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this lanternless night,
Boobytraps killed and maimed thousands of American servicemen
during the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong had limited supplies and money.
One thing they didn't lack in, however, was ingenuity. They were able
to fashion boobytraps out of almost anything. One of the most lethal of
their boobytraps was the punji stake. Concealed underwater in rice paddies
and beneath jungle foliage, they were crudely made bamboo stakes dipped
in animal excrement. When an unsuspecting soldier stepped on one, the
razor sharp point of the bamboo stake would pierce his foot. The animal
excrement guaranteed immediate infection. Soldiers on patrol in the jungle
were far from hospitals and infirmaries. Especially those deep in enemy
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Vietnam Ruminations
- Robert
D. Wilson
Copyright Robert D. Wilson, 2003