Chapter 25
Four in the morning arrived. Eddie and Glenn started waking up their troops.
Thirty minutes passed, and Squads 2 and 4 Cong Crushers were ready to head out into the jungle.
Glenn grabbed the radio headset from the PVT Sam's backpack. "Papa Bear, this is Dragon," he said into the headset.
"Go ahead, Dragon," Sarge replied from the headset.
"Dragon and Shark are heading out to Cobra. Be there in three for our ride home," Glenn said into the headset.
"Safe travels and your taxis while be there in four," the voice replied from the headset.
"Let's roll," Glenn told everybody while he shoved the headset back into Sam's backpack.
All the Cong Crushers were ready with their Rucksacks on their back and M-16s in hand.
They two squads of Cong Crushers started their trek through the jungle.
Meanwhile, five miles away, the thirty VC soldiers ran through the jungle. They headed in the direction toward landing zone Cobra.
Three hours had passed. Cong Crushers Squads 2 and 4 were about one hundred yards from landing zone Cobra.
Eddie and Glenn stopped their men in the jungle. They were relieved they had a chance to rest and knew it would be an hour before their rides arrived.
Glenn grabbed the headset from the radio pack. "Papa Bear, Dragon, and Shark arrived at Cobra. Orange will mark the spot," he said into the headset.
"Copy Dragon. Be there in one," Sarge replied from the headset.
Glenn placed the headset back into Sam's backpack. "One hour so smoke 'em if you got em," he said while he walked away from Sam.
Some bullets zinged and took out some vegetation within one foot of the Cong Crushers.
It took a few seconds for them to realize they were under attack. More bullets zinged around the Cong Crushers.
Nick dropped to the ground, dead with a bullet hole right through his heart.
"Get down!" Glenn yelled at the Cong Crushers.
The Cong Crushers immediately hit the dirt.
Some dove into a nearby ditch.
Some hid behind some downed logs.
Some hid behind some trees.
AK-47 bullets from the VC zinged all around the area where the Cong Crushers hid.
Glenn scampered over to Sam. He grabbed the radio headset out of the backpack.
"Papa Bear, this is Dragon. Landing zone Cobra is now hot. I repeat. Cobra is now hot," he yelled into the headset while bullets zinged over his head.
"Understand. We'll send help," Sarge replied from the headset.
Glenn saw Nick in the dirt on his back.
He scampered over to the fallen private.
He felt Nick's neck and couldn't find a pulse. "Fuck!" he said, knowing the young man was dead.
"I see the bastards," Louis yelled out. He spotted four VC silhouettes trekking through the jungle.
Six of the Cong Crushers fired their M-16s into the jungle at the silhouettes of the VC coming after them.
"We got more," Eddie yelled out. He saw five more VC silhouettes heading in their direction.
Three VC dropped down the ground dead.
It was a musical song of M-16s and AK-47 exchanging bullets with each other. Michael and Bruce fired their machine guns at the approaching VC.
"We're going to be outnumbered very soon," Ralph yelled out, seeing twelve more VC.
Glenn scampered over to Sam. He snatched the headset out of the radio backpack. "Papa Bear, Dragon, and Shark are going to be overtaken. We're going to retreat. Cobra might be too hot for a ride home. VC is coming from the west," he yelled in a panic into the headset.
"Understand Dragon. Move to the east side of Cobra. We'll cook the bastards," Sarge replied from the headset.
"Copy east of Cobra," Glenn replied then shoved the headset back into the radio backpack.
Glenn scampered over to Eddie who killed a VC. "We're supposed to head over to the east side of Cobra. They're going to cook the bastards," he told Eddie.
"Let's use some smoke for our cover," Eddie replied to Glenn who nodded in agreement.
Eddie told his troop near him of the plan.
Glenn scampered back over to his nearest troops.
Word spread amongst the Cong Crushers.
The Cong Crushers removed smoke grenades from their Rucksack. They threw them in the direction of the oncoming VC.
The jungle was full of smoke, and the VC was not visible.
The two squads of Cong Crushers jumped up and started running toward LZ Cobra.
Ralph grabbed Nick by his boots and dragged him through the jungle.
Willie assisted Louis since he was wounded in the thigh.
While the Cong Crushers ran through the field called LZ Cobra, the VC made it through the smoke. They ran to the beginning of LZ Cobra and saw the Cong Crushers in the middle of the field. They started firing their AK-47s.
Bullets zinged all around the Cong Crushers while they ran through the field.
"Fuck!" Craig yelled out when a bullet when through the back of his right knee. He dropped to the grass in pain. "Ahhhh!" he screamed out while he lay on his side in the fetal position holding his knee.
Michael was near him, so he ran over. He grabbed Craig by his right arm and pulled up.
Michael assisted Craig while they ran through the field.
When the Cong Crushers got to the east side of the landing zone, the sounds of approaching F-5 jets filled the air.
That sound made the VC stop dead in their tracks while they ran through the field.
The Cong Crushers ran into the jungle.
"Dragon, this is your savior in the sky. Where do you want it?" the voice of Captain Tom Worsley, an F-5 pilot said from the headset.
Glenn snatched the headset out of the radio backpack from Sam. "The middle and west side of Cobra. We have VC in the field now. We're safe in the jungle to the east," Glenn replied.
"To the middle and west side of Cobra. You got it," Captain Worsley replied from the headset.
The Cong Crushers watched while the VC tried to run back into the jungle. They knew what an approaching F5 jet meant for their live spans.
Two F-5 jets were screeching down toward the west side of LZ Cobra.
It did not take them long to drop the Napalm along the west side of the landing zone. The jungle and west side of the landing zone was now on fire. Screams of the VC came from the massive flames.
The two F-5 jets ascended, banked to the right, and were soon gone.
"Papa Bear, Dragon, and Shark need a new location for our ride home," Glenn said into the headset.
"Head to Stallion. I repeat, head to LZ Stallion," Sarge replied from the headset.
"Copy Stallion. We'll be there in five. We have one dead. Private Cole. We'll leave him here on the east side of Cobra," Glenn replied.
"Copy, we'll have him picked him up when they come in for a body count," Sarge replied from the headset.
Glenn shoved the headset back into the radio backpack of Sam.
"We're moving to LZ Stallion," Glenn told Eddie who walked over to get the updated plan.
Fifteen minutes had passed, and the Cong Crushers were ready to head out to LZ Stallion.
They left Cole's dead body in the landing zone with his helmet stuck on the top of a cross they made out of sticks.
The two squads of Cong Crushers started their trek through the jungle. They thought the worst of their mission was over.
Meanwhile, west of LZ Cobra, twelve VC, that included three women walked upon the scorched area.
They saw the burnt remains of their fallen comrades, and some of them started crying. Others were pissed.
They walked away in the direction that the two squads of Cong Crushers headed. They had another PRC-10 backpack radio and heard the transmission Glenn made a little while ago.
The VC walked around the field of LZ Cobra.
When they got to the east side of LZ Cobra, they found Cole's dead body.
After they stared at Cole's motionless body, the VC split into two groups of six.
One group went off to the right when they entered the jungle.
The other group went off the left when they entered the jungle.