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attacks. After we cleared the jungle outward from our defense line, we began placing booby traps, mines, grenades, alarms, etc. in front of our defense line to welcome the enemy attempting to infiltrate our defenses at night.
One day as I was busy stringing trip wires and attaching warning devices to them, I was startled to hear a distinct click of a hand grenade being activated. I had tripped on one of my own booby trap wires. After a grenade is activated, there is a 5-second time lapse before it explodes. Upon hearing the "click," I instinctively fell to the ground. As I hit the ground, the hand grenade, located approximately 6 feet from me, exploded. Shrapnel flew in all directions, but I was not injured. Once again, the Lord had spared me.
I recall that on one particular night when everything appeared to be calm and peaceful on our defense perimeter, suddenly, the quiet was shattered by rifle fire from the bunkers on our right and left. Unusual sounds out from us indicated enemy activity was in progress. In the darkness, we could not determine how extensive the enemy movements were, so we responded with only our rifles and pistols. We did not want to commit our machine gun, except when we were certain considerable enemy were involved. Accordingly, we requested friendly mortar fire be directed on the area. Soon, mortar shells began exploding followed by diminishing light weapons fire. The next morning after daybreak, several enemy dead were seen just several yards from our bunkers. Once again, enemy infiltrators failed to sneak through our perimeter defenses.
Reflecting back on this unsuccessful infiltration, and similar ones, I had learned to respect the extent to which they would go in their efforts to get through our perimeter. A search of the enemy dead revealed they had patiently and meticulously retrieved some of our warning gadgets and stuffed grass in and around each to silence them. They also had disarmed our booby traps and trip grenades. They must have observed us placing the security devices in front of our positions for many hours from the concealment of the jungle foliage. It gave one a weird feeling knowing that on many such occasions, the enemy had each of us in his gun sights as we conducted routine chores around our bunkers. They patiently awaited what they thought were the proper times and specific places to attempt penetration of our defenses. What was probably paramount in their minds was to get through our lines at any cost and destroy our aircraft that were making daily bombing raids on their airfields and facilities on the other nearby Halmahera Is 1ands.
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