An LA Cop

Vietnam, April 15, 1969. At first light, the air over Firebase Diamond III was full of dust from four hours of incoming artillery shells exploding around the perimeter. Alpha and Delta companies fought for their lives during the ground attack. The air was thick with the smell of napalm from the jet air strikes. The men sat behind their bunkers, staring blankly across the open rice paddies looking for remnants of the two battalions of NVA soldiers that hurled themselves at the firebase. The men would remember and talk about this fight for the rest of their lives. Los Angeles, May 17, 1974. Officers used buildings and vehicles along Fifty-Fourth Street for cover. Weapon fire was erupting from the small house. The officers learned there were four hundred officers at the scene. Nine thousand rounds of ammo were fired between the suspects and the police. Many officers ran out of ammunition in the first few minutes of the fight. The gunfight continued for two hours.