Sir, would you mind telling more of this event
Don't mind at all. I was lead of a five aircraft formation sent to Ben Tre (the city made famous by it had to be destroyed in order to save it) to lift troops to a spot some kilometers east of Ben Tre to secure the ground for the establishment of a fire support base.
After the brief at Ben Tre on start up my aircraft had a motorised starter, ie wouldn't change from start mode to generator mode. I then took the place of the co-pilot in the number two aircraft and we proceeded with four aircraft for the troop lift.
The co-pilot was flying and on touch down in the landing zone I thought "J...s, that was a rough landing" as my seat slammed forward on its rails. Events happened instantaneously, the cockpit filled with a talcum powder like substance (later found to be from the round impacting my seat which has a ceramic layer), the gunner rolling around on the floor screaming "I'm hit" (in the back and neck), the crew chief laconically observing "I've got a guy at 12 o'clock with a weapon", to which I replied "hit him"
All four aircraft made it out of the landing zone, one was required to make a force landing shortly after and the other three aircraft made it back to the pick up zone where their condition required sling loading by Chinook back to base.
Of the forty troops we dropped 50% killed, 25% wounded, only two aircrew wounded. My gunner was beside himself because when he was hit he fired a burst of M-60 into the backs of two disembarking troops. While he was having his wounds dressed I tried to assuage his feelings by "It's war son, **** happens". Think about him to this day and wonder how the event has shaped his life.
A Chieu Hoi (VC deserter) later said they had been lying in ambush for a week.
The roll of the dice, the ten troops left behind by my aircraft going U/S lived for another day because of the only unserviceability I had during my tour.