THE GLOWING CHIPS: AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT

STORY

Rain poured down in steady sheets and the red clay ground became muddy, so muddy that boots sunk into the red ground and stuck to the bottom of each boot making it heavier to walk with each step.

On this particular night, the troop was on alert. There was tension in the air as everyone came close to the enemy camp. Fighting was fully expected since the group was getting closer and closer to the German border. In several sections of the forest, dead and rotting wood lay on the ground emitting a luminescent glow. The harder the rain fell, the more intense the glow became. It was a distraction, a distraction that could possibly give away their location to the enemy.

When the troop stopped along the way, guns were propped along the trees and one soldier was appointed as a look out. Two other soldiers were to stand guard duty. Germans were infiltrating the area and their infamy for using a thin wire looped around the neck of the enemy was a technique that everyone knew about. Soundless and very effective, the Germans could overtake any enemy and stealthily enter into an area. Everyone had to be on alert for the faintest sound. A beam of light in the shadows could indicate the position of the Germans. Caution was the word for this evening.

“Halt! What’s the code word?” One guard moved clockwise around the perimeter of the camp; the other guard moved in a counterclockwise direction. The approach of the guards had to be verified and without knowing the code word, no one was allowed to pass. That was the only way to be absolutely certain that the soldier was American and not a German trying to gain a foothold into the camp. The machine gun soldiers were stationed around the farthest point of the perimeter; the gun artillery crew was stationed further inside. This double circle of protection kept the infiltrating line of men safe and assured a better chance of overtaking the Germans without many casualties.

The guards continued to walk the perimeter while the on-duty sergeant watched for any indication that the camp had been compromised. The Sergeant dropped to his knees and fell flat on his stomach. There were two lights shining in the distance, both from slightly different sections of the woods. Glancing in another direction three or four more lights flickered through the dark night. This was no time to take any chances. Slipping between the artillery crew and the machine gun perimeter, the Sergeant called out to identify himself to the machine gun crew. “My name is Dave Brown.[fictitious name]. I don’t know what is going on, but there are lights in the woods ahead.” The machine gun crew tensed and the chips on the ground glowed brighter as the rain fell harder. A sound off to the right startled everyone and the inexperienced soldier from West Virginia shot off a round of shots.

It took a while before we made the connection. Our conclusion was that the chips were pieces of bark that covered the floor of the forest and glowed when the weather was damp and would reflect light off the small pieces.