Michael Do

From my bunker, Aspirant Tĩnh walked toward the tent, cursing,

“The SOB thinks he was a general. What’s a fucking arrogant!.”

Sergeant Hung, who was sitting by me, approached the new guy, asked,

“What wrong, Aspirant? Who is arrogant?”

“That damned Lieutenant Phuc, the commander. He acts like a big boss.”

“ He is here with me. Look! He is drinking at the table. You may have seen someone else.”

“So, who is the Lieutenant in the bunker? I saw him with his rank insignia on his cap,”

We burst into a laugh! It was Vinh, the deserter laborer who served as my helper and coiffer.

“I am sorry, Lieutenant. I did not notice you earlier. I think the guy down there is the commander since he talks to me like a boss.”

Continue reading My Band of Brothers →

Michael Do

Lieutenant Nguyen Van Quoc, the Operation Officer of the 8th Regiment lifted the poncho that covered the bunker to look at the sky. Although it was almost noon, the fog descended more and more by the time and caused a thick blanket that obscured the view of the base area. Seeing the head of the S-2 Intelligence Officer peeking out at the next bunker, Quoc grumbled,

“What the weather! How do the soldiers fight in this bad condition?”

“The enemies are in the same situation!”

“Maybe they are fucking their bitches in that forest! Who knows?”

The two officers dressed up and walked to the TOC, continuing the chat.

For more than a week, the sky had been covered with dark gray clouds and a thick layer of fog that we could not see the objects at a distance of two or three meters. The air seemed to condense and the time seemed to pause. All military activities had been interrupted: there was no air cover, the units were immobile, and vehicles were not running. All roads were slippery with red mud.

Continue reading The Somber Year-End Days at Loc Ninh →