In 1968 I was drafted to Vietnam. The plane ride was long and quite everyone looking at each other. After the plane landed I got off only to go on another plane. 20 minutes later we got to the base. I heard gunshots in the distance as I walked into the base. That night I was given a 100 pound pack and sent on protol it was dark and hot. After someone took my shift of watching for the emmy I saw a bullet go right through him. His lifeless body hit the ground as I wiped the blood from my face. We started shooting into the night but couldn't see what we were shooting at. One by one my fellow soldiers went down until it was just me. I ran back to the base covered in blood and as I ran through the doors I collapsed from running 3 miles. I was forced to get up by the general...as he helped to the med bay he looked around for the others I told him they were all dead. He held his head down for a minute then throw me in the med bay and walked away. As the medic fixed up what little cuts I had tears rolled down my ears thinking that out of 12 soldiers I was the only one left. As the sun came up I walked from the med bay to the outside...I looked around and there came in the body's of the soldiers who had died just the night before. I sat down with my back against a wall watching as they load the body's on to a chopper. I put my head on my knees and started cry and wondering why I was drafted to a nightmarish hell were young men come to die. A young soldier most likely 18 years old stood beside and patted my back "that's my brother in that body bag" he said with a tear rolling down his face but still trying to act tuff. I looked up once again at the body bags thinking I'd be next to die. As the young soldier walked away I stood up looking around wiping tears from my eyes. I walked around looking at the injured and the medics hoping I wouldn't be one of them .That night I got lucky I got to stay at the base and got to get some sleep hoping tomorrow I would still be alive.