Iowa Veteran Describes Tactics of the Enemy During the Vietnam War

Iowa veteran Vincent Lewis describes an experience with enemy tactics while serving in an artillery unit during the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong forces learned they could intercept U.S. troops' communications on the battlefield and order U.S. planes to drop bombs on their own troops. Ever vigilant, U.S. commanders had to keep a watchful eye on the battlefield to avoid "friendly fire" as a result of this practice.

[Sounds of jungle insects. Soldiers walking with rifles.]

[Men loading an artillery cannon and sending rounds into the jungle as the narrator speaks]

Narrator: After a year fighting in the jungle, it was time for Vincent Lewis to return home. He had spent part of his tour as a member of an artillery unit. Lewis always knew the rounds from his cannon were on target when soldiers in the jungle reported his white phosphorus marking rounds had exploded in the right place.

Lewis: And I see in the distance, not great distance, only about 300 yards away, the white phosphorus go off in the air. I know exactly what that is. And, I’m thinking ‘Ah, don’t know where it is, but they’re way off in their clicks.’ So, it’ll. . .so the next one that goes off will be further away.

And the next one that went off was even closer. In about two hours, I supposed to be getting on a plane and getting out of here. But, I also know that once that white phosphorus goes off in the ideal area that they want, usually within a minute, there is nothing left of that area. And, sure enough, the last white phosphorus goes off right above us. You can’t run fast enough. You can’t do anything.

Well, what had happened is the VC (Viet Cong) had been known to call into American artillery groups quadrans on American troops saying that it’s VC troops.

radio chatter. . . bullseye coming in we’re going to go for an extract. . .

Lewis: The captain on deck, right then, is getting on the radio and yelling to the closest artillery group, and saying “We’re friendly. We’re friendly. Stop your fire.” So, he’s yelling frantically to them that they’ve got the wrong area. And so, he got it stopped just like that.