They were walking through old-growth timber, with little undergrowth and good visibility. Throckmorton later recalled that the first indication of anything being wrong was the sight of field telephone wire running along the ground and into the trees. Then the firing began. You have to experience an ambush to know what it is really like. Words cannot describe the roar of gunfire, the snapping of bullets, the explosions, the screams of the wounded and dying, the gut-felt terror.
People react differently.
Some freeze in place, others huddle to the ground, still others rush either into the ambush or away from it. If the ambush is set up properly, few individuals survive the first three minutes. Jack Throckmorton, who had found shelter behind a large fallen tree, remembered seeing dozens of muzzle flashes from the other side and little fire being returned from his own. Soldiers all around him were being hit with multiple rounds to the head. His borrowed M-16 jammed after only a few rounds, and he was left trying to clear it as the bullets came closer and closer.