Back to Long Binh
Before I knew it, it was November. We were getting ready to head out to Long Binh again. It was nice being in the rear, but I knew the good life couldn't last.
Me, Donald Wicker, Leroy Gavigan and Mike Leopold
We moved out to Long Binh and were soon getting settled into our hooch. My good friend, Barney McCoy Smith’s wife was pregnant and due anytime. My friend, Mike Leopold’s girlfriend, just found out that she was pregnant and he was just approved for a leave to go home and get married to her in Ohio. November was my birthday and I was going to turn 19 years old.
Barney McCoy Smith, his wife, brothers and sister
Before long, Mike Leopold left Vietnam to go home and marry his girlfriend, but he would be returning as soon as the wedding was over. One evening, after mail call, Barney Smith received a phone call on the Mars telephone/radio. He found out through his mother that his wife had given birth to a healthy baby girl. He came back to our hooch and had a smile from ear to ear. He blurted out that he was a new daddy and that the beer was on him tonight if we got to go to the club. A celebration was in order. We were allowed to go to the club that night and we all helped him celebrate.
In a few days, the siren sounded. This meant that we were being inserted to assist a LURP team from Company D, 75th Infantry (Rangers) LRRPs. We all stopped doing what we were doing and put on our equipment and ran up and got on the helicopters. In a few minutes we were airborne and on our way. We flew about 20 minutes before we got in line to land. It looked like real thick jungle that we were going to land in. As soon as we touched down the pilot signaled to get off and we did. After the helicopters got airborne and out of sight, we circled up. The Lieutenant said that the LRRPs had been taking mortar rounds close to their location and that we were there to find out where the NVA were shooting them from. We all got up and in line and started down the trail that we had found. We were first moving in thick jungle, double canopy. We were on the trail for about a half hour when we made our first stop. I could hear SSGT Hayes and the Lieutenant talking on the radio. Hayes said that we were at a fork in the trail and that he suggested that we take the lower trail. This was SSGT Hayes’ second tour of duty in Viet Nam as well as SGT Harris. The Lieutenant agreed and soon we were up moving down the trail again. After about 5 minutes, we all heard two shots ring out to our right. These shots sounded like AK-47’s sound, but a ways away. We all got down on the ground when we first heard the shots. No one open fire in that direction. In a few seconds I could hear the Lieutenant on the radio asking Hayes what he thought. Hayes replied by saying that the shots were to our right and that we should get up and start moving out again down the trail. Nothing was said, but signals were given to get up and move out, and we did.
After a few minutes, two more shots rang out to our left. Down on the ground we all went again. This time was like the last, but now the shots were on our left. Again, on the radio the Lieutenant ask Hayes what he thought. Hayes now said that he thought that the NVA were following us and that they were marking our location with the shots so the other NVA would know where we were. He told the Lieutenant that we should get up quickly and move out. Hand signals were again given and up we got and quickly we moved out. After hearing the conversation from SSGT Hayes, my heart was beating fast. The enemy knows where we are and that is not good. I hadn’t moved more than 10 feet when all of a sudden you could hear the sound of a mortar being launched and quickly it hit the ground to our right. I would guess the round landed about 50 yards away from us. Down on the ground we went. I could start to smell the fresh earth smell again. On the radio Hayes told the Lieutenant to get everyone up and let’s move out. Before I even had time to think about the danger we were now facing, I was up and we were moving again. Not more than 15 steps ahead, Hayes came on the radio and told the Lieutenant that he had came to another trail that intersected with the one we were on. He told the Lieutenant that we needed to stay where we were at, and see what comes down the trail. Just as he finished that conversation we could hear a second mortar being launched. This time it was on our left and it was closer to our location. I could really smell the fresh earth smell. I then started to think that we are sitting ducks and the next mortar would be coming right down on top of us. The next thing I knew, everyone was firing on the left flank, so I turned my body in the direction and opened up too. I kept my head up as I emptied my first clip into the jungle. I couldn't see anything, but it didn’t matter. I quickly ejected the empty clip and loaded my second clip into my M-16. I could still hear people shooting. I opened up again and shot all 18 rounds out of that clip. I quickly ejected that clip and as I started to load my third clip I could hear the Lieutenant say, "Cease fire, cease fire."
SSGT Hayes came on the radio and told the Lieutenant that we had one KIA and one that was hit and crawled away. He wanted all of us to move forward and get on line to make a sweep to find the second NVA. The Lieutenant agreed and with in seconds, hand signals were given and we were up moving forward to get on line. As I moved forward, I could see the dead NVA laying there. SSGT Hayes was going through his uniform getting any documentation and paper work he could find. Everyone had to step over the dead NVA to get on the other trail. As I did, I stopped and as I stood over the NVA, I took out my camera and snapped a picture of him as he laid there. Soon, all 18 of us were on line moving through the thick elephant grass, following the blood trail that the wounded NVA soldier had left. As we moved forward the blood trail got more faint and soon the blood was gone. We searched ahead another 50 feet when the Lieutenant decided that he must of gotten away and could be in a tunnel somewhere in this jungle. The Lieutenant and SSGT Hayes decided that we needed to get out of this area because it was too hot and request that the jets come in and make a few runs near our current location. The Lieutenant quickly used the radio to call to have us picked up and we soon moved out to a landing zone about 200 yards away. This was my first time being in action and there were a few minutes when I didn’t think I was going to be coming back alive. There wasn't enough time to be scared, just enough time to react.
Close Call
In a few days, the siren sounded again. This meant that we were being inserted again to assist a LURP team from Company D, 75th Infantry (Rangers). I had been assigned as radio man for SGT Harris now. We all stopped doing what we were doing and put on our equipment and ran up and got on the helicopters. In a few minutes we were airborne and on our way. We flew about 45 minutes with Cobra gun ships on both sides of us. It looked like real thick jungle that we were going to land in. Our helicopters began to get into a straight line as we started to descend. As we started to descend the trees began to come into my sight. All of a sudden there was a flash of light. The enemy had just shot a RPG (rocket propelled grenade) at my helicopter. I could actually see the round coming towards us. It looked like the round went right between my legs, but I knew it was just under the skids of the chopper. Everyone on my side of the helicopter opened up with their guns, even the door gunner. I shot a full clip, 18 rounds on automatic from my M16 in the direction of the flash. The Cobra gun ship on my side started to open up with their mini-guns as well as the 20mm cannons. All three helicopters stopped their descent and began to fly straight up towards the sky. I felt relieved at this point because this LZ was too hot. My heart was beating as fast as it could. All of a sudden all three of the helicopters leveled off and made a left hand turn. We were not leaving this area! We were circling back around to make another attempt at landing in the same place.
In a minute, the 3 helicopters were descending again. We could see the Cobras still firing towards the ground below, the same ground we would be on in a few minutes. Down the helicopters went at a steep decline. The helicopter that I was on could not land on the ground. The place where we were going to land had a 4 to 5 foot stump of a tree still standing. All of a sudden the pilot gave the signal to get off. I thought to myself, I can’t jump off this chopper being 4 to 5 feet off of the ground. I have a radio on my back that weighs 35 pounds with everything on it, another 25 to 30 pounds of equipment on me, plus the water and food I had to pack. I stood on the skid contemplating whether to jump or not. SGT Harris hooked my left arm with his and pulled me off of the skid, airborne on my way to the ground. What had happened is that our helicopter caught an up-draft from the helicopter in front and instead of jump off the skid from a distance of 4 to 5 feet, it was 8 to 10 feet off the ground when Harris pulled me off of the helicopter. It felt like I was falling in slow motion. I could feel my self falling forward and I knew that I was going to land on the ground bent over on my tip toes. As I hit the ground, my radio slid forward on my back as I was bent over and the radio struck me in the back of the head. It felt like I had taken a short punch to the back of my head. This drove my body and face right into the ground. I hit with such force, I was knocked out, face first on the ground. I could faintly remember that SGT Harris now had me hooked under my arm, dragging me over to a tree that was still standing. He sat me down at the base of the tree. I was in a state of euphoria. I could faintly hear fighting going on all around me, but all I could see was stars floating in front of my face. I even tried to catch some of the stars as they floated by. I could hear people talking, guns being fired, Cobra gun ships firing their cannons, but I didn’t have a care in the world. This lasted for a few minutes until I started to regain my alertness. My platoon was laying down fire into the jungle on the side of the hill in front of us. Finally, the Lieutenant gave the cease fire order and everyone started to cease fire. The Cobras also stopped their assault but were still flying above us.
I was still lying up against the tree that SGT Harris had leaned me up against. Soon, we all gathered in a circle and the Lieutenant said that we were going to move out. There were supposed to be bunkers dug into the side of the hill that we had just made an assault on. In line, we all moved out, up a trail that was on the side of the hill. I had a headache, but moved out with the platoon. Slowly we moved up the hill and soon we came upon bunkers that were dug into the side of the hill. Each one we came to, SSGT Hayes would throw a hand grenade into it. These bunkers appeared to be made with some cement. They were so well hidden from the sky, air support couldn't even see them. We continued up the hill where we discovered an actual base camp. There were different buildings built with wooden floors and a place where they cooked. A fire was still smoldering in the ground where they had been cooking. The Lieutenant gave the order to search the buildings for any paper work or weapons and then light the buildings on fire. I could not believe that out here, in the middle of nowhere, the enemy could have built a base camp, dug bunkers and used cement to fortify them. As soon as we were finished going through the base camp, the Lieutenant gave orders for us to go back down the trail, counting any bodies we had found and make our way to our new landing zone as we were going to be picked up and taken back to Long Binh. The place would be bombed that night, just to insure the enemy would not come back and rebuild.
After we were picked up, we were on our way back to base. My head still hurt and I had a bump on the back of my head where the radio had hit me. The good news was, we had all made it through another day without any serious injuries or deaths on our side.
Holidays
My birthday was on Wednesday the 26th of November. I never told anyone when it was, I didn’t want anyone to make a fuss. Mike Leopold was still in Ohio on leave to marry his girlfriend, Sue. We were still in Long Binh. When the wind blew just right, you could smell the cooking of the turkeys that the cooks were preparing for tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal. It wasn’t like Mom made, but if you closed your eyes, you could almost imagine yourself being back home for a brief moment. That evening we were all in a good mood. I think the smell of turkeys cooking and tomorrow being Thanksgiving put everyone in a good mood. We sat around playing the card game, spades. Barney Smith was my partner like always, and we were playing against Leroy Gavigan and Donald Wicker. Barney and I were losing, but we didn’t care since we were all drinking and having a good time.
Barney and me
When we woke up the next morning we were all looking forward to the turkey meal that we would be served later. It just seemed like a regular day. We all got dressed and went to the mess hall for breakfast. We soon found out that the turkeys were cooked on a BBQ grill outside and not in the mess hall’s ovens. We knew that we were in for a feast today. After breakfast we returned to our tents. As soon as we got back, Leroy asked, "you guys ready to get your asses kicked in cards again today?" Barney said, let me brush my teeth and you are on. Soon we were sitting down playing cards. Barney and I jumped out to a good lead. It was too early to be drinking, so we were in tune with each other and playing cards like we had been doing it for years.
All of a sudden the fire siren started to blow. We all looked at each other and said together, "not today!". Soon I was on the floor and slipping into my radio back pack. After buckling up, Barney helped me to my feet and out the tent we ran. We ran up to the helipad and got onto the waiting helicopters. Before we knew it we were airborne. Once in the sky, the radio men started their checks. We received the coordinates as to where we were going. I always wrote the coordinates down on my hand. The only reason I would need it is if the Lieutenant and his radio man were killed, I would know where we were if we had to call in an air strike.
Before long, we were setting down. We got off the helicopters and circled up. Lieutenant Dale told us that the NVA had been using this area. They were scouting around and were going to use the area for a base camp. Soon we were on the move, down the trail through a grove of rubber trees. We were moving slow and it started to rain. The rain made the air clean. The smell was almost bearable. Soon it stopped raining and we were leaving the grove of trees and started down the trail which split into two trails. It was starting to get near lunch time. We were in an area that had been recently bombed. Trees were broken in two, holes appeared where dirt once was.
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We stopped on the trail and the Lieutenant passed the word around for us to start eating lunch. As I was eating my Chicken and Rice LURP ration, I was thinking about the guys back in the rear eating a real turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. As I looked around, I could see that the land and trees did not look right. I didn't know what Agent Orange looked like, but it was obvious that not only was this land bombed but something had been sprayed on it. The foliage was starting to die and while we sat there eating our lunch, we did not hear any birds which should have been making noise.
After lunch we got up and started down the trail again. Before long we came upon some bunkers and we found a cache of weapons. We found bags of rice, sewing machines and several mortar rounds. Lt. Dale called back to Headquarters to tell them of our find. After talking to Headquarters, it was determined that we would secure a perimeter and spend the night around the cache until someone could come out and secure the find the next morning. Great Birthday present and Thanksgiving Day! Here we are setting up a perimeter and getting ready to sleep on the ground for the night. As it was getting dark, my platoon laid down and got into their positions. There was a rope that we used. This rope would stretch from one person to the person directly across from him in the circle. Every hour on the hour, the rope would be passed to the person laying next to them on the left. Every 15 minutes one of the two people would give a small tug on the rope and the receiving person would respond with a tug back. This way, every person would stay up for one hour of guard duty and every 15 minutes he would be checked to see if he was truly awake.
About 12:00 midnight, off in the distance you could see flares being shot into the sky, followed by the sound and sight of tracers being fired. We were told that there was a small Army base camp that we were seeing and they had movement out in front of their perimeter. We could see small arms fire being shot towards the direction of the base camp, possibly 2 or 3 VC. The base camp then shot mortar rounds in the direction of the VC. Soon, the shots being fired towards the base camp stopped. More flares were being shot up over head. These flared would light up the terrain for a good 3 to 4 minutes before they landed on the ground. In about 20 minutes, the show was over. Our Lieutenant monitored the radio and said everything in the camp was okay and they would be sending out scouts to see if there was a body count. Soon, everyone settled back down and started going back to sleep. When it was my turn for watch, even though I was really tired, there was no way in the world I could go to sleep while on watch, knowing the VC could be coming our way.
No VC came our way that night and before we knew it, the sun was up and so were we. We were told that the helicopters would be coming out to take us back home and we were being replaced by some people from Headquarters to inventory the cache before they would blow it up. Soon, the helicopters were there and we were on our way back to our quarters. Once back at camp, Mike Leopold came back and joined our platoon after going home to marry his girlfriend.
December was upon us. The only way we knew it was December was with our calendars. The weather was the same. We flew a few missions while we were in Long Binh and we pulled our share of night ambush patrols south of Saigon. Christmas Day was rapidly getting closer. We were rotated back up to Long Binh and it looked like our rotation would take us through Christmas Day. From our tents, we could start to hear the sounds and echoes of something being built down below the hill, out of our sites. We asked our Lieutenant what they were building and he replied with, “they are building a stage for the Bob Hope Tour”. We asked if we were going to be allowed to go down the hill and watch the show. The Lieutenant said that if we were not called out for a mission that he would see if it would be alright if we could go down and watch the show. We were all elated in the fact that there might be a chance of seeing Bob Hope in person.
The building continue for several days in a row. At times, you could hear someone speaking into a microphone saying, “Testing, testing, one, two, three”. It was finally the morning of the Bob Hope Christmas show in Long Binh. We could hear music being played, it was Les Brown and his band of Renown. We were waiting patiently for the Lieutenant to show up and release us to go to the show down the hill. We could hear them say that in a few minutes Bob Hope would be out on stage. At that minute, the announcer introduced Mr. Bob Hope. It was the same minute that our fire siren sounded. Oh my god, this can’t be happening! We have to go out. Everyone started to get ready. I got on the floor where my equipment was and laid on my pack, buckling my pistol belt and putting on my radio. I was helped to my feet by two of my buddies. We all started to run to the helipad and got on our helicopters. Before we knew it, the helicopters were airborne and we flew right over the area that was used for the show. As we looked down, we could see the stage that Bob Hope was standing on. It appeared that he had stopped his monologue and looked up at us as we flew by. This would be the closest that I would ever get to Bob Hope in my life time.
Here it was, New Years Eve and we had not been called out. During the evening, if nothing was going on, we would be allowed to walk to the Enlisted Men’s Club which was located about 200 yards away from our hooch area. Since it was New Years Eve, and everything was quiet, everyone was preparing to head for the Club after supper. Barney McCoy Smith, Michael Leopold, Leroy Gavigan, Donald Wicker and I, walked over to the Club to partake in the New Years festivities.
Barney McCoy Smith
I slept in the middle of the hooch and Barney slept on my left, Michael slept on my right and next to Michael was Leroy and then Donald. The hooch smelled musty and you could smell dirt from the floors. We were located less than 50 yards from the helipad and every time the helicopters would fire up, you could smell the exhaust from their engines. Since we did not have any mosquito nets on our cots at Long Binh, our guys would use a large amount of mosquito repellent on their bodies and around their cots. The hooch smelled strong of repellent.
That evening, we all walked to the EM Club and started partying for the New Years. We drank beer and listened to music by the local Vietnamese band. 12 midnight came and we all toasted and sang “Old Lang Sine”. Through the course of the night, I was not feeling good at all. I think I was coming down with the flu. After returning to our hooch, I really did not feel that good. I made several trips to the outhouse to use the toilet. I finally fell asleep around 2 a.m. and awoke the next morning, January 1st, 1970, around 6:30 a.m. when Staff Sergeant Willie Hayes, a big stature man, came into our hooch and started to yell for us to get up and get ready for breakfast.
The sound of breakfast did not even sound good. At this time, I wasn’t sure if I had the flu or was I hung over from drinking too much the night before. The first chance I had to talk to our medic, I did. I told him how I was feeling and now I started to get a headache along with the stomach problems. He said that I probably had the flu and that he would see about getting me out of duty for the next couple of days. He then proceeded to tell me that we were getting two new guys attached to Third Platoon and if we had to go out, the Platoon would have enough men without me. I did nothing but lay around that day and made several trips to the outhouse to use the toilet. That evening, I passed on going to the Club. I went and introduced myself to the two new men. One was named Eldon Preuss from Kansas and the other man was Joseph R. Elswick Jr. from Virginia. Little did they know what they were going to be involved in, in the next 24 hours.
January 2, 1970, we were all awoken at 6:30 a.m. when Staff Sergeant Hayes came into our hooch and started to yell for us to get up and get ready for breakfast. This was the first morning that I was starting to feel better. I got up out of my cot and cleaned up to get ready for breakfast. While I was cleaning up, I saw our Medic and he asked how I was doing. I stated that I was better but not 100% yet. He went on to tell me that I still looked pale and one more day of rest would be just what I needed. I was able to go to the mess hall and I did eat a little and it felt like it was going to stay down on the stomach. I was on the way to recovery. Once back at the hooch, I could see Sergeant Harris getting the two new men ready incase our Platoon had to go out. I also heard him tell Private Bryan McClellan that if we had to go out that he would carry my radio for him. Bryan came over to my cot and asked me if he could take my radio and put it by his cot. I said sure, go ahead but tomorrow I will be getting it back when I feel better.
Like every morning, our routine was to play cards if nothing was going on. We used my cot, where I would sit where my pillow would normally be and my partner, Barney McCoy Smith would sit at the end on my cot where my feet would normally be. Leroy Gavigan would sit to my left on the cot that he would pull closer, and Donald Wicker would sit to my right on the cot that he would pull closer. The game of Spades was played. This game would be played over and over again until it was time to go to lunch. We would talk while we played and sometimes cuss at our partner if he would screwed up. This is a routine that we had carried out over and over again for the past three months when I had arrived to Third Platoon. I was feeling better that morning but I was still not 100%.
We stopped playing cards around 11:00 a.m. to start getting ready for lunch at 11:30. After I finished using the outhouse and washing up, I returned to my cot to wait for Barney, Leroy and Donald so we could walk together over to the mess hall like we always did. Barney arrived at my cot first. He looked around and then looked directly at me and asked, "If we have to go out today would you go out for me as point man?" He went on to say that he had a bad feeling about today. I told Barney that I was not feeling 100% and that the Medic had given me the day off. I went on and ask Barney what was not feeling right with him when Donald Wicker walked up. Barney then turned to Donald and asked him the same question. "Don, if we go out today, would you take point, I will carry your M-79? I just have a bad feeling about today!" Donald went on to tell Barney, "no", then Leroy Gavigan arrived. Once he arrived, he said, you guys ready, let’s go eat. At this time all 4 of us headed out to the mess hall. As we ate at the same table, Barney went on to say that he received a letter from him wife yesterday and that his baby girl was sick. Again, he said that he a bad feeling about today but he just didn’t know what it was. Leroy said to Barney, you must be coming down with the flu that is going around. We finished up with lunch and all four of us walked back to our hooch. Like normal, we would all go to our own cots and relax for awhile. We would write letters home, read yesterdays mail, or take a nap like I was ready to do. The time was a little before 12:00 p.m., when without warning, the fire siren started to blow. (Any time I would hear the fire siren I would feel very scared, uneasy, fearful and sometimes terrified because you did not know where you were going and the situation you were about to be thrown into.) My first instinct was to grab my radio that should have been on the floor next to me, when I realized that I did have to go out. This was the first time since I arrived to Third Platoon that I didn’t have to go. I just watched every one getting dressed for battle. Just like a well oiled machine, not too much talk, just hustle. The two new men actually did a good job getting ready. Within minutes, all of these hustling men were out of the hooch door and running to the helipad. I could start to hear the high pitch sound of the helicopters engine and propellers rotating. I was amazed of how well everyone moved and did what they were expected to do. It felt like minutes, when I heard the helicopters starting to lift off. Now that they were all gone, I felt that it was a good time to take a nap and be ready for their return so we could plays cards again.
I took a nap while the tent was quiet. I am not sure how long I was asleep, maybe an hour. When I awoke I sat up on my cot and started to get my head clear. I had never really been in the hooch by myself before. The tent smelled musty and dirty, I thought, it's not a wonder everyone wasn’t sick who lived in here. Many times we would go out in areas that we knew that had been sprayed with Agent Orange and we walked right through it. I wondered how much Agent Orange was on the floor that had been brought in on the bottoms of ours boots. I was feeling better, just not 100%. I wondered how long it was going to be before the guys would be returning. I laid back on my cot and started to re-read some letters that I had received from home. I think the Platoon had been gone for a few hours now. Every time I heard the sound of helicopter I would stop and take a better listen to see if they were coming to our helipad. I was getting bored.
Finally, I could hear the sound of helicopter come closer and closer to my location. It got really loud and the wind created from their propellers pushed on the side of our hooch. I knew it would only be minutes before the guys would be entering the hooch from their mission. I was getting excited because my friends were back safe and sound. As the first guys started to enter the door, I could tell something didn’t seem to be right. It appeared that heads were down and very little to no talking was going on. I started to get a bad feeling that something must have happened. One by one, as they entered the hooch, you could tell by the look on their faces that something bad did happen. Guys were throwing their equipment down on the floor and most began laying down on their cots. I looked for Barney McCoy Smith and didn’t see him. Leroy Gavigan started to walk to his cot and I then noticed that he and Donald Wicker were the last two men entering the hooch. I said to Leroy, "where is Barney?". He took a second and said, "He won’t be coming back, he was shot and he died". (I felt shock and disbelief at first. Then, I felt confused, upset and unbelieving.) Donald Wicker then said, "We were ambushed, Barney was shot and died, Sergeant Hayes was shot and killed and Lieutenant Dale was shot up pretty bad". I knew this people, they were good people, doing their jobs. Silence came over the hooch. For those who were sitting on their cots, their heads were down. For those laying down, there was no movement. I was trying to process what was just said by Leroy and Donald. I thought, Barney McCoy Smith is dead? How could that be, he was married and his baby girl isn’t even 2 months old yet. Here was a guy that had everything going for him, such a good guy, my friend. ( I thought, that should have been me out there for him today, not him. I knew he had a bad feeling, I should have went out for him. My life wasn’t half together as his. This is not fair). Those fucking gooks, I said to myself. (I felt more enraged, bitter and hateful towards the enemy.)
I was in shock, how could this be happening. It doesn’t feel real. I know in a minute or two, Barney would be coming through the door and we could start playing cards.------- Reality started to set in. Barney was not going to be coming through the door any more, neither would Staff Sergeant Hayes, who used to wake us up for breakfast each morning. Everybody was mourning in their own way. I myself shed a few tears. I tried to hide it from everyone else. Since I did not go out there today, I think I was thinking the most clearly. Barney had a foot locker at the end of his cot. It needed to be packed up for his family. My question was, do we pack it or does someone come in and pack it up. This was the first time since I had been assigned to Third Platoon that we had lost someone to enemy fire. Junior, John Simmerson Jr., and I decided to walk over to Sergeant Harris' tent and ask if we should pack up Barney’s locker. Once Junior and I found Sergeant Harris I said, Sarge, what do we do? Sergeant Harris misunderstood what I was asking and snapped back with, "we continue to do what we do and that is, be soldiers. We will continue to go out just like nothing happened. Now get back to your hooch and go about your business.
We returned to our hooch and I decided to clean out Barney’s locker. Most of the stuff was Army issue but there were some personal effects. There was a picture of Barney with his brothers, sister and his wife. I kept this picture and have it to this day. Barney was a good man, he was a good brother, son and husband. He should not have died that day. That should have been me. I made a vow after Barney was killed and that was, I will never again make close friends, because something might happen to them. I will try my best to fulfill any request that a friend may ask of me, no matter of how sick or not I feel.
The Red Horse Review Newsletter dated February 1970 named "Tiger Talk" said: The month began on a regretful note when, on January 2, 1970, the Blue Tigers suffered the loss of two fine men. SSG Willie J. Hayes and PFC Barney M. Smith were killed in action, and 1Lt Bennie K. Dale was seriously wounded, when the third platoon was ambushed by an unknown size enemy force while on a support mission for the 75th Infantry LRRPs. Although 1Lt Dale was seriously wounded in the heavy automatic weapons fire, he retained control of his platoon directing a base of fire, and calling in gun ships. 1Lt Date has made a speedy recovery, and has presently assumed the duties as S-5 Officer in the 3d Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry Headquarters. In October 2011, I contacted Joseph R. Elswick. He was one of the new men that went out on patrol on January 2, 1970. Joseph told me that during the ambush, he was the closest man around Barney McCoy Smith when he was shot by enemy fire. He told me of how he held Barney in his arms in his final minutes here on earth. When Barney passed, he seemed to be at peace with everything.
