It wasn't often that my Company Commander accompanied me, a BAR man, while advancing through thickets on Saipan. However on the day of this incident, Captain Fred C. Eberhardt was next to me as we picked our way through the underbrush.

Our day had been relatively easy going, advancing without opposition through a heavily wooded area with lots of brush when we came unto a clearing. It had been clear cut by a local farmer to tether his animal and was about 40 feet in diameter. In the middle of it we saw a huge and menacing bull tethered by its nose ring to a tree. The animal was either an oxen or water buffalo. We never did figure out, for sure what it was. The animal had circled the tree, always in the same direction, winding the rope shorter and tighter about the tree until there was no more rope, and his head was held snug against the tree. Even so his rear section kept stomping back and forth in an effort to free itself. The constant pressure merely tightened the rope. The ground that had been within his reach had been trampled together with excreta and urine and was churned into an awfully foul smelling black goo. We really wanted no part of this mess but both felt it too inhumane not to free the dumb animal so it might fend for itself since no one appeared to have been about to take care of it for some time. To leave the animal tied we felt, it would surely die.

Captain Eberhardt cautiously maneuvered around to where he was out of reach of the bull's stomping hind legs but was where he could reach the rope with his knife. I stood off a few feet with my BAR at the ready and watched as the Captain sawed through the various strands of wet rope that had been soaked by saliva. We fully expected the animal would bolt for the brush upon getting free to find food, instead it bolted all right but into the air and reeled around ready to take out his anger on whatever and whoever was closest. Captain Eberhardt came first into his vision and upon whom he intended to do harm.

Fortunately the Captain, who had immediately stepped back when the rope severed, was not between the bull and me, so my field of fire was unobstructed. As the bull got set to charge, there was no time for discussion. What had to be done had to be done now and in a fraction of a moment my BAR erupted with a short burst, three rounds that sent a steel jacket, tracer and a regular round into its chest, neck and head before the bull reached Captain Eberhardt. The bull was stopped in its tracks. It dropped to its knees with rearend up momentarily, then toppled over into the churned stinky mess in the clearing.

The Captain and I looked to each other, then he came to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said something like "Thanks! Let us move on." We were glad to remove ourselves from the scene.