In Sept. '67, I was near the midpoint of my tour in Vietnam. Operation Paul Bunyan ended on 11 Sept. and our unit returned to Lai Khe basecamp, hoping for rest. That was not to be. We moved out again on 13 Sept. We were near an area cheerfully (and meaningfully) called "Claymore Corner". When we went on that road we could either move slowly, sweeping it for mines, or move quickly and take our chances (our usual mode of operation) - but not both. On 14 Sept. '67, the Bravo Co. command track, 206, hit a huge mine. I had just moved from a rifle platoon to the Bravo Co. medic track and we moved up to treat the casualties, quickly joined by the other Bravo Co. medics. There were 6 medics in a mechanized rifle company (only 5 in a straight-leg rifle company). Exact details escape me, too many days, too many casualties - but my memory indicates to me that 9 soldiers were on board and 4 were killed outright or died of their wounds after evacuation. Everyone on board was badly injured. Killed were the Company Commander, Captain Joseph S. Rose, Jr.; Platoon Sgt. Thomas Murray from Fort Worth, TX, a career soldier nearing retirement; SP4 David Stanley from West Chester, PA; and PFC David Howard from Lafayette, IN. Rest in Peace, brothers!

This is an old and damaged (kind of like most of us who were there) Polaroid print, taken after our return to Lai Khe basecamp.