It was the early part of December 1967 and the Vietcong's activities were becoming RAMPANT and DEADLY. Daily briefings were full of "intelligence reports" of PBR's (Patrol Boat River) being AMBUSHED, with their crew's suffering heavy casualties or have been Killed In Action (KIA). These reports sent CHILLS down my spine, but what TRULY put the fear in me was NOT the ambushes or casualties, but rather the DESECRATION of G.I. corpses by the VIETCONG.
Often, these reports became the topic of conversations in the chow hall and during patrols. To imagine seeing a G.I. corpse with skin sliced open hanging from a mangrove tree was sickening enough.
However, using this same corpse(s) as "BAIT" for a "BOOBY TRAP" is ENTIRELY BEYOND the level of a normal human being, considering that most Vietnamese are CHRISTIANS. This sad fact only STRENGTHENED my resolve, and I vowed that I was NOT going to be KILLED or CAPTURED by the Vietcong . I strongly believed that being captured or killed was simply not an option.
I am an American G.I. and my purpose there in Vietnam was NOT "goodwill" but rather to FIGHT and KILL the enemy. By this time my FIREFIGHTS were already in DOUBLE FIGURES without any major casualties. My boat, PBR-142, was in A-1 condition and my crew was highly motivated and confident as ever.
Personally speaking, I was NOT INTERESTED in seeing what had been reported about this G.I. corpse(s). I could not say what feelings nor actions I'll have upon seeing one, that is, until one December night. I was face-to-face with one of the MOST BRUTAL acts of WAR that could ever be imagined. It was a freshly KILLED corpse of an American G.I. with it's head and arms STAKED on a TRUNK of a banana tree and left floating on the river. I am sure that this was INTENTIONALLY DONE both as a scare tactic and a warning to all the PBR's in the area: "THIS COULD BE YOU".
This sight became so ETCHED in my mind, that up to this PRESENT time I can still vividly recollect the details of this "floating corpse". This also included one of the scenes that stayed fresh in my "funniest moments" in Vietnam. These events correlate with each other, and that OMITTING either one will not complete the story. Here it goes...
NEXT: Where's the Mot?
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