Hard Jump

HARD JUMP The bird dropped in the darkness the ground somewhere below, slowing its motion to hover, a sudden cross fire erupts. It was dark zero one thirty hours in a routine night insertion; that day there had been a fight small hostile groups were roaming. The pilot had to protect his Huey and we were ordered to unass, the sky and ground a black well, the distance jumped unknown. I hit hard in a dry rice paddy; lightning pain from my ankles surging up through my back announced that I was hurt. My legs were numb and useless my back flared pain sharply; orders and plans now useless we could only go to ground.