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Authors: Charles Henderson
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"Don't let 'em get to those huts. We'll lose them in the trees and they'll be on our backside in no time."
Both Marines fired as rapidly as their rifles could chamber rounds. The running NVA soldiers dropped to the ground and began returning fire.
"Tell that battery to keep the illumes rolling in here. We can't let it get dark or we're dead," Hathcock commanded Burke.
The soldiers who remained behind the wall now joined in the fire, shooting toward the muzzle flashes that gave away the Marines' position.
"Concentrate on those hamburgers out in the open. Well-aimed shots-don't waste your fire," Hathcock told Burke, as he rejoined the battle. Hathcock laid his cross hairs on one prone NVA soldier after another and squeezed the trigger, killing a man each time.
Burke shifted his fire to the NVA company's main body, which now appeared to be charging over the dike. "They're coming at us!" he shouted at Hathcock.
"Well-aimed shots, Burke, well-aimed shots." Hathcock turned his rifle on the charging company and began dropping a soldier with each shot.
"If they don't give up, we're going over the ridge and up the draw, and let them have this place," he told Burke, pumping his bolt back and forth as rapidly as he could shoot.
"I'm ready any time you are."
But, just at that moment, the steam went out of the attack, and the soldiers who were left dashed toward the dike.
"Keep shootin', Burke-don't cut 'em any slack."
Hathcock turned his scope to the right of the dike where the escaping squad had thrown themselves down. "I don't see any life out there. If anyone made it, he got to that hooch down yonder. We better watch our backsides real close from here on out."
The night passed. The Marines lay listening for any sound mat might mean attack. Under the dim light of the illumes, they potshot at any enemy soldiers whose heads popped up.
"You reckon we ought to call in the cavalry? We've been hammering those guys nearly twenty-four hours. Sun'11 be up in an hour," Burke said.
"I'll wait till we run out of lead or Division sends in troops. We can hold here awhile. We've knocked out a good third of mem already."
The sun rose, and the two men began rest cycles-one watched while the other napped. Throughout the second day, the North Vietnamese stayed behind their mud wall. During the twelve hours of daylight, the snipers fired three shots, merely letting the enemy know that nothing had changed.
The first illumination rounds came at sunset and lit the valley at intervals throughout the night. This small battle had reached a stand-off. For the two Marines, time meant little. They took turns shooting and resting, eating their rations of cheese, peanut butter, jelly and John Wayne crackers (large round crackers packed in C ration cans). They felt confident and completely in control.
They lay in the shade with water and food, while die enemy starved in the sun and exhausted what little water remained to mem. Yet the NVA continued to wait.
The third day began as die second had and followed through to the fourth without change. Hathcock knew that unless something happened, he and Burke would move out on the afternoon of the fifth day and leave the NVA company to a sweep team from the 26th Marine Regiment.
Hathcock rested against a tree trunk and spread cheese on a cracker. Burke lay behind the sniper rifle, staring through die scope, slowly moving it along the length of the dike. "Sergeant Hathcock, you reckon that we set some sort of record pinning these guys for as long as we have?"
"I don't know, Burke. Reckon we'll find out when we get outa here. Anyway, it don't mean anything to me. It wasn't tike we were holding mem off. These guys just want out of here. But I imagine that if we were to let them go, they'd come after us once they reached the jungle. When we leave, we'll slip off before they know we're gone and let the sweep team have
"Don't let 'em get to those huts. We'll lose them in the trees and they'll be on our backside in no time."
Both Marines fired as rapidly as their rifles could chamber rounds. The running NVA soldiers dropped to the ground and began returning fire.
"Tell that battery to keep the illumes rolling in here. We can't let it get dark or we're dead," Hathcock commanded Burke.
The soldiers who remained behind the wall now joined in the fire, shooting toward the muzzle flashes that gave away the Marines' position.
"Concentrate on those hamburgers out in the open. Well-aimed shots-don't waste your fire," Hathcock told Burke, as he rejoined the battle. Hathcock laid his cross hairs on one prone NVA soldier after another and squeezed the trigger, killing a man each time.
Burke shifted his fire to the NVA company's main body, which now appeared to be charging over the dike. "They're coming at us!" he shouted at Hathcock.
"Well-aimed shots, Burke, well-aimed shots." Hathcock turned his rifle on the charging company and began dropping a soldier with each shot.
"If they don't give up, we're going over the ridge and up the draw, and let them have this place," he told Burke, pumping his bolt back and forth as rapidly as he could shoot.
"I'm ready any time you are."
But, just at that moment, the steam went out of the attack, and the soldiers who were left dashed toward the dike.
"Keep shootin', Burke-don't cut 'em any slack."
Hathcock turned his scope to the right of the dike where the escaping squad had thrown themselves down. "I don't see any life out there. If anyone made it, he got to that hooch down yonder. We better watch our backsides real close from here on out."
The night passed. The Marines lay listening for any sound mat might mean attack. Under the dim light of the illumes, they potshot at any enemy soldiers whose heads popped up.
"You reckon we ought to call in the cavalry? We've been hammering those guys nearly twenty-four hours. Sun'11 be up in an hour," Burke said.
"I'll wait till we run out of lead or Division sends in troops. We can hold here awhile. We've knocked out a good third of mem already."
The sun rose, and the two men began rest cycles-one watched while the other napped. Throughout the second day, the North Vietnamese stayed behind their mud wall. During the twelve hours of daylight, the snipers fired three shots, merely letting the enemy know that nothing had changed.
The first illumination rounds came at sunset and lit the valley at intervals throughout the night. This small battle had reached a stand-off. For the two Marines, time meant little. They took turns shooting and resting, eating their rations of cheese, peanut butter, jelly and John Wayne crackers (large round crackers packed in C ration cans). They felt confident and completely in control.
They lay in the shade with water and food, while die enemy starved in the sun and exhausted what little water remained to mem. Yet the NVA continued to wait.
The third day began as die second had and followed through to the fourth without change. Hathcock knew that unless something happened, he and Burke would move out on the afternoon of the fifth day and leave the NVA company to a sweep team from the 26th Marine Regiment.
Hathcock rested against a tree trunk and spread cheese on a cracker. Burke lay behind the sniper rifle, staring through die scope, slowly moving it along the length of the dike. "Sergeant Hathcock, you reckon that we set some sort of record pinning these guys for as long as we have?"
"I don't know, Burke. Reckon we'll find out when we get outa here. Anyway, it don't mean anything to me. It wasn't tike we were holding mem off. These guys just want out of here. But I imagine that if we were to let them go, they'd come after us once they reached the jungle. When we leave, we'll slip off before they know we're gone and let the sweep team have
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