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    Death in the Triangle
    Death in the Triangle
    Death in the Triangle
    Ebook141 pages1 hour

    Death in the Triangle

    By John Podlaski

    ()

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    About this ebook

    DEATH IN THE TRIANGLE is a sequel to “When Can I Stop Running?”.
    Only a couple of hours passed since returning to the firebase. Now, the sleep-deprived and weary First Platoon soldiers must go back out on another patrol. Last night, an enemy mortar team fired several rounds into the base and was soon silenced by return artillery fire. The Third Squad also ambushed a group of enemy soldiers leaving nine dead bodies on the trail before moving out to a new location. A thorough search of both areas may locate items overlooked in the dark. It was thought to be an easy patrol – two clicks out and two clicks back, so the brass expected their return before lunch. At least, that was the plan.

    Many patrols during the Vietnam War did not quite go as planned and this was one of them. These soldiers soon found themselves in dire straits to satisfy their battalion commander’s thirst for body counts and fame. Will they all survive?

    Sixpack, Polack, LG, and the bunch are back in this new installment from the award-winning author of “Cherries: A Vietnam War Novel.”

    What others are saying about DEATH IN THE TRIANGLE:

    “Wow... what an awesome read! Once I started reading, I was a captive and couldn’t put it down as I was so anxious to see what happened next. It is a professionally written story that brought back tons of memories of my time in Vietnam. John nailed it!”
    -Joe Fair, author of “Call Sign Dracula: My Tour with the Black Scarves.”

    “When reading Death in the Triangle, I could see all the faces, the sweaty jungle, hear all the mind-numbing yet terrifying sounds, smell all the wretched odors, and feel the deepest fears. You said it was fiction. It's too real to be that. Too honest to be that. A great sequel to When Can I Stop Running?”
    -R Scott Ormond, author of “Shadow Soldier: Kilo Eleven.”

    "Once the soldiers set out on their patrol, the action is nonstop. Podlaski puts the reader right in the thick of the danger and action in this short story! It truly gives an outsider a better understanding of what the Vietnam War was like.”
    -Yvette M Calleiro, author of “The Chronicles of the Diasodz.”

    “In “Death in the Triangle” John Podlaski weaves another excellent tale of a small infantry unit, fighting in the lethal caldron of Vietnam’s Iron Triangle. Follow Polack, Sixpack, Doc and other members of the 1st Platoon as they execute their difficult missions. Highly recommended!”
    -Joe Campolo Jr, author of “The Kansas NCO trilogy” and “On War, Fishing & Philosophy.”

    “Death in the Triangle reveals a richly detailed universe in exquisite detail, just as I remember it, with its sights, sounds, and smells. This story begins right where “When Can I Stop Running” left off. The author is a great story teller and readers will bear witness to the physical and mental hardships these young men overcame to complete the mission. Highly recommended.
    -Christopher Gaynor, author of “A Soldier Boy Hears the Distant Guns”. His work also includes a feature story and photos in “Time Magazine.”

    “In Death In The Triangle, John Podlaski’s third intriguing tome about the Vietnam War, John pulls you into the real experience of combat soldiers with his seat of the pants, painstakingly frank, truthful account of what real combat was like for our warriors. John, a decorated veteran of that war, tells the story of the daily trials and tribulations of a group of veterans, as only a person who has ‘done that/been there’ could.
    John’s down-to-earth, regular guy portrayal of those experiences, reflected and influenced in his writing by his personal memories, takes us to Vietnam and the Triangle. You’ll cringe, weep, laugh, shudder, and feel this whole story like you were there; not wanting to set it down.”
    -Jerry Kunnath, outdoor writer Member of the Michigan Outdoor Writers association

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJohn Podlaski
    Release dateJul 6, 2021
    ISBN9781005511746
    Death in the Triangle
    Author

    John Podlaski

    John served in Vietnam between 1970 and 1971 as an infantryman with both the Wolfhounds of the 25th Division and the 501st Infantry Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. The Army awarded him the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, two Air Medals, and a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry among others. He had spent 50 years working in various supplier management positions within the automotive industry and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 2004. John is a life member of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 154 and Rave Reviews Book Club. He and his wife Jan live in Sterling Heights, MI and recently celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary. Both retired in 2013 and enjoyed not working. That ended with the birth of their only grandchild in 2018 when they began taking care of Scarlett, while her mom - a single parent - worked. John has published six books: three about his Vietnam War experience and three short stories based on his personal experiences. In his spare time, he manages a heralded Vietnam War website, contributes to social media platforms, and takes part in writing seminars to improve his craft.

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      Book preview

      Death in the Triangle - John Podlaski

      What others are saying about

      DEATH IN THE TRIANGLE:

      Wow... what an awesome read! Once I started reading, I was a captive and couldn’t put it down as I was so anxious to see what happened next. It is a professionally written story that brought back tons of memories of my time in Vietnam. John nailed it!

      - Joe Fair, author of Call Sign Dracula: My Tour with the Black Scarves.

      When reading Death in the Triangle, I could see all the faces, the sweaty jungle, hear all the mind-numbing yet terrifying sounds, smell all the wretched odors, and feel the deepest fears. You said it was fiction. It's too real to be that. Too honest to be that. A great sequel to When Can I Stop Running?

      - R Scott Ormond, author of Shadow Soldier: Kilo Eleven.

      Once the soldiers set out on their patrol, the action is nonstop. Podlaski puts the reader right in the thick of the danger and action in this short story! It truly gives an outsider a better understanding of what the Vietnam War was like.

      - Yvette M Calleiro, author of The Chronicles of the Diasodz.

      In Death in the Triangle John Podlaski weaves another excellent tale of a small infantry unit, fighting in the lethal caldron of Vietnam’s Iron Triangle. Follow Polack, Sixpack, Doc and other members of the 1st Platoon as they execute their difficult missions. Highly recommended!

      - Joe Campolo Jr, author of The Kansas NCO trilogy and On War, Fishing & Philosophy.

      Death in the Triangle reveals a richly detailed universe in exquisite detail, just as I remember it, with its sights, sounds, and smells. This story begins right where When Can I Stop Running" left off. The author is a great story teller and readers will bear witness to the physical and mental hardships these young men overcame to complete the mission. Highly recommended.

      - Christopher Gaynor, author of A Soldier Boy Hears the Distant Guns. His work also includes a feature story and photos in Time Magazine.

      "In Death In The Triangle, John Podlaski’s third intriguing tome about the Vietnam War, John pulls you into the real experience of combat soldiers with his seat of the pants, painstakingly frank, truthful account of what real combat was like for our warriors. John, a decorated veteran of that war, tells the story of the daily trials and tribulations of a group of veterans, as only a person who has ‘done that/been there’ could.

      John’s down to earth, regular guy portrayal of those experiences, reflected and influenced in his writing by his personal memories, takes us to Vietnam and the Triangle. You’ll cringe, weep, laugh, shudder, and feel this whole story like you were there; not wanting to set it down."

      - Jerry Kunnath, outdoor writer Member of the Michigan Outdoor Writers association

      DEATH IN THE TRIANGLE

      By

      John Podlaski

      Digital Edition

      Copyright  2021 John Podlaski

      Published by John Podlaski

      Janice J. Podlaski – Contributor

      4Wills Publishing – Editor

      Nicole A. Patrick – Book Cover Designer

      Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the copyright owner and the publisher of the book.

      The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or by any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized printed or electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

      While ‘Death in the Triangle’ is largely a work of historical fiction, many of the events and anecdotes described in the book are from the actual experiences of the author. The places mentioned were real and did exist. The characters portrayed are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, and locales, are entirely coincidental.

      For Jan, Nicole, and Scarlett

      God Bless America’s Soldiers – Past, Present, and Future

      Author’s note: There were many military acronyms and slang terms used by soldiers during the Vietnam War which are included in this story. In case you are non-military or have forgotten over time, I’ve added a glossary of terms at the end of this book for your reference.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      What others are saying about this book

      Maps of the area

      Glossary of terms

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Epilogue

      About the author

      books by this author

      Maps showing the location of the Iron Triangle

      The Iron Triangle is within the circled area

      Chapter One

      SSG. Holmes of the First Platoon, also known as Sixpack, brushed the flap aside and entered the large green canvas tent that the First Platoon Wolfhounds called Home while the First Battalion built its new firebase dubbed, Lynch. Inside, a heavy, musty odor permeated the air, most likely caused by the tent sitting in storage since the Korean War. To a newcomer, there was a rancid cheese-like smell, almost overpowering to the senses; the body odor of thirty unbathed soldiers. The men worked hard and sweated profusely since their arrival— digging holes, filling sandbags, laying concertina wire, building bunkers, patrolling, and going out on ambushes. They looked forward to the portable showers scheduled to be erected later that week. In the meantime, everyone smelled the same, so nobody noticed the pungent odor.

      The six-foot-four muscular, broad-shouldered staff sergeant wore his patrol gear. Battle suspenders draped his shoulders, two smoke grenades, four concussion grenades, and two first-aid bandage packs hung from embedded metal clips sewn into the material. The suspenders supported a weighted web belt with two ammo pouches, each filled with four eighteen-round magazines, and two canteens of water - one over each hip. An ammo bandolier draped across his chest; a la Pancho Villa held seven twenty-round clips in individual pouches. Sixpack’s pockets on both his shirt and pants bulged outward, stuffed with C-ration tins, a map, bug juice, a couple of flares, and other necessities he needed for the patrol. A green boony hat covered his sandy-colored hair - small tufts of curly strands poking out from the sides. A green cloth towel straddled his shoulders. An M-16 rifle in his right hand, completed the ensemble.

      As the platoon sergeant moved along the center aisle, his tattered and bleached combat boots plodded through a trough of ankle-deep mud in the center aisle – thanks, in part to the heavy overnight rain. The suction made it difficult to pull his foot free after each step and sounded like a plunger in a waste-filled toilet. Small whirlpools in the water marked his path. Sleeping soldiers lay in various positions on wood-framed green canvas cots along both sides of the swamped aisle. These cots were quite uncomfortable for most people over five feet tall; the wood poles at both ends tended to cut off circulation and numb legs during most sleepless nights. Every fully clothed soldier still wore his muddy boots with red caked mud resembling pie crust splattered across their trouser legs, almost reaching their knees. Some soldiers were covered with poncho liners against the chill of night. Others, who had been on duty all night, had simply lain on their stomachs on the taut canvas, using either poncho liners or arms as pillows. Light snoring complemented the outdoor sound of a waking firebase.

      The greenish-brown canvas side walls of the tent would soon roll up in preparation for the upcoming heat of the day. The tied rolls of tarp-like material hung suspended just above the top layer of a four-foot-high wall of sandbags, surrounding each of the five identical tents of the company; just high enough to allow light to filter in and a cross-breeze to flow through.

      Rucksacks, helmets, weapons, extra ammo, boxes of C-rations, and other personal items sat against the sandbagged wall next to each cot, designating the personal space of each soldier. First Platoon’s tent was the closest to the artillery batteries, but farthest from the battalion tactical bunker and mess tent which stood near the center of the compound. Fire missions from the artillery guns awoke almost everyone nearby. Only those troops whose tours were ending could sleep through uninterrupted.

      First Platoon’s responsibility the night before was to provide security for the firebase. Thirty-two members split duties: the Second Squad conducted an overnight ambush, two soldiers from the First Squad had to go out on a Listening Post (LP), and the rest staffed perimeter bunkers. Uninterrupted sleep was rare both in the bush and in a firebase, since watches took place in shifts. The first or last watch provided the best chance of a decent night’s sleep but was not a guarantee, especially when it called

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