Enemy to the right ?

Company A was assigned to patrols of the Rocket Pocket off Chu Lai to try and find the VC and/or NVA 22mm rocket squads. We ran day patrols very seldom and night ambushes all the time. At resupply in the afternoon we would get an overlay showing our ambush for the night or get it called in code over the radio.

I don’t remember the date but it was spring. We headed west and reconned our site then settled in for the night with claymores, M-60s, security and all, and waited. As is so often the case we were dry that night. No rain and no VC.

It began to get a little light so I ordered the platoon to pack up and get out. Because it was still very shadowy with fog we moved in file from our ambush site into a very large abandoned rice paddy to head back to the east to spend the day before the next night’s ambush.

The fog was so thick we could hardly see 5 feet in front of us. As we were walking, still quiet because we didn’t know what was out there I heard, and everyone else heard, some soft noises to our right; paralleling us; quietly shuffling; scaring the crap out of everyone. With as little noise as possible we got ready for whatever it was to our right. Could it be a VC squad, company, REGIMENT FOR GAWD’S SAKE walking right next to us.

The sun began to come to close to coming up. It was getting a bit lighter with each passing minute and the fog began to dissipate little by little.

We kept walking slowly and VERY quietly and as the fog wisped away we saw about ½ dozen water buffaloes walking in our directing about 20 meters to our right.

I said, “Whatever you do don’t shoot them; you will only piss them off.”