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The rifle platoon was on a search and seizure mission as usual North of Cu Chi in some dense vegetation. One of our M-79 grenadiers fired a round which did arm properly the round only traveled a short distance and armed instead of the normal rotations to arm.
The armed M/79 round went off as it hit a tree branch or some other hard vegetation
Off came my helmet and pretty bad face laceration.
No evacuation. Upon returning to base camp went to get patched up and returned to D Troop. 1SG Petty calls me up to the his Hdq`s and sits me down.
He says looking me hard in both eyes. "I just put you in for a purple heart."
I said "there is no damn way TOP!!!!! It is not meant for that.
He said I did it// It is done. YOU ARE EXCUSED SIR.
Well, as I told his son in Tucson, what he did for me that day has come back to me in more ways than anyone will ever know.
What great people I had the pleasure of serving with as a Centaur.