When I Did Too Good of a Job Following Orders
By Rick Flores
While I was serving as the CO of Headquarters Battery at Dong Ha, I was summoned around 0200 hours in the morning by Bill Kindt, the Battalion XO. In summary I was informed that our perimeter defenses were seriously lacking, and that we were vulnerable to the NVA getting through the permimeter. I was instructed to do something about it immediately.
I quickly assigned a number of my men to do some additional extensive stringing of concertina wire around the perimeter and the battery area.
Around 0400 hours the same night, I again was summoned to see Major Kindt at the battalion aid station. When I arrived I noticed that the Major was not wearing his shirt. A medic was cleaning up and patching numerous bloody puncture wounds on Major Kindt's upper body. Although he was not known to use profanity, his nick name of Hurricane Kindt was well-earned. Omitting the harsh words that were then spoken, I was asked if I had to string the wire over the whole battery area. Actually I thought that we had done a great job in NVA proofing the perimiter.
The moral to this story is that when carrying out an assignment, do not do too thorough of a job.
Rick Flores (Col. Ret.)
Former CO of HQ Battery
REPLY BY BILL KINDT:
"What Rick failed to tell us when he told this story at the hospitality room at Reunion 2010, was that prior to the time that I became entangled in the wire, incoming started raining in on us. In my effort to quickly get to a fighting trench, I unexpectedly encountered the concertina wire. How was I to know that Rick did too thorough of a job?"
NOTE: For the benefit of those readers who have not heard about concertina wire, you may be more familiar with the term "prison wire." That is the wire that has razor edges rather than the barbs found on ranch lands.
| | | | | | | |