finally cleared of the situation and we walked up part of the line and i saw the body. on the ground beside. later learned -- garden jefferson, canyon, said i'll go get him. got [ inaudible ]

and i found gilbert. who was platoon sergeant of second. according accordinger korger was dead, but sergeant henry -- i knew gilreath, probably a little l better than some of my ncos. most of them had -- but gilreath like me and we had made jumps -- so we carried sergeant gilreath.

and we just the situation, had to reenforce them. look over the line, that was george coming with the squad. and was a superb commander. superb. he spoke with a heavy, slavic accent. >> oh, yeah. >> but -- i can't describe to you really, smoke and white --

four batteries. during that various activity, caught kneeling on one knee and my command post area. and radio operator was right beside.

had my radio stretched. radio on his back. >> ones flying around you here? >> oh, yeah. as far as the enemy machine gunfire, medicals was putting the leaves off the trees. shot in left e. and it around it, you left the hit, you have it right here. i'm doing the snapping sounds it's a crap shoot. he was a nuisance.

but i look up, there were two fire bombers straight at to the west. and there was, i looked up, one on the right, one on the left. about four times as tight. two eight foot long slindry cal. and they were going to hit on the mantle. he had arrived the night

before -- the basement batterers. come over and look at the position that the enemy would be looking at it. that night, we were attacked again very heavily. two or three times during the night, but held his position. i think he only had six men. british battle song -- songs, but a story, after the book came

out, i got a phone call called me up to tell me he was the leader. i don't even need to forgive you. i will. i don't know how you -- saw in any they were dropping on. you did a great job. you saved our house. you didn't fly the bomber support in that fight.

>> let me ask you, when that one month that soldiers penetrated -- >> we penetrated -- and where he was captured. he was wounded back -- >> was there a -- personally? >> no. at the end of the movie when it showed that attack we did early the next morning we had defeated this enemy the night before, the company, like i was talking, defeat the enemy, you're --

after this successful night attack, i would join them and we would have a massive fire storm. artillery in the air. then we would jump off in the -- bomb is dropped -- and that happened. we killed 28 more men. one helicopter gun shield about a fire storm and all that from back hollywood induced. it didn't happen.

that really angered me that -- that never happened. the enemy never penetrated my position. before we could defeat all of them, some of them were looting and killing my wounding and dead. had they not stopped to do that, they -- and as for julie when

joe got the story, it stunned the people in georgia. and that's where they left the assault. all of the army families including my wife, they were all ordered out of -- 30 days. accommodate families. julie and others were given 30

day days -- we deployed august -- a lot of those families went all across the country. members of them resettled in thomas, georgia. and julie led a house -- three bedroom, during nights, she had to put up a couple of cots.

so she had -- and she was in the company of wise families. she saw me being interviewed on tv on the, after the battle. by abc television. of course they were all --

sergeant's wives and then within five to eight days -- first dead soldier. shot and killed, his radio operator shot and killed by machine fire [ inaudible ] the guilt -- i was right there

when he died. so here was sent back and the way that -- our cab driver and julie found out -- that's correct. in the midst of all this, she thought open open the door, he'll go away. but then told me that she said no, they suffered.

she opened the door and there was this cab driver going directions. she raced, you know -- fort benning. she raced a fuss all the way out and stopped an inhumane practice. another officer in uniform. and she attended the funeral.

one from puerto rico and whose husband was killed, living in a one-room motel room. eight months pregnant. julie could speak spanish and she visited. knocked on the door. she was so calm down -- she and the other wives arranged -- trip back to puerto rico, but julie

visiting one-room walk ups, shacks -- on this beautiful shade and broke into tears. why don't you tell the truth? it would be much more profound. this didn't happen. i didn't personally need to tell them, but every day, i got information on who was going to get -- and i followed those. first person -- got babysitters. i did this all the time in

vietnam. not just after the outcome. all the battles he was in '66. what? [ inaudible ] >> tell me about -- >> i was really angry. when the truth is harder, just like that last attack where he had, he had -- and he had dagen. i was in that attack. and i was firing my rifle.

but i didn't personally. target there but i fortunately didn't stab anyone and you do what you have to do and it's a horrible thing. what is the memories for you that are more pertinent and more acute? >> one of my memories that is very evident is the first

afternoon when there were only probably 150 almost 200. we were hit by two ba ttallions. we were thinking about the what-ifs. and my biggest concern was, what if it took me four or 500 hours to get my battallion shuttled in. and i decided if that happened, there would be a counterattack.

and that's exactly what happened. we were attacked and what really helped was the actions of one man. he was out on the left plank, nobody was on his left and at that point they had not beaten them on the ground. and shot in the head and fell on the ground and said it looked like half of his brain fell out. and he was alone on that gun and i left and he said, somebody brought me some ammo and that made me very happy.

and he said, i could hear it cracking all around my head. and this is a 22-year-old and was a critical person open the battlefield for my battalion. had he not been there, with his courage and professionalism, never quit, and on my left came up behind me and i hope we went

back to the battlefield, and then when we were there, in hanoi, on a house boat on one of those lakes. and then through the machine gun and the creek bed and he said, you killed my battalion. you killed my best friend.

and that same afternoon, they ran over that creek bed and we were up against all kinds and on that gun, on that plank, i used it for safety and then i got word from my third rifle company

and the north was opened, open to the south to the southwest. and then when charlie came between me where my gut tells me one thing and i go with my gut. i ran up there and i said, grab your men and run them right over

there and tie it in and be prepared for the attack. he jumped three feet into the air and got them in and i've interviewed those men. they didn't expect us to be there. and, of course, that morning they paid a heavy price, the next morning. but we beat off that attack and we made a couple of counter attacks. but he did succeed in stopping the enemy from attacking us.

it was a long fight and when i think about it, with 19 men on the ground and hit by the enemy, i keep thinking that they are great soldiers, great fire support. the bob edwards, bill beck.

but you know, never once during that time, that first afternoon or the next morning, never once did it cross my mind. and the situation on the battlefield, if you think you might lose, you've already doggone lost. but i don't know who else you're going to interview, but you might interview bill beck ongoing back to the battlefield and that