Chapter 18

The vision only lasted a few short seconds and then it was gone, as the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning returned with a vengeance. I turned to my companions with the amulet and necklace now sitting quietly around my neck again, as if nothing had happened. The two Thai Rangers had looks of terror on their faces and the Hmong guide looked scared to death.

“We need to get out of here,” I said to them, nonchalantly.

“Yes, Pee. We should go,” the Corporal agreed, shakily. No one had addressed me as Pee or elder before.

By the time we reached the base of the bluff and the first crevice we had come up, the rain had stopped completely and the clouds had disappeared.

“What the hell was that?” suddenly came out of the portable. I was still carrying it and the M-14 in its case.

“Young Cowboy, Young Cowboy, this is High Flier 27, over,” followed a few seconds later.

“High Flier 27, this is Cowboy 3 Alpha, over,” I transmitted before starting down the incline.

“Cowboy 3 Alpha, did something just happen down there. All of our instruments were out for a time due to a power outage, over.”

“Flier 27, Cowboy 3 Alpha. There was some rain with thunder and lightning, but it’s all blown over now. Could lightning have knocked out your power, over?”

“Cowboy 3 Alpha, Flier 27. Yes, I guess it could have. We can see that the storm is gone. Our radar is even able to pick up things in the pass now, but nothing is moving there. In fact, the fast movers are reporting that everything is moving away from the pass now. Everything that can still move that is, over.”

“Flier 27, Cowboy 3 Alpha. Keep after them. I think everything here is under control now. Cowboy 3 Alpha, out.”

As we reentered the pass from the fissure, we were met by the CO, Tweed, Major Bau, the Lieutenant and all of the Rangers and Hmong militia moving back down the pass. They were carrying Sawyer and two of the Rangers on improvised litters.

“We need to get these guys and Sawyer to the hospital,” the CO said.

“Tango 1 Bravo, Tango 1 Bravo, Cowboy 3 Alpha, over,” I transmitted.

“3 Alpha this is 1 Bravo, over.”

“Tango 1 Bravo, we need the jeep up here in the pass, pronto. We have wounded that need to be transported soonest, over.

“Roger, 3 Alpha. On the way. What the hell happened up there, Over?”

“Tango 1 Bravo, Cowboy 3 Alpha. I believe the NVA had a massive ‘Ammunition Malfunction’ a short time ago, over.”

“Roger, 3 Alpha. I’ll be there shortly, out.”

“Black Horse 678, Black Horse 678, this is Cowboy 3 Alpha, over,” I called next using the helicopters tail number. A few seconds later there was a reply.

“Cowboy 3 Alpha, this is Black Horse 678, over.”

“Horse 678, this is Cowboy 3 Alpha. We have wounded to evacuate. Request you return to our last location for pick up, over.”

“Roger, 3 Alpha. We’ll be at your last location in a few, out.

Carlson arrived shortly with the jeep, and we loaded Sawyer in the back and the two Rangers on the hood. We were able to move at a faster walking pace then.

“Major Bau, if you have any wounded, we can take some of them out with us,” the CO told him.

“Not many wounded, but many dead,” the Major told us, sadly. “There great sorrow here for long time.” He called his people then on his Soviet radio to get the wounded ready to go.

There were about ten Hmong wounded there when we arrived at the ship. We got all of them loaded along with our own. The CO was talking with Tweed and Carlson, while I checked with the Chief about transportation for the Rangers. When we were ready to go, Phil handed me Sawyer’s shotgun and my AK-47. He had Sawyer’s AK-47 and also his own. The rucks and everything else had already been loaded. I let Lieutenant Paribetra know that a chopper would be here to pick up him and the rest of his men later today.

I sat next to Sawyer on the way to the hospital. I had known the big NCO for almost ten months now. He had never been sick a day in that time or missed a day of duty that I knew of. It was frightening to see that vibrant man, who was normally so lively, just lying there wounded. I asked the Amulets to take care of him, and my amulet warmed up on my chest then.

There were stretchers and jeeps waiting when the chopper landed at the Thai Army hospital in Luang Phrabang, and the patients were soon taken to the hospital. I had called Phillips on the way in and he arrived to take all of the weapons and rucks back to our compound. I kept the portable radio to contact him when we knew something about Sawyer’s condition, or we needed to go home.

Sawyer was in the operating room for several hours while we waited outside. The senior Thai Army doctor came to see us when they had finished.

“Your friend is out of danger now, but he lost a lot of blood. We were able to repair the damage, but he will be a long time healing and recovering, and he may have trouble with that leg from now on. He is still unconscious, but you may see him shortly. We will put him in a private room rather than on a ward,” he informed us.

“How are the other men?” the CO asked.

“One Ranger is in very bad shape. The other is not too bad. We are doing all that we can for them. The militiamen are also being cared for. One may not make it, as he is in very bad shape. The others are not too badly hurt,” the doctor told us.

“Will Master Sergeant Sawyer’s wife be able to visit him here?” the CO asked.

“His wife is here!?” the shocked doctor asked.

“Yes, his wife is Thai / Cambodian and is here with him. She is also pregnant and probably very worried about him right now,” the CO said.

“Yes, she may visit him tomorrow. It would do little good now, as he is still unconscious. He will be better tomorrow also,” the doctor told us. I called Phillips and he came to pick us up in the jeep.

At the house Sophie was nearly hysterical with worry over Sawyer. Suenee and I finally managed to get her calmed down some.

“Why didn’t he wear the amulet?” she wailed. “He left it on the desk. I found it there after you were gone for several hours,” she moaned in anguish.

“It was not his time yet, Sophie,” Suenee told her very gently. “Tomorrow we will go to the hospital to see him. Then you may place the amulet on him. He will be ready now.”

“Ar ... are you sure?” Sophie asked through her tears. “He won’t die will he? I don’t know what I would do without him,” she moaned clutching Suenee and broke down in more tears after that. Suenee held her and talked quietly to her for a long time.

Phil and I had dinner while Suenee comforted Sophie. It had been well after 1800 when we returned from the hospital and we had only had breakfast this morning. We both showered and changed clothes before eating, as our tigers were caked with blood, dirt, and sweat.

The Team reports were a little late tonight and not in the normal order, but nothing had been normal all day. Team 3 was the first one to report in.

“I tell you six, we never saw anything like it. One minute the NVA were shelling us and had an infantry assault under way and the next it was all over. There was a huge explosion at the location where their artillery was located. It was mostly mortars and what looked like a couple of 105 pack howitzers from what was left.

“The Infantry just disappeared - gone, like they had never been there, and it wasn’t just at Hotel 31 (Ban Hatep). It was the same in the other border villages in our sector. Everyone agrees that it happened around 1200 hrs, over,” was how Ramirez concluded his report.

Team 2 had a very similar report when they called in. Team 4’s report was a little different.

“The NVA had launched another heavy attack shortly before noon. Suddenly there was a bright flash and the infantry and their armored assault vehicles just vanished. They were completely gone. The Thai Army people didn’t quite know what to make of it. The other weird thing was that many of the locals saw an amulet on a gold necklace over the attack area right after everything vanished, but it vanished a few seconds later too and no one is sure what it was, over.”

Team one was the last one to call in, again.

“We checked with the other sites that were attacked in our sector,” a very tired Tweed told us. “They all gave a similar description of what happened. Hotel 15 and 16 reported a flash during the attack on them at around noon and the NVA just disappeared, soldiers, equipment, everything. Just gone.

“Hotel 19 reported an event similar to the one that we experienced. There was a flash and then there were dead NVA soldiers and smashed vehicles all the way through the pass, or as far as their patrol-in-force was able to penetrate in the time allocated. Everyone agrees that it happened right around 1200 hrs. Some of the Hmong claim to have seen a gold necklace with an amulet hanging from it either right before or right after the flash. Was this the work of the Amulets, over?” Tweed wanted to know.

“I’d rather not answer that right now, out,” a very uncertain CO said just before signing off.

We were rather late getting our report to Desk Rider and had to wait until one of the other Teams had completed theirs. From what we heard of it, their report sounded quite similar to what ours would be.

“Desk Rider, Desk Rider, this is Young Cowboy 6, over.”

“Young Cowboy 6, this is Desk Rider 3, over.”

“Rider 3, Cowboy 6. The situation in our area is similar to that just reported by the last station. All attacks stopped at approximately 1200 hrs today. There is broken and smashed equipment at some sites. There are some bodies, but the majority of the attacking forces have vanished. Patrols from various locations have been unable to locate the enemy, over.”

“Cowboy 6, Rider 3. Yes, your report is similar to that received from our other Teams. Do any of your people have a clue what actually happened, over?” a very tired sounding Desk Rider 3 asked.

“Rider 3, Cowboy 6. Negative. Other than the observed effects, none of my people have offered a plausible explanation, over.”

“Cowboy 6, Rider 3. Yes, that’s what our other Teams have said also. Get written reports from all of your people and compile a consolidated report. It will be due here in eight days. Desk Rider 3, out.” Rider 3 sounded despondent when he signed off.

We all went to bed after that. Suenee slept in with Sophie to keep her company and from getting hysterical. I hit the bed and was gone in about two seconds and didn’t miss Suenee or anyone else, as I slept like the dead that night. Suenee was there next to me when I woke up in the morning.

“Did you sleep well, my Bill,” Suenee asked, ever the concerned wife.

“Yes. How is Sophie?”

“She finally got to sleep after crying a lot. I came in here after she was asleep.”

“Did you get enough rest?” I asked her.

“Yes. I will be all right. I will take a nap this afternoon, after we return from the hospital.”

After a very solemn breakfast where Sophie wept a lot, we loaded into Sawyer’s jeep and left Phillips in charge of the compound, while we went to the Thai Army hospital. Sophie was a total wreck when she saw Sawyer lying still delirious on the hospital bed. She rushed over and practically fell on top of him, only being stopped at the last instant by the fact that her large baby bump didn’t allow her to lay on top of him. Suenee placed a large stool by the bed and Sophie collapsed onto it and leaned in toward her injured husband, as she wept openly.

“Why didn’t you listen?” she moaned in Thai. “Why didn’t you wear the amulet? It would have protected you.” She then took the amulet on a bootlace and placed it on top of the bandages covering his chest. She was reaching up to remove her own amulet when Suenee stopped her.

“No, sister. Do not remove your amulet,” Suenee told her. “I have a special medical amulet for just this occasion.” Suenee then placed a second amulet on a small gold chain on the bandages over Sawyer’s injured leg and she used some adhesive tape over the chain and bootlace to keep both amulets in place. A short time later the senior doctor came in and saw the amulets.

“I have seen others do that. It doesn’t help,” he stated.

“These amulets are different,” Suenee assured him in a quiet voice. “Your people are not to touch them or try to remove them. I will come daily to remove them so that the bandages may be changed. It will be very unfortunate for anyone that should disturb these amulets,” she finished in a much stronger voice. The doctor was shocked at what she had said.

“Do you know of the Amulets of Power?” Suenee asked on seeing the expression on his face. “These come from them. They are very powerful. Do not anger them.”

“Yes, I have heard of those Amulets, but they are only folk tales,” he said.

“Ask the North Vietnamese about those folk tales,” Suenee told him. “They got a strong lesson in them yesterday.”

Sawyer had been better by the time we left, at least he was conscious. Suenee and Sophie had stayed with him, while the CO and I visited the Rangers and Hmong militiamen that we had brought in. One of the Hmong had died of his wounds, but the others were doing well. The two Rangers were better but would need a while to recover. I noticed amulets of various types on many of the patients there.

It was late afternoon when we returned to the compound, and there were still weapons to be cleaned. We hadn’t done anything on returning yesterday, so set to work when we got back. The CO hadn’t fired his or Sawyer’s AK-47, but they still required cleaning as the rain had gotten in them. Sawyer’s shotgun needed cleaning and the CO took care of that also.

I had my AK and the M-14 to clean along with all of my magazines. I also cleaned my pistol, the CO’s and Sawyer’s. Suenee had gone to take a nap while we were busy, as had Sophie.

That night we informed the teams of the requirement for a written report and gave them four days to have them ready. We informed Desk Rider that Sawyer was in the hospital. The CO also told me that he wanted a written report on all that I had done up there. I was worried about what to say.

Suenee and Sophie got a ride to the Thai Army hospital each day. It seemed that one of her students was the wife of a Thai Colonel and she had the use of a jeep and driver. The Thai MPs didn’t bother them at all, as apparently they were well acquainted with the Colonel’s wife.

The CO and I also visited Sawyer and the others. By the end of the week Sawyer’s condition had improved dramatically. The others were somewhat better.

“I can’t believe it,” the senior doctor told us. “I have never seen a man heal as rapidly as your friend. He will be ready to be discharged in a couple of days at this rate.”

Sawyer was discharged on the eight day, just in time to help with the reports that were coming in. Desk Rider had been forced to give everyone an extension, as the field teams required more time to conduct the interviews with the local people. Desk Rider also sent helicopters to help collect the reports from the various far-flung field teams assigned to them.

The CO, Sawyer, Phillips and I went over all of the handwritten field reports and consolidated them all into the final report along with our own. Phillips and I did the typing, and the CO did the proof reading. We made Sawyer rest. He hated it but complied. Sophie was a big help in that, as she hardly let him out of her sight, and I sometimes wondered just how much rest he got. I did notice that he now had a bootlace around his neck and presumed that there was an amulet at the end of it.

The consolidated report went to Desk Rider on 22 March. There hadn’t been a lot to report in the mean time. There were no attacks on any of our border locations, and no sign of NVA or Pathet Lao forces in the border areas. We still kept a close watch, however.

Wednesday, the fifth of April, the investigating team arrived. It was led by LTC Hawkins and consisted of him, MAJ Carlson, the S-3, a MAJ Norman, the S-2, and several senior NCOs. A helicopter had picked up all of our field teams yesterday and dropped them off at the airfield. We weren’t sure what to expect when Colonel Hawkins started the proceedings.

“We have already been to interview a number of the other Teams. None of them had anything significant to add to their reports. They have all also been running regular patrols in their respective areas and have had no significant sightings of the enemy, other than a few stragglers who wanted to surrender. We are hoping that you can tell us something, anything that would account for what happened.”

They started with the field Teams and had each of them go over the events in their areas. Much of it was very similar, but all agreed on either seeing the necklace and amulet or having their people report seeing it.

Team 1, Tweed and Carlson, were the last to be questioned. When Tweed finished an exhaustive explanation of the early part of the invasion, Colonel Hawkins turned to Sgt. Carlson.

“What did you see, Sergeant?”

“Sir, I was at Xiang Khoun maintaining our radio connection with base during the entire fight. I only moved forward when Sgt. Baker called to have the jeep moved up to transport the wounded.”

“Wounded?” the Colonel asked.

“Yes, sir. Sgt. Sawyer and two Thai Rangers.

“Sergeant Sawyer, you were wounded when?” Major Carlson asked.

“We were hit by an NVA patrol part way down the pass. I gave warning and opened fire on them. I was wounded in the exchange of fire,” Sawyer informed them.

“I see. What happened then?” the Colonel asked.

“You’ll have to ask someone else, sir. I was unconscious,” Sawyer told him.

“Yes, I understand that you were in the hospital a little over a week. Were your injuries that serious?”

“Yes, sir. I was unconscious for well over a day, but healed up rapidly.”

“Hmmm,” the Colonel said.

“Sir, Sergeant Baker jumped over Sawyer and engaged the enemy with his AK-47. He held them off long enough for the Thai Rangers to get men in position to help. Baker then helped me drag Sgt. Sawyer behind some large boulders where we set up the aid station with the help of the Thai Ranger first aid man,” the CO explained.

“Sergeant Tweed had gone forward with the Thai Rangers to help direct their fire. Their Lieutenant remained a short time to check on Sawyer also before going forward to direct his men with Sgt. Tweed’s help. Major Bau called forward some of his militia men to help also.

“The Rangers and militia ran into a heavy machine gun positioned on a ledge above the pass and were pinned down by it. They took several casualties in the engagement and brought them and the information back to us at the aid station.

“Sergeant Baker said that if he could get above them, that he could knock them out. Major Bau doubted that, as the blockage was in an area where the pass widened out temporarily and the ridge above it was quite some distance back from where the machine gun was located. We finally convinced him that Baker could do it, and he called for a local guide. Two Rangers also went with them. I didn’t see Baker again until things were over,” the CO finished.

“So, you were prominently involved in this, Sergeant Baker?” the Colonel asked.

“Yes, sir. Somewhat,” I answered and started my story with the climb to the ridge.

“It was rather dark when we got to the ridge” I continued, “as thick clouds had moved in while we were moving up there. I used the match grade M-14 that Sgt. Sawyer had procured and knocked out the gunner and assistant gunner on the machine gun. It was about 600 yards to the target. Right after that there was an ‘ammunition malfunction’ involving the machine gun and its ammunition, and the bodies and gun were buried in a rock-slide on the floor of the pass.

“The rain had started by then. It was accompanied by wind, thunder and lightning. A MIG-17 was making a firing run up the pass also at that time. The two Thai Rangers pulled the Hmong guide and me into a crevice, saving our lives. We would have all been killed but for their vigilance.

“While sitting there in the rain, I discovered that my gold necklace and amulet were missing. When I looked up... , “ here I stopped for a minute because I wasn’t sure that anyone would believe what I was about to say and they might think that I was crazy.

“You looked up and what?” the Colonel demanded. I took a deep breath before answering.

“I saw my necklace and amulet. This amulet,” I said as I raised them over my head and removed them. “I saw this amulet and necklace hanging unsupported in the air above me and red rays were shooting out of the amulet in all directions. The wind, rain, thunder, and lightning had stopped for an instant also. It was right after that that Fire Fell from the Sky,” I told them.

The necklace and amulet had taken on a life of their own again and left my hands. They were hanging in the air above all of us with no visible means of support. They slowly turned so that everyone in the room could get a really good at them.

“That’s what we saw!” several members of the team exclaimed in shock.

“That’s what was in the drawings that we were shown by the other Teams!” several of the senior NCOs with the investigating team exclaimed also. There was silence for half a minute.

“What happened then?” the Colonel asked in a very quiet voice.

“Nature turned back on. The wind, rain, thunder, and lightning returned with a vengeance. I got everyone started back down the ridge. It wasn’t a good place to be during the storm,” I finished.

“And you expect us to believe this?” Major Norman, the S-2, asked, a short time after I finished.

“No, sir. You don’t have to believe it. I’m only telling you what happened. If you think I’m lying, don’t believe it,” I told him. “It won’t change the facts.”

“Baker, we can’t put that in our report,” a very agitated Colonel Hawkins said. “No more than we could put the actual cause of the incident in Cambodia in that report. No one would believe us.”

“What other explanation is there?” Suenee asked quietly from the doorway, as her amulet and necklace joined mine floating in the air above all of us. Everyone turned then to look at her and then up to look at them.

“The Vietnamese have been taught a lesson. A very costly lesson. It is hoped that they will remember it for a long time and not venture into Thai territory again,” she told them in a very sad voice, as she joined me.

“Yes, it was a very costly lesson for them. From aerial photographs taken after the events of 10 March, the reports we have received and the interviews we have conducted, it appears that they lost a major portion of their armor and mechanized forces and several divisions of infantry. Plus there were a number of their planes shot down by ours. BUT, no one in Washington is going to believe us if we start giving these Amulets credit for the victory,” the Colonel finished. The necklaces and amulets returned to Suenee and me after the Colonel had finished. The investigation team left without THE answer they wanted to their question.

It was two weeks later, mid-morning of Wednesday 19 April that Governor Chaiyaratana arrived at our compound in great distress.

“I must talk to your Commander,” he told me in a very agitated voice when I met him in the courtyard to see what the problem was.

“All right, sir. Come in and I’ll get the Captain,” I told him. He had arrived in a very fancy jeep with several Thai Army guards who remained outside.

“Have a seat, sir. The Captain will be here in a minute,” I told him. When I returned with Phil a few minutes later, it was obvious that the Governor was a mental wreck from anguish and anxiety.

“You must help me,” the Governor pleaded when we returned to the room. “You’re my last hope. The Army cannot help me. My daughter has been kidnapped by terrorists. They threaten to kill her if I don’t pay their ransom or if I send the Thai Army after them. The Army suggested you.”

After we calmed the Governor down some by promising to try to help, he explained what had happened.

“My daughter is a college student but has been home taking a break from college between Chinese New Year and Thai New Year last week. Yesterday she went to see the Tham Ting Caves near Pak On. They are about twenty-seven kilometers from here. Her car was ambushed and the driver and guard killed. I received word of it last night with the ransom demand. They will kill her,” he moaned in anguish. “I have no way to raise the money they demand and no one else is able to help me.”

“All right, Governor, where is the money to be delivered and when?” Phil asked.

“At Ban Nam Bak, it is about a hundred kilometers by road from here, tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning.” We got out a map of the province and checked where that was. Sawyer and Phillips had joined us by then and we all looked at the map.

“We’ll need to get someone in there by tonight,” Sawyer said.

“Yes, but who and how?” Phil asked.

“Tweed,” Suenee answered, as she came into the house. “Phesila is a student of mine. My amulet said that Tweed is the one to do this.”

“But he’s in Muang Et,” Sawyer told her.

“The Governor has a helicopter,” Suenee told us. The Governor looked startled at this revelation.

“How do you know this?” he asked.

“The Amulets know many things,” Suenee replied.

“What kind of helicopter is it?” Phil asked.

“It is a CH-34 helicopter. It’s almost new, as I don’t like to fly,” the Governor told us.

“Do you have a pilot and has it been maintained?” Sawyer demanded.

“Yes, there are two pilots and a crew chief. The Thai Army has kept it for me and done the maintenance, as I know nothing of these things.”

“What’s the range of those things?” Phil asked as a general question.

“It’s around 350 km and it flies at around 160 km/hr,” I told them.

“How do you know that off the top of your head?” Phil asked, puzzled.

“It one of the things I learned in Pathfinder school,” I said and pointed to the patch on my right shirt pocket. We checked distances on the map then.

“It’s about 130 km from here to Muang Et by air and around 100 km to Nam Bak from there and then 60 km from Nam Bak to Luang Phrabang again. so that’s 290 km more or less. If they fly out of here empty, they could carry gas with them and refill the chopper’s tanks on the ground at Muang Et. Then they would have plenty of fuel for the rest of the flight,” Phil said.

“Yes, that would work,” Sawyer seconded. “Baker get on the horn and try to raise Tweed. He’ll need to take some people with him. How many will a CH-34 hold?”

“It will hold sixteen easily and that’s combat troops - American size combat troops. The Hmong are smaller, so probably at least 20,” I answered.

“All right. Get a hold of Tweed while we work things out with the Governor,” Phil told me. Suenee went with me to the radio room.

“Phesila is almost ready for her amulet. You must tell Tweed this. She may want to thank him and he needs to know that she will soon be consecrated,” Suenee informed me. After getting Tweed on the radio, I hit him with the problem.

“Tango 1 Alpha, Cowboy 6 wants to know if you can take on a temporary additional mission, over.”

“3 Alpha, 1 Alpha. What kind of mission. over.”

“1 Alpha, the Governor’s daughter has been kidnapped by TC types. We need to rescue her, over.”

“3 Alpha, are you pulling my leg, over?”

“Negative, 1 Alpha. This is totally serious. The girl’s name is Phesila, and Suenee say she is a very nice girl. Suenee also said to tell you that she will soon be receiving her amulet, over.”

“Roger, 3 Alpha. Thanks a bunch! OK, what do I need to do, over?” Tweed said in resignation, not sounding happy at the prospect of rescuing the girl. The CO came in then and outlined the mission and the transportation arrangements to Tweed.

The CH-34 would be at his location by 1500 hrs today. That would give him time to get his personnel together and look at some maps. We sent additional maps and the ransom note so he would know where to be when it was time to make the planned exchange. It looked like Tweed would be flying by the seat of is pants on this one. There was a lot that could go wrong and it wouldn’t take much at all for this to turn out badly.

We heard from Tweed again just after 1600. They were setting out and would contact us after the mission was complete. We didn’t mention this in our report to Desk Rider that night.

About 0730 the next morning, Suenee came in and gave me a kiss. “They have her,” was all that she said.

Two hours later Tweed drove into the compound with one of the most stunningly beautiful women that I had seen in a long time. She was about 5’-6’ tall with long shiny raven black hair, almond eyes, a perfect complexion, well except for a little dirt here and there, and a body that made men drool and other women jealous.

Suenee rushed up to her and took her into the house and upstairs for a while. Tweed had a smile on his face like he had just hit the jackpot at Monaco or struck a vein of gold.