HUMOR AND SURVIVAL: COMEDY AMID CHAOS IN VIETNAM

Insights into Vietnam Uncensored

In the jungles and battlefields of Vietnam, the air was thick with sweat and smoke, and laughter occasionally rose like distant gunfire. We traded barbs between ambushes and confrontations, our voices sharp against the backdrop of death.

“You call that a shot?” Herc once joked at Sureshot’s miss, a playful grin appearing through the grime on his face. “My Momacita could do better, and she’s F-ing blind!”

In such incidents, we wore the fear like an old coat, heavy but familiar, and in the darkest moments, humor became a weapon.

“Remember, if you hear the choppers, don’t worry. They’re not coming to get our sorry asses out of here. They’re just bringing lunch,” Messkit joked before the firefight escalated.

The Dust Offs would always be the first to remove the wounded.

We made light of the absurdity in the chaos, finding solace in comedy as bullets flew. It was a dance of survival — grinning at the madness, laughing at the unseen enemy as if the punchline might save us.

I loved these men as none I would meet in later life. There is something in that brotherhood remaining for all time. And while I cherish my family, it is a different kind of love.

I realized it was my privilege and honor to stand with men who would sacrifice all to save me — and one did.

You can find the whole story in Vietnam…