Already nervous about his Sergeant, it didn’t help when Mick heard the sound of explosions going off in the direction where Sgt. Collins and two of the squad members went.
Mick’s two tours in Vietnam had taught him not to trust any Vietnamese walking on the road by himself. Vietnamese alone requesting help often meant they were being used to lure American soldiers into an ambush.
The jungle was great at obscuring the distance from which he heard the explosion. This only added to the conflict Mick felt inside. In his mind, he had three choices. One; take the remaining members of C4 and help his Sergeant. Two; stay put and wait for them to return. Three; consider them killed in action for making such a dumb move.
His first instinct was to take the remaining squad members and race to the aid of his Sergeant and the other squad members. However, he feared they could already be dead. If so, their bodies could be laid out with explosives set to blow when the bodies were moved.
After hearing the explosion, Ruben said, “Shouldn’t we go and help the Sarge and the guys?”
Mick didn’t say a word. He just stared in the direction where he last saw his teammates.
“Maybe I should head back and get some help.” Shadow offered.
“We’ll wait for an hour. Then I’ll think about going after them.”
An hour came and went. Ruben reminded Mick, “More than an hour has passed. Shouldn’t go after Sarge and the guys?”
“You and Shadow don’t have experience in jungle warfare. I’m afraid the two of you would be more of a liability than an asset. We are going to wait here a little longer.”
Another hour passed. No sign of Sgt. Collins or Sparky. In Mick’s mind, he became move convinced they were lured into a trap.
Some more time passed. Mick took a deep breath. “Grab your rifles. We’re going to find out what has happened to the Sarge and the others.”
They didn’t get a hundred yards before all four came running in their direction. All four had big smiles on their faces.
“What happened?” Were the first words that came out of Mick’s mouth.
“By the time we got there, Pham’s family was dead and their bodies burned.” Sgt. Collins said.
“What were the explosions we heard?” Mick asked.
We took care of those responsible.” Dave said.
“Sarge, you’re reckless. You could have been ambushed.” Mick said.
“We were sent to this country to help these South Vietnamese people. We dispensed some justice on those bastards who killed Pham’s family,” Sgt. Collins smiled. “Thanks to Sparky and Pham, we didn’t fire a single shot.”
Collins glanced at Sparky. Sparky stood tall and proud as he explained what had happened. “Pham and I set in the trail C4 ten feet apart. And then two claymores on either side of the trail. Sarge and Dave got those bastards to chase them. After Sarge and Dave ran past us. Boom! Not one of them survived.”
“Are you Montagnard?” Mick asked Pham.
“Me, Montagnard.”
Feeling like he missed something, Sgt. Collins asked, “What is a Montagnard?”
“Montagnards are a tribe of Vietnamese who are like American Indians, who are fierce fighters. They don’t like to fight, but when pushed, there is no stopping them.”
“That explains what I saw. Pham helped Sparky set up the ambush and afterwards made sure everyone of those bastards was dead.”
“Sir, I do believe it would be great if Pham could be part of C4. If nothing else, as a Vietnamese translator.”
Sgt. Collins saw all the other members of C4 nod in agreement.
“Well, I guess we better get back to Da Nang before we get listed as AWOL.”
***
Pham rode in the jeep with Sgt. Collins. The remainder of the trip back to Da Nang went smoothly. Those at the motor pool seemed surprised when the two vehicles were dropped off.
It wasn’t until after breakfast the next morning, two MPs arrived at C4’s hooch looking for Sgt. Jake Collins.
