Post by speeduardo on Dec 23, 2002 12:56:38 GMT -5
In ' 69 I was with HHC 2nd and 2nd Recon with the Big Red one. After running into VC booby traps, we started using our own. Not sure how many other units did it also as most vets don't know what I'm talkin' about when I mention "mouse traps." The day would start out with reconing an area, checkin' for fresh Ho Chi Minh sandal tracks, and then we would take any number of claymores and set them up on a trail. We'd connect the claymores with det cord and then put in the electrical cap. The wire was not connected to the usual clacker. We spliced the wire and tied one end to the lethal part of a genuine mouse trap and the other to a thin metal strip we put on the wood part of the trap. Taking a short piece of plastic spoon from the C rations we would then tie it to a piece of trip wire and string it across the trail, then insert it between the trap snapper and the metal strip essentially short circuiting it. Lastly we would connect it to a battery.
One day Fred and I were puttin' together a real piece of art (about 6 claymores) in an old destroyed French plantation villa in the Michelon Rubber Plantations. We were standing at what had been the junction of two walls. While the set-up process was goin' on I noticed that the spoon part was pretty dog gone tiny..., but adequate I thought. As we started the last step, connecting the battery, an inner voice (God maybe) said "you'd better step behind this wall before you connect that battery. So I said to Fred..."Let's step behind this wall to do that" He replied, "Why, didn't you do it right?" I replied, "It's cool..." Well we stepped behind the wall and connected the battery, It was awesome. We wiped out everything within a 30 meter radius and although unscathed, we looked as dirty and tattered as Wile E. Coyote after Beep Beep had got done with him. The VC and NVA would have loved it.#nosmileys
One day Fred and I were puttin' together a real piece of art (about 6 claymores) in an old destroyed French plantation villa in the Michelon Rubber Plantations. We were standing at what had been the junction of two walls. While the set-up process was goin' on I noticed that the spoon part was pretty dog gone tiny..., but adequate I thought. As we started the last step, connecting the battery, an inner voice (God maybe) said "you'd better step behind this wall before you connect that battery. So I said to Fred..."Let's step behind this wall to do that" He replied, "Why, didn't you do it right?" I replied, "It's cool..." Well we stepped behind the wall and connected the battery, It was awesome. We wiped out everything within a 30 meter radius and although unscathed, we looked as dirty and tattered as Wile E. Coyote after Beep Beep had got done with him. The VC and NVA would have loved it.#nosmileys