test please delete

[Diver]

When she called me back in she had a tool like the probe things the dentists use.
She held my toes apart and hooked this little beggar right out of the skin.
It left a hole behind the size of a .22.
I had trouble with Irritation and swelling in that area for about a year after though.
Never mind, I had a few good nights in the Bristol bar in Cape Town before they got me on a transport back to kinshasa.

[Diver]

Never went with a women (hooker) all the time I spent in Africa.
Some of the boys did, and regretted it.
Wonder how many contracted aids While we were there.
Nobody knew about aids then, so it was not something to put you off like syph an gun.

[Diver]

Fighting over there was sporadic. convoy and escort was the field of op, and training the locals of course.
Teaching them discipline was the most difficult task, they loved to shoot but couldn't hit the side of a barn.
Just wave the gun around in front of themselves with finger hard down on the trigger til the mag was empty was about the sum of their abilities.
Murderous b@stards in a fight though. kill anything that moved if they could hit it, which was rarely.

[Diver]

The few we had in the convov and patrol outfits weren't too bad, they were hand picked and could all speak some semblence of english.
One thing we always did was make sure that they had safety on at all times.
That saved a few lives.
We had one local we called coo (nickname), a corporal, he had a pigeon chest and was about 5' 1" tall. he used to scream at the other local boys at the top of his lungs in portuguese all the time. they were terrified of the little runt.
It was months later that we found out why.
He had told them in training that we had given him permission to shoot anyone that disobeyed him.
We didn't wise them up though, he kept them in line.

[Diver]

Supplies were our biggest problem.
Most got nicked before it ever reached us.
We took to picking it up from the strip ourselves in the end, and only lost a third of it giving out backhanders to officials along the way.
Local hitlers were the so called secret police. more like death squads.
When you dealt with them you let them know that you were well armed and willing, and you never let them pick amongst the gifts (bribes) you gave them a couple of boxes and got away from them as quickly as pos.

[Diver]

There was a club in kinshasa, can't remeber the name of it now, portuguese name?
It was the local watering hole for officials and local heavies.
We decided to pay it a visit one night and about twenty of us piled into a truck and headed into town.
Well we got as far as the door and changed our minds.all of us were carrying, Knives and various revolvers and automatic pistols, they wanted us to hand them over before entering. well so long.
We went nowhere without a weapon.

[Diver]

I always carried a 38 issue revolver. no jamming problems and it was single action so no worries.
Some of the boys were carrying the colt 45 auto's, ww2 surplus crap.
kept in a pocket, a bit of damp lint off your clothes could cause a jam.
Knives were best, two of. A boot knife and belt knife. No bayonets, this wasn't regular army.
I carried a Buck knife (Still got it) and a yanky green river, a good utility and throwing knife with good weight and balance. It would go through a webbing strap at thirty feet.

[Diver]

They say an army marches on it's stomach, Maybe! but a small unit on border patrol and rec marches on its feet.
Thorns in the feet were common and they always festered. some would go right through your clothing and the sides of your boots.
Sock changes were a must. you would get trenchy just from the sweat.
You had to carry three pairs and rotate. hang the wet ones from your belt or pack to dry until their turn to go back on.

[Diver]

Most of the firefights in the bush were blind.
You couldn't make out who was shooting at you and once you had taken cover they couldn't see you
Either they would back away or you would.
Hardly anyone got killed in these little skirmishes but a few of us have scars to remember the engagements by. got two lovely round momento's on my left calf to remember one by.

[Diver]

Villages were a nightmare.
The villagers were always terrified of us. they had been abused so much by the local malitias and the army that they lived in permanent fear and poverty.
All of our excess rations went to these villages.