Death in the Jungle Gary Smith (mobi reader txt) 📖

I am proud to have the privilege of knowing Gary and of being his friend. His devotion to duty and country distinguishes him from “lifers,” career servicemen and women who do nothing more than put in their time. Whether it was pulling a teammate out of waist-deep mud on a SEAL operation deep inside enemy territory in the Mekong Delta or comforting a wounded comrade during a firefight, Gary Smith was a man his teammates could trust and count on.

Darryl Young, SEAL Team 1/UDT-11, 1969–72

Author of The Element of Surprise:

Navy SEALs in Vietnam

PROLOGUE

The purpose of this book is to tell a true story about a group of men who loved their country, their command, and, especially, their teammates. Their loyalty to command and teammates was based upon a mutual respect, trust, and dependence upon each other that developed during and after very difficult and dangerous training and combat experiences.

Working as a team required unity, trust, and dependence on each other, and was probably the most important lesson we learned while enduring UDT Training (later changed to BUDS—Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL). The old axioms, “You’re only as strong as the weakest man” and “You’re no faster than the slowest man,” are absolutes when working as a team. Each man has his strong and weak points. That’s why there are no true cynics, pessimists, scorners, or complainers in “the Teams.” They simply can’t get through training or exist in a confident, optimistic, positive, unified, team-oriented group of men. Don Sutherland in Kelley’s Heroes said it all: “No negative waves, man.” There are no Rambos in the Teams because our strength lies in our unified teamwork. It’s attitude more than intelligence that shapes character.

Only after our graduation from UDT Training, and our eventual assignment to SEAL Team 1 and an operational platoon, did we begin to understand what unified teamwork, trust, and dependence upon each other truly meant. Also, in order to function as an effective and efficient platoon under all operational conditions, platoon training was designed to expose any shortcomings or deficiencies, whether they be of equipment, training, leadership, or personnel. We were always conscious of the fact that without proper preparation and unified teamwork, few missions could be accomplished.

An old Chinese axiom, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war,” was our motto. My good friend Bud Burgess was always quoting this axiom during UDT Training Class 36. Platoon camaraderie, unified teamwork, trust, and confidence are based on mentally and physically difficult and realistic training that is continually being updated and creatively applied. And last, but certainly not least—the men can be no better than their leadership. Another old maxim comes to mind—“Before you can become a good leader you must first learn to be a good follower.”

On the lighter side, we didn’t forget to have fun. When I had worked on the Bridwell Hereford Ranch near Winthorst, Texas, my straw boss, Jack Cheeves, had been very fond of saying, “When you work, you work; when you play, you play.” One thing is for sure, we certainly knew how to have fun in the Teams. Sometimes we had to be creative and throw our Commanding Officer, or the platoon chief, or whoever else was handy, in the “dip tank.” Sometimes everyone got thrown in the tank! Regardless of the motives, we let off a lot of steam, and morale was always high in spite of hard times. When we were training at Camp Kerrey (near Niland) or Camp Billy Machen (near Cuyamaca), we always managed to have a party after a long training spell or a hard training mission. Sometimes it was refreshments under a desert ironwood tree, or a rendezvous at the Past Time, Hi-Ho, or the Silver Dollar in Niland, or Luck O’ the Irish on the north shore of the Salton Sea. If we were having a team parachute jump at Rolls Farm (near San Diego) on a Friday morning, we occasionally took along refreshments to the drop zone. After the last jumper had completed his PLF (parachute landing fall), the festivities began. Everyone was laughing and discussing the day’s evolutions. The continuous joking and teasing always drew everyone closer together. During the ride back to the command, usually in the back of a two-and-a-half-ton truck, we sang old English and Australian ballads. These memories of “the good ole times,” our youthful exuberance, and naivete helped get us through “the hard times.”

In summary, I have to say that I consider my fifteen years in SEAL Team 1 and Underwater Demolition Team 12 a perfect example of job satisfaction. Why? Because we always had a true cause, one with a sense of urgency. Not only did I love the excitement and challenges of my job and profession, but I also worked with some of the toughest and most highly motivated men in the world. They were great friends and comrades. They were always there to encourage or comfort a teammate when in need. And finally, it was a privilege and an honor to have served under the officers and with the men of SEAL Team 1 and Underwater Demolition Team 12.

Gary R. Smith, RMCM ret.

May 1, 1992

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to thank their families for their support; Admiral Elmo Zumwalt for his kind words; LCDR Jerry J. Fletcher; Darryl Young, author of The Element of Surprise; Owen Lock, editor, Ivy Books; and Ethan Ellenberg, literary agent. We’re especially thankful for Al Betters, Robert Schaedler, Art Streeter, Frank Toms, and Jack Lee for helping me collect lists of Kilo, Alpha, Juliett, Bravo, and Delta Platoon personnel and platoon pictures. A big thanks to Dee Daigle, Frank Toms, and Jack Lee for some of the Delta Platoon pictures and the K-bar knife mission.

Special thanks to all of Gary Smith’s UDT/SEAL/EOD teammates, those still alive and those who have passed over the bar.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The combat missions described in this book are real. The people are real. Only one name has been