i've never heard a story like this. >> no. >> reporter: it's the kind of thing nightmares are made of. >> or blessings. >> reporter: john colone's blessing of a nightmare began on february 19, 1968. his army airborne platoon was on patrol near the ca ty river when he and his men came under intense enemy fire. >> all hell broke loose. >> reporter: john was shot four times. >> i heard guys say i was dead. "colone is dead. colone is dead, leave him elone." >> reporter: you heard people saying that? >> oh, yeah, absolutely. i was put in a body bag, toe tagged, and taken to the morgue. >> he came in as a d.o.a.. >> reporter: lieutenant curtis washington was an officer at the battalion aid station and worked at the morgue. it was a job he took so seriously, that just to make sure he never sent a live sly,ier home in a box, on his own, he used to open up each body bag and take a pen to the feet. >> this is what we'd do.