Chapter 7

On returning home on Saturday afternoon after the briefing and the meeting in the backroom of the club, Suenee announced that she, Phesila, and the children would be leaving on Tuesday, the 14th, for Chiang Rai by train.

"By train!?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes, there is a train to Chiang Mai that we can take from here in the afternoon. We will go as far as Lampang on it. It will be morning when we arrive there. There is a local train that goes from Lampang to Chiang Rai on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We will meet you in Chiang Rai. It is a small town and our amulets will guide us to you," Suenee told me sounding very confident.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked worried. "There will be plenty of room on the planes."

"Yes, I am sure, my Bill," Suenee asserted. "The children would not like the noise of the planes or the changes in air pressure. The train is slower, but we will be able to get plenty to eat and to sleep on it."

"Are you sure that you won't be bothered?" I asked.

"Yes, there will be many Farongs (foreigners - non Thais) on the train. No one would bother two mothers with young children," Suenee told me with a smile.

Tweed came to see me again shortly after that.

"Have you heard... ?" he demanded, grimly.

"About the train, yes!" I answered.

"Is that wise?" he demanded still upset.

"Suenee seems to think it is," I answered. "She says that no one will bother them on the train, and there will be a number of foreigners on the train also.

"I still don't like it," an exasperated Tweed said as he settled on the other end of the sofa. Suenee brought us some beer and only smiled. We drank our beer, but didn't say much before Tweed returned home for dinner.

"You know that I worry about you and Lesia," I told Suenee in bed that night.

"Do not worry, my Bill. We will all be fine, even your son,"

"My son?" I asked confused.

"Yes, the baby that I am carrying is a boy. The Amulets told me so," Suenee answered with a smile. "They will watch over all of us," she assured me before kissing me. Things are a little confused after that, and I'm not sure who started what, but eventually we both fell into blissful if sticky sleep for the rest of the night.

Sunday was spent packing the things that we would be taking to Chiang Rai. I packed my uniforms and field gear. Suenee packed the clothing and other things that she would be taking with her on the train. Excess food and other things were donated to neighbors and friends. Tweed and Phesila were doing the same thing.

On Monday, I met with the two commo men on Captain Tamusarit's A-Team over on the Thai side of the base. They both spoke very good English and were quick on the uptake. We would all visit the commo people assigned to the two Ranger Companies after they arrived in Chiang Rai. That afternoon I got with Sergeant Broyles about the unit's issue radio equipment, and the four PRC-77s that had been added to it.

"These four radios are nearly new and they have consecutive serial numbers," Broyles said while we were checking them out. "Where did they come from?"

"We found them in a North Vietnamese supply dump in Houaphan Province before the big North Vietnamese invasion in '67," I told him.

"North Viet... ?" he asked in shock. "But they are U.S. equipment, and in '67 they were just coming into the system," he finished in confusion.

"Yes, they were. The North Vietnamese had friends on the docks in Saigon,"I told him. He seemed very shocked at the idea, and was quiet for some time.

After inspecting the Team's regular Army issued equipment, he and I went over to the Commo Center, and I showed him my radio. I also explained to him that I was the only person that the radio would normally function for. I then explained the one exception to that - if Suenee or I were present he could operate the radio.

"I don't get it, Sarge. Why is this radio so special? It isn't even an issue radio. Why is it that only you can operate it? Plus your wife won't be up there, and how come it would operate with her there?" Broyles asked, very confused.

"Ted, this is a special experimental radio. There were only twelve of them issued that I know of, and I don't know how many are still in service.

"Also Ted, there are things about this mission that haven't been explained yet. The Major will be holding a briefing when we all rendezvous in Chiang Rai. Things will be explained then. Trust me that there is more to this mission than most of you suspect," I told him.

"I'll have to take your word for it," Broyles said, but didn't look convinced. "I never have figured out how you got on our Team."

"I was on the Major's Team in Luang Phrabang. So were Tweed and Sawyer. Tweed, Sawyer, and I had also been together on a Team in Upper Cambodia. We all met our wives on those Teams. Sawyer and I in Cambodia and Tweed in Luang Phrabang."

"So you guys have been together for quite a while then," Broyles said.

"Yes, quite a while," I answered.

"When will you be able to move this radio in with our other equipment?" he asked getting back to business.

"I'll be moving it directly to the C-130 after re-signing for it. It won't be out of my sight after it's signed back over to me," I told him. "It's classified Top Secret - Eyes Only," I informed him using Sawyer's analogy.

"WHAT?" he demanded, shocked. "Do you have a clearance that high?"

"Yes," I answered.

"And you're going to take this radio to the field!?" he asked in wonder.

"Certainly. It was in Cambodia and Upper Laos with me. I also had it at the 83rd RRSOU in Bangkok and the 7th RRFS in Udorn," I told him.

"But what if it were captured?" he asked in concern.

"Remember, that I'm the only one that it will work for," I told him. "It always travels with me, and it's a pain in the ass. That damn shipping container that it travels in weights 300 pounds, and I need to move it on a hand truck," I told him.

"Man, this just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Broyles said, shaking his head.

"Trust me, you haven't heard anything yet," I told him with a big grin. Broyles left a very confused young man.

That night in bed Suenee and I made long, slow, passionate love before going to sleep. We weren't sure how long we would be separated in the coming weeks and months, or when we would have a chance to love each other again.

In the morning, I went out to camp. There was a Team meeting at 0900 hrs to discuss readiness and to be sure that everyone had all of their equipment and to answer some questions. The meeting opened with a check of the list of equipment that had been shipped to be sure that it had arrived, and that it was in a serviceable condition and could be used.

"I know that there are a number of questions on your minds," the Major said after the equipment was checked out. "Here is what I can tell you for now. We will be leaving for Chiang Rai at 0900 hrs on Friday, the 17th. The flight is said to be a little over an hour in length.

"We will be met at Chiang Rai RTAB by representatives from the new Team House in Chiang Rai. We will remain at the Team House for a number of days. There will be a briefing there about the current situation on the ground. When our aviation support elements are functional, we will be running reconnaissance flights in the Shan States to assess the area, and to determine where we, and our support units, will be setting up operations.

"The two Ranger Companies supporting us are due in Chiang Rai on the 21st. Once they are settled, I will be giving a briefing to both A-Teams and the Officers and senior NCOs of the Ranger Companies about the exact mission and how it will be conducted," the Major concluded.

"Sir, there are rumors that this mission will be somewhat different than what we were led to expect," SFC Lee, one of the Intelligence NCOs, said.

"I think that I can safely say that this mission will be different from any other that any of you have ever been on," the Major said with a smile.

"It already is, sir," SSG Lewis, the light weapons specialist, said holding up one of the AK-47s that they all had been issued.

"You'll find those very convenient," Tweed told him, and then added, "Try borrowing M16 ammunition from Charlie in a pinch!"

"Plus you'll find that the Thai A-Team, and the Ranger Companies are equipped with them also," the Major added. There were a few other minor questions before the meeting broke up. Tweed and I had received permission from the Major to take our wives to the train station that afternoon, and we left for home after determining that there was nothing further that we needed to do.

Suenee had lunch ready when we arrived home. Everything she would be taking with her on the train was packed and setting by the front door ready to go. She had another box setting in the front room.

"Can you bring this with you to Chiang Rai?" she asked.

"Yes, I don't see why not," I told her. "I have a jeep trailer for the radio and its shipping container, and I can put it in there," I told her.

We began closing up the house after having lunch. The Baht buses arrived just after 1430 hrs. Suenee, Lesia, and I shared one with Tweed, Phesila and their daughter. Most of the luggage went on the second one with Sophie and her daughters Nit and Noy.

We arrived at the train station (Satahnee rot fai) by 1500 hrs. The train wasn't due until 1630 hrs, but Suenee and Phesila wanted to be early. They had arranged for the reservations over two weeks ago, and had the tickets already. We sat on wooden benches on the covered station platform. Tweed and I had some colas while our wives and Sophie had gotten some cut pineapple and orange Fanta from local vendors that they shared with the children.

Lesia, Nit and Noy stared at everything in wonder and laughed and giggled as young children will, excited by everything. Phesila's daughter, Dang, was nine months younger than they were and not too interested in the station. After a little of the orange Fanta and pineapple, she went to sleep.

Close to 1630, a very upset Station Master came over to speak to Suenee, waving his hands in distress.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"He says that the train won't stop here. I assured him that it will," Suenee explained.

"You said that the train stopped here!" I said in shock.

"No, my Bill. I said that we would get the train here," Suenee corrected me.

"What's the difference?" I asked.

"The Express train doesn't normally stop here, but the Rapid train is running today," Suenee explained patiently. My amulet warmed up then and I just shut up. Sure enough, just before 1630 hrs a 4-6-2 steam locomotive, number 824, in green and black, and puffing large clouds of dark smoke from its chimney appeared. Rapid train number 110 pulled into the station and stopped. Suenee, Phesila, and the children got on in the second class fan cooled section while Tweed and I handed their luggage to the porter. The train pulled out after a few minutes when they were settled. The Station Master just stared at it in amazement. Nit and Noy were upset and unhappy.

"Rot Fai, ... rot fai!" they kept repeating in tears.

"What's wrong?" I asked Sophie.

"They want to ride the train like Leck (Lesia) and Dang are," she told me. "I'll have to take them on the train - maybe next week. Udorn, too." Sophie collected her disappointed daughters and spoke to them for a bit before we got a Baht bus to take us back to our houses.

Suenee had left Kao put gai (Chicken fried rice) for me at the house and I had it for supper. Tweed came over later and we had a couple of beers before we turned in. The next couple of days would be busy, so we got all the rest that we could. It was very lonely in my bed that night.

Wednesday, I helped Broyles finish packing all of his radio and phone equipment. After that I drew the SOIs for both of the A-Teams and the Ranger Companies. The commo people on the Thai A-Team drew SOIs in Thai for the Ranger Companies also, since most of their commo people didn't speak much English. The Officers and some of the Senior NCOs did.

That night Tweed and I were invited to dinner at Sawyer's house. After dinner he took us outside to talk to us.

"I wish I was going with you, but the Colonel would never agree to it. If you run into real trouble, give me a call, and I'll be there, even if the Colonel doesn't like it," Sawyer told us.

"Sophie would never forgive us if you got busted for that; or worse yet, killed," Tweed told him with a grin.

"Yeah, I know," Sawyer said, and exhaled loudly. "Still if you get deep in trouble, let me know, and I'll figure out something," Sawyer told us. "A lot of people still owe me."

"Bill, be sure to pick up the M-14 Sniper rifle tomorrow and all of its ammunition. I've already cleared it with supply, and you may need it," Sawyer told me next.

"Yes, I'll do that," I assured him. I had reloaded all of the empty brass that I had or could get since attending the Sniper School, and had a good supply of ammunition for the sniper rifle.