One You Havn't Seen

Terry Guisto

Vietnam 1969-1969

One day our company commander was on point, which was unusual for an officer and he took a sniper round to the back of the head. I heard the shot and ran forward but he was down and I knew we had to get him lifted out right away. It was raining but we had to get him to the top of this mountainside so a chopper could get to us. We bagged him up in a poncho and started carrying him up while I gave him mouth to mouth. We got him to the top of the mountain, but he was dead by then…it’s just…just like yesterday, you know? That night, we spent the night on the top of that mountain in the rain. It was so cold lying in those foxholes. It was the coldest I’ve ever been in my life.

A few weeks later, this Lieutenant walked us right into an ambush. They just cut us to fuckin’ ribbons. I actually saw our machine gunner stand up and do a John Wayne with an M60. He stood up and fired that thing freehand and I just couldn’t believe it. But his weapon jammed up, so he got down, kicked the breach open, stood up and went at it again. He got killed later on. When my friend got hit I was lying right next to him and saw his body jump. He had got hit right below the armpit and it tore him all up inside. I tried to get an IV started but by then his veins had collapsed. We spent what seemed like all day pinned down right there, unable to move. It was a bad day.