Chapter 16

Things remained quiet for the next week and a-half. The 25th was Christmas, and while it felt a lot more like Christmas up here in the mountains, there was no big celebration. The cooks had received extra food on this week's shipment, and prepared a very nice meal for us on Christmas, but there was no real celebration, no trees or gifts. Of course the Thais don't really celebrate Christmas, but they were happy to join in eating the extra food provided.

Payday, the 31st, was on a Wednesday this month, and it was also New Year's Eve. We all wondered what the schedule would be. Major Del Vecchio announced his plan for payday to all of the U.S. personnel on the morning of the 30th.

"Again this month, we will maintain 50% strength over payday. That means half of you will be paid on the 31st, and the other half on the 1st. This again will be rough on everyone, as those on duty will have long hours, but it is the only way that I know of to remain operational.

"Section chiefs get with your personnel and decide who will take which day. The first half will leave tomorrow morning and return on the morning of the 1st. The second group will leave on the chopper that returns the first group, and return on the morning of the 2nd. Observers will be changed on the morning of the 1st, so make sure that you plan for that section chiefs. Are there any questions?" the Major finished.

There was a babble of voices when he finished, but no questions, as everyone tried to speak to their supervisor at once. Later in Operations, MSG Sorenson laid out the shifts in Operations for us.

"Sergeants Tweed and Baker along with one of the Aviation radio operators will leave to get paid on the 31st. Sergeants Lee and Broyles plus the other Aviation radio operator will go on the 1st to get paid. The Major and I will work out which of us gets paid first. You two young SP/4s decide which one of you will go first. Any questions?" MSG Sorenson asked us. No one had any questions, and Williams and Starling went over in the corner to decide who would go first.

Captain Paribetra came in to see the Major shortly after that, and they talked in low voices for several minutes before shaking hands. The Captain left with a smile on his face. I later heard the Major and MSG Sorenson talking.

"The young Captain was worried that I would object to his releasing half of his people on the night of the 31st for New Year's celebrations, and the other half on the 1st after they were paid. I assured him that it wouldn't be a problem," the Major told him.

It turned out that Starling was the one that went with Tweed and me on the 31st. He was certainly a very knowledgeable young man and an excellent Commo man. When the new equipment arrived on the 26th, he was right in there with Broyles and me getting things set up and making sure that everything was working correctly. Don't get me wrong, Williams is a descent radio operator, but he seemed to lack the practical experience with the equipment that Starling has.

The night of the 22nd the Major had advised Captain Tamusarit about the need for 24 / 7 radio operations. He had assured the Major that it wouldn't be a problem, as he had a combined Operations tent with the 3rd Company, and his people had already been cross training the Commo people in the 3rd Company in all of the necessary procedures. They were fairly proficient in English also.

We shipped out the extra Commo equipment for him on the next scheduled flight after it arrived. His people got it installed quickly, and he was ready to go 24 / 7 with Commo in short order.

The morning of the 31st everyone was up early. I checked on Broyles and Williams to be sure that they would be all right here by themselves. Since we now had three generators, each one only had to run for eight hours a day. I reminded them about checking on the gas for them and to check the oil before starting them.

They in turn said that they had it covered. I sent them off to breakfast while I watched the radios. Starling returned from breakfast while I was watching the radios.

"What are you going to do tonight?" I asked him in passing.

"I don't really know, Sarge. Hang out with the guys in the unit, I guess. There isn't all that much to do in Chiang Rai, although there is more to do there than here in Nawngh Kam," he told me.

"There will be a lot of parties tonight. The Thais love New Year so much that they celebrate three of them," I told him.

"Three of them?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, ours, Chinese New Year, and their own in April as the festival of Song Kran," I told him.

"Really?" he asked in amazement.

"Yes, the Thais love to party, and are a very gracious people, but few GI really get to know them. The GIs are more interested in drinking and sex, but there is so much more to the country and the people. Have you ever visited a Wat? There are many in Chiang Rai along with many other things to see around the city and out in the country side. Chiang Rai is a very old city and there are some fantastic waterfalls and other things to see," I informed him.

"We aren't going to have much time today to see anything," he reminded me.

"You should at least do a little sightseeing," I told him. "If you never get off of the Airbase, you'll never learn anything about Thailand. Why don't you come up to the Team House after you get paid. Tweed and I will take you home for a real Northern Thai meal, and you can go over to see the Wat where my wife teaches," I told him. Starling hesitated for a few minutes, but finally agreed to come.

The chopper arrived just before 0900 hrs, and everyone who was scheduled to get paid that day quickly boarded it. Apparently the Major had decided to wait until tomorrow to get paid, as MSG Sorenson was on board with us. It was just after 1045 hrs when we landed at Chiang Rai having stopped at Nawng-awn to pick up half of the Thai A-Team. MSG Sorenson made an announcement before we were allowed to disburse.

"The ship will depart tomorrow at 0730 hrs. You are expected to be here before that. There will be vehicles departing the Team House at around 0700 hrs tomorrow morning. DO NOT BE LATE," he informed everyone.

There were vehicles from the Team House on hand to carry us there to be paid. The Aviation personnel were being paid at their unit on the Airbase. I had arranged with Starling to meet him at the Team House around noon if he could make it.

Suenee and Phesila were waiting for us at the Team House with our daughters. Both wives were embarrassed, as usual, when we kissed them there outside the Team House. Our daughters were anxious for a kiss and a big hug from daddy as well. There was another girl of about nineteen or so with them also.

"This is Noon, one of our students," Suenee told me and we exchanged Sawat Dees, wais and bows with her. "She is here to meet your friend," Suenee added much to my shock when the introductions were completed.

"How did you know that someone came with me?" I asked, amazed.

"The Amulets told me yesterday," Suenee told me as if it were a perfectly normal occurrence. In her case, I had come to realize that it probably was.

"He should be here around noon," I told her, "If he can make it."

"Oh, he will be here," Suenee assured me. "It has been arranged." I just stood there and looked at her in absolute amazement.

By now most of those who had come with us had been paid, and Tweed and I went in to get paid, as the line was very short. Tweed and I gave most of the money to our wives, as we had very modest needs out at the camp. Tweed, the three women, and our daughters went shopping while I waited for Starling.

That young man arrived shortly after 1210 hrs in a vehicle with several others from his unit. The others went off to do what they were interested in while Starling smiled weakly at me.

"Is this where you guys on the A-Team hangout when you come to town?" he asked.

"Sometimes," I told him. "They are here to take care of administrative things for us and for the Thai A-Team also."

"The one at Nawng-awn?" he asked.

"Yes. The Team House procures local things like food, and other civilian things that aren't available from the areas around the camps, which are located at the end of a long civilian supply line. They also get us paid, do our morning report, prepare leaves, if necessary, and other administrative things."

"I've noticed that Nawngh Kam is like the last town on the road that comes there. Most of their stores just carry local products and the people don't have a lot of variety in their choices," Starling said.

"You're right, but that is what the local people there are used to. They have been living the same way for a very long time," I told him. "The people here in Chiang Rai have a larger variety of goods thanks to the good roads and now the railroad. Chiang Mai is an even larger city, and has even more variety," I reminded him.

"When Tweed and I were in Upper Cambodia, we were in a Special Forces camp in the Tri-border area, and there was very little variety there. Most of the food and everything else was delivered by chopper. Life consisted basically of guard duty and patrols," I finished.

"Some of the others said that you and Sergeant Tweed had been on a number of Teams together," Starling said.

"We were on Teams, or worked together in Upper Cambodia, in Luang Phrabang, at Camp Pawaii, and finally up here," I told him, as our wives and their student returned from shopping with their daughters. Tweed was carrying most of the packages.

"Suenee, Phesila, this is Specialist Starling," I said in introduction. They Sawat Deed, waied, and bowed to Starling who clumsily returned their greeting. "And these are our daughters, Lesia and Dang," I added, as my daughter bounced up to me begging to be picked up and held.

"This is our student, Noon," Suenee said to introduce the young girl to Starling. They exchanged greetings, and Starling was a bit better at it this time.

There were a number of samlors and tuk tuks waiting outside of the Team House gates, as it was payday, and they knew that the soldiers were getting paid and would be going out. Suenee organized three of them to take us to our house with the things they had bought while shopping.

At the house, we introduced Bua Gal, the housekeeper / cook. She had lunch ready for us, and we all sat at the table to eat. I made sure that the food wasn't too spicy before Starling was served, as I didn't believe he was used to hot Thai food yet. He and Noon had been in the third tuk tuk. They hadn't sat too close together, and Noon wasn't well versed in English, but both were young people, and seemed to be getting along quite well. Noon helped him with his lunch, and they seemed to smile at each other a lot. Of course Noon is a very cute girl and not hard to look at at all. After lunch Suenee surprised me.

"Noon will show your friend the Wat," Suenee told me before turning to the two young people.

"Do not worry, Specialist, it is only a short walk from here," Suenee assured Starling.

After they had departed, and our daughters were put to bed for a nap, Phesila and Tweed disappeared into their bedroom, as did Suenee and I into ours.

"Do not worry about your young friend," Suenee told me, as she came into my arms. "Noon will take good care of him. She is very much in need of a husband. Already her parents are calling her an old maid. We have been instructing her in the Amulets, and have also been teaching her English. She will take the young man to have dinner after the Wat, and to meet her family. They will return here for the night. How long can you stay this time, my Bill?" Suenee asked, as her body shook from the attention I was giving it.

"We have to leave tomorrow morning. We need to be at the Team House before 0700 hrs," I told her, and went over the events of the last month, plus our suspicions that there would be more to come. Suenee was disappointed at our early departure.

"So short a time!" she said in disappointment as we came up for air, and then added, "The Chinese are not ones to forget or give up. They will try again, perhaps more than once." She had begun undressing me as she said this. We fell into bed and made love twice before dinner that evening with a little rest in between. Suenee had definitely missed me over the last month.

After a fine dinner, and a shower using a bucket of hot water to mix with the cold water in the bathroom, we were preparing for bed when Noon and Starling returned. Noon was crying, but was in Starling's arms. Suenee immediately went to her and there was a conversation that I found hard to follow, as it was in a mix of Hmong and Thai. I pulled Starling aside.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We went to her parents' house after having dinner at a local restaurant. Noon seemed very proud introducing me to her parents. They weren't happy at all, and soon began to shout at her. I couldn't understand any of it. They weren't using Thai, which I can speak a little. It was some other language. After a time Noon started to cry, but she shook her head and answered them back. There was more shouting and then we left. What's going on?" he asked, confused.

"I'm not sure," I told him. "Let me talk to Suenee and find out." I went over to Suenee when she finished talking to Noon.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"Noon took him to meet her parents. They were very unhappy with her, and told her that she couldn't go out with a 'foreign devil' as they called him. Noon told them that the Amulets had chosen him for her. They were even more upset by that, and told her that they had contracted for her to marry a nice local boy. Noon told them that she wouldn't marry him, as she knew who he was, and he would treat her badly. They told her to take her foreign devil and get out of their house, and never to return. She doesn't know what to do now," Suenee told me, upset.

This left me in a real predicament, as I figured it was my fault that this had happened until my amulet turned real cold on my chest.

"What are we going to do?" I asked Suenee.

"They will sleep here tonight - together. Things will take their natural course, as it did with us. When you return to camp, Noon will stay here with Phesila and me. Next month bring Starling again. We will see how things progress," Suenee told me and led me back over to Starling.

"Do you like Noon?" she asked him right off.

"She seems very nice. What happened at her parents' house?" he asked.

"They threw her out because she brought you there. They wanted her to marry a local man, but she doesn't like him. She likes you. You will stay here tonight with her. She will stay here with us when you return to camp. Next month return here to see her," Suenee directed him, in no uncertain terms. Starling just stood there shocked with his mouth hanging open for a time.