PIGEON FORGE — Though members of the 509th Army Engineer Company have been gathering every few years since the early 1980s, Paul Darling and Gary Crenshaw haven't seen each other for the last four decades.
The duo, who served together during the Vietnam War, came together for the first time in 44 years on Tuesday — meeting at a reunion of 70 or so veterans held at the Mainstay Suites. It was an emotional reunion for Darling and Crenshaw, who shared an intensely traumatic attack that left both men seriously wounded.
Crenshaw and Darling were involved in the Tet Offensive — a military campaign during the war in which the People's Army of Vietnam attacked the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the U.S. and their allies by surprise, during a period when everyone agreed to cease fire during the Tet Lunar New Year Celebrations.
On the evening of Feb. 6, 1968, 22-year-old Crenshaw returned to base camp after spending most of the day in the field hauling ammo. Though it was late evening — and Crenshaw hoped to retire for the night — he learned it was his turn for guard duty, with his perimeter including several towers and a bunker.
"I was not happy," he said. "I wanted a hot shower and something to eat."
Near the end of his guard duty, Crenshaw got a call on the radio that strange activity was occurring at post six. Crenshaw drove to the post, with Darling in the passenger seat, and pulled up next to the bunker.
The call over the radio said a strange "metal on metal noise" could be heard, so Crenshaw turned off the truck's engine to listen.
"We didn't hear any more noise, so we started shooting the breeze with a conversation," Crenshaw said.
As 21-year-old Darling shared a story about life back at home, Crenshaw noticed six red streaks barreling through the sky about 900 meters out. Crenshaw called headquarters and notified them to sound the alert; he also called in artillery to the location.
"I think he was at the end of his conversation when the first round hit," Crenshaw said.
A mortar slammed into the the truck the pair was sitting in, throwing Crenshaw onto the floor beneath the steering wheel and filling Darling's head and arm with shrapnel.
"I wasn't feeling anything," Crenshaw said. "There was a ringing in my ears. Then my focus came back and I realized what happened."
After Crenshaw asked Darling for help and received no response, he knew something was wrong. Stunned, Darling continued to retell the story he was telling before the attack over and over, as Crenshaw used the steering wheel to jerk himself up.
"I wanted to get out," Crenshaw said. "I was afraid it wasn't over."
Darling's door flew open during the attack, while Crenshaw's wouldn't open.
"(Darling) wouldn't move," Crenshaw said, "and I couldn't open my door so I pulled my feet and legs up into the seat. My back was against my door and I kicked his ass out of the truck."
"He kicked me in the softest part of my body, my butt," Darling joked.
Once out of the truck, Crenshaw went into the bunker and yelled for help, asking for assistance for the wounded men.
Other men, standing outside of the truck, were hit with shrapnel. They were injured and bleeding.
"I was getting peeved, because no one was firing," Crenshaw said. "I yelled at them to fire."
The group sent for help and soon afterwards an ambulance arrived, performing first aid on the men.
"They finally got us out of there," Crenshaw said. "I don't know how long it took, but it seemed like forever."
Crenshaw and Darling both suffered concussions and had severe head trauma, as well as additional wounds from shrapnel.
"(Crenshaw) was driving," Darling said, "and the next thing I knew he was trying to get me out. Basically (Crenshaw) saved my cheeks."
That's something Crenshaw disagrees with, even though he was awarded an Army Medal for Heroism.
"He thinks I saved his life," Crenshaw said, "but my objective was to save this guy, me."
"He did more than that," Darling said. "Just read that award there."
"Seargeant Crenshaw distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious conduct on the night of 6 February 1968 when his unit's base camp was attacked by enemy mortar fire," a letter accompanying the medal said. "As a passenger in a truck being used for inspection of the perimeter guard, Sergeant Crenshaw was severely wounded when the truck was hit by a mortar round. Heedless of his own wounds, and bleeding profusely, Sergeant Crenshaw got the other wounded out of the truck and sent a guard for another truck with which to evacuate the wounded. He maintained command of the situation until all the wounded were evacuated, and was the last to be evacuated and treated. Sergeant Crenshaw's courage, devotion to his men and mission are in the highest tradition of the military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army."
The men eventually were loaded onto a plane, landing in Japan where there was 26 inches of snow and -13 degree weather. It was a drastic change from the heat of Vietnam.
Though Crenshaw had no idea where Darling was, the pair ended up at the same hospital.
While Crenshaw was only in Japan for two or three weeks before returning to the U.S., Darling spent six weeks — all of which he doesn't remember because he was in a coma.
Darling's coma lasted for two and a half months, in which he filled the hospital ward with endless chatter. When he awoke, he had lost the ability to speak, as well as vision in his left eye and hearing in his left ear. His short-term and long-term memories were gone.
"I guess that's why I talk so much now," he joked.
Darling also suffered from epileptic seizures after waking, since the attack jarred his brain.
"I've been extremely lucky," he said. "Normally with brain injuries, you end up paralyzed on the opposite side of the body (from the injury)."
Though the men were stateside after the attack, there was no warm welcome home or thanks from the American citizens.
"We went back to people who were anti-Vietnam and anti-war," Darling said. "They weren't friendly towards you. It was really tough. I had an extremely hard time with it."
"When we came home, we got spit on," Crenshaw added.
At the reunion, they were surrounded by other people who had similar experiences.
"At the reunion you are around people who went through the same thing," Darling explained. "You feel at home."
The getting together should have happened years ago, they said, but the pair simply went their separate ways and their paths never crossed again — even though Crenshaw spent the last 15 years searching for Darling.
"You got your own life and you did your own thing," Darling said. "We all went on with our lives."
"You were trying to put yourself back together and get your head straight," Crenshaw said. "(I know now that) the metal against metal noise we were hearing was the mortar crew setting up their mortars. When we saw the rounds go up in the air, they were coming straight at us.
"I did what I could as fast as I could. It just didn't register fast enough."
Though they couldn't recognize each other's faces, their voices were still the same as they were that February evening in the truck.
"The relationship we have is a very close and comforting feeling," Darling said. "I saw him again and (immediately) felt close to him."
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario