Peril Outside the Perimeter

Peril comes so unexpectedly. This account recalls an altercation between an officer and an enlisted man. The outcome, life or death, was held in the balance for a few short moments. These moments are forever etched in the memories of those involved.

Doc Max and I were having our final foxhole time…somewhere in the mountains of Vietnam. I can tell you, this was before the Tet Offensive of 1968. We were settled in for the night. I was admiring our degree of visibility. Our position was cleared for several yards forward. The moon shined sufficiently to detect any movement. If it moved outside our perimeter…we could and would shoot it. Keep it simple!

Being on first watch, I soon overheard a vocal altercation to my left. Noise is NOT a good thing in combat. It is a sure way to cause an enemy grenade to drop in your lap. The gunner at the M-60 machine gun position spouted off. Training my ears to the left, I heard a very heated one-sided conversation.

Gunner said,”I hear movement to my direct front. No one is supposed to be outside the perimeter. Therefore, whoever is moving should be shot! ” He elaborated, “The target in front of me has a vague resemblance to my commanding officer. However, it is too dark to ascertain that for sure. Seeming this officer is always on my ass, my first thoughts are to shoot without question. Why should I take any chances?”

I heard a contrite voice reply very judiciously, “You are right. I stand to be corrected. You have my word. I will never get on your ass again. Request permission to come inside the perimeter.”

The silence seemed to go on forever. I am thinking, ‘What am I going to say if that machine gun goes off? They really did have bad blood between them.’ I was so relieved when I heard the reply, “Sir, you are recognized. Come on in.”

Rank has its privileges; rank has its perils. I imagine the gunner had screwed up a few times and had gotten on the old man’s list. However, this officer made a crucial mistake in veering outside the perimeter. He now directly faced well armed men. Vietnam was a terrible place to make additional enemies; we already had a sufficiency.

First watch went by quickly. I thought hard on the incident for those two hours. There is a great gulf between management and leadership. Rank is the only power needed in peacetime. War demands leadership. Rank is given to fulfill the mission. But the troops need someone to give them sound answers, for why they are expected to die. Valor sounds altruistic until blood spills. This is the very point where we pray for good leadership. In my humble opinion, great leaders are gifts from God.

The M-60 gave an enlisted man a moment to express his case. In the short time that I spent in their proximity, the officer held true to his word.

Currahees you will rarely hear me say, ‘this is a true account.’ It happened! I didn’t see a thing, but I heard too much. They may never have realized that I was privy to this private conversation. In reflection, I think this officer realized he wasn’t stateside anymore. In my opinion, a true leader was born.