Having arrived at Nui Dat after a mind boggling flight down from Tan Son Nhut in a USAF C123 Fairchild Provider sitting on wooden pallets on the floor, hanging on to the fellow in front of you for dear life, was to arrive at The Battery to find they were out on ops. Having been issued with Rifle, ammo, Web Gear and associated War Like material we were instructed to appear in front of The CP at a certain hour to observe “Stand Too”. The BQMS, one Ross Goldsworthy seemed to be in Command of we new “Untried Warriors”. He instructed me to take my body and all the gear hanging from it to a pit some distance away with specific instructions to watch out for “The Claymores”. Ahh says I to myself, "never seen one of these but I know they are mines and mines have prongs that stick up above the ground." Right, off I goes, on tippy, tippy toes making sure I avoid these prongs in the ground. Perhaps after my third step I hears a Bellowing Roar from behind which roughly translated into something like, “Edmonds what the B...... F..... H...... do you think you a playing at !!!!!" I turned to see “Goldy” veins plainly evident straining in his neck, addressing these remarks to me. “Sorry Staff” says I, "never seen one of these damn things before so I am making sure I don't’ tread on one !" I really can’t remember what followed but I seem to remember every member of the REMF having a bloody good laugh at my expense.
This is my Confession and I would say that I found out Damn Quick Smart what an M60 and a Claymore were. I would add that “Goldy” and I became Good Friends at a later stage in life when we were both posted to Auckland Army Area/Ft. Cautley.
Brian Edmonds, SVN 1968
No comments:
Post a Comment