A WHISPER IN THE DUST: THE PRICE OF BROTHERHOOD

The North Vietnamese TET Offensive had begun. We were moving fast, the fight behind us, but the air was thick with it still. We hustled to the pick-up, every step counting. He was lying there, hurt and alone, his body smeared in mud. Flies buzzed around the wound, a mess of blood and dirt where no one should have been. We didn’t know how long he’d been there, but when we found him, we saw it. In his eyes, dark with dust, they opened slow. He spoke only once, his voice nothing more than a whisper.

“I knew you’d come for me.”

That was it. He didn’t say anything more. We lifted him between us, no time for anything else, and carried him to the Chinook.

I thought about it. A master out there, one who demanded blood and bone. They call us heroes now. Patriots. But we were brothers first, no question. We carried each other. That’s all there was to it. We did what we had to.

Surviving took something else, though. Skill, sure. But more than that, it was endurance. Focus. You had to keep moving. Never stop. But above all else, we never forgot what mattered. The others came before us. Always. No matter what the world said.

One fight, one moment. But there were hundreds like it. And just like that, it’s gone. But we didn’t think about it that way. You never expect what’s next in a war. And the war never failed to show you what was coming.

I came back from Vietnam. But it came with me.

Read about the disturbing history fueling the war and the adventures of our unit in “Vietnam Uncensored — 365 Days in a Nightmare.” Check out the excellent reviews on Amazon. Your purchase will go to help veterans in need through the Kaufman Fund.