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A Tribute: Eldridge Michael Brunet |
The following information is taken from awards orders and from first-person accounts of the action. These narratives are written as a memorial to the men who were killed in action.
27 September 1967
SP4 Eldridge Michael Brunet, Medic
"Doc" was from the gulf area of Louisiana. He had worked on oil rigs as a cook, so the Army made him a medic. A very gentle soul, in the truest sense of the word. Doc was very religious, but in a quiet, non-preachy way. If anyone was hit, Doc was right there. We even had an agreement, if we were not hit too bad, not to call for Doc until it was safer, cause he would take any chance to get to you.
The guys had a lot of respect for his views, and if you can imagine, would not use crude language if he was around.
Anyway, he was one of the few medics we had that served his full time in the field. Most were getting wounded badly, or killed. He was assigned back to HQ, and we were going to the HoBos (Ho Bo Woods, a bad area). Near French Fort I think.
The guy that was supposed to replace him in A Co. refused to go, so Doc volunteered to go back out because he did not want the company traveling a medic short.
The last time I talked to him was the day before he got killed. We were walking back from chow and he stopped to pick up a piece of bread on the ground. I asked him why, and he said it reminded him of communion, and it did not belong on the ground.
The next day, we got word the Inspector General was coming to see our base. Everyone was ordered to be out of their holes and working
Almost every time choppers came in, we got incoming mortars and sniper fire. So no one was happy about this "show soldier" scene.
In comes the chopper, and sure enough, in come the mortars.
A new guy, working on the old trench line, received a minor shrapnel wound. He starts hollering like crazy even though there were older guys with him, telling him he was OK, and to keep quiet. Immediately Doc got up to go help him, and as he did a mortar round landed nearby.
They told us later he was just hit with a small piece of shrapnel, but it finished him.
The chopper took off as soon as the shooting started, without the IG even getting out. And in return we lost Doc, a 2nd platoon sergeant the men liked, a British-Polish guy who was seriously wounded, and one other man in 2nd platoon.
It caused a crisis of faith, if you will. Everyone felt that if a guy as good as Doc could get it, none of us had a chance.
Thanks to Neil Chamberlain, Alpha Company 67-68, for
the photo of Eldridge, and his
personal recollections of the action that day.