Dale Hanson

But anyway, long and short, we RON'd in the night and set up a small perimeter.

And in the night, we stayed on the ground.

And in the night, I could hear the shouting.

I could hear the trucks coming.

I could hear the tailgates coming down.

So I knew they were lining up in the Ho Chi Minh Trail below us.

And I heard dogs.

So I knew they had tracker dogs coming at us.

And so we're sitting there waiting to be overrun.

And I've got four Claymore mines in front of me.

And I didn't think I could push the plunger well.

So I found something solid on the ground.

And I had four Claymore mine plungers right in front of me.

And as they were coming up the hill, I had the heels of my hand on the four plungers ready to take them out, and the dogs are coming up.

And again, on that mission, I prayed, God, plug up the noses on those dogs.

I could hear them coming and saying,

And Bob was my tail gunner, and one of my other guys was on the other side of me.

And they come up, and you could tell in the dark, VC come, VC come.

They're really, really nervous.

And I know Bob put his Buddha in his mouth.