Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1115818
This year, we added a new element to the march: trekking along river banks and crossing. When the day is sweaty and stuffy, it can be even quite pleasant to just immerse in water while still wearing your boots and clothes. You must only remember to keep your documents in something waterproof (the bag left over a C-rat is perfect). And keep your cigs and matches as high as possible. Speak- ing of which, it was reasonable to stick various items behind the helmet band. However, you cross the water at a slow pace, because the bed is slippery and treacherous. The risk of spraining your ankle or landing on your ass is high. Nobody shoots or sets booby traps on our way, but this does not mean we are completely safe. First of all, a pretty realistic threat is posed by wild animals. Smaller animals, such as foxes, may in- fect you with rabies or steal the equip- ment. Larger ones, like a bear, can simply kill us. It is important then to keep the place we stay for the night well-secured and well-guarded. You can, however, combine practical aspects with pleasure. During this year's patrol, we placed fake Claymores around the camp as well as LMG posts that communicate with each other by radio. Anyway, the communica- tion came in handy when a fox came close to the sleeping guys. No risk of contact with the enemy does not mean that we completely forget about this element. The organizers al- ways have a surprise for us. Quite often, the strenuous peace of our trek would be suddenly interrupted by an exploding fireworks and the surroundings would become covered in smoke. We would then know that we were under fire. Of course, we had to react appropriately to the situation, despite being exhausted. Still, the exhaust would immediately van- ish because of the adrenaline rush. As I have already mentioned, the nights during our patrols can be adven- turous; we set our camp wherever the time comes to do it. We have already slept in mud, on very steep slopes, or even in the very center of a forest road. The night is the best part of the day to notice the difference between the Euro- pean and the Vietnamese weather, even during a hot summer. Although we slept on inflatable US Army mattresses, the so-called "whores", which provide good insulation from the ground, even if they do not hold the air pretty well, and re- gardless the fact that we wore warm- ers (so-called "sleepies") under our uni- forms, just like soldiers in Vietnam, and although we wore ponchos with cotton lining, like in their case, we would have a totally different wake-up in the morning, chattering our teeth because of the cold. Sometimes, we would wake up for totally different reasons. For example, because of deafening noise of nearby explosions, the order to put the gas masks on, and information that the USAF accidental- ly bombarded the surroundings of our camp. I must admit, however, that one night we were caught by a storm and downpour. The ponchos we wore man- aged to protect us for some time. But later on, despite the fact that we were half-submersed in water, the ponchos made our sleep quite pleasant, as if in a warm bathtub. After a tough night, it is a wonderful feeling just to burn some hexamine to warm up a food ration in a cooking stove made from an old tin can. The USGI mil- itary fuel generates a lot of heat and a very pungent smoke... Still, the elongat- ed can of meat with sauce is usually just slightly hot. You spice it with some Tabas- co, eat it with a plastic military spoon, take a bite of a hardtack and a sip of rationed coffee brewed with chlorinated water – everything tastes delicious. During the patrol, alcohol drinking is forbidden – although no one is controlling it, everyone adheres to this rule. All thanks to the fact that nobody wants to carry additional kilograms and struggle with the hangover just to be able to drink some beer or booze. Anyway, adrena- www.fragoutmag.com