It was at night in 1967. B Battery had just recently arrived in country, and had been shooting quite a bit near Red Beach. There was a guard bunker just to the right of my tube with two Marines in it on guard duty. Our muzzle blast was about to destroy it. The two Marines set their cots up behind my gun and went to sleep.
We were running low on ammunition so I sent my gun driver, John White, to the ammunition dump in the M-548 tracked vehicle. On his return, he didn't know the Marines had set up behind the gun. He had no ground guide and did not see them. By the time we knew what was happening and got him stopped, he was on top of them with the track. We had no choice but to back him off of them. The M-548 had run over the legs of one Marine and had run over the chest of the other Marine who died at the scene.
John had to be court marshaled to prevent any action taken against him after he finished his military service. Later John received a Purple Heart when he ran over a mine in the same M-548. John was a good man -- the best driver I ever had. I had put this out of my mind for many years until some one had mentioned it.
God Bless John White.
Wayne Wells aka Sgt. Bones | | | | |