It's was a cold rainy night and the lonely sp/5 schmitz was about to... wait a min. that's not how it goes...O.K. here it is: On the night of the 20th we had a wake up call about 2 am from charlie and the rocket brigade, so we all got to sleep in the bunkers outside our hooches. the next morning I was a sleepy head and got to the ship late, I mean really late no breakfast. not shaving,no dog tags, no flight jacket, just the clothes on my back from the night in the bunker. I didn't even know what the mission was. as I remember we was up west of Dak-to doing what I thought was a routine resupply, we had made about three trips into the firebase with supplies, you know how boring that can be so to kill time my gunner Richard Fosmo (Aussie) was playing with the intercom, we was taking to each other on channel 3 or 4 I can't remember, anyway on the way back to pick up the fourth load we heard MAYDAY-MAYDAY we've been hit and going down over the Ple-Trap at first I laugh,the Ple-Trap was a pretty big area, until I heard the cordinance, we was on top of them almost, Mr Pruett asked for gun support, was told it would be about 20 mins, or so before any could get there, he asked us what we thought, Co-pilot said to wait, Auzzie said let's go, I said they don't have 20 mins. let's go get them, as we turned to go Thunder Thorntons crew called and said I got your tail, can you Imagine to Gators trying to do the job of a Croc,( not too smart) Anyway we started to head to the west toward Cambodia, (we was never there, HUH) when we saw two parachutes, A Mohawk from the 225th was hit by 37mm anti-aircraft rifle,we got over to one of the chutes and saw Sp/5 Leonard McCaully on the ground we could not get on the ground because of bamboo, so we got as low as we could I reach down and pulled him into the ship as I pulled him in I noticed I had got him by his wounded arm I told him I was sorry for pulling on the arm he said that's ok I'm glad you are here, we started to look for the pilot I found out later had died before hit the ground the 37mm hit under his seat his chute opened automaticlly. anywayhow we was looking for him not knowing this, and all of sudden for a slip second I felt a cold dark feeling, I looked down and saw I was hit but not bleeding bad, my pants had holes in them my gloves had holes my ammo belt running to my 60 had been broken at the box, panic raced through me as I yelled over the radio "The little son-of-bitch shot me" I opened fire at the tree he was in, I fired all the ammo I had on the remaining belt and jamed my 60, I then heard Mr Pruett say stop firing, we was hit worse than we realize, The Judge managed to get us about two km away when we heard a strange noise coming from the transmission so the Judge saw a wet weather creek bed headed for it, he saw a dead tree in the middle of knowhere headed for the tree and as we got ready to hit the tree he flaired the ship put the stinger on the ground causing the ship to hit the tree with the bottom side of the bird we laid the ship down as softly as possible the blades hit the side of the ditch and stopped immediatelly.Thunder was on our tails as soon as we hit we all got out and ran to the top of the ditch Thunder landed on the blades of our ship while balancing his ship on ours we climb into his bird and he got us to Pleiku Hospital, Later I heard 573 had some 40 to 50 50 cal rounds in her belly area, if it wasn't for my gun mount I won't be here today as hit took a direct hit I got hit by shrapnel from the mount I was setting on my chicken plate which I heard later also was a good thing as it was hit from the bottom, I did have my vest on which helped, so we got to the hospital and we was walking up to the nurse she looked at me and said what's wrong with you? I looked down and said I've been shot. she got me into the emergency room and the next think I know I was I recovery and it is 10 pm at night. I was told that I was going home but I said I had extended for six for months they lied , well, we'll just you Camron bay for two weeks rest and bring you back, I ended up in Japan heading to rucker for the next year and a half.. Paul