This 5-ton dump truck struck a mine in the roadway when returning to post from the worksite near Bear Cat (I think). The driver was a member of one of the other platoons, and I don't know his name. I don't think he was injured, except for the ringing in his ears. This was a brand new truck. I think it had been in service less than a week. The blast cracked the frame, so the truck was a total loss.

Following behind this truck when it hit the mine was a young GI (I don't remember his name, either) driving the company's diesel fuel tanker. B Company had two 2-1/2-ton M49C tankers, one for gasoline and one for diesel. The young GI who drove the tankers was also responsible for the company's POL stores.

I had been working in the motor pool as a mechanic for a couple of months and was eager to switch jobs. I had asked the driver several times if he was interested is switching jobs, but the answer was always "no"--until that particular day.

I was working in the motor pool that afternoon and had not heard anything about the dump truck hitting the mine. When the kid driving the tanker returned to the motor pool, he walked up to me and said, "If you're still interested in driving the tankers, the job's yours!" He didn't say anything about the mine.

I couldn't (and still can't) blame the guy. He was very young and married. He was also obviously smarter than I was.