"Humor In Uniform"

DURING A TOUR in Vietnam, I was on my first long-range patrol in the jungle, accompanied by eight Vietnamese soldiers and a leathery World War II veteran. We tossed from the helicopter a bundle containing our radio and machine gun, jumped out and waved the chopper off.

Immediately, we came under fire. Diving for the bundle to recall the helicopter, I yelled, "Get the radio!"

The sergeant calmly unwrapped the machine gun. "Hope this ain't too advanced for you, Lieutenant," he hissed, "but ya can't shoot nobody with a radio!"

--Contributed to "Humor In Uniform" by Lt. Col. Bane Ashley (Ret.)