Quote:

Not having headlights on the rear of the car, my wife just covered her eyes as I backed down the hill in reverse



That is a funny story and I have one similar, though not "funny".

I was stationed in Danang Vietnam. Between Danang and Phu Bai was a road that wrapped around Monkey Mountain. The road was one vehicle wide, so there was a radio operator at the top and the bottom because if one was coming down, nothing could go up because they couldn't pass.

One morning at 3am I got a call (because I was motor sergeant) that a truck was hit with mortar fire on that hill and we had to go clear it. I told 4 guys they were volunteering to go with me and we set off in a 5 ton wrecker. When we got to the mountain I told one of the guys "You remove that right side mirror", which he did. Then I told the driver to put the right side of that truck against the mountain and scrape it all the way until we get to the wrecked truck. And because they had been shelled, we had to run on blackout lights, which are essentially lights the size of that little slot airplanes have to put razor blades in. (Who is shaving on these airplanes?) So with two guys walking up the mountain to help guide the truck through the darkness, we made it to the wrecked truck. Now, remember, 3am. Jungle. Mountain looking out over a valley. Sound travels really well. As we hooked up the tow bar, being as quiet as possible, the sound of the metal let them know someone was there and they tossed about a dozen more mortar rounds in. We all took cover the best we could, and then it was Katie Bar The Door to get out of there. Blackout hell! They knew we were there so we went down that hill as fast as was safe.

Only when we got to the bottom did one of the guys say "Hey sarge. You are bleeding." I looked down at my lower right leg and sure enough I had a little shrapnel that hit my shin. The adrenaline was so high I didn't even feel it. And I didn't get it bad. They landed so far off target that is was really at the end of the velocity of the shrapnel, to the point where I took all 3 pieces out with needle nosed pliers on the way to the med station.

Had they been better shots... LOL!!!

Moral of the story, I'll take that old car!!

I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.

1. How much did you make in 2023?
2. Send it to us.