One of the things I liked least about the jungle was being exposed to
leeches.  There was one particular mission in mid- '69 working
southwest of Kontum when we ran into lots of these creatures.  I
happened to be walking point and the bushes along the trail were alive
with these little guys ready to pounce on us.  I looked down at my
boots to see dozens of the little fellows working their way towards my
legs.  I applied some more bug juice to my trousers, near my boot
tops, and moved on. When it was time for a break, we all lit up
cigarettes and started searching our bodies for leeches to burn off.
In fact I started smoking as a way to combat the parasites, as I found
salt too slow.