Crew Chief

They were now on short final approach. Jim saw the gunships fly by firing their rockets and mini guns. This was the signal for all the door guns to open fire, and they did. All twenty machine guns were spitting lead into the rapidly approaching L.Z. Trees lined both sides of the dirt, one-lane road, yet there was plenty of room for the flight to land. Jim's chopper hadn't quite touched down, when the grunts started jumping out. Small arms fire was coming from the trees to their right as their flight lifted and started to fly out.

Jim heard their engine make a funny sound but continued to fire his M60 as they departed. In only seconds, he could tell by the engine noise they had taken a round through the engine intake. It probably had been sucked on through the engine, taking some of the turbine blades out the other end with it.

"Lead, this is Chalk Five, we're rapidly losing engine power. Mayday, Mayday, we're going down in the trees, no power!"

"Chalk Five, this is Lead, I read you. Trail, do you see Chalk Five? Over?"

"Roger, Lead, they're down in some trees. There's no way we can put a ship in to pick them up where they are."

"Lead, this is Chalk Five. We're down, nobody's hurt and I didn't hit anything bigger than some large twigs with my rotor blades."

Once on the ground, Jim and Wright went quickly to work, taking off their M60's and opening the pilot's doors. Mace climbed out at once and started collecting ammo for the M60's.

"Chalk Five, this is Blackhawk Six. I have you spotted. Do you read me? Over?"

"Roger, Six. Over."

"Chalk Five, you're in trouble. The ground troops have encountered heavy resistance from the area between you and them. Your best chance for a pick up is to continue north along the riverbank for about a half-mile. There are some rice paddies up there where we can put in a chopper."

"Six, be advised we have a scrambler1 on board."

"Why the hell!? Never mind! Look, under no condition is that unit to be left. Understood? Over."

"Understood, Six. It's on board because of all the night missions my crew chief flies. Walker out."

Walker looked around and saw Jim grab his M16 and pistol belt.

"Mac, get the scrambler unit out, we have to take it with us."

"What the hell for?"

"Don't give me any mouth, MacLaughlin, just get the damn thing out. Six doesn't want it left under any circumstances."

"Yes, Sir! Mr. Mace, get me my tool box out of the storage compartment, please, while I start unhooking the quick disconnects."

Jim turned and headed for the ship's nose. Mace, who was already standing beside the storage compartment door, turned and pushed the two snap buttons that unhooked the latches. He reached in, grabbed Jim's toolbox and turned to leave as Wright walked around the tail section carrying his M60, with his M16 slung over his shoulder.

Jim never saw it, but knew instantly to hit the ground when he heard the AK47 open fire. Walker, who had climbed out his door, dropped beside Jim. Both men looked back at Wright when they heard his M60 open up. Jim's eyes went from the still standing and firing Wright to Mr. Mace who was lying face down on the ground.

"Mac! I got the three VC but Mr. Mace is hit!"

Jim started to move in a crouched position towards Wright. He could see the three dead VC not more than fifty feet away. Looking down at Mace, he recognized the grotesque signs of a sucking chest wound.

"Wright, cover us! Mr. Walker, pick Mace up and get him out of here! I'll get some ammo and be right with you."

Walker picked Mace up in a fireman's carry and headed in the opposite direction from the dead VC. Wright grabbed as much M60 ammo as he could quickly loop over his shoulder and followed Walker into the brush and trees. Jim strapped on his pistol belt, reached up and grabbed one of the two first aid kits above the cargo door, and, picking up the pilot's map laying in Mace's seat, he jumped out the door and started to run. Then he remembered the fragmentation grenades he had hidden in his storage compartment. He turned and ran back to the ship. The storage compartment door was still open. He reached in, removing the rags covering the frags and pulled out all four, taking only seconds. He put the frags in his jungle fatigue pockets and picked up two smoke grenades, one violet and one yellow, from under his seat. Once again, he started to leave as he heard Wright's M60 open up. This time he dropped to one knee, laid down his M16, pulled out a fragmentation grenade, jerked the pin and threw it at his chopper. Grabbing the M16, he ran like hell. Then, tripping over a branch, he fell just a few feet from Mr. Walker.

The first explosion went off as he was falling, followed almost immediately by the secondary explosion of his Huey. Jim picked himself up and looked back at the fireball that was once his ship. Stepping over a fallen tree, he joined Walker and Mace. Wright had set up his M60 on that same tree log and was watching for VC moving on the far side of his field of fire. The burning Huey started erupting with smaller secondary explosions, as the ammo left on board became hot enough to blow.

Jim knelt beside Mace and unzipped the small, green first aid kit. Walker had his left hand over the entrance hole in Mace's chest and his right hand over the exit hole. Blood was flowing out both holes and had covered Walker's hands and back from carrying Mace. The bubbling and gurgling that came from Mace's mouth told Jim that he was having extreme trouble breathing, as he knew he would. Jim's switch blade cut Mace's shirt open and, as best he could, Jim wiped the entrance hole dry of blood. Walker dried his hands on Mace's clothes and held the plastic envelope from the bandage in place as Jim tried to tape it down. The continual flow of blood made it difficult at best. The wheezing from the exit wound in Mace's back was expelling blood and body fluids with each choking breath he tried to take.

Walker rolled Mace over onto his chest, exposing the full extent of Mace's wound. Unlike the small thumb sized entrance hole, the jagged exit hole was not quite the size of a hard ball. Jim cut what was left of Mace's shirt off and tried to wipe a dry area where tape could be applied. There was flesh, meat and even a piece of bone sticking out of Mace's body. Jim picked the bone chips out so they wouldn't rupture the plastic that Mr. Walker then placed over the hole. Once the plastic was in place, the almost impossible breathing of Mace became much more normal, as air now could enter the lungs only through the mouth. Jim dried the back area with Mace's clothes and taped the plastic down as Walker applied the cloth bandage. It was at this point that the first word was spoken by either man.

"Mac, Six said we should go to the river and walk north to some rice paddies for a pick up."

"Sir, that's the direction the VC came from."

"Yeah, I know. They're also between us and the ground troops we put in."

"Oh, great! Does that radio you're wearing around your neck work?"

"I don't know yet."