US soldier recounts being attacked by wild tigers as grenades explode around him

An ex-soldier who fought in the brutal Vietnam War has given a vivid account of a skirmish he went on on Friday the 13th, detailing the “horror of living in an active war zone” during December 1968.

“I could not shake the feeling that today was going to be a scary day. I am not usually superstitious, but this time it was different,” wrote Stanley Ross on nonprofit newsroom The War Horse.

“The horror of living in an active war zone is that death could come at any time and in any way,” he added, as he faced dangers such as “wild tigers, booby traps, and blood-sucking leeches.”

The soldiers had been briefed that there was increased Viet Cong activity on Monkey Mountain, and they were tasked with hunting down a small number of Viet Cong members to “neutralize” them. The Viet Cong was a communist-led military that fought in South Vietnam to overthrow the South Vietnamese government and place the country under communist rule alongside North Vietnam.

Ross explains that he and his fellow servicemen were not “enthusiastic” about the operation, and the fear of a VC ambush haunted the men as they embarked on the trail to the mountain.

“In Vietnam, combat often meant ambushes. Deadly, quick, and chaotic. Many men were killed, wounded, or maimed by booby traps during such attacks,” he wrote.

Of course, being called Monkey Mountain indicates the presence of monkeys, and Ross explains that there were many.

“Their constant screeches made us jittery. How could we distinguish their raucous cries from the stealthy movements of the VC scouts? War was full of unknowns. Death could arrive at any moment,” he recalled.

It wasn’t long before the soldiers came into some difficulty and were swarmed by deadly mosquitoes, which “brought diseases, some of them fatal.”

“Our heavy backpacks slowed us down. We stopped frequently to hydrate and reapply mosquito repellent, which quickly became ineffective once we sweated it off. The bites we had endured were painful reminders of our unforgiving surroundings,” he said.

The veteran said it came to a point where the group could see signs that the VC had been in the area, including “footprints made by sandals, discarded food wrappers, and broken underbrush.”

As the sky darkened and stormy weather began to impede the mission, Ross said it felt as if the weather was acting as a warning to the men. Suddenly, gunshots could be heard.

“We were near the top of the mountain when the rattle of AK-47 shots erupted. We had found the VC,” Ross said.

Managing to duck behind a thick tree trunk, Ross then used a map to pinpoint the enemy’s position. He needed to move closer to the VC to make sure the target was accurate.