Deaf Private Smith

We've just received a report from our embassy in Saigon that one of our GIs is Deaf, a Pvt. Smith. "That's impossible". They probably meant that he's dead, I'll check the casualty report immediately. While on a search and destroy mission, we were ambushed, returning fire with our M-16s, Pvt. Smith (recently awarded the Purple Heart for wounds suffered during the Tet offensive) pulled the pin and tossed the grenade blowing those Gooks into hell. We somehow managed to escape, a Huey helicopter rescues us, letting the Phantoms take care of the rest. Our buddies were looking forward to a weekend in in Bangkok but not Pvt. Smith, again recessed back to his childhood when his Deaf father taught him stalking while deer hunting. As he gestured for a cigarette, the fuel clogged, the helicopter crashing behind enemy lines. We had to hide in the jungles, waiting until dusk. Our platoon leader, a draftee on LSD, took a trip after stepping on a mine. Pvt. Smith, carrying a Bowie knife,  removes the dog tags and took over, leading his comrades back to safety undetected.  Pvt. Smith, a hero, was allowed to complete his tour of duty, even tough his commanders knew he was Deaf, destroying the medical files. After the war, he studied at Gallaudet, under the GI Bill, and began a career with the Veterans Administration. Pvt. Smith and his wife adopted two Deaf Vietnamese children. He is now looking forward to a weekend outing when he can pass the Bowie knife to his son and tell the campfire story of those brave Texans who died at the Alamo.