When you're wounded over 30 times and live to tell.
On 28 September 1966, near Dak Seang, Capt. Otis H. Ashley (A-245, 5th Special Forces) was driving a jeep to join and to supervise a Montagnard patrol when he discovered an NVA force in the act of setting up an ambush for the security patrol.
Having no means of warning the security force which was 2 miles out, he drove his jeep directly at 2 enemy soldiers on the narrow jungle road. Jumping to avoid being hit by the jeep, one NVA soldier fired his .45 caliber gun at Ashley, hitting him above the left eye.
As the jeep crashed into the dense jungle, the enemy threw 2 hand grenades into the vehicle. Captain Ashley, seriously handicapped by the wound, which blinded one eye temporarily and induced temporary paralysis to his left side, leg and arm, picked up one grenade and dropped it out of the jeep. The two detonations hurled Captain Ashley out of the jeep, and fragments inflicted 29 wounds to his face, neck, stomach, chest, left arm and left leg.
With the enemy closing in, he took his M-16, killed 2 NVA soldiers at point blank range with a long burst and another with several crushing blows with the butt of his rifle until he passed out from the blood loss. When he regained consciousness, Ashley was being dragged away by another enemy whom he killed by driving a knife into the NVA soldier's neck.
Unable to walk, Captain Ashley began crawling down the road toward the location of the security force. Enemy soldiers continued to fire weapons at him, one bullet striking his right forehead, temporarily blinding the other eye and another bullet struck him in the left forearm.
Finally the patrol became aware of the engagement and came to Captain Ashley's rescue. The patrol pursued the enemy force, recovering all of the enemy dead who were victims of M-16 rifle fire and knife wounds.
Captain Ashley single-handedly defeated a heavily armed enemy force set to ambush and for his actions, he was awarded the Silver Star. (Photo does not depict actual person, place or action..we just had a hard time finding balls that big) #stayzero #war #vietnam #zerofoxtrot