Sergeant First Class Davis led his men swiftly but carefully through the jungle, keeping to heavy cover and navigating by the sound of the gunshots rather than direct sight. Pulling off a good flanking maneuver required a rapid, unseen approach, and was governed by the three rules of ambush tactics: speed, surprise, and violence of action.

They covered the yardage between their squad and the Viet Cong swiftly, and Ryan pulled his men up short just out of sight. He spoke quickly and quietly, laying out the basic plan of attack.

“Full-auto. Keep to cover, and use short, controlled bursts. No spray-and-pray. I want your sights on your target before you fire. Barnes, you take the ones closest to us, and hit ‘em hard and fast. I want you pumping that 12 like your dick after a dry spell. Everyone else, choose targets at the mid-to-far points and put ‘em down hard. No grenades; we may need those later. Let’s wrap this up.”

He waited, then heard Derricks cut loose with his suppressive blast and moved forward until the enemy was in sight. They cowered behind their cover, fully expose from his group’s angle, and Ryan raised his rifle. 

“Take ‘em,” he growled, then opened fire on a man clinging desperately to an AK-47 about 20 yards away. The five-round burst caught the man in the side and chest, and he went down hard amidst a spray of crimson. The Cong soldiers yelped in terror, jabbering in their incomprehensible language as Ryan and his soldiers tore into them with brutal, accurate fire. After a few deafening seconds it was over, the black-clad forms lying slumped and broken. 

[i]“Cease fire, cease fire!”[/i] Ryan shouted, waiting for the rounds from the rest of his squad to taper off. He stood for a moment in the sudden silence, watching the bodies for any sign of movement.

“Alright gents, good work. Check the bodies for anything we can use; watch for survivors, and if you find one, put a bullet in him. I don’t want any last-minute martyrs taking one of us out. We’ve got two minutes to rearm, so move fast but smart. If you’re low on ammo, grab an AK and as many magazines as you can carry. These M-16s won’t last forever.”