CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOA quiet hush fell over the grunts as they boarded the choppers for their ride into the A Shau Valley. Only a handful of soldiers were veterans of the last campaign; those troops were focused and ready to face the devil. The other soldiers were naïve as to its dangers, but felt extremely nervous because of all the stories they had heard in the last day and a half.
It had been two weeks since John and Sixpack last carried a rucksack. Neither of them expected the total weight to be any different from the load they carried down south. They anticipated an adjustment period of only a day or two before getting a feel for humping in the mountains. Both found their assessment to be way off-base, mentally cussing out the brass and everyone else they passed, while walking toward th
