Part Two:
"Now watch where you step boys, any step could mean your last on two legs through these parts." Danny, our Squadron leader warned us as we set foot in the jungle.
"Christ." Dave mumbled from somewhere behind me.
"Just remember your training Davo, you'll be right, mate." Frankie encouraged.
I slowly and carefully made my way through the grass, watching everywhere I stepped, on the look out for mines hidden in the earth. My SLR clutched tightly in my hands as my eyes scanned everywhere they could.
"Contact! Front!" Danny's voice boomed out.
"Fuck!" Dave yelled out as a bullet zoomed passed me and hit him. We all hit the deck, scurrying to cover. I grabbed Dave's arm as Frankie grabbed his other and we dragged him over to cover, blood coating my hands from the bullet wound.
"Davey!" Frankie yelled over the gunfire.
"Gone." I hung my head, seeing the thick red blood ooze out of my brothers neck.
"Shit." We locked eyes and Frankie crouched, making his way over to cover, to try get some shots off. I ran my hand over my friends eyes, closing them gently, then I did the same, raining bullets toward a little cluster of the Vietnamese.
"Hold position!" Danny called out.
And so we did. For hours. It was to dangerous to move forward and to dangerous to move back, so we held position and took out as many of those bastards as we could.
Bodies fell all around me, some were brothers, others were from the enemy, blood coated the ground, making it impossible to see any earth beneath it.
An almighty roar sounded and Skip grabbed my arm, running with the rest of the squadron back to where we could get to our camp.
"Frankie!" A yell rang out and I turned my head in time to see Frankie, booking it as fast as he could, clutching his SLR. I watched as his eyes widened, then another sound rang out, dazing me, my head ringing.
Boom.
Frankie. My best mate, my brother.
"Frankie kicked a mine!" Someone called out as I ran over to him, grabbing his arms.
God help me, he was going home in June.
YOU ARE READING
Remember The ANZAC's
Short StoryThe story of a soldier in the Australian Army, based off of the song 'I was only 19.' This idea came about because of a bookclub contest, so while I haven't entered this in, I wanted to share it anyway.
