerry told the VC that they had let live. Jerry could only think of just how lucky he had been on this mission.

Once every Zip's body had been searched and all their documents, letters and notes were gathered the Snipers made a very large fire after dark and burnt up all the excess ammo, rice and weapons that they could not carry. Burning these things up would be the only sure way to avoid looking down the sights of the same gun twice. When it came to the AK-47rifles their barrels were bent between trees before they were broken down where the individual parts would be burnt.

Jerry also knew that this large fire with exploding ammunition would attract other VC units in the area. Jerry wanted the VC and NVA to know that one of their major units had lost a significant amount of equipment, firearms and munitions. In addition, there would be a high number of casualties which someone would need to answer for after the local VC Commander and NVA Political officer had inspected the damage.

Once the large fire could be seen for miles and the exploding munitions filled the sky Jerry and his Snipers disappeared into the Jungle. They avoided using any established trail or path knowing that the VC and the NVA would be using them to come to the fire. They had picked their way through the jungle going northwest for more than an hour and they stopped to rest next to a small stream. The Snipers refilled their canteens and they took turns setting in the stream to cool off. Tom approach Jerry to tell him about a very large VC Unit in that direction he said as he pointed.

"How far?’ Jerry asked.

Not far. Maybe a 15 minute walk. Tom stated.

How many men stay there? Jerry asked.

I was only there once to pick up ammunition and there were many men there. Tom said.

It took Jerry several questions before he understood what Tom meant by many men. If Tom was correct this could be a Unit ten times bigger than the Unit they killed today.

Jerry clarified what type of ammunition was located at this place. Base on Tom’s description there were B-40 Rockets, Hand grenades and Rifle and Machinegun ammunition in different large bunkers.

Jerry’s final question was how long ago did Tom visit this place? Tom responded that it was less than three weeks ago and Jerry believed him.

Hay you guys are you ready to do some real work? Tom has just told me about what could be, a Battalion sized Ammo Dump.

You know Jerry you are sounding more like an Officer who cannot let his men enjoy themselves. One of the Snipers spoke up and then laughed.

Jerry did not say anything as he picked up his Snipers Rifle and followed Tom in the direction of the Ammo Dump. Less than 15 minutes later they were on a small hill overlooking this Battalion sized NVA Unit and Supply point. Jerry had found a VC Radio in the camp they had destroyed, and he had brought it long as their sole means of communications since their own radio had been hit by that VC bullet.

The batteries were good when Jerry turned on the radio and he tried to call the CIA's radio relay station on top of a mountain in Laos. Its code name was Leghorn, after the Cartoon character in the comedy called ‘Henry Hawk.’ Jerry made a blind call to anyone listening that he had uncovered a Battalion sized Ammo and supply dump. He was requesting heavy Artillery Fire who could reach Map coordinates at Whisky 09917650 November 16699716. Although Jerry did have today’s Security Codes he was operating on a known VC radio frequency and the best Jerry could do was to have the Forward Air Controller contact his Battalion Commander. He could confirm that Sergeant JC known by the radio call sign of Nailer 3 was indeed one of the good guys and if he was calling in a fire mission he really needed it.

The B-52s who were looking for an alternative target and Corps Heavy Artillery responded to Nailer 3's requests. Jerry described the defense fortifications which the VC and NVA had been operating in and which Jerry had confirmed the Battalion sized unit, was a very legitimate target. Nailer 3 had to give the Forward Air Controller ‘Joker Three’ directions from the large fire that was 5 Clicks southeast of his current position.

Nailer 3 who started the fire, Over. Joker Three asked.

We did about two hours ago we took what we could carry and bunt all the rest. Over. Nailer 3 responded.

Roger Nailer 3, Over. This confirm what the Pilot of the Sky Master Aircraft had seen about the same time and now he knew he was not being played as sucker by some slick English speaking North Vietnamese. Nailer 3 be advised that the mail is on the way. Over

The Forward Air Trafic Controller was excited when the heavy artillery was getting multiple secondary explosions, which meant they were doing their job. When theB-52's came through they laid a carpet of 500-pound bombs across the area where the Battalion had been, there were tons of secondary explosions which made both the Artillery and the Air Force happy. This sure had been a Jack Pot as far as they were concerned. The Forward Air Trafic Controller told Jerry that if he had any targets in the future and used the Call sign ‘Nailer 3,’ he would get all the help whenever he needed it. Jerry told him why he had built that large fire to bring in all the VC Units to investigate the fire and Jerry believed they should be there by now.

60 Seconds later the Artillery Firebase dropped 6 rounds of white phosphorous on the fire’s location leaving no doubt that who had been there had a bigger fire than they expected, and no one survived the party at the fire.

The B-52’s 500-pound bombs had the ability to burry themselves deep into the ground using delayed detonation fuses before exploding. These 500-pound bombs made short work of the VC's tunnels and underground rooms which the VC and NVA would use to hide in and rest when the North Vietnamese soldiers were coming down the Ho Chi Minh trail.

The number of VC and NVA Killed could only be estimated unless someone wanted to dig them up. If the bombs did a really good job, a number of body parts and weapons would be mixed with subsoil giving a better actual head count. There were only so many right hands or heads. The hard metal objects and major human bones from legs had a way of being blown through the loose soil by the number of explosions. It was much like the turning over the sod in the Spring before planting.

There would also be many of VC who were above ground. Those above and below ground would suffer from the shock made upon their bodies if for some reason the bombs themselves had not killed them. As much ordinance that had hit that place in a short amount of time, few if any NVA or VC would be able to crawl out of there, alive.

An Operation such as this where only five men with the proper support and communications could overcome the numerical advantages of the VC and NVA along the Laos and Cambodian boarders. Having direct contact with Corps Artillery and the Forward Air Controllers brought death and destruction directly on the VC and NVA.

Understanding all this, Jerry thanked the Forward Air Trafic Controller Joker Three and Corps Heavy Artillery for all their support. The smell of blood in the water as it were brought out some new players. The Mohawk Army Aircraft came out sniffing around the area to locate any VC that had survived in the area of the large fire and the bombed out Battalion Supply Point.