Zero dark thirty on 31 January, 1968. Incoming! Start of the Tet offensive! Chaos!

By daylight, patrols were organized. I was to lead one that would take us through a hamlet where some "accommodating" women resided. During the briefing, I emphasized that we had better not "lose" any Marines, especially in that hamlet. We actually GAINED one Marine!

Like the rest of us, the start of the offensive caught him by surprise, but he was on the wrong side of the perimeter wire. Fearing for his life, he hunkered down. If he had approached our perimeter, he would have been killed either by NVA/VC or Marines defending our position. Our patrol afforded him safe passage. When debriefing our S2 (Intel Officer), I explained that not only did we not lose any Marines, we gained one!

There were not many light-hearted moments during the Tet offensive, but this was one.

This story is part of Stories About The Tet Offensive. Go to the collection.