| The chow hall was petty crowded, the food smelled good, but that was
never a sure indication that it would taste good. How'd you like standing
lines last night Hink? Peter asked. It was an experience I casually answered.
What do you mean? Asked Peter, as if he had been totally unaware as to
which bunker I had been standing lines in. So I went along with him and
said, you know those big eight-inch guns they got here? Yeah Peter responded
as if he knew, but yet wanted to here more about what I was going to say.
Then he said, you got that bunker and then he finally laughed. Yeah I responded
and nobody told us about the guns being there. They never do, Peter said,
its a kind of baptism for all the new guys arriving here in Phu Bai, like
welcome to the war sort a thing. Well it really welcomed us here all right.
I thought we took a direct round right on our position. I didn't know if
shells were coming in or going out. It scared the hell out of the other
two guys and me with me, we all aged ten years at least, just from last
night. Peter was still laughing, and the more he laughed it got me laughing
too. Well, Hink, Peter said, welcome to Phu Bai and the real war now baby.
As we moved along in the chow line, we grabbed our plastic trays and filled some plastic cups with some really cold milk. I quickly gulped down half a glass as I was really thirsty, then refilled my glass again. It was still early morning, and the nights chill that had me freezing most of the night, while swatting mosquitoes the size of B-52 bombers, hadn't left me with much sleep, so I was still really tired. I was basically just going through the motions automatically, as I gulped down some more milk. Take it easy with the milk, Peter said, you’d wind up with cramps at the rate your consuming it. Its this heat, I responded, which had quickly replaced the evenings chill with a thick sticky choking almost suffocating air that you could almost cut with a knife it was so dense. With this heat, I can't stop being thirsty. You'll adjust in a couple of days, Peter said in a reassuring manor, as he began filling his tray with hot, over easy fried eggs, and bacon. Grab some food Hink. One thing, Peter said in a serious tone, you got to take advantage of hot food when you have the opportunity, as once out in the bush its C-rations and whatever water you can find. Peter as I mentioned is a big guy, about 6’3” tall and about 220 pounds. He had been our star tackle, on our football team in high school. He had always been in good shape as he lifted weights since he was about 15 years old, so although he appeared big and somewhat hefty looking, he was solid as a rock. Peter was something else in high school. In class he could get the whole room roaring with laughter, and would never seem to get into trouble for it. He was very popular in school, an incredible athlete, and the nicest guy in the world, but God literally help you if you ever were fool enough to start something with him. That jovial personality and quick wit could tear you in half six ways to Sunday if you were fool enough to try and take him on in a fight. Although he had the ability to throw just about everyone in the school around like a rag doll, Peter wasn't that type of guy. I don't think anyone in the entire school didn't really like him. He was just the sort of a guy who was always right there for you if you needed him. You couldn't find a better friend if you'd given God a blue-print of what your ideal friend was suppose to be like. Peter was Peter, and you loved and respected him for just being who he was. I hadn't grabbed much food, the milk I had been gulping down made me almost feeling full. Yeah got to eat good now Hink, Peter said as he dug into the food piled high on his tray. A few months of C-rations and you'll know just what I'm talking about, mark my words, as he swallowed down a few quick mouth full of eggs and some fried potatoes. The noise in the chow hall, banging of chairs and loud talking, and everyone appearing to be so relaxed eating their food like they'd never seen cooked food before, got me thinking what it really must be like out in the “Bush” as they referred to it. I couldn't help think what these guys must have been going through, being in actual combat, and wondering if I were to come back in this exact same place a month from now how many that are here now wouldn't be because they'd been killed or seriously wounded. Heck, I didn't have any reassurances even in a month from now if Id still be alive, or laid up in some hospital permanently scared or disfigured for the rest of my life. These thoughts and the thoughts of what could be, started to make deep impressions in my mind, and I began to realize how much in life Id taken for granted. The more I looked around, as I watched Peter eat and listen to the sound of a familiar and reassuring voice from what seemed like ages ago, the reality of the gift of just being alive began to grab hold of me. This was a feeling Id never ever experienced before. It was a really strange feeling, things seemed more real then they were, and every precious moment you wanted to hold on to and keep the inevitable future from stealing these moments away from you. Eat up! Peter said as he put his glass of milk up to his mouth to take a drink. You'll be pulling out in an hour or so, so you'll need to get back to your hooch and get your gear ready. Your heading for the real war now baby, he said as he finished off the glass of milk, and made a sound of relief as the last of the milk settled down into his stomach. You all Set! Peter asked? As we shuffled out of the chow hall with lots of other guys going their own ways to God only knows where, I wanted to ask Peter what it was like being in your first battle, but in a way I was hesitant to ask. Peter was talking about some time when we were both back in high school, as my mind drifted off in the thought that in just a few hours time, I'd be out in the middle of the war zone, and wondered what that would really be like. Hey Peter, I interrupted him in mid conversation, as I really hadn't heard much of what he was saying. How do we get out to our outfit anyway? Choppers first he replied. Choppers! Is our area that far that we go in Choppers? That's how you leave here Hink, in choppers, then at Dong Ha, you'll hop on a riverboat that will take you up this river to our rear area in the bush. It's called "Camp Big John". There you'll find some Amtrak's, once aboard the amtracs, it's about an hour or so to the area we call the "Tree Line". That's home baby, or temporarily home. From there you'll be running patrols and night time ambushes, and every so often choppers come in to take us out into the DMZ on some operation. It's nothing like back in the World being out here kid. You’re in a whole different way of life for now on, where the only thing that will matter is staying alive. Hoban! Hey Hoban! What Top, Peter yelled back. I got some things to go over with you that just came up. You'll be going out to the company later today, got that. Yes Sir Top, you had told me I'd be going out later this afternoon. I guess that's part of being assigned to S-2. By the way Hink, Peter said seriously. I noticed all morning you've been drifting off in your mind. If your worried about what will happen when all hell breaks loose, don't be. You'll do just find, besides why worry about something now when it hasn't even happened yet. You'll learn the only thing that counts over here is survival baby, you do what you can, help who you can, but in the end, survival is all that matters. See you this evening Hink, and just remember, “every days a holiday, and every meals a banquet”. To be continued with "Arrival 4" next week. Authors: Bob Hingston and Carl King
All accounts are factual and true to the
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