Jungle Grunts Story and Photos by Matt Hevezi

     He left his squad position to take on duties of the platoon commander, a position normally given to a more senior Marine like a staff sergeant or a lieutenant. Vickerman's lieutenant was on temporary assignment practicing advanced jungle warfare tactics in Brunei (SP?). The platoon sergeant was also absent on routine administrative business.
     The platoon departed the rear assembly area promptly at 0600 hours and briskly marched in tight formation through the cool, humid, morning air to a pre-designated launch position about 1000 yards away. Some tone was just beginning to become visible in the sky. The moon was nearly full and very bright in the night sky which was littered with scattered high clouds.
     We waited in crouched positions while a recon team moved forward to provide an advance scout of the patrol route which we were to move through. It took less than ten minutes before we heard the crack of rifle fire. The recon team made immediate contact, the enemy was very close.

an abrupt and very steep turn through thick forest cover down into a deep canyon creek bed.
     Many Marines slipped and slid their way down the hillside. Some helped balance their buddy on the way down into the live creek. We continued the patrol through the creek, mostly in ankle-deep water. The creek bed the patrol was moving through was still very dark. The sun had still not broken the horizon.
     At our second halt, I took some portraits of squad leader Corporal David J. Barras, 21, of Marrero, La., and team leader Corporal Jeffrey K. Kelly, 22, of Pueblo, Colo. The light was getting strong enough to make out faces and Kelly's looked especially nice under the prominent shadow of his camouflage helmet.
     The next few frames shot were in an area where the creek squeezed tightly between two steep canyon walls, forcing the stream to cascade down 20 feet into a deep pool. The grunts had a choice: They could either jump into the pool or rope climb up a very steep hillside and move across steep, slippery terrain to a rally point 20 yards downstream from the pool.
     Most Marines jumped in with their weapons, completely submerging themselves and their rifles. One machine gunner held his M-240G above his head as he plunged into the pool and waded up the bank to higher ground. The scene reminded me of a widely-published photo made by Henri Huet during the Vietnam War.
     I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I did not react quickly enough to shoot this photo. I just enjoyed watching the moment unfold before me; I was almost paralyzed by its stark similarity to the same scene photographed in Vietnam by Huet. But I really should have been more ready.
     A grunt below grabbed my camera and monopod. I climbed the rope and circumvented

streambed and slowly working their way up the hill, orders filtered back for another security halt. This time it would be an extended period. The Marines were told they were in range of the enemy unit and this was the last opportunity to rest, eat, have a smoke, or check gear and weapons.
     At this halt, I shot photos of Marines sharing a cigarette. Nearly all these grunts were out of money and cigs. The smell of the first one lit attracted ken attention from the smokers who had none. The sound of brush crackling under their migrating boots caught my attention as they moved in on the sweet aroma of a freshly lit Marlboro Light. Three Marines shared the popular smoke like family. It appeared they enjoyed each drag as if were as good as, or perhaps better, than sex.
     One Marine machine gunner, Private Jacob B. Pyfer, 19, of Elgin, Okla., used his free time to reapply camouflage face paint. I changed to black & white negative and shot this scene with a 50mm at medium and close-up distances. His smoke buddy and patrol ammunition man, Private First Class Timothy E. Stelter, 19, of Tehachapi, Calif., watched Pyfer, almost as if he were making sure he was doing it correctly.
     Another nearby Marine seemed to sense we were about to move out for the final leg before the attack. He wore a very intense facial expression and I shot a few portraits of him. [ More ]