lying under a burning mound of earth a few feet away. Jeremy walked over and started to pull on the machete, only to realize that the burning mound of earth had once been a human being. Jeremy gingerly removed the machete from the burning corpse and ran toward the nearest jungle. On his way out of the camp, Grant spotted Major Dong staggering around, half covered in dirt and completely dazed. Grant walked up to Dong,
“We meet again, Major Dong,” Jeremy shouted.
His hearing gone and severely stunned, the little major looked up slowly and tried to focus his eyes on the giant standing over him. Jeremy glanced down at the once feared little major and laughed. The flames had completely burned away most of his clothes and Jeremy saw the evidence of Major Dong’s hatred for the French Foreign Legion. His manhood had been severed, and in its place a small scarred stump remained. Jeremy felt no compassion or mercy for this little snake, because he knew that Major Dong was capable of similar acts. In fact, the little major had performed them on many of his colleagues, and unlucky Legionnaires.
“Who are you? Speak up, I can’t hear you!” shouted Dong.
“It doesn’t really matter, you worm, I am going to slowly squeeze the life out of you,” whispered Grant.
Grant leaned over Dong, reached out and with his right arm, gradually squeezed Dong’s scrawny throat until all signs of life wheezed out of his lungs. Grant had gotten his wish, he had managed to kill Major Dong with his one good hand, and had been thrilled at the sight of the little worm gasping for breath. Jeremy also took this opportunity to take Major Dong’s AK-47 assault-rifle, ammo pouches and another canteen. Grant knew that his chances for survival were almost non-existent, but he was convinced that he would rather die in the jungle than in that stinking POW camp. Jeremy left the area as soon as possible and headed in a southeasterly direction. He realized his only hope for survival was to travel at night and lie low during daylight hours. However, today he had to put as much distance between the camp and himself as possible. Jeremy was positive it would take them at least two hours before they realized he was gone, or had any resources to send after him. This was his only advantage and he was determined to get away. Jeremy found a small stream and followed it southward for about two hours. He then felt confident enough to travel inland and resume his southeasterly course. Darkness was slowly beginning to fall and Jeremy knew that he had to find a spot away from prying eyes. He continued down a well-worn trail, figuring his signs would blend in with the many others tracks, until he found an ideal hiding spot. Before him, loomed a giant tree; its roots and base were at least twenty feet in diameter. It was leaning against a large rocky outcropping which was part of a very steep hill. Halfway up the tree, about fifty feet above ground level, there appeared to be a small opening in the hillside. It was only accessible from the tree and it was barely visible, unless one stood directly under the tree and looked up in that direction. Grant gathered his belongings into a bundle, slung them over his back and did his best imitation of Cheetah, the movie chimpanzee.
The large tree had many handholds and small hanging vines. Jeremy was able to climb up the tree with relative ease until he reached the cave entrance level. The opening appeared to be large enough for a man, but not much else. Jeremy crawled across a branch and pushed aside some heavy brush and wriggled his way into the cave. Well actually, “cave” was a misnomer, hole would be more appropriate. Grant immediately noticed a rather strong odor emanating from the hole. If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn that it smelled like a cat’s litter box, but he didn’t know of any domesticated cats living up a tree in a hole in Vietnam. Anyway, he was so damn tired and hungry he didn’t really care if he shared a hole with a cat or not. Jeremy packed all of his belongings at the front of the hole and covered them with nearby bushes. He promptly fell into a long and almost comatose sleep. He had been so tired that he had forgotten to eat and drink. His restless sleep had eventually been interrupted by a loud and gnawing rumble coming from his stomach. Jeremy opened his eyes and quickly tried to raise himself. Forgetting where he was, he hit his forehead hard enough on the ceiling to draw blood.
“Oh, shit! Oh, shit!” He exclaimed, blood streaming from his face.
A loud, piercing, blood-curdling scream came from the back of the cave, and Jeremy froze in fear. He had no idea what type of animal or thing had suddenly screamed, but it sounded very close and annoyed. He suddenly noticed a large pool of warm and wet liquid oozing from his crotch. He had pissed on himself! Oh, great, he thought, I have to take control of the situation, now! Another, equally frightening scream, pierced the evening calm. Jeremy slowly regained his composure and realized that whatever was in the cave with him couldn’t be very big. Just then, a blinding pain reminded him that this creature could be small in stature, but extremely vicious. Jeremy’s anguished yell was as loud and startling as the creature’s. Enough is enough, Jeremy thought, I have to kill whatever that thing is, now!
Grant rolled over on his side, grabbed the old machete, and tried to slash at the darkness beyond his feet. His pathetic attempts only angered the animal and it continued to bite and scratch his foot. The animal screamed hysterically and only appeared to be getting angrier. Jeremy finally managed to drag his leg outside the small hole and turn around head first. He grabbed the machete in the right hand and slowly crawled back in the hole; his right arm making a ninety-degree sweep as he moved forward. The animal suddenly grew quiet, and Jeremy was petrified it would make a mad dash for freedom. Just then, he could feel the machete strike something fleshy and bony. The machete had struck something and was now imbedded in the animal. Jeremy yanked with all his might and managed to pull the weapon free. An audible hiss was heard and the unmistakable smell of blood was present. Jeremy knew that he had killed his adversary, but was still too scared to reach in the darkness and pull out the corpse. Oh, well, he thought, I’ll just wait until daylight. The rest of the night was spent in a semi-conscious state, not trusting himself to fall asleep completely.
The noise of someone walking on the trail had him instantly alert and ready for action. He slowly raised his AK-47 and pointed it down the trail, instantly forgetting about the dead animal in the cave. Jeremy spotted what appeared to be a squad of Vietcong heavily burdened with weapons, mortars, supplies, etc. They did not appear to be looking for him, but in fact were part of a supply column marching through the area. He quickly realized that his cave was in the middle of a major Vietcong re-supply route and he would have to move when it got dark. His thoughts once again turned to the un-welcomed visitor at the end of the cave. He carefully turned around, making sure not to expose any parts of his body, and reached down toward the back of cave. After a few tentative sweeps of the hand, his right index finger felt a soft and furry animal. He gingerly grasped what fur was available and pulled it forward. The animal had already begun to stiffen and smell. After what seemed like an hour, he managed to drag the carcass past the rest of his body, he discovered that his vicious enemy had been a small monkey. However, this small monkey had created more fear and horror than anything the now departed Major Dong ever did. One good thing the dead monkey had done was to add a substantial amount of red meat to Jeremy’s diet for the next two days.
Grant continued to wander around the jungle for seven days, day and night blending into a green hell of musty smells, foul water and strange and eerie noises. CPT Grant had completely lost all track of time and motion. His water and food long since exhausted, he continued going southeast. Although he had never used any drugs, he perceived his current dilemma as bad as a bad LSD trip.
Jeremy had almost given up all hope when he heard the sweetest music in the world, the heavy “whirl-whirl/chop/chop” of a helicopter. Jeremy tried to concentrate on the sound and run toward it. He frantically thought of ways to attract the chopper. Grant ran toward a clearing and energetically waved his black pajama top in the hope of being seen. The American U.S.A.F. HH-53B Jolly Green Giant helicopter (a U.S. Air Force Rescue Helicopter) slowly cruised the area and attempted to pick up an emergency frequency signal from another downed pilot. Grant’s rescue had been miraculous. He had, in fact, been on the verge of dying from exposure, malnutrition and the ravages of fever.
