To this day I remember Jan 20 each year and I try to take that day off work every year.

We left the top of 881S before daylight by holding on to the man in front of you .  After stumbling down the hill a ways the 2nd platoon split from the rest of the company and it seems we went left or east.  Not long after daylight the 1st platoon  walked into a hell of a lot of fire.   LT. Thomas moved us up a finger and the rounds started snapping by my head.  My ammo was gone quickly and a M-60  gunner threw me a magazine, but it was all tracers and the gooks zeroed in on me.  I got small fast.  It was hot in the grass and I took off my helmet.  Just before the air strikes started, word was passed to get the helmets on.

I could see the pilot when he hit the hill with 20mm cannons and bombs, I closed my eyes in disbelief that the gooks just stood up and fired at him.  I heard a whirpping sound and a piece of bomb shrapnel hit my helmet and nearly took my head off.  Lesson learned (only a sore neck).

When the chopper came in and was trying to get it's but down with the ramp already down, it was about 3 feet from me and we were taking fire.  I saw sparks and tracers inside the bird, then it dropped to the west.  I believe it was Reed (GUMS), Schemelia (LITTLE ONE) and myself took off running down the hill to the bird.  We pulled the copilot out his side and then the rest.  His flight suit was slightly smoking and I relieved him of his S&W 38 revolver. I turned it over to SGT. Addington (BIG-D) back on 881S that night. We lost Lt. Thomas that day along with a lot of others and it's something that will stay with me as long as I live.  I left India company after 20 months and the lessons learned that day, no doubt helped me and others survive not only the hill, but the Nam.