Close Encounters
First Lieutenant Van Tan Thach
The Trap
In 1968, when the 3rd Marine Battalion performed operations in U Minh, I was the leader of the 2nd Platoon, of the 2nd Company, which was led by First Lieutenant Nu - “the Hippopotamus”. One morning, after breakfast, I led a platoon slowly across a rice field in search of the enemy. In front of us was a sizable piece of flat land. A few desolate houses and bright green pergolas stood on it. I warned my guys of mines, booby traps, and snipers. The first squad searched and passed safely. The platoon then dispersed around the empty piece of land. The sun was at its zenith, and I thought it was a good idea to stop and rest for a while. Company Commander Nu, ordered my platoon to stop for lunch. It was a well-timed decision. The platoon staff sat under the pergolas waiting for lunch to be prepared. We were very lucky to have such a pleasant place to rest, I thought to myself. As we pulled food out of our rucksacks, a group of people rushed up. It was Company Commander Nu and his staff of around thirty. Seeing our ideal position under the shade, he ordered me to move with my platoon elsewhere. “Hurry up - go on, hurry up!”
It was a military order, so I had no choice but to tell my boys to pack up all the food we had prepared, and move. I was consummed with rage. A hundred metres away, we settled down for lunch. The company Staff were happily taking over our pergola. Suddenly, I heard a horrendous explosion. Bodies flew everywhere, smoked blinded us, and cries of agonies rang through the dreadful silence that followed. The ground was splattered with the blood of thirty Marines. Looking back in horror at the pergola, I saw that the body of the soldier who had been sitting where I had been, was incomplete. I felt a deep pity for him, who had taken my fate instead. Had the company commander not ordered me to go over such a petty matter as lunch in the shade, that mutilated body could have been mine. Though I was 100m away from the boby trap containing a 105mm artillery round, a piece of shrapnel the size of the tip of a thumb, lodged itself in my abdomen. I still have it as a souvenir of that day.
Evading Death A Second Time
The 3rd Battalion was performing operations in the Dam Doi District. After a day spent crossing fields and fording puddles, everyone was tired. Late in the afternoon, the unit stopped. I walked about searching for a decent place to rest. I found a suitable distance between two tree trunks across which I could hang my hammock. I took off my socks and shoes, and happily lay swinging in my hammock whilst one of my Marines cooked my meal. But suddenly I felt uneasy. I got up, walked around the platoon, and assessed the position again. Satisfied, I went back to my hammock. Bending over to take off shoes again, I noticed a nylon string joining the two trees. I followed it with my eyes, and to my consternation, detected a small bomb, the size of a 105mm artillery round hanging in the foliage above my head. Cautiously distancing myself from the hammock, I called the company requesting an explosive specialist to remove the bomb. I had walked to and fro around the trees several times - it was a miracle that I missed the string altogether. I was convinced that a supernatural force was protecting me that day!
First Lieutenant Van Tan Thach
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