Ken Eifes was in the II Core Section of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from September 1968 to September 1969, which was called a short tour of duty. He was in the army and he was discharged as a Staff Sergeant, Grade E6. He volunteered for the draft for March 1^st at the age of 20, but was drafted anyway on February 1, 1968. The first six months he spent his days in a base camp repairing generators. The second six months he was out in the field, assigned to an artillery battery. The story that follows is based on the actual experiences of Mr. Eifes during his second six months, while moving from one firebase to another. Today, Mr. Eifes lives in Canton, Connecticut.

The Unexpected Explosion

Staring at the marvel he had survived only seconds ago, Ken Eifes stepped out of the new two and a half ton truck called “a deuce and a half” that he and his friend Mo had been assigned. Ken couldn’t help but glance back at the demolished deuce-and-a-half before walking over to another part of the base camp. As he glanced at the damaged truck, he could not shake from his mind the incident that had just happened.

The day had begun like any other sunny afternoon. Ken was required to move to the next firebase. The convoy was moving quickly down the dirt road that wound slightly through the Vietnamese forest. The deuce-and-a-halfs, other vehicles, and artillery pieces in front of Ken and Mo’s truck kicked up a little of the dirt, making it difficult to see the surface of the road ahead.

Ken, Mo, and their pewter-colored mutt, a stray mix they had found whose name is now forgotten, were sitting quietly in the truck. Ken was on the left, driving, the mutt panted in the middle, and Mo sat on the passenger side. The silence was suddenly broken by the mutt’s barking, drawing Mo back to reality from his daydream.

“So how long do you think it will be until we get to the base camp?” Mo asked.

“I dunno, I believe there are quite a few miles ahead of us before we get there,” replied Ken.

“Oh, I…” As soon as Mo began to speak again, an unexpected explosion rocked the left side of the deuce and a half, almost threatening to tip over, Mo went into shock, and Ken’s toes went numb from the force of the pedals kicking back real hard against his boots. All he could think of was to get out of the truck and to get out fast.

Mo was in complete shock, and it wasn’t until Ken hit him several times that he finally snapped out of it. Once he was awake, Mo leapt out of the right side of the deuce and a half and moved faster than Ken had ever seen him move. They both dove for a sand ditch on the side of the road, and gawked back at the truck. The front wheel had flown off; the hood and the left front fender were nowhere in sight. The oil pan under the truck had taken the shape of the crankshaft when it was blown upward by the impact.

Mo, who was now fully awake, looked like he was going to get up and run.

“Stay down, stay calm, and don’t move,” Ken kept repeating in a low, barely audible whisper. Although Mo never said anything back, he did nod his head slowly to show he comprehended what Ken said.

They felt as if they waited for hours before the area was secured, and it was safe for everyone to get up. Once they were on their feet, everything progressed so fast, that it all bound itself into one event. Almost immediately, they were assigned a new deuce and a half and were quickly on their way. The mutt had stayed in the destroyed vehicle right up to the point that Mo and Ken called him to join them in the new one.

The mutt licked the back of Ken’s hand and moved his head against in such a manner that it forced Ken to pet his head. Ken noticed that even though he was shaken up a bit, the dog had not suffered physical injury. Mo gently stepped out of the deuce and a half and walked around it to join them. He knelt down in front of the pewter-colored mutt and started rubbing his legs and stomach. In the background, they could hear others discussing what could have caused such a disaster. It all narrowed down to either a land mine or a mortar round that could have been launched at the wheel of their vehicle. Either way, it was at that moment that Ken realized exactly how lucky he, Mo, and the mutt really were.

Samantha Aleksiewicz