Nighttime Drums & Gongs around Hill 185 Nui Loc Son -- South Vietnam -- early 1967.

Fox Company, 2nd. Bn. 1st Marine Regiment...

 Everytime we set off on patrol in the pitch black tropical darkness, hand on the shoulder straps of the marine ahead, sooner or later, VC scouts would detect us.

Then would come a slow, muffled drum beat or the slow, mournful sound of a gong.

It kind of made a man really think!

It was as those those drums and gongs were sending each and every one of us  a personally - crafted message:

We're watching you every step of the way, Marine.  And we will kill you when we can....

Repeated over and over again, night after night: a message truly awesome in its simplicity! :)