Missed Opportunities

Come on guys! This is a great forum and we have an opportunity to get the word out. We all have some stories, experiences, annecdotes good and bad. Let it out, tell the story let those who don't know but might care in on some of what happened. It was my very first night in the field, a brand new 20 year old 2LT just out of OCS (Ft Benning school for boys). I was scared shitless but trying hard to keep the platoon from knowing it. We were on a screening mission with squads spread out on line all over the jungle. Our orders were to screen and lsiten, not to engage the enemy. If we heard enemy approaching we were to fall back to the company patroll base before attempting initiate any action. It was also one of those monsoon nitghts with low cloud cover, no moon light and no star litght you literally could not see your hands in front of your face. Then I heard them, the DOGS!!!!!!! Oh my God, Charlie has DOGs. How long can it be before they pick up our sent?? How can we get our squads back in much less make it back to the ccompany in this dark? No one else seemed particularly upset about the perdicament, but it was dark, I couldn't see anyone elses face. So there I sat all night scared to death, listening to the dogs barking and getting closer and closer. No one had told me about the Dammed Barking Deer. Tom