This story begins on a firebase. A firebase was a place where an artillery unit was stationed. Often positioned on a hill, it allowed the unit to provide support for troops in the field, firing shells for miles around. The firebase was fortified with concertina wire, mines, and troops. Although the enemy was always "out there" somewhere, the firebase was generally a safe place.
Generally, but not always.
On this particular day, the firebase would prove to be anything but safe.
A Surprise
Most of the men were at their guns, ready for action should a fire mission be called in. Others were walking around, reading, or writing letters home.
Then, without warning—an explosion!
Men dove for cover behind the sandbags that surrounded their guns.
Another explosion.
Shrapnel flew everywhere, slamming into sandbags and buildings.
Another explosion. And another.
This wasn’t a ground attack.
It was mortar fire from the jungle.
The men of the artillery unit knew how to respond to mortar fire. If they could locate the enemy's position, they could return fire with their own guns or call in artillery support from another firebase. They could even call in air support if needed.
More explosions followed.
As the soldiers scrambled for safety, they knew they knew they could obliterate whoever was carrying out this attack.
Apparently, the enemy knew that as well. Soon, the explosions stopped and the attackers melted away into the jungle.
A Dud Round
Cautiously, a few men raised their heads above the sandbags, looking around. They called out to each other, and the responses confirmed that there were no injuries.
Despite multiple explosions and shrapnel flying everywhere, no one was hurt.
It was amazing.
Everyone stood up, taking in the scene. They had survived an attack.
Then someone noticed—lying on the ground between the gun positions was an unexploded mortar round.
It was a dud.
Finally, a sergeant from one of the gun positions stepped out from behind the sandbags and approached the dud round lying on the ground.
He walked slowly toward it, studying it carefully.
A Brief Side Trip
Let me pause the story for a moment.
In the Army, we were taught how to deal with dud rounds. I remember in Basic Training being told never to approach an unexploded round. You never knew when it might go off. I assume everyone in the Army received similar training.
In my advanced training in Fire Direction Control, we learned that dud rounds were unstable. You never knew what might trigger an explosion, so the best course of action was to stay far away.
When I arrived in Vietnam, we went through an orientation program, and once again, we were warned—never get near a dud round.
I assume the men on that firebase had received the same training, perhaps even more so, given that they dealt with explosives every day.
Back to the Story
Which brings me back to that sergeant on the firebase.
He leaned down, inspecting the unexploded mortar round. Everyone else on the firebase stayed behind their sandbags, watching.
Then, to everyone’s shock, the sergeant reached out and picked up the round.
Everyone held their breath.
Nothing happened.
He held the round up for everyone to see, grinning as if he'd just found a trophy.
A couple of soldiers emerged from behind their cover and approached the sergeant. They first looked at the round from a distance, then moved closer.
Soon, all three of them began walking around the firebase, proudly showing off their "prize."
And then two more soldiers joined them, intrigued by what they saw.
And then…
The mortar round exploded.
It would have been bad enough if it had been a regular mortar round, with shrapnel flying in all directions. But this was no ordinary round. It was a white phosphorus round.
The explosion not only sent shrapnel tearing through their bodies, but it also covered them with burning white phosphorus.
White phosphorus is a chemical that burns upon contact with air, and that chemical was now embedded in their bodies, burning them from the inside out.
The other artillerymen knew what had to be done. They needed to cut off the supply of air to their friends' bodies. They tried immersing them in barrels of water and wrapping them in tight bandages.
But the men were screaming in agony as the chemical continued to burn inside them.
They called for medevac helicopters and rushed the injured to the 91st Evacuation Hospital.
The 91st Evacuation Hospital
That's where I met those men.
I was working in the ER when we got the call that the five wounded soldiers were on their way. Medics, nurses, and doctors prepared to meet them the moment they arrived.
Surgeons were already preparing the operating rooms.
When the choppers landed, I rushed out to one of the helicopters and grabbed one end of a litter and carried a soldier into the ER. The soldiers were moaning and screaming in pain.
I placed my soldier on an exam table, cut off his clothes, tried to clean his wounds, and took his vitals.
The white phosphorus was still burning inside their bodies, and they begged for painkillers—anything to take away the pain.
But the doctors wouldn’t allow us to administer anything because they were being rushed into surgery.
I had never seen people in so much pain.
It wasn’t long and they were all taken to surgery.
The ER was eerily quiet as we cleaned up.
The next day, I was working in Pre-Op when I found out what happened to those men. Of the five who went into surgery, four of them died. The one who survived had only gotten white phosphorus on his arm.
I met that one survivor a couple of days later. He came by Pre-Op to thank me and the others for the work we had done to try and save all of them.
He’s the one who told me the story of what happened on the firebase.
I've thought of those men many times over the last fifty years.
I’m sure the sergeant never thought that by ignoring what the Army taught him about dud rounds, it would be the last day of his life. I’m sure he never thought that his actions would also lead to the deaths of several of his friends.
They knew the truth. They knew dud rounds were deadly. And yet all five of them chose to ignore the truth and four of them died.
None of those men had to die a painful death that day.
There’s no reason those men couldn’t be alive right now, as I am.
Lessons
But there are some important lessons to be learned from that tragic incident.
You know the truth
For Christians, the Bible teaches us clearly how to live life well. And, trust me on this, the Bible is a whole lot more reliable than an Army training session.
The Bible warns us about dangers to our souls—things that could, like that dud round, explode in our lives and lead to an eternity in hell. But just knowing the truth isn’t enough.
”Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
Is the Bible our guide for how to live?
The men on that firebase all knew the truth. The Army said don’t ever get near a dud round. Those men just chose to ignore that truth.
The question we all need to answer is, do we choose to ignore God’s truths about how to live life today?
You are an influencer
I’m not talking about getting tens of thousands of likes and follows on social media or having viral videos on YouTube. I’m talking about just being around people.
You may have lots of friends, a few friends, or none at all, or just enemies.
But your life influences others for good or bad. When they see you making bad choices and “getting away” with those bad choices, some people will be encouraged to follow your example.
Consider those men who saw the sergeant ignoring what they had all been taught and then choosing to follow his actions because he was getting away with it.
Consider. Do you really want to help your friends, your family members, even complete strangers go the hell because they notice how you live?
”… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
Do you follow the crowd?
Even if everyone around you is doing what you know is wrong, don’t go along with the crowd just so you won’t be out of place. If doing what is right means standing alone, then choose to stand alone.
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
1 Coninthians 16:13 (ESV)
Lessons from a Firebase