i say i'm going to look for john, our ammo bearer. so i run back to the rear, where we originally started from. and i eventually find two boxes of ammo laying on the ground. well, john got shot and killed and they medevaced him out or something. i donate kn i don't know what's going on. i get the ammo and i'm on my way back up. and and up the creek bed next to the tree turned out to be lieutenant ray toboda. he was a lieutenant of ours. i didn't know him real well at the time. but all i saw is the lieutenant's bar and part of his name. he was severely wounded in his hand and his leg. so i patched up his hand and his leg. i took time to do that. he had pictures of his wife and children laying out around him. he got them out of his thing. he told me years later he thought he was going to die. he had his .45 out in his hand. i asked him what that was about. i thought he was going to save it to shoot the enemy. he said he was going to shoot himself when the north vietnamese came in to get him. so i took his .45 from him. i had two .45s. an

and then we had an ammo bearer to carry extra ammunition. we rotated guns. you were carrying around 100 pounds with your backpacks and handgrenades and ammo. it was his day to have the gun. we landed, got off the helicopters, and we actually, where we were standing he we faced along from chupong mountain and had no idea there was a dry creek bed in the jungle. we were standing there, kind of looking around. it was a beautiful sunday afternoon. we figured we'd find nothing and do this again and again. lieutenant taft walked which. he got orders obviously from his radio man. he walked right by, said okay, boys, let's go, follow me. we turned around and followed him into the creek bed, that area, which is thick jungle there. our landing zone is fairly flat. we aukd off that flat area into the thick jungle. and i don't think it went ten steps and all hell broke loose. the firing, the machine guns, the bombs, the grenades. real scary, real hectic. lieutenant taft gets shot and killed. the guy in front of me, jerry kirsch, gets machine gunned across his stomach. he

. >> semiconductor or ammo bearer or anything. i have very little ammo, too. there is a story i want to interject here. so -- he's wrestling and said get yourself ready. let's go. we will make an assault. he tells the guys, he says six bayonets. six bayonets. these guys are putting bayonets to the ones that don't already have them on -- wham what am i going do? you know. i had a bayonet on me, digging holes and stuff. opening tin cans and stuff. can't put a bane oat a machine gun but i want to at that time. that's how insecure i felt. god, bayonets. what's this about? pit knew we were close. he saider with going to make an assault. i said i'm happy where i'm at, you know. the safest i felt all day. let's go. up over the top. i'm four, five yards, no more, to left. we are going across the creekbed into the jungle. stuff is coming in. machine guns fires. gun ships above us are firing in on us. things are around us, friendly fire and everything else. fourth of july. we get out about 20 yards. guys are dropping. you know. us. and -- north vietnamese are dropping o

i said i'm going -- look for john, ammo bearer. and -- so i run back to the rear. where we originally started from. and i eventually found two boxes of ammo laying on the ground. i said, well, john got shot and killed. medevaced him out or something. i get the ammo. i'm on my way back up. by the creekbed. turned out to be lieutenant. he was a -- lieutenant of ours. i didn't know him real at the time. all i saw was lieutenant part and part of his name. so -- he was severely wounded in his hand and leg. i patched up his hand and leg and took time to do that. he had pictures of his wife and children laying out around him and got him out of his thing. told me years later they thought he was going to die. he had -- had his.45 out in his hand. i asked him what's that with a about. i thought he was going to shoot the enemy. he said he was going to shoot himself when they came in. so i took his .45 from him. i patched his hand and leg up. >> how did you patch it? >> well, his -- first aid pack and mine. and -- i patched his leg up best i could. i patched his hand up and eve

and then we had an ammo bearer to carry extra ammunition. we rotated guns. you were carrying around 100 pounds with your backpacks and handgrenades and ammo. it was his day to have the gun. we landed, got off the helicopters, and we actually, where we were standing he we faced along from chupong mountain and had no idea there was a dry creek bed in the jungle. we were standing there, kind of looking around. it was a beautiful sunday afternoon. we figured we'd find nothing and do this again and