Martinez took his place behind the wheel and shouted for the wounded. The casualties boarded the mule a second time and once again, the NVA opened up from the rooftops. Again, Martinez and the wounded scrambled off and made it safely to the doorway. They jerked Ehlo back, but the battering was taking a toll. Down the block, the grunts returned fire from both sides of the street, chewing up the rooftops and turning the clay tiles into powder. Soon, the enemy fire ceased and Martinez lurched behind the wheel, but a grunt grasped him by his flak jacket and yanked him down. “Stay the f**k put!” Then he saw Martinez’s face and winced at his grin, “You’re a crazy sucker, man.”
Martinez tried to wrest free, but the grunt held fast and called to his men, “SMOKE, GODDAMMIT. THROW SOME SMOKE OUT TH
