An Amazing Vietnam Survival Story
Some Vietnam civilians were friendly towards Americans and it took months to get Barry to safety.
Mark is currently working on an anthology of short stories which will include the full version of this and other blog post stories.
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In 1968, the Vietnam War was raging. The United States Army needed someone who could operate a bulldozer, and Barry could. They assigned him, the only American, to a unit made up of Cambodians and a few Australians in a remote jungle region. His unit desperately needed him and the dozer to help fortify key positions on a hill they were defending against the Viet Cong.
The day after completing his work with the dozer, Barry could see the Viet Cong coming up the hill. “Here they come!” he yelled and pointed towards the bottom of the cleared hillside. The men took their positions and began firing, while Barry fired from atop the dozer from the side.
He watched as the wave of VC charged directly up the hill and into the line of fire. They kept coming even when he and his unit mowed them down and eventually wiped them out. His unit incurred some casualties, but small compared to the VC.
The calm after the wave gave Barry a chance to reflect on what had just happened. “That was tragic. I signed up to defend our country from Communism, and to drive a dozer. But here I am, far from home, the only American in a unit in the middle of the jungle, killing brave men willing to die for what seems to be a defense of their homeland.”
He had no more time to think as another wave, and then another, charged up the hill, each time getting closer to the top and incurring more casualties on his unit.
Barry continued firing until he felt a sharp burning pain in his leg and tumbled off the dozer. He rolled down the hill and came to rest under a bush. Later, Barry would learn that the cover of the bush saved his life and that he was the sole survivor… (The full story will be available in my upcoming anthology)
