A LITTLE OUTNUMBERED By Dean Cooke, 4 RAR/NZ
Humour out bush was always a welcome relief from the daily grind even if it was at someone else’s expense. While on one operation, Darryl Jenkin, our platoon sergeant, called the NCOs in for an O Group (orders group) and as a new Section 2IC, I was included. I’m not sure who else was in on the joke but I wasn’t.
With his best poker face, he informed us that an enemy NVA unit (North Vietnamese Army) of 500 strong had just been located to our north. I must have looked just a little dazed and I remember thinking, ‘That’s it, we’re dead.’ Platoons would often be down to a strength of 25-27 men on operations due to sickness, leave or otherwise. Just a little outnumbered. I think my knees went to jelly until Darryl couldn’t contain himself any longer and burst out laughing. All was taken in good humour after breathing a deep sigh of relief.
