When I first arrived for Guardmount, I was assigned to the SAT
team in the Tango area (bomb dump) and found myself becoming a regular,
spending ten months there.
The night the POL was hit, it was two o'clock in the morning and
I was on the SAT team just east of the area. We could hear the explosion
and see the flames from where we were. I remember how short I
was at the time, with only 34 days and counting. "They" said if you
were going to get it, it would be when you first arrived in the
Nam or when you were just to leave. So yes, you can say I do remember
that night very well! We were told to keep on the lookout for
Charlie in case he headed inland instead of going back over the river
to the mainland. We positioned ourselves just below, I can't remember
the post's name or number, but it was the tallest tower we had. I remember
helping the guard many a night by tying his supplies to a rope so he
got them up. After the explosion, we got out of the Jeep and to cover along the dirt road just east of the Tower and behind the POL area.
Thank God Charlie went the other way, for ours was a dead end! I remember
it was a long night waiting for someone to come walking down that road.
We took incoming rounds at 0445 hours, which just added to the excitement,
and we were told to get back in our Jeep and patrol the area for more
Sappers. Everyone near me thought they were now trying to [penetrate]
the Tango Area. When the sun came up I knew I had made it through with
only 33 days left, and counting.
