FireBase Professional; early June 1969; first light. I was standing at the perimeter wire, looking out at the valley below us and proving one more time that God looks after fools and infantry lieutenants when an Americal bunker about 100 meters to my right blew up.

I flew into a slit trench and stuck my head up in time to see a second Americal bunker maybe 75 meters to my right explode and collapse. Then the ammo dump 50 meters away in the saddle that divided their section from the 101st section of this firebase went up and things were flying all over the place.

At this point I realized that the NVA had a recoilless rifle team on the hillside opposite Professional, maybe 1000 meters across the valley and that they were very, very good. As I waited for them to hit our section of the base, all hell broke loose to my rear.

A 105mm battery from the 101st had come in and set up a couple of days earlier and now they were going at this NVA recoilless rifle with everything they had. While we went down in our holes, the Red Legs brought at least four, maybe five guns to bear on the hill and were standing there in front of God and everybody, firing as fast as they could. It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen and I got so engrossed that I forgot to keep my head down.

The gunners were out in the open, many didn’t even have shirts or steel pots on and they were going at it like maniacs. Their tubes were level, muzzles pointing right over our heads and it was Load/Fire, Load/Fire, Load/Fire. Guys were running to the gun pits with ammo as fast as they could, empty cases were flying out-it was like watching the high speed characters in a Charlie Chaplin movie.

This was not just indiscriminate blasting, either. The gunners were traversing, elevating and depressing to ensure that every square meter of that hillside was getting hit. The entire hillside, easily a 300 x 150 meter target, was erupting in the black smoke and orange flame of the HE barrage. They fired for maybe two minutes, then it was over and the recoilless rifle never fired again.

I forget how many rounds they got off but it was a lot and they were pretty proud of themselves. We were pretty proud of them too and mighty impressed with this demonstration of what it really means to have solid brass cojones.

Thanks again guys!