"The Rice
Bowl".
By Harold Titus,
member of Charlie 4/3 1970, Survivor
(November 10,
2005)
On April 15,
1970 on Hill 238 near
"the rice bowl" the most damaging booby trap incident of the entire war
occurred. There has been controversy ever since about the events and what lead
to the horrendous results. Fourteen men died that day and some accounts list up
to sixty wounded, all from what is thought to have been a booby trapped 105mm
arty round which initiated a chain reaction explosion of 81mm and illumination
rounds in the mortar pit and claymores carried by the
grunts.
According to official documents there was no "crater" to suggest
where the chain reaction began, or where the booby trap was set. It was
suggested at the time that it could have been "command detonated" or that
someone wandered from the trail setting it off. One witness insisted that it
went off when a guy in the mortar pit pulled a bamboo stalk from the ground that
had been standing there all day. Whatever the case was, the results were
catastrophic. I was there. I was one of the wounded. My whole squad was either
KIA or WIA. Here's how I remember it:
The morning of the event we were in the bush
somewhere. We had run out of rations the night before and everyone was pretty
hungry. Tempers were pretty frayed. When the orders came down that we were to be
CA'd to hill 238 they included a stop at Duc Pho for chow. We were also issued
the new 1 gallon soft canteens at that time. When we arrived at 238 there was a
great deal of confusion. When I got off the slick I noticed several "bomb dogs"
tied up near the LZ. We were immediately told that the entire area was booby
trapped and because of that we needed to stay on the trails. My squad had been
split up, being in two slicks, and by the time I arrived most of my squad had
"fallen out" further up the hill. When the word came to form up and move out I
found myself considerably back from my squad in the line of march and had to
hustle to catch up. As I recall my squad had "point" for the company and
Tex was the pointman.
The weather was starting to get hot by then and this was our first really hot
day. I humped the 79 and had the full basic load (90 HE), M60 belt, rations,
personal stuff, and 2 gallons of water, frags, smokes, 79 accessory kit, air
mattress, poncho and liner, the works. I had a brand new green towel around my
neck. With all that it was no small task to catch up. I steadily worked my way
past the other guys and reached my squad. Obviously I was last in line with
them. I made a few comments to "Weasle" who was right in front of me. We were
well up the hill by then and I could see the mortar pit about 100 yards ahead
and to the right of the line of march. The "red legs" were all standing easy,
shirts off, smoking, taking it easy. I came up to a small bush that forced the
trail to jog to the left around it. I had just negotiated that jog and was
still looking down at the trail, huffing and puffing and leaning forward as I
walked against the weight of the ruck when suddenly, POW!!! Everything went into
slow motion. I looked up and forward in time to observe the entire line of men
jerk to the left, then the right. The sky was a sickly grey yellow, peppered
with dark spots that I think was shrapnel. All the while a bright white massive
column of flame rose up from the area of the mortar pit. My next step was with
my left foot which had been hit in the ankle. Naturally, I went down at that
moment. I only heard the one explosion but it was muffled and in slow motion
like everything else was. I hit the ground on my back and immediately pulled the
quick releases on my ruck and became attentive to my condition. The inner elbow
of my right arm was gone, but my hand and forearm was OK. I could still move my
fingers. The skin had been blown back almost over my shoulder. I reached up and
slid it back down. I looked at my watch as I looked at my left arm (to check for
wounds). I remember it being 13:30 or so. I did have
several small jagged cuts on my left arm. My foot and ankle burned like fire. I
suppose there was hot frag still in it. My right arm and hand felt numb and
stung like it had "gone to sleep". I reached out and shook Weasles foot but he
didn't move. That’s when I started hollering for the medic. As I laid there I
could see Weasle and Merrill lying in a pile. Not moving. Beyond that I couldn't
see anything much because of the grass and the rise of the hill. It didn't take
long for a medic to find me. I remember he was familiar but not from my squad. I
recall him being average build with brown sandy hair. I was treated quickly and
put into a poncho and carried by four guys to the dust off. One was a "brother"
and the other one was the medic. I couldn't see the other two. Minutes later I
was in triage. Duc Pho (I think). I wound up at Chu Lai but I don't remember
being moved. Anyway, Cam
Rahn
Bay came next (the day
we invaded Cambodia), Japan after that,
Walter Reed on May 1st. After it was all over I found out Rick Wilcox
(4/21st.), a kid I went to school with, was killed there too. I also
found out that the guy flying the dust off was also from my school. None of us
knew who we were with until later. His name is Bill Schurch.
The hospital part could fill a book. I won't
trouble you all with that. It sucked. I have to thank all of you who were
there and did your duty especially Sergeant Bassett who came to Visit me in Chu
Lai. He was everywhere at the hospital (91st. Evac.) that day and visited all of
us!. Five men in my squad died, Jose Rivas, Clarence Templeton, Mike Haynes,
Randall (Doc.) Simmons and Charles Merrill. Captain Brooks was WIA. Our new
Sergeant Kenneth Gibbs, lost a foot.. Jim Alexander
(“Tex.”)
almost lost a foot. There were more and more. I wish the best to all who
survived. We will never forget it. Harry Titus, AKA
Preacher
