On April 20th, 1968, parts of the 3rd platoon received causalities just outside Hill 861. When the word came over the radio Sam Reyna who was inside the main perimeter of Hill 861 ran down the trench toward the unit that was hit. He had a medical bag and yelled to me that we had causalities. He was followed by Doc Ski. I jumped into the trench line and followed.

But just before we reached the gate the North Vietnamese dropped an 81mm mortar round into the trench just ahead of Sam. All three of us were blown back by the blast. I pulled Doc Ski into a bunker to bandage his leg. When the bleeding was stopped, we went to work on Sam. By this time Marines from the 1st platoon came from the other direction and helped us lift Sam out of the trench and carry him to a waiting chopper.

Jack Kennedy
3rd Platoon Alpha Co.