[Buffalobob]

It would probably have been January – March of 1970. During SFOC FTX, it was discovered by my classmates that I actually knew how to travel through the woods at night without getting lost. So it seemed every night I was being asked to run point on the patrols and ambushes. After four or five nights of little to no sleep, we were moving from one TAC location to another at night. It was important to the designated candidate CO that we get there on time and without incident so I was asked to volunteer to run point yet again. As is often the case at Bragg, it was cloudy and pitch dark and all I could see was the needle of my compass. The guy running slack was also keeping the 100s count on my pace as I would call it out. Well about midnight or a little later, I woke up flat on my back. I had gone to sleep while walking and walked right into a big oak tree and gotten knocked out (or down). Fortunately, the compass was tied to my shirt so I didn’t lose it and the pace guy had an idea of about how much time had elapsed since the last 100. So, I got back up and headed out again and we hit the road about 50 yards off course and went downhill to the bridge and crossed it, entered the woods and 200 meters later were at our destination.

So that’s what I remember -going to sleep while walking and waking up flat on my back with scrapes on my forehead.