Donner and I got off the truck and and got on our post.I started walking down my post towards the tower at the end of my post. At Long Binh we walked on the road with the wire to one side and the ammo pads to the other side with the towers on the pad side. Light poles were in the wire every 100 yards shining outwards (4 rows of wire with alot of cross section of wire).

As I was walking down my post Donner had a small alert towards the inside of the dump. I kept walking to the end of my post. I finally got to the end of my post and was standing by the bottom of the tower. While I was standing there the tower guard yelled down to me that he thought he had seen something down my post. Well, these tower guards have been known to give us a hard time, and just do things because their bored. So I said oh ya! Being cool!! Then he said aren't you scard? Right off I figured he was screwing with me. BUT,I'm also thinking that Donner did pick up something on the way down the post.

So, I decide to walk back up my post. Well, we got to the same area and Donner again gave me an alert. I walked past again to the other end of my post. Now that made twice Donner got an alert. Now I had to do it. I let out the leash and told Donner to search. He started taking me into the high grass off the road heading diagonal to the road towards the pads on the inside off the dump. He started to pull stronger on his leash.(the thing about a sentry dog is he will take you right to whatever he senses)

Of course my mind is really racing, is there a VC in the grass with a bead on me as I walk straight for him. Well as I'm walking through the grass my boot catches on what I think is just grass. Well, it wasn't just grass!!!!!!!! I heard the pop! Then there was a blinding flash. Donner came back running and wrapped me up in the leash, now I'm all tied up in leash and Donner is behind me. I then heard another pop and another blinding flash. I hastally got myself unwrapped and got out of the blinding light. We both moved out of the light so I could see again and saw what had happened.

During the day time the tower guards had set up boobytraps by the pads. 2 engineer stacks were driven into the ground to hold a messhall empty can(The large cans that held food stuffs), this can had aviation fuel in it and a trip flare on each stack pointing down at the fuel. The trip flares had wires running from them. That was what I had tripped.

Donner and I moved out of that light and down my post. The grass started to catch fire. All the time I could hear those DAMN TOWER GUARDS laughing like hell at me. Pretty soon a reaction squard came out and the officier stopped his jeep and asked me if I knew what set off the trap. I said I knew. Well he asked. I told him it was me! He started to give me some crap, when I interupted him and informed him that without notifiying us that a very valuable member of my team namely Donner could have been injured. He did not exactly like my attitude and at that point I didn't quite care if he did or not.

Then he tried the old trick of getting me to salute him. Well, I had to inform him of my direct orders to never salute anyone while under arms (namely Donner). He saw that I had him so he just had his driver drive away. I'll tell you I couldn't wait to voluteer to get out of Long Binh and get assigned to a detachment. That happened in a few days to go up to Tay Ninh. Man was I ever glad to get out of lifer heaven.