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Alipio Arroyo was a young enlisted medic, assigned to the Gimlets of the 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii. It happened that the Gimlets were responding as reserve force to an unexpected attack by some elite forces of the Viet Cong to an American camp in the valley.This enemy group in strength of about 1,000 men had the courage to charge a 2,000-meter perimeter on foot, out in the open under a curtain of fire. The "Big Red One" Division was defending the camp with mortars, artillery, and air-based Cobra helicopters, and the enemy push seemed to be another desperate and futile effort to dislodge the U.S. Forces out of the valley.
The Gimlets had been alerted as a last resort to safeguard the right flank of the Big Red One as intelligence analysis indicated that a frontal attack of such manner must had been a mere decoy, typical of the enemy forces, and not a dumb move like it appeared to be. During 1968, the U.S. Forces and their South-Vietnamese counterparts were having hard times containing the North-Vietnamese offensive that took many lives on both sides, and as predicted, all friendly forces had already been committed to multiple fronts of battle. Not soon after the Big Red One had disposed of the front attackers, a 20-minute artillery barrage hit the camp. It followed with another enemy ground assault with 3,000 men coming at a 45-degree angle from the right flank, hoping to spear through the Gimlet defenses.
Inside the Camp, Major General Elliott, an old dog of battle who was used to these fun days at the office, commanded the Big Red One. Elliott felt that his division was putting its command authority at risk because he had with him his deputy commander, Brigadier General Anthony Brooke. So, he decided to relocate Brooke out of the perimeter, to his 2nd Brigade, which had been also engaged in a similar attack, nine miles to the east. General Elliott ordered a Huey helicopter be fitted with the proper ammunition for Brooke's travel, and that it be escorted out of the camp by two Cobra helicopters.
The Gimlets had dug quite formidable fighting positions and the order of the day was to delay in successive positions by moving to the rear and to the flanks, to allow the bulk of the enemy to penetrate a large open area, to finally choke him with the Big Red One's heavy guns and helicopters.
Arroyo and another young medic named Jesus Castillo from Kingsville, Texas were ordered to move medical supplies and to wait for additional instructions, on the other side of a small hilltop named HILL 29. They pack their M8 aid bags with plenty of intravenous fluids, bandages, cravats, and some wire and board splints. Each grabs two aid bags, two litters, and four additional 30-round magazines for their first-edition M16 rifles. Castillo grabs the PR77 radio and while sweating heavily turns to Al, "save one of those rubber bullets, for me if you don't mind, but only if it's absolutely necessary". Arroyo shrugs him off and remains silent, because all he wants is to survive the night, while his back takes the extremely heavy load. Arroyo had been up with no sleep for the last 19 hours, and hauling wounded casualties of all sorts, so there was no way he would allow Private Castillo's last wish blind him. Exactly at 2337 hours, the pair jump inside a gully of about 14 feet wide and left the hot zone for HILL 29 covered by darkness and a gloomy wall of mist and smoke.Chief Warrant Officer Sinoben, a young and brave aviator native of Guam was put in charge of flying General Brooke's chopper. They took off from the camp not later than 16 minutes after midnight.
Judging on the incredible noise coming from both sides, the action on the ground seemed to suggest this wasn't just 3,000 enemy soldiers going against two of the top war-tested U.S. Army elements. Indeed, the chopper Crew Chief, Sergeant Charles Hill, from Dayton Ohio, informed General Brooke that he had spotted another large enemy contingent moving quickly towards HILL 29. "Oh my God!" Brooke exclaims. "That is some freaking column", and got on the horn with Major General Elliott. Brooke asks for more air support and tells Elliott he's going to release one of the Cobras to lead off the inning in this new threat as the Gimlets are in position of catching the thrust of the enemy counteroffensive. Elliott says, "Roger, Tony... leave one bird and keep going. Head out low because there will be a lot of aircraft coming this way.
The commander of the Gimlets is Brigadier General Hill. He gives the order to push away towards the opposite flank of the camp to muster all possible heavy firepower in the spot being vacated, to minimize casualties. Attentively, Castillo and Arroyo listen to the events over the radio. Arroyo asks what they are supposed to do next. Their platoon leader, Lieutenant Preston Gale from Chicago, tells him to hide the larger equipment and try to evade the enemy. Gale closes the conversation by giving Arroyo an encrypted set of grid coordinates of the new location for their sure safeguard. The two young soldiers hide the litters and one aid bag under heavy brushes while Castillo mumbles, "they'll probably find them; these people can smell anything not belonging in their country, a mile away!" Hurriedly their tired limbs cling to the last drop of energy from their innermost instincts of survival gained from their training and willingness to keep alive, and head out smartly.Major General Elliott seems to be in charge of the whole operation. He sends scouts out on reconnaissance and intelligence gathering missions, orders ground infantry to secure other key spots around the perimeter, and upper most in his mind, that the sergeants majors and first sergeants boost the morale of the troops.
The medics are awfully busy taking care of casualties and they definitely could have used the skills of privates Castillo and Arroyo, but this time the two are moving farther and farther from the camp.Just about three and a half miles away from the camp, Chief Sinoben's chopper comes under enemy small arms fire. His co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Jimmy Nowicki, of New Braunsfel, Texas is the first casualty. Nowicki is hit twice with AK 47 rounds on the right side of the rib cage and once on the upper left leg. Sinoben is also hit on his left arm above the wrist with no serious threat. Sinoben manages to make a side-splashing emergency landing on a shallow swamp. Everyone is banged up due to the rough landing. General Brooke and Sergeant Hill attempt to stop the bleeding on Chief Nowicki, but he has suffered a sucking chest wound that causes the collapse of his good lung. The officer chokes in his own blood. During the landing, the M60 Caliber machine gun is dislodged out of its natural compartment and slams General Brooke on the side. He suffers four broken ribs but manages to keep the situation calm while providing guidance and first aid to the injured members of the crew.
Despite suffering some hand and leg injuries, Sergeant Hill is able to mount the machine gun back in its socket. An enemy force of approximately 30 soldiers surrounds the downed-chopper but SGT Hill keeps them at bay with some hot lead of his own, while Sinoben fires the 50 caliber Vulcan Gun that is mounted just outside of the co-pilot's cockpit. General Brooke makes use of an M16 rifle with great range and accuracy, but he's about to faint."Sgt Hill, I think you won't be riding the back of the bus today," says General Brooke."You've got that right, sir. They need to come in and move me out of the front seat."The Cobra helicopter escorting the Huey is able to circle around the area of the accident but quickly runs out of missiles and ammunition, so it leaves the area.Arroyo and Castillo hear the battle and carefully come close enough to see what is going on. Arroyo suggests that if they have to go in they need to do it before daylight. Castillo nods in agreement. They are able to establish radio communication with Chief Sinoben, so they plan for Arroyo to create some kind of diversion about one-half mile away, and Castillo will go in to take care of the wounded General Brooke, whose condition deteriorates by the minutes. Arroyo places himself on a hilltop and starts firing his M16 rifle and a 45-caliber pistol. He also sets an illuminating flare on fire to make Charlie believe that enough American soldiers are coming in. Castillo is able to swim his way towards the rear of the chopper without being detected. Arroyo is not so lucky. After a fierce fight he runs out of ammo, falls in enemy's hands, and nothing is heard about him within the next four years.
Castillo becomes a hero among the men of the Gimlets. He receives a Bronze Star for valor and returns with the division to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Al Arroyo is a battle-hardened individual who took care of business often in cool and calm manner. He always has good stories to tell during the domino games. One of his favorites deals with a very strange individual he met during captivity as prisoner of war in Vietnam. On the morning of his capture, he's taken away from all battle activities to a place were Charlie re-supplied for the next event. He has been separated from other American prisoners, and he finds it weird his hands have not being tied like the rest of the American captives. He has been allowed to keep his aid bag and a Vietcong officer approaches his location. This character speaks perfect English.
"You can ground your gear. My name is Frank Ng. What's yours?"
Arroyo removes the aid bag from his left shoulder and lets it fall from behind. Stares at another enemy soldier standing about ten feet away to his right, and who points an AK47 rifle at him. The soldier's hands tremble. The man bleeds from his left thigh. Arroyo walks slowly towards the soldier.
"I am Private Al Arroyo," while maintains deep eye-to-eye contact with the soldier. Reaches into the left side trousers pocket with his left hand and grabs a pressure dressing. Grasps it with both hands in front of his chest. Twists the dressing in opposing directions and the package makes a popping sound. The soldier raises the weapon to Arroyo's eye level. Ng signals the soldier to lower the weapon's muzzle. Arroyo breaks the airtight seal of the dressing and lets the paper fall to the ground. He grabs the bare dressing from its back flops and approaches the soldier. Puts the dressing directly over the wound, and wraps the rag strings around the soldiers leg a few times. Ties a square knot on the side away from the wound. Then he asks NG, "Who is your aid man?"
"I don't have one! But, we could use a good one. Can you help?"
"Do I have any choice?"
"Are you hungry?" asks Ng.
"Are you reading my mind, Captain?"
"Call me Frank. It sounds more American!"
Arroyo turns to Ng. Pulls his canteen and washes the blood off his hands. Pulls a small green towel from his right back pocket, and dries himself thoroughly. He reaches into his right trousers pocket and brings out two C-ration cans. Tosses the smaller can to Ng who grabs it with his left hand at shoulder level. Ng stares at Arroyo, looks on the top of the cans to the black imprinted words, Peanut Butter. Arroyo pulls his dog tags chain from around his neck.
"Captain, why do you allow me to keep my P38?"
"I told you its Frank! You are a very resourceful young man. A soldier without resources is worthless!"
Arroyo wraps the blade of the P38 around the can of crackers. He mumbles, "the more you use it, the better it gets."
"Al, why are you in this hell hole?"
"You know I'm not supposed to tell you anything!"
"Cut the bullshit, Al! This is not a Geneva Conventions matter. Initially when you guys came here, your rubber bullets were causing a mess. Every time our troops got shot, the damn bullets would bounce off every bone, and before you notice it all the internal organs had been torn apart. We complained to Geneva. They said we had to stop using half of our survival war techniques and strategies. It just didn't happen until six years later. That was a real matter then."
About the only thing Arroyo was to regret was his reluctance to keep talking. He knew that being in POW status was no picnic, but he needed to find the way to survive to see his family again.Twenty-three years later, Arroyo is invited by his colleagues of Readiness Group Buchanan to go meet some of his old buddies from Vietnam. They would be arriving in a chopper at Fort Allen, Juana Diaz. The sergeants waited for what they felt like a long time. Just when the bird touches ground, Alipio turns his head to protect himself from the fallen debris. The door opens and President Clinton exits the helicopter.
Alipio's hands sweat as he asks Sergeant Major Pedro Class, "what am I doing here? He looks at Class, but Pedro only smiles. As the group renders a quick hand salute and President Clinton reaches to shake Alipio's hand, a thin old man of Asian descent with nicely trimmed white beard and dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and white shorts lits a cigar stub. The pungent odor reaches Alipio's nostrils as quickly as the wind settles its rage.
"Señor Arroyo." The President says his name correctly, then let go off his hand. "Did the Sergeant Mayor tell you why we've come to see you?"
"He told me about my..." He looks at the Asian man, then says, "....my lost P38."
Looking directly at Alipio, the man says "Would you be kind to assume the position of attention...its more American."
Then the old man pins the Silver Star...whispering, "our existence has been finally declassified...What else do you want to know?"
Postscript: This work of fiction is based on historical facts.I dedicate this piece of writing to my old buddies, top leaders in the trenches...you all said we needed to keep in touch. I have faith we will do so some day...but not yet!
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Open to the UNIVERSE in 2005 and beyond
Cuidese...que de los buenos quedamos pocos...
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Torpedero de Batey Boricua
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