Ed and Major Mike Perkins were on a helicopter night mission when assaulted and injured (along with other men) with near fatal wounds. Mike was pinned under the helicopter. They were still being assaulted when Ed Ed Eaton- the least injured man- decides to stay behind and protect his comrades.
Ed uses a combination of a busted sniper rifle and a machine gun. He uses the scope to spot the two separate two armies descending on them. He shoots at the (30+) group of men, slowing down their descent on the injured men. The use of the two guns makes the enemy think he is more than one man. He then began taking one man out at a time.
Finally, helicopters came down to rescue that injured soldiers. Although, Mike, whose injuries were too much for the ride, stayed behind. He was given a grenade for suicide in the event a capture would ensue. Ed, however, opted to remain with his friend, giving them both a fighting chance against the still descending enemy. Ed was left holding off even more soldiers with limited ammunition, while they were once again stuck.
Ed left two bullets for he and Mike, miraculously they were rescued before suicide was their final decision/ Ed Eaton describes his rescue on the commentary for the book Inside the Crosshairs: Snipers in Vietnam by Michael Lee Lanning, on the website HistoryNet.com
"In reference to the Hist channel story and as to how Maj. Perkins and myself got out. Our Bn. Commander came in later. We though for sure we were left alone but thank God; only thought it. I caught a ride on a Cobra that took me to a rice pattie where I was later picked up by Dustoff."This man proves courage and compassion at it's finest. In many instances or high amounts of stress, we find ourselves frozen in fear. We become unsure what to do. This man held off an army with a broken sniper rifle along with the cover of the night. Staying behind to protect a man who held almost no chance of survival.
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