I took Sergeants Williamson and Fisco with me. We got to the general area of the rice mill after breaking contact with only light scattered small arms fire. But as soon as we arrived, our two companies came under withering fire from down the street. Several rangers were killed in the initial automatic weapons fire. I was with Dai’uy Chat and we took cover in a ditch that ran along the side of a house. Bullets were cracking overhead. I could see several dead rangers in the street just yards away. One was a Chuan Uy’(Warrant Officer). Another turned out to be one of our company commanders and a favorite of mine. I had to request for “danger close”. I asked Dai’uy Chat if there were any friendly forces out in front of us. No kidding, here is what he said to me, “Dai’uy Powers, George, put your hand out there”, gesturing that I touch the far side of the ditch toward the enemy. When I did, he gleefully exclaimed, “Now, you be point man!” That of course was his dramatic and humorous way of telling me that we were the front lines.

The Delta Force was thus under the umbrella of my ministry. One of its covert members was to be married. We did the counseling, and after the rehearsal at the Memorial Chapel, as I walked out with the group, the best man came quietly to me and asked if I knew how to replace a rotor in a distributor cap. I told him that I did, and he handed me one that went to the bride’s car. As we came out to the parking lot, through the side door of the chapel, a van careened into the parking lot and broad-slid to a stop. Guys with masks jumped out with their squad automatic weapons blazing blanks, grabbed the groom, slung him into the van and rocketed off. The shaken disbelieving bride began to cry and then thought better of it. I walked her out to her car, replaced the rotor and softly said, “Welcome to the world of Delta Force, miss.” The next day, the wedding went off without a hitch.