The Enemy"s Camp

The Enemy’s Camp

It is not often that I tell war stories. But we are at war and will be at war until the last day. All war stories from the past, present, and future are bloody war stories and this one is not any different. 

In May of 1970 I was attached to the 15^th combat engineers light equipment company of the United States Army. I was in the 2^nd platoon, which was the reconnaissance platoon in the 1^st squad. Our location was along the northern coastline of South Viet Nam near the town of Bon Son. The 15^th was operating out of a support base for the LZ of an air cave unit for attack Cobra helicopters and huey helicopters for troop transport. We were not far from a Fire Base which supported two artillery batteries. 

The mission if the 15^th Engineers was to build a road from the main highway, highway 1, from Bon Son through the countryside to the fire base to better supply the base and improve transportation for the local populations. 

Our job in recon was to keep an eye on the surrounding area and to monitor any enemy activity in the area. You might say we were the neighborhood watch program. Our primary mission was to seek and detect what the enemy was doing in the neighborhood. We were not to engage the enemy but to communicate their activity to the LZ or the Fire Base through our Como Shack back at our base. The officers there would dispatch the proper force to deal with whatever the enemy was up to based on their activity and strength. They would meet the enemy with the proper force either artillery, Cobras, or air cave troops. We were the eyes in the field and kept continuous communication with our base reporting what we saw and heard. 

Our Squad Leader was Sgt Caulkins and he almost a likeable person. He was a cold hearted sort and not given to a lot of conversation making no close ties to anyone. Sgt Caulkins was well experience in the job we had to do and seemed to read each situation we found ourselves in correctly. Our squad had complete confidence in his leadership. Each one of us respected Sgt Caulkins as he was the old man of the platoon at the age of twenty-one. This was his second tour of duty in South Viet Nam and had the most experience in our platoon.

 Sgt Caulkins had one outstanding fault, which for kids our age was not an unusual one; he just could not stay away from the ladies. He would slip out of camp through the wire and return with a lady or two for the evening. I guess it is nice to have a girl to talk too and several of the others joined in the conversation also. 

 

It was not long after this activity began that we started receiving some very accurate mortar fire from the enemy. One night they took out our Como shack and another night they hit our shower. This was most inconvenient but the biggest scare came when they almost landed a mortar on the ammo magazine. Our Platoon leader Lt. Jacobs soon figured out what was going on and the reason that the mortar fire was so accurate. It seems Sgt Caulkins lady friends were spending some of their time marking off the distances in our base.  The LT made it very clear to the Sgt that the next lady who came in through the wire would cause the removal of a strip from the Sgt’s rank.

Sgt Caulkins accepted that alright and things were a little quieter after that. As time passed on, maybe a few nights Sgt Caulkins felt the need for some conversation with a lady friend so he slipped out through the wire one night. Secrets are seldom kept and we all knew what was going on but we would in no way pass that knowledge on to the higher ups. Besides knowing the LT he probably knew all about it. But you know trouble finds its way and one morning Sgt Caulkins did not return from his evening with the ladies.

The LT sent the second squad out to find the Sgt and bring him back. Sgt Humperdink, who led the 2^nd squad, found Sgt Caulkins; he was tied to a tree upside down. They found all of him except his head. The 2^nd squad brought Sgt Caulkins back wrapped in a poncho and he was shipped home from the LZ.

Our squad, 1^st squad, spent the day in sadness that quickly grew into anger, now looking back the anger grew into foolishness that at the time we felt was a righteous reaction to the injustice we had witnessed. We were all agreed, though not all willingly, that payback was on the menu for Moma Sons and her ladies of the night.

About two AM the next morning we slipped through the wire and started our one and a half mile hike to the village of Moma Son. We cautiously moved along the side of the road the 15^th was building and then cut into the woods to the village. We arrived about 4:30AM on a moonless night. With very little light from the stars we could see the outline of the hutches of the village which circled around the only light of a small fire in the center of the village. It was very quiet, scary quite, as we looked into the village trying to see if any sign of movement was there. It appeared to be very silent with no noticeable activity. This was surprising that no one was out keeping watch.

Rothermel, who was the leader of our band, knew which hutch was Moma Son’s and it was on the other side from where we were. We knew better than to walk through the village so we walked around the back of the hutches giving plenty room between us and the structures. Finally we reached Moma Son’s hutch and set up a defensive perimeter around the area of our concern. 

Rothermel and two others went into the hutch and brought Moma Son and three of her ladies out into the area we were in and lined them up along the corrugated metal wall of a well. Then they went back into the hutch and discovered a tunnel. The Viet Nam people are a mole like folk and loved to dig their tunnels. We knew what the purpose of the tunnel was and there was no way we would go into the tunnel. Rothermel had a block of C-4 and we decided to blow the tunnel up.

None of us were real familiar with explosives and Rothermel put the whole block of C-4 into the tunnel, set the cap, and lit the fuse. He came out of the hutch and said fire in the whole and we hit the ground, while Moma Son and her ladies ran away. When that charge went off the ground shook as it lifted it up to the sky. We lay there several feet from where we had laid down suffering concussion shock and unable to hear for a few minutes. Within minutes we could see flashes of light coming from all the other hutches in the village, even as we could not hear the sound we knew we were under fire. 

As a brisk fire fight began between us and an unknown number of enemies, we managed to craw together and form a convex firing line with the woods to our back, the only place we were not taking fire. Quickly we overcame the stun from the explosion and began to operate with our full senses. To my right Olin got up on his knees and shouted over towards Rothermel, “Did you call it in?” 

I was thinking no we didn’t call it in. we didn’t even bring a radio. We didn’t bring anything with us except our M-16 Rifles and 5 clips of ammo a piece. We were just going to scare some poor whore Moma near to death and go back to where we came from. Now we were in a fire fight for our lives and nobody knew we were here. 

Just then I heard the ghastly sound of splashing flesh and looked to my right to see that Olin had taken a round in the throat. He was bleeding profusely as he fell to the ground. Fergerson crawled close and covered his throat to apply pressure to control the loss of blood. 

There was nothing we could do. If we got up to run to the woods behind us that would have been certain death. Our only defense was to get as far into the ground as possible. We just kept returning fire to keep any one from advancing towards us. It was not long before we had about shot up most of the ammunition we had. We needed something besides shooting up the only resources we had, bullets. 

Then we heard the eggbeater sound of helicopters approaching. Our spirits were lifted with and hope filled our hearts that just maybe we would get out of this mess with our lives. We determined that when the Cobras opened fired on the village we make our run for the woods. After all they were coming in blind and didn’t know where we were or exactly where the enemy was. If we didn’t get out of there they’d shoot us too. The cobras flew in and they lit that village up with rockets and machine gun fire, as we ran for the woods and safety.

Today we are in a bloody War against spiritual wickedness. Look around and you can see there is a war going on against the followers of Jesus Christ. Even today our government is trying to erase every mention and practice of the Christian Faith. If you leave this country you may find yourself in a place that will kill you if you confess the name of our Lord, Jesus. It is not going to get better; it will continue to get worse. Carnell man will continue his course seeking the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and his boastful self pride of life. (1John 2:16)

This bloody war that we all are in began even before the creation when the Arch Angel Michael and Lucifer fought in the heavens. Lucifer is a fallen arch angel because of his pride and desire to be as the Most High. For this sin against God he was thrown out of heaven and cast down to this world where he now is the prince of the air. (Rev 12:7-8 Ephesians 2:2) The war is won and we have the victory through Jesus Christ by His sacrifice on the cross and the shedding of His perfect blood for our sin atonement. The last word of Jesus on the cross, “It is finished”, defeated Satan and gave us the victory. (John 19:30) The battle for the lost continues on in our effort to spread the gospel message to every ear that will hear. The day is coming when peace shall come and Satan, his demons, and all those who do not accept God’s grace and gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ shall meet there final doom and place for all eternity. (Rev 16:16)

We are on that mission from God to, “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20) Satan will resist us in every way that he can. Satan has blinded the eyes of many and hardened their hearts to the truth of the gospel. (John 12:40)  Only the power of God and His Word can open the hearts and eyes of men. 

We face this battle each and every day in our walk in faith with Jesus. But we need not and should not battle with the forces of spiritual wickedness ill prepared. As it was for the Recon Platoon we are not to face the enemy without the proper armor. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” There is no power in the universe that is greater than the Word of God. It was the Word of God that created all of creation. (John 1:1:3) We have this confidence that God’s Word will accomplish His purpose in the will of God for His Word does not return to Him empty. (Isaiah 55:11)

Our study in God’s Word should be constant for in the hour of our need we have the Spirit of God dwelling in us. He will teach us all things and bring to our minds what to say, as we confront evil.

I also share this advice. Advice from a nineteen year old boy in South Viet Nam spoken in the last moments of his life, “Did you call it in?” Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)