Mission 4

I was sitting in the Captains office wondering why I had been called in on the third day of my 30 day R&R. I had spent the previous three days with the yards in their village getting drunk and telling tall tales to my men. Even after walking back the two miles I was still about half drunk and slightly nauseated from the native food I remembered eating last night. I remembered eating some kind of live wiggling larvae that tasted like walnuts from home and my men had all laughed at me because of the faces I was making when they squirted in my mouth as I chewed them. I knew I had stuffed myself with rice and some kind of fruit but the rest of the night was just too hazy to remember. I helped myself to another cup of coffee wondering why the Captain was keeping me waiting.

That thought had just gone through my mind when he came in and sat down behind his desk. He was looking at me and grinning, so I figured he could tell I still wasn't feeling any pain from my three day drunk.

"Well Sarge, you look like shit! How come you didn't go to Thailand or Australia to let off some steam?"

"Beggin your pardon Sir, but it takes too long to get your edge back if you leave the country for that length of time. Besides I always end up in jail before my leaves half over anyways. This couldn't have come at a better time for the Chief though, with his mom being sick and all."

"Yea, I checked and he may take some more time, because from what the Red Cross was able to find she is in pretty bad shape. I have a mission for you if you want to take it? This is one that you can turn down with no hard feelings Sarge. The General called me in this morning and asked me to talk about it with you."

"No offense Cap, but I don't particularly want to go into the bush with a cherry second. It's too damned hard to keep them alive until they learn something."

"Well this one is a little different that your usual missions Sarge. You won't be going deep into the bush, and you will be helping out one of the fire bases with a problem they have."

"Ok Cap lay it out and then I'll decide if I will take it or not."

"Triple nickel has a problem that is getting men in the bush killed off every time they go out. It always happens within the first three hours, and regardless of how many patrols they send out they all are getting ambushed. They have been using a Kit Carson Scout that Casey sent up there last month. She refuses to go on patrols but sits and monitors the radios with one of their men listening to the radio transmissions from Charlie. They are at wits end because she although doesn't use any of the radios seems to know where every team is headed before they do. The General wants you to take your team up and see if you can find the leak. He especially wants Chung to check out this woman and see if she is on the up and up. You will have to go into the bush a couple of times, but close in to the base, and see if there are any signals going out and from where. Sarge they have lost thirteen men in the last two weeks since she arrived."

I looked at him a minute thinking about what he told me, and felt the familiar anger and dislike for Kit Carson's coming back after the fiasco with the NVA Captain. Casey should have been shot for sending those men in with someone like that I thought. I wondered where he had found this one at and what she looked like cause Casey was the type that thought he was a ladies' man. He had probably been sleeping with her, and she had become an embarrassment to him when his superiors found out, so he sent her to a forward fire base.

"Cap, you know how Chung feels about VC. If she is sending signals he will kill her as sure as I am sitting here. Are you sure you want us to handle this?"

"Sarge, off the book the General said to give her to Chung if she is sending messages or signals to the VC. The Captain of the base has already been told she is his if she is guilty. We need to make sure and stop the leak. The Captain there is at wits end, and has halted all patrols until he finds the leak."

"Cap we can pull out day after tomorrow. I want time to sober up and get my shit together before we leave."

He looked at me with a smile then a guilty look crossed his face. I raised my eyebrows at him and he handed me a letter on the Generals stationary. I glared at him smelling something rotten as I opened it.

Sarge, I figured you wouldn't pass this by and I have a favor to ask you? I want you to take Colonel Grimes as your second for this mission. He asked me and got it approved by HQ. He will follow your orders in all matters and will not be wearing any rank. Please don't shoot the dumbass, just kick the shit out of the bastard if he puts you or your men in jeopardy. I know you are going to be pissed about this so I have arranged for you to meet with him in private before you make your final decision. If you do this for me I will owe you a big favor, and you can keep the letter to cover your ass in case you have to stomp him for some reason.

"Jesus Christ Cap, does the General realize what he is asking from me. This bastard has made my life hell in every debriefing. Half my article 15's came from him. What the hell does his fat ass want to go into the field for? He is so out of shape he wouldn't last an hour if we have a running fire fight. Oh boy, first a Kit Carson and now Grimes. Chung is gonna have a fit when I spring this one on him. Grimes called him a little slant eyed prick a month ago, and Chung swore he would get even if it took him years. Cap, I don't think the General knows what he's asking of me and my team. This bastard is a straight leg prick of the highest order and hates the teams. This one I will not agree to, in any way shape or form. I don't want his death on my record or have Chung being hunted because of this prick."

The Captain looked at me in surprise cause I hardly ever raised my voice around him. I usually just listened and quietly accepted or declined a mission. An outburst like this from me was unusual to say the least in his eyes. He looked at me in shock for a couple of minutes before he finally spoke in his usual no nonsense manner.

"Sarge you know as well as I do you can refuse him. I agree he is a prick of the highest order, and I thought the General was going to have a heart attack when this came in from HQ. The funny part of it all is that Grimes specifically asked for you and your team. I don't know why, but he seems to have a lot of respect for you. When he is away from the HQ I have heard that he does nothing but brag about how good you are in the field. I was as shocked as you are when the General told me about this. Grimes wants to meet in private with you wherever you choose. Why don't you meet with him and see for both of us what's behind this. I agree with you and I don't trust him any more than you do. I have looked at this from all angles, and I can't figure out what the hell he's up to with this request. This has to be one for the books and it's suspicious as hell."

I got myself a refill and sat back down thinking about it. I had been sitting for about fifteen minutes when the Captain spoke again.

"Ok Sarge, you got that dirty sneaking grin on your face that you get when you're planning something. Want to let me in on what's going on in that twisted mind of yours?"

"Cap, the less you know the better off you will be if my plan backfires. I need three things from you and only one will be in writing, and it will be destroyed as soon as this is over."

He looked at me for a couple of minutes and started smiling as he answered me.

"Ok Sarge, tell me what you need."

"I need a signed pass to get Chung on the base after hours. I also want one of those little tape recorders that the spooks use to record everything. The third thing is that you call Grimes and have him meet me tonight at 2100 hours in the Sgt. Major's office in the armory. He is to be wearing civvies and be alone. I will destroy the pass as soon as I get Chung off base after the meeting. If he balks tell him if he wants to go with me he will do exactly as I ask. Leave the rest to me and I might get some answers as to why he is so hard on the teams all the time."

"Ok Sarge, but promise me you won't kill him and lose the body. I don't think even the General could work that one out in your favor."

"Oh don't worry Cap; he won't have a hair on his head touched by me. If the plan works he might be asking for a transfer back to the world. If nothing else he won't ever hassle the teams again. Just leave it to me."

"Oh god, I have a feeling I am going to regret this, but I will get you what you need. Is there anything else you want to tell me as I sit up all night wondering when I will be shipped to the closest Federal Pen?"

"Ah come on Cap, have a little faith. I haven't let you down before have I?"

"No but there's always a first time for everything Sarge."

I busted up laughing and he stared at me a minute and started smiling at my laughter. He quickly wrote out the pass for Chung to get on the base, and said he would send the recorder to my hooch with a runner. I got up gave him a big smile, and made a big production of closing the door as I went out. I heard him groan out loud, and started laughing again as I headed for the PX to get something made for tonight. It took the girl all of ten minutes to make it to my request, all the while looking at me like I was nuts or something. I went to my hooch and put it in my footlocker and headed out to talk to Chung about our little mission tonight. I was thinking about it the whole time I was driving to the village and was laughing out loud again by the time I got there. When the jeep stopped and before I shut it off Chung appeared in the seat beside me like a Genie. He was looking at me with a frown on his face because I was still laughing.

Before I could say a word he did.

"Ok what you do now Sarge?"

"Now why would you think something like that my friend?"

"You leave this morning drunk, in bad mood and walking. You come back laughing and with new jeep. You get us in trouble again?"

I lost it again and before I could get myself under control Chung looked like he wanted to strangle me.

"Chung my good friend, our enemy is in our hands."

He looked at me with his mouth hanging open and his eye brows were on top of his head. He stuttered before he could ask his question, with me smiling at him the whole time.

"All VC surrender to you?"

I totally lost it almost falling out the side of the jeep I was laughing so hard. Chung looked like he wanted to kill me he was so mad. I hadn't seen him this way since he killed one of the VC who tortured his family. I took a deep breath before I could speak again.

"Not quite my friend."

He took a deep breath staring holes at me.

"You dinky dau, you no get no more wine. You leave my Sarge come back not make sense. What you do? You need Chung's help? Village hide you and we fight for you but you need tell Chung why you so dinky dau?"

I finally got myself under control and lay the whole thing out right down to his part in tonight's activities. He just stared at me when I got finished. He leaned back and forget where he was and rolled right out his side of the jeep on the ground. He popped back up looking embarrassed and just stared at me a couple of minutes.

"Let Chung get straight, so I not think I dinky dau too. You going to scare Grimes out of Vietnam with Chung's help? You plan on taking him on mission, and let me scare him so bad he leave?"

"Well, only if you want to help. We can start tonight when I meet him at the armory. You do your part and by the time we get into the bush, the first time he hears a gun go off he will soil his pants. He won't ever want to face us again in a debriefing."

He looked at me and turned and walked away. Before I could yell at him he turned back looking at me warily.

"You count Chung out. You go to this mental place you tell me about, and I end up in Saigon jail where White Mice beat hell out of me. I help we get in bush, but not want come on base. I be shot or you be in big trouble more than you usually are. You leave man be or you be dinky dau more than you already are. You call Chung and men when we go on mission."

I just stared at his back as he walked away in total shock. I sat for a little bit before I started the jeep and headed back thinking how I was going to accomplish tonight's plan without Chung's help. Damn I thought Chung had backed out on me for the first time since we had become a team. Maybe I better rethink this a little I thought as I turned the jeep in and headed to the chow hall to get a sandwich and coffee. I had to think this out again because if Chung backed out I was missing something in my planning somehow. Chung was one of the biggest practical jokers I knew if he liked you. He had gotten me several times, and rolled on the ground with the rest of my men laughing at my cussing and stomping in circles in my anger.

I got to the chow hall and grabbed a sandwich and coffee sitting at a corner table to rethink my plan through again. I hadn't been there five minutes when the Sgt. Major came over to my table looking like he was going to rain on my parade.

"Are you fuc-in nuts or something!"

"What the hell's got your panties in a wad?"

"You sorry bastard, don't sit there acting all innocent with me. I can't believe you gave the ok for that sorry ass Grimes to go on a mission with you. You have lost your marbles. He hates all the teams with a passion and you damn well know it. The best thing you could do for everyone is take him deep in the bush and lose him. Also who the hell give you permission to use my office as a meeting place?"

"Gunny, for a change shut your big mouth, and sit down and let me lay it all out for you."

To my surprise instead of calling me out he grabbed a coffee and sat down at my table. I handed him the letter from the General and when he finished reading it he handed it back saying; "Let's hear the rest of this fairy tale."

I started at the beginning of my plan and got about half way through it when he started shaking his head in a negative fashion.

"What?"

"You really don't know anything about him do you?"

"What's there to know Gunny, he's a desk jockey trying to make rank at the expense of knocking good men's accomplishments."

"Sarge, let me explain a few things you obviously don't know about Grimes. He ain't no coward for one, and secondly he ain't about to let you boss him around when you go out on a mission. That ain't in this man's nature. He was a Lieutenant during the Korean War and fought on the front lines along with the rest of his men. He is a highly decorated officer, and worked his way up through the ranks the hard way. He ain't no ring knocker and doesn't fit into that club. He wants to make General before fifty and will do whatever it takes to do it. He hates the SOG because he couldn't make the grade when he tried to go through the training. He just couldn't forget he was an officer at Bragg and wouldn't take orders. During training he tried to assume command of every squad they put him with for training. You know how it is there, and rank doesn't mean a damned thing to you guys. To him rank is everything. Did Chung agree to go along with this crappy plan of yours?"

"Umm no, he walked off and wouldn't have a thing to do with it. He said I was crazy for even thinking about it. Kinda shocked me cause he hasn't ever turned me down for some fun."

"That's the first good decision that mean little bastard's ever made. You and him have stirred up more shit than any Beret and yard since the war started. Sarge, if you're going to actually take him out, you would be better off getting the ground rules straight than worrying about all the other shit you want to do. Believe me when I say it won't work with him in any way. He ain't as soft or as dumb as he acts. Like I said, you would be better off losing him in the deep bush that trying to get him to change his attitude about the teams. Since Chung got smart and is not going to be there tonight I will make sure I am close by just in case you go off on him and do something stupid. That tape recorder don't mean a damn thing to officers like him. Damn, how do you get your dumb ass into these situations?"

Feeling rather sick about my plan, I just said I was lucky I guess. Gunny snorted and got up saying he would see me later. I sat and sipped my coffee ingesting all the Gunny had told me. Damn was I stupid and was damn glad the Gunny had clued me in. He never ceased to amaze me with all he knew about the personnel at HQ. Of course he had been in almost thirty years but to retain all that information was amazing to me. I could remember every trail I had ever been on here, but faces and names seemed to dim and get hazy the longer I was in country. The men I had lost would forever haunt me, as well as my friends who hadn't made it home. The faces of the men I had killed didn't bother me as much, because they were trying to kill me at the time, but I knew somewhere in my future if I lived, I would have to face it in my dreams maybe for years to come.

I was so deep in thought I was in my hooch before I realized where I was at. I lay back on my rack thinking about my meeting with Grimes all over again. Did I really want to take this ass out into the bush and maybe put my men and myself in danger if he tried to pull rank and take command? Did I lay down ground rules that if he didn't follow, could I actually shoot him I asked myself? Then it hit me right in the face, yes I could if he put the mission or my men in danger in any way. I would come back and report it and have my men back me up. Damned I wish the Chief were here with me now. I fell asleep thinking about the ground rules he would have to follow if I decided to take him with us.

I woke and sat up at exactly 1910 hours and went to the showers and shaved. I came back to the hooch with my towel wrapped around me and got in my footlocker getting my civvies out to wear. I picked up the t-shirt wondering if I ought to wear it and decided to go ahead since it would let me see how he would react to what it said on the front. As I looked at it I had to chuckle to myself again thinking I would send it home to my younger brother after I wore it tonight. It was the olive drab green and in big yellow letters on the front it said:

Colonels can't breathe

Unless the General Fart's!!!

I figured if this didn't piss him off nothing would. Besides other than the fact it was in poor taste, I was in civvies and so would he be, so he couldn't do anything but give me hell and tell me never to wear it again. I wondered where the runner was with the tape recorder when an MP knocked saying he had a package for me. I carefully checked it out before I opened it just to be safe, and it was just what I had ordered. I practiced with it for a few minutes and gave my rank, the date, and time, and the circumstance surrounding the meeting with Colonel Grimes and shut it off after saying I was recording it for my own protection. I looked at my watch and it was 2030 hrs, so I headed out walking over to the armory which was but a short distance away.

When I got to the gate the MP took one look at my shirt and busted out laughing saying ain't it the truth. He briefly checked my green card, and let me in, saying as I walked away he was glad he wasn't wearing that shirt tonight. I just stuck my middle finger in the air, and motored on to the sound of his laughter. I got to the armory and Peters let me in laughing when he read the shirt. I went down to Gunny's office where Peters let me in saying Gunny was in the office next to me and walked away. He came back as I sat down in Gunny's chair with coffee and the fixins. I put the recorder under the papers in the lower basket, with the little mike pointed toward the only other chair in front of the desk.

I had just taken my first sip of coffee when Grimes showed up fifteen minutes early seeming surprised I was already there. He read the shirt and got a little red in the face but to my surprise didn't say anything out loud about it. I let him speak first, and sat sipping my coffee as he started.

"Sarge, I agreed to this meeting but I didn't expect to be insulted."

"Sorry Colonel, err Grimes. Help yourself to some coffee."

"I was talking about that shirt you have on Sarge."

"Grimes, we are not in uniform and I can wear what I want when I am in civvies. Now you may not like it and all you can do is tell me in a courteous way you wouldn't appreciate me wearing it again. Other than that I can wear what I want. There is no rank here tonight, so tell me why you want to go on a mission with my team?"

He stared at me a minute or two and sipped his coffee like he was gathering his thoughts. I knew I had threw his game plan off by us wearing civvies so he was thinking on the fly.

"I don't particularly like you or your Chinaman; I haven't made any secret of that. I am smart enough to know that Special Ops is here to stay. I failed the course at Bragg because I failed to recognize the fact that rank means nothing with you guys. That was my first mistake, and the second was making my dislike of the team's public. I threw away a big career by being stupid enough not to realize the Army is changing and I have to change with it or never make General. I need the mission or even two or three in my files to help me get up the ladder. I chose your team because I am smart enough to realize you don't play by the rules, and because of this you have one of the best mission records in Special Ops. I need that to keep alive in the bush and I am willing to take orders from you to accomplish my goals. This is one time I will forget about rank and listen to someone that has survived out there in situations most of us grunts don't ever experience."

"Grimes, do I look stupid to you? Did you think I wouldn't have a look at your file before I decided to talk to you. I know about your front line experience in Korea and that you have a lot of decorations yourself. If I agree to this mission with you along you need to get something perfectly clear in your own mind. I give the orders and I will not hesitate to shoot you and leave you in the bush if you put my team or me in jeopardy in any way. When we are in the bush there are no games and instant following of orders is why we survive. I tell you to move you will whisper how far and in which direction. My team has a mission day after tomorrow and it's going to be a hairy one if we don't do it right. There is a very high probability we may not come back from this one. If you freeze or do anything that's not what you're told, Charlie will kill you in an instant. If your captured you will be beheaded just because your with me. This is what I face every time we go out. You have given me and my men nothing but grief since you wormed your way on the debriefing team. I don't give a damn about your article 15's because they are just an irritation to me. As long as I complete my mission and bring my men back alive I am happy. I don't play by the rules because my enemy doesn't either. That's what you straight legs can't accept. To you war is a matter of honor and following the rules. The VC don't know about your rules, and they sure as hell don't believe in your so called honor. My team is good in the bush because Chung has taught us to think, and act like Charlie as much as possible. Think about it Grimes, because it's your life you will be putting on the line if you go with us."

"Ok Sarge, since we are laying it out in the open, I will admit I have made a helluva mistake in the way I have been treating you and your men. It's that honor you talk about that makes me man enough to admit it. I went back through all your missions since you were here on your first tour. I have to admit reading the reports shocked the shit out of me and I thought I had seen it all. You talk about decorations as if they disgust you, but you hold more than any of the officers with the exception of a few NCO's now on active duty. You have been awarded citations I don't think you even know about. That little raid in Bien Thu got you the equivalent of the French Medal of Honor. Your capture of that Chinese Major got you the highest decoration the Republic of South Vietnam had to offer. Don't any of these mean anything at all to you Sarge?"

"I don't do what I do for medals Grimes. I do it to save lives and help my fellow soldiers. I heard you put it on the line several times in Korea. Did YOU do it for the medals? No Grimes, that's why the straight legs don't like us, because we don't do what we do for gain. We do it to keep our fellow soldiers alive regardless of what branch of service they belong to. I want you to think about this before you commit to go with us, because not only is your life on the line out there, you will have to prove yourself to the men whom you have belittled, to cover your ass when the shit breaks loose, and there is no help coming but the men you're with. Is this what you really want? Grimes I don't like you, and the men who throw their weight around from safe offices, and have no idea what it's like out there without any help but your team. You decide, but remember I will kill you in a minute if you endanger any one of us when we are in the bush. This meetings over Colonel. Give me your answer tomorrow by 1300 hrs and we will go from there."

"Ok Sarge, but don't expect me to change my mind. This means more to me that you can imagine, and if I have to crawl through a swamp to prove myself I will."

I watched as he walked out the door, his back ramrod straight, and even as much as I disliked him I had to admire his courage and tenacity. Gunny came in and sat down in the empty chair and poured us both a coffee.

"Sarge, that had to be the damdest conversation I ever listened to. He all but said he was sorry for treating you and your men so bad. Do you suppose he finally grew a pair after sitting behind a desk for so long?"

"They're just words Gunny, we'll see how he acts when his life is on the line. Take this tape and keep it safe for me will you? I may need it if I have to kill the prick out there. Gunny, I will agree with you on one thing, he seems to be a different person for some reason I can't figure out. I am going to take him and see for myself if he does what he says he will."

"Sarge, I think you're a damn fool but it's your mission and your team. I will offer a suggestion though; keep him in front of you if the shit hits the fan."

"I already thought about it Gunny. I will put Ling watching his every move. If he makes a wrong one, Ling is like Chung, he will kill the prick without hesitation. Chung has taught him well, and he's almost as bad as Chung is about protecting me for some reason."

"Sarge, did you know the whole bunch refused to work with any other team while you went back to the world? Chung said if you came back he would go with you again but no one else. When he heard you were back he walked around the village for days with a big grin on his face saying his Sarge was back to kill VC again. According to some of the other yards, he says you're his white brother and you will not leave him behind when you have to leave. Did you promise him that he could go back to the world with you or something?"

"No we never discussed it. I gave him a big wad of greenbacks to hide if he ever wanted to leave here, and go to Thailand or someplace else. I did tell him if he ever needed a sponsor to come to the states I would sponsor him in a minute. Hell Gunny, he has saved my life too many times not to help him out if I can."

"From what I have heard that whole damned village considers you their unofficial Chief. I did a little checking on Chung before he hooked up with you. From what I was able to find out he used to hit the bush by himself for weeks at a time killing VC and bringing back souvenirs to sell to the desk jockeys. From what I was able to find out he has a considerable amount of cash hid away if he needs to get out of the country. None of the yards I spoke to understood why he hooked up with you, when he refused every other offer from all the other teams. Do you know why by some chance?"

"No when I finished my training under Nichol's, I went to the village to recruit my own team. He watched me get refused by every one of the men. I went to another village and it was the same, I wasn't known so they refused to work with me. I was sitting in a jeep out by the outer fence, and he asked me if I was going to kill VC? I told him I wouldn't hesitate if they were trying to kill me or my team members. He smiled and walked away. The next day I got called to the gate and he was there with four men and accepted my verbal contract. We been together ever since."

"I wondered how it came about Sarge. You know that any of the teams would pay him whatever amount he wanted to fight with them. He refused all the offers but didn't stand in the way of the other men who wanted to join. From what I heard he trained a lot of them himself. I did find out he isn't from that village. He just showed up on morning almost starved and joined the village and has been there ever since. They say he came from China where his whole village and family were tortured by a big bunch of VC who were raiding over the border looking for gold and rice. They say he followed them back to this area and has been hunting them for the last four years."