Nothing had come in the form of orders, and this gave Phil a nasty taste in his mouth, he wondered why he never got a break. When he got to supply Phil picked up the two cases of “C�?rations and putting one case under each arm, trotted back to the squad area. Phil felt like he had been doing this his whole life. He felt like he had always been moving through high grass, or moving along a road always looking for trip wires, or signs of Charlie’s movement. How he wanted a real nights sleep, in a soft bed with sheets, a pillow, and a solid floor under him. A hot shower every day, a shave, and yes even some different faces to look at each morning. How about a woman’s face to look at “Yes�?he thought “A woman’s Face�? his mind it seemed always turned to women, soft cuddly sexy drive a man crazy women. Phil reached the squad area, and he dropped the cases of “C’s�? and the rest of the squad helped break into the boxes and pass out their meals. Since Wilson and McCaffery were the two ranking people in the squad they were the last to get their meals. “Damn, I ended up with “spicy beef�? and “spaghetti and meatballs�?again. Just once I would like to get “Beanie weenies�? This sucks�? Phil was not happy.
“Don’t bitch boy�?MCCaffery said. “I have not gotten “Beanie weenies�?in six months. I ended up with “Pork roast�?and “Tuna fish�?�?
They both grinned at each other, for all their hassling each other, they knew they could depend one each other, and McCaffery was going to miss his Corporal. The sergeant had tried to get Phil to extend to “ETS�?but Phil was sick of war, shooting, hurt, and pain. Phil just wanted to go home, and be a person again.
“Phil, may I have your cigarettes?�?It was PFC Hank Jorgenson.�?Bubba�? as he was called, was from Missouri. The son of a farmer, Bubba was as big as a house, and loved to wrestle, and no one in the squad, or company had ever beaten him. Bubba was a little slow, not of foot, but in the mind, but when he was needed, he could make the squad M-60 machinegun sing and play a tune that charley did not like to dance to.
“Sure, here�? Phil handed Bubba his two 5 cigarette packs included in each meal packet. Bubba had started smoking at the age of eleven, and now was totally hooked, and when ever he could he would sneak a “butt�? He got in a lot of trouble for that, especially at night.
Phil did not smoke, he had tried when he first got in country, but found it a nasty thing, and he hated the after taste.
“Get it together people, here comes the Lt.�?McCaffery said.
Lieutenant Raymond Smiley, graduate of Northwestern University, and OCS was a medium built man, 6�?�? 185. Short blond hair and a quick smile. He seemed to get lots of letters, either he had a lady who liked to write a lot, or he had several who liked to write a lot. There was a platoon bet on to see which was the case, someone had to find out. The Lt. had just eight months left, and he was lovingly called “Newfer�? When he left the “Nam�?he would go back to his beloved Indiana, and take over his father’s construction company. Phil liked the Lt., and had a respect for him most new officers rarely get.
“Gather round guys, this will not take long�?
The squad of seven G.I. s closed around the L.t., like chicks to a mother hen.
“We had a chopper flying sniffer last night, and they picked up a reading in this area�? He held out a folded map to show the location of the spot, just over a mile from their location. “Battalion wants us to check it out. It is probably nothing more than deer again, but the colonel wants to know. Just sweep through, look for sign and get out. Don’t engage any enemy forces unless you are fired upon�? Smiley looked around, and each in turn nodded their heads in acknowledgement. No use starting anything this close to the company area or in Phil’s cases this close to DROC (de-rosse, or Date Returned to Coneus).
“Just take your standard battle load, lots of water, and enjoy you walk in the sun�? “Sergeant McCaffery has the route planned and we will be in radio contact, your call sign is “Zodiac�? company call sign is “Taurus�? and the eighty one mortar Platoon is “Thor�? The mortars will be dedicated to you, and their response will be immediate. Any questions?�?/FONT>
“Yes Sir, one.�?It was Lewis, PFC Trumain Lewis, the only black man in the squad.
“Yes Lewis�?/FONT>
“Sir if we find charley, do we bug out, or stay and fight�?
“Only engage if you are fired upon, that means if you see them, and they don’t see you, get as much information as you can, number, types of weapons, direction traveling, and if they are NVA, or the garden variety V.C.�?
“Lewis�? it was McCaffery “They want to know how many, who they are, what they got, and where they are going�?
“Exactly sergeant, if need be will call in a snake or two to take care of them, we have a Cobra team on stand by at Battalion, they can be here in under ten mikes. Anything else?�?/FONT>
No one said anything.
“Sergeant, take charge�? The lieutenant stepped away, and everyone turned to McCaffery for guidance.
“Look here guys, this will be our route�?
It was just over a mile to the reading gathered by the chopper the night before. It would take them near the village that had been quite nice to the soldiers of Company “D�? 2nd Battalion 1st Infantry Division. A few of the girls from that village had been coming to the camp, and had left a little richer than they had come, and some of the men now had a better attitude about being there. Phil had done that one time, but afterwards he felt cheap, and said he would not do that again, and he was scared stiff wondering if he had caught a dose of the clap, or something worse, but when nothing showed up he was relieved, but still did not join in when the rest of the squad went off to “enjoy�?themselves when the girls came calling again.
“We’ll move in company SOP formation. Lewis I want you on point, you’re the best man to do that.�?/FONT>
“That’s right, put the nigger up front�?Lewis joked “Let him take the first one.�?Lewis liked to see the rest of the squad squirm a bit when he got into his militant mode, but he, as all the rest knew, did not take chances, and the members of the squad were safer with Lewis on point, than with anyone else.
“Bubba you’re the number three man, if we get into something I want that sixty ready to rock and roll. Wilson you ride trail, I want good eyes in our rear view mirror. We’ll each take an extra bandoleer of ammo, and each two belts of seven point six two for the sixty. That is all but Jose�? all I want you to carry is twenty five extra rounds of the forty mike, mike and I want you number two man, if we get into a tight situation I want that thumper down range PDQ. Any questions? Good, get at people we leave in one five mikes, oh yes, Carlson you get to be “Radio Man�?today, go draw a prick twenty five now, and all I want you to carry is the extra bandoleer of five point five six, oh, and people draw two each hand grenades, just in case, and Wilson, you draw a red smoke grenade, and Metowski you draw a purple smoke grenade.�?/FONT>
“Serge, why all this extra shit?�?it was Carlson. “The Lt. said this was to be a milk run.�?/FONT>
Carlson was the newest member of the squad. A draftee from Texas, Carlson was what they called “gung Ho�?
“Let me tell all of you right now�?McCaffery said. “I have a funny feeling about this, Battalion has never had so much available to just a squad for a milk run, and the fact that the eighty ones are dedicated to us, for immediate fire? think about it, there is more here than meets the eye. We need to be sharp out there today, this does not seem right to me.�?/FONT>
McCaffery’s assessment seemed right, never had Battalion H.Q. had so many assets on stand by for just a milk run, there was something afoot, and all of them began to get into the mind set.
“Serge?�?it was Phil “I’m too short for this shit�?he was grinning at McCaffery.
McCaffery grinned back “Into every life�?he said “A little rain must fall�?
“Ok, so how come I get the storm?�?/FONT>
McCaffery slapped Wilson on the back, and said “We’ll be ok; we’ve been through too much shit to get greased now�? They both headed for the Company supply truck to draw their battle load.
They were all standing together now, near the edge of the platoon area, Carlson had the PRC (prick) 25 on his back, a bulky, but not heavy man carried two way radio. Jose�?Sanchez had his M-79 40 millimeter grenade launcher (thump gun), and two large canvas bags with fifteen pouches in each for the odd shaped bullets that made up the grenade, and propellant. Every one else except Bubba had his M-16, two extra bandoleers of ammo, and two 250 round belts of 7.62 millimeter M-60 Machinegun ammo, plus the two extra grenades. They all looked like “John Wayne�? but inside they all felt like “Bozo the clown�? Each man had a utility belt on, with a first aid pouch, two canteens of water, and their bayonets. The two extra grenades were hooked to the shoulder straps, through metal rings. Their ruck sacks, was secured to their web belts, and with shoulder straps.
Carlson handed the hand set to McCaffery. “Taurus this is Zodiac commo check over�?a short pause “Roger that, Lima Charley out. Thor this is Zodiac commo check over�?another pause “Roger, lima charley out. Lewis, let’s take a walk�? They started on their hike, each getting the right interval of ten meters between, all in a straight line. Seven men, boys really, all to check on a spot in the jungle, where one or more men had urinated within the past forty eight hours, or maybe an animal, it was their job to find out.
They started out in single file, Lewis on point, Sanchez, Bubba, McCaffery, Carlson, Mitowski a polish born immigrant, who joined the army to show his love of America, and last Wilson.
No one spoke, each in his own thoughts, and all on just one thing, get back safe. What sergeant McCaffery had told them earlier had sunk in, and all were wondering the same thing, what was Battalion up to, why all the extra Bravo Sierra?
They moved through the knee high grass towards the line of trees as quietly as they could, no one talked, every one knew, quiet and stealth, one wrong sound, and they all could end up in a black bag turned upside down in a wooden box on a C-141 headed back to the world.
Lewis stopped when he got to the tree line. The rest of the squad knelt in place, trying to make as small a target as possible. Lewis slowly slipped into the row of trees, and began scanning for signs of trip wires, or any other booby traps. When he was sure it was clear, he waved a quick hand, and like a seasoned chorus line the squad stood, and began to follow Lewis into the trees.
It was slow going for the first few hundred yards. Lewis had been point man so much, he could feel the V.C. and seemed to be able to know were they were, and how to avoid them. There was a faint smell of smoke in the air, cooking fires from the village, as the locals were starting their day, trying to do the balancing act between doing what they had always done, and trying to show the Vietnamese Government that they were loyal, and try as they might to stay out of the way of flying bullets, from all parties.
The glow in the east was brighter now, and it would not be long before the sun would be peeking up over the horizon, and above the trees.
“Lewis!�?it was McCaffery, he whispered, “Step it up a bit, let’s get around the village before sun up�?
Lewis moved a little quicker. This area was a bit safer and McCaffery did not feel that charley had left any traps.
They gave the village a wide birth, about half a click, if there were searching eyes McCaffery wanted to make it as hard as he could to be seen, and the route he picked would give them the added protection of a stand of trees. The light breeze came right at them from the village, and they now could smell the meals being cooked over open flames. Wilson hated the smell of local food he called it “sweet n sour pig shit�?and “dung smell nasty�? Phil could not wait to again taste a big Mac, or a pepperoni and mushroom pizza.
It took the squad over twenty minutes to swing past the village, the pure dark of the forest was replaced by a deep gloom just enough light to see where you were going.
Wilson at the back of the line had the added task of looking behind every few yards and make sure they were not being followed, the rest kept their eyes moving from the trail to each side looking for signs of charley.
They moved like that for over an hour, Lewis stopping every so often listening, looking, reading the trees, and trusting his senses.
“Lewis�?McCaffery whispered “Take a rest here I need to use the radio�? Lewis stopped, and knelt down, all the rest did too except Carlson who moved up next to McCaffery and handed him the hand set, and then he too knelt.
“Taurus this is Zodiac over�?he paused, and used his red lens pin light to look at the map on his knee. “Roger we have reached checkpoint Budweiser out. Break Thor this is Zodiac over�?another pause “Checkpoint Budweiser out�? He handed the hand set back, and whispered to Lewis “let’s go�? Lewis rose, and so did everyone else and they moved out again.
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