Chapter 3 M60
I ran outside to see soldiers scrambling everywhere. A mortar team had set up right next to me and fired off a round. I heard a loud bang and then nothing, slowly though, I started hearing a ringing noise that got louder and louder until I could hear again. I turned to them and said, “Next time you decide to fire off a deafening round, give me a warning would you?!” “Sorry sir we didn’t see you there.” responded the gunman. I walked over to a small iron bunker that was built over a foxhole. Inside sat the man I spoke with inside and one other person I had never seen before. They were loading an M60 light machine gun. The man turned and saw me standing there. “Orders sir?” he shouted “Hold your fire until you are absolutely sure you can hit them okay?” I ordered “Yes sir.” he responded I went to walk away and turned back, “I didn’t catch your name private.” I said, to which he replied “Coone sir, Trendon Coone.”
I walked from the bunker over to a small barrier of sand bags and crouched down behind it. Next to me sat a kid about 17, scared out of his mind. He had a shaved head under his helmet, which was too big for him, and thick black bags under his eyes. His knuckles were white as he was gripping his M14. The only people we issued M14s to were cadets which led me to wonder why a cadet was out here. “Cadet,” he jumped as I started, almost as if he didn’t know I was there, “what are you doing out here, you should be inside.” “I belong out here sir, I should be cooped up inside like a coward hiding.” he responded. “So what your saying is, you’d rather die out here in your adolescence and never get to show your true potential, than stay in there and one day amount to something great.” I confirmed to which he replied, “Well yes, I mean no, I don’t know sir.” “Go back inside, you’ll be safe there.” I said “Yes sir.” he replied as he got up and ran for the front door.
' I turned and rested my rifle on the top of the sandbags. Everything went quiet as the mortars stopped falling. A thin layer of smoke covered the ground. I was breathing softly but could still see my breath. The quiet was unsettling and my right hand began to shake. It had done this since I was 10 and my hand was crushed by a horse, causing some of the nerves to severe and cut off feeling in my hand. I tried my best to steady it but it was no good so I just sat there trying to ignore it. Several minutes had gone by before I radioed in to the snipers up on the roof. “Do you guys see anything?” I asked “No its all clear up here, wait,” the radio went silent for a moment and picked back up, “There is a large group of hostiles converging on the compound, permission to fire?” they asked. “Fire at will.” I replied and set down the radio.
I turned my head and shouted to the regiment, “Alright boys, we’ve got a huge group of hostiles converging on our location so dig in, it’s gonna be a long one!” At that moment I heard a long string of sniper fire, it was a few .308s, a 30-06, and two Barrett .50 cals. Those shots triggered a wave of returned bullets flying all over the place. I could hear them snapping and cracking overhead. Three whizzed past my head, causing me to drop behind the sandbags. I heard the M60 go off causing concussions around the bunker. I popped back up and waited to see anyone. Five or six smoke canisters came over the fence and exploded causing a massive smoke screen.
I heard the front gate smash open and the muffled sounds of enemy troops. The M60 ceased fire and it went quiet again. I was griping the handle of my M4 so hard my knuckles were white. Just then 15 or 16 muzzle flashes could be seen in the smoke and bullets began to tear apart the ground and air around us. As soon as I saw a silhouette of a soldier I fired and watched him drop. That caused a spray of bullets to come my way. Everyone outside including the snipers and the M60 all returned fire. As more and more enemy troops were cut down, more and more kept coming. A grenade landed behind my barricade and I scrambled for it. I managed to grab it and chuck it back at them but it exploded five feet from my barricade and knocked me over.
