The Amulets of Power V A New BeginningChapter 7
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Back out on the village street, we continued toward the Wat, as the sun was close to setting. We reached the masonry walls around the Wat while the sun was still visible, making it about 1815 hrs. The walls had been painted or whitewashed at some time in the past, but portions of the paint was now peeling. There were gardens of various types of vegetables on both sides of the Wat and presumably behind it also, which were tended by the monks.
We passed through the gate into the Wat and looked around to become familiar with the layout, and to determine where the chief monk might be at this time of day. What we saw was a rather small and somewhat poor Wat. There was an Ubosot, or Bot (an Ordination Hall) where the chief Buddha image of the Wat was housed. There didn't appear to be a Wihan, or assembly hall at this Wat. They did have a Ho trai, or Scripture Depository located in a small pond, however.
There were several Sala, or open pavilions, and these may have taken the place of the Wihan at this Wat, as they are used for many different functions. There was also a bell tower, or Ho rakang for waking the monks, and for announcing the morning and evening ceremonies. Off to the side was the Chedi, a bell shaped structure of masonry that contained the relic chamber. It was well painted, but unlike others that I have seen, there was only a smattering of gold leaf on its surfaces. All of the other structures at this the Wat were built of wood. Some had been carved and a number were painted in traditional Wat colors.
Along the back wall and farthest from the Phutthawat, or the area Dedicated to the Buddha, were the structures housing the monks along with the kitchen and a small Sala Kam Prian, or sermon hall. These were of wood also, and much of it didn't look like it had ever been painted as it was the normal brown--gray color of weathered mahogany.
We had only been standing there observing the Wat for a short time when we saw a monk in a saffron robe heading toward us from the area of the Bot.
"Sawat Dee, Krup!" he said with a smile, and a Wai, as he neared us.
"Sawat Dee, Ka!" Chanthra replied with a Wai, and a bow. I had also greeted him with a 'Sawat Dee', Wai' and a bow, but I had used the male 'Krup' ending, and not the female 'Ka' ending that Chanthra used.
"How may we assist you?" the monk asked, when the greetings had been completed.
"We are seeking a place to stay for the night, Reverend Monk," Chanthra told him.
"You are travelers then?" the monk asked. From our sweat stained clothes and somewhat disheveled appearance our status may not have been evident.
"Yes, we lost our transportation earlier today, and have walked some distance to reach here," Chanthra told him.
"What is your destination?" the monk asked, but didn't appear to find it strange that we had lost our means of transportation, and didn't ask about it either. I found that a little strange, and wondered if that happened often around here.
"I am on my way to Korat to hold classes on the Amulets," Chanthra informed him.
"You are consecrated then?" the monk asked showing some surprise.
"Yes," was all that Chanthra acknowledged.
"It's plain that you are Thai, but who is this large Fa-rung with you?" the monk demanded.
"He is my Champion and Guardian. He has been directed by the Amulets to take care of me," Chanthra assured him.
"He certainly is large enough for that," the monk replied, as he looked up at me. He was only about five feet four inches tall and a bit on the thin side, as most monks tend to be.
"But I digress," he continued changing the subject. "I will have one of the novices show you to our guest quarters. They are in the corner by the back wall. You are welcome to stay as long as necessary. It would be appreciated if you can make a donation to the Wat when you leave. Also, have you eaten?" he finished.
"Yes, we ate in the village before coming here," Chanthra informed him. "We should only require your hospitality for the one night. We need to be on our way to Korat tomorrow." The bell in the bell tower sounded just as she finished.
"Please excuse me now, the evening prayers are about to begin. The novice will be here shortly. Sawat Dee, Krup, " the monk said before departing. A young boy, the promised novice, soon appeared to lead us to the guest quarters.
The structure that he showed us to was wooden like the other buildings here and was built on pilings like the building housing the monks, and the other houses in the village. In the gathering darkness it was difficult to see it, but it appeared to be small - very small. When we finally entered the room after I had removed my boots, and she had removed her sandals, Chanthra was a little surprised by the size of the single room.
"This room is only 6 sauk by 7 sauk (3 meters by 3.5 meters), but it will be all right for the night," she assured me. I wasn't so sure of that. I'm a big guy, and a room which was roughly 9'-10" by 11'-6" seemed awfully small to me. It wasn't all that much larger than the Kuit, or rooms that the monks stayed in, and it was just as spartan. There was a small veranda on two sides of the room also, which did help some.
"Can you light the lamp?" Chanthra asked after we had set our things on the floor. It felt good to be out of the backpack. I fished the lighter out of my pocket and lit the small lamp that sat on the floor. It provided only a little light to see by, the sun having already set.
"There is water to shower with below, and I will wash our clothes if you have something else to wear," Chanthra volunteered.
"Yes, I have other clothing in the backpack," I assured her. "Would you like to shower first?"
"Yes, if you don't mind," she answered.
"Go ahead. I have a mosquito net in my pack, and will set it up while you shower."
"That's good. I don't believe that they have any mosquito control here," she answered, as she opened her bundle of things and removed two sarongs.
"Will you need the light?" I asked.
"No, there is a moon tonight. I will be fine."
"Do you have a towel to dry off with?" I asked her.
"No, I will use the sarong," she assured me, as she prepared to leave for the area by the klong jars under the building. There were some woven bamboo mats hung there for privacy.
I pulled the mosquito net out of my pack and wondered how I was going to hang it over the platform that served as a bed. To my surprise, I found some cords already strung there that I could attach the mosquito net to.
After finishing the mosquito net, I removed the nylon poncho liner from my pack, and spread it on the sleeping platform. It wasn't a mattress, but would be softer to sleep on than the bare wood of the platform, and it would absorb any sweat.
Following that, I removed a pair of my extra fatigue trousers and an undershirt from my pack along with a bar of soap and a towel. Chanthra was back by the time that I finished.
"I will need the light when I wash our clothes," she informed me.
"Sure that will be fine," I assured her before I left to shower.
Under the building, I found the shower area in the semidarkness easily. There were some boards on the ground to stand on inside the enclosure formed by the bamboo mats. There was a small bowl there to scoop water out of the klong jar and pour it over yourself to get wet and wash yourself. I hung my uniform on the bamboo mats. I had emptied my pockets and put everything in the pack before coming down here.
The water was semi-warm, but the bowl was rather small, so it took several bowls-full to get all of me wet. I had plenty of experience with this already, as it was how the Rangers, who I advised, showered in the field, when the situation permitted. I was soon finished, dried off, and put on the dry clothes before returning to the room above.
"Where are your dirty clothes?" Chanthra asked, as I came into the room.
"I left them down by the klong jar," I told her.
"I will go down and wash everything. Will you be alright here in the dark?" she asked.
"Yes, I'll be fine. I've spent a lot of nights sitting up in the dark on patrol waiting for something to happen," I told her with a smile. Chanthra was gone for about twenty minutes or so. I had laid down on the platform to wait for her, and had put my pack on the bed to use as a pillow. I could see her come up the ladder, as she was carrying the lamp.
"The clothes should be dry in the morning," she told me as she entered. She really looked lovely. The sarong was wrapped tightly around her revealing her fine figure, and her long hair was loose and hung down on either side of her face. She really was a striking looking woman.
"We should go to sleep now," she told me, as she set the lamp on the floor and extinguished it. In the renewed darkness, I could hear her move to the other side of the platform and slip in under the mosquito net.
"We can't do anything here at the temple," she told me, as she lay down. "I'm sorry, but we will have to wait."
"That's all right," I told her. Chanthra had told me all about the Amulets during our walk that afternoon. She had explained about being consecrated, and that most men were not allowed to touch her. Only her father and the one who would be her husband could touch her without dying. I was her Champion, and would be her husband when the Amulets told her to marry me. She had seemed very sure of these things this afternoon in the sunlight.
I, on the other hand, had been somewhat shocked by her assuming that I would be marrying her, and that it was my job to follow her and protect her. I had certainly never heard of these Amulets, and had trouble believing that they were the ones that had saved the Kingdom and guided its rulers at least in part. Of course, I had also figured out that we were more than lost. I didn't believe that we were in the 20th century anymore. I wasn't sure what year we were in, but believed it was long before many Americans were present here in Thailand.
I had been lying there thinking for a while when I heard Chanthra sniffing and a heavy sigh from her.
"Are you all right?" I asked her quietly.
"Nooo!" she moaned and sobbed again.
"What's wrong?" I asked, mystified.
"I'm scared," she moaned, and moved a little closer to me. "I was not prepared for what has happened. My amulet has assured me that this was what I was trained for, but this is a Thailand that is different from what I am used to. Things are more primitive here than the Thailand that I lived in.
"Also, now I am in bed with a man ... a man that I know little of, and who is so large. My amulet has assured me that you won't hurt me, and that we will be married in a few months, but I still don't know you!" she wailed and began to cry. She had seemed so self-assured and positive about what we were doing all day, yet here in the dark with time to think about things, all of that seemed to have vanished.
"Chanthra, you are a very sweet girl, and I wouldn't hurt you. I, too, was surprised when you told me that we are going to be married, and that what you call 'the Amulets' had decreed it. I don't really understand about them. Perhaps you can explain more about them, as we continue on the way to Korat.
"In the meantime, that is the destination for both of us. It will be safer for us to travel together than to continue on separately. When we reach Korat, we will hopefully be able to make some sense out of this situation, and determine exactly where, and more importantly when we are. After that, we will see if we are to remain together or not," I finished.
"But the Amulets... !!" she started and stopped. "You would surely die from touching me if you were not the one chose for me," she finished in a very frightened voice.
"Again, we will see how that goes when we reach Korat. For now both of us need to get some sleep. We have a heavy day of traveling tomorrow. Perhaps we will be able to find some kind of transportation in the morning," I told her.
"Yes," she answered with a sniff. "Would... !" she started very quietly and then stopped. She seemed very unsure of herself and what she wanted.
"Would you hold me for a time?' she finally asked, very hesitantly. "I need the reassurance of another nearby."
"Yes, move over to me, and I'll hold you for as long as you want," I assured her. Chanthra moved over next to me, and I put an arm around her. After a time she moved even closer, and laid her head on my shoulder. I could hear her shuddering exhales several times before she settled down.
Again the thought came to me that this was a very sweet young woman with a fine figure, and she would make any man a fine wife. Why had I been chosen, if I had indeed been chosen, I wondered? I had no answer for that question and didn't expect any that night. I closed my eyes after a time and was soon asleep with this young woman curled up to me.
We were awakened before dawn the next morning by the bell in the Hor rakang, or bell tower, calling the monks to the new day. It was still quite dark out. Chanthra stirred at the sound, and I became aware of the reduced blood flow in the arm that I had around her by the tingling in that arm.
"Is it morning already?" she asked, as she sat up.
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"Sergeant Baker, you and Sergeant Tweed see me immediately after we all check in!" the Major said in a strained voice when he had recovered from the sight of Suenee and Phesila standing outside the hotel with our children. Captain Tamusarit had already walked over to Suenee and greeted her and Phesila with a traditional Thai greeting. "Sawat Dee krup," he said with a smile, as he waied. "Sawat Dee ka," both women replied with a wai and a smile. "It is good to see you again, Suenee...
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Starling had left Operations when I returned, but was soon back with the pieces of his Army Green Class A uniform. Suenee took them and placed them on the chair that she had been sitting on. "I will have these ready when you come on payday for your wedding," she told him. As quietly as she had spoken, the Major had picked up on it, and turned to look at both of them. "What wedding?" he asked. "Sergeant Starling and my student, Noon, will be married on payday when he returns to Chiang...
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Wednesday the first of March 1967 dawned the same as every other day had. I spent the early morning hours after breakfast straightening up the radio room. It was something I had been putting off since the Teams had left on Friday, but I had decided to get it done this morning. About 1000 hrs 'the Radio' came to life all on its own for no apparent reason. "Any station, any station, this is Cowboy Tango 1 Alpha, over," I heard immediately. In my hurry to get to the radio, I tripped on a...
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...
We filed out of the front gate toward the saddle. I handed Tweed the smoke grenade, as we hurried down to the LZ. In just under five minutes, I was in place and ready. I called the chopper again. "Air Cobra 17, this is Golden Badger 3 Zulu. I am popping smoke now," I told him as I signaled Tweed. "I identify green smoke. I say again green." "Roger, Air Cobra 17. I'm down wind of the smoke and ready to guide you in." The chopper that approached then wasn't a Huey either. I...
New characters appearing in the remaining chapters: Lieutenant Paribetra Thai Army Ranger, Suenee's cousin from Amulets II, 5'-10" tall, 155 pounds, 27 years old, black hair, brown eyes Phesila Tweed's girlfriend / wife, Governor's daughter, 5'-6" tall, 120 pounds, 20 years old, 36C-23-35, long shiny black hair, brown eyes, stunningly beautiful Monday was fairly easy, as there wasn't much going on. The CO arranged for Carson to get on a TSF flight on Tuesday that was going to...
Arriving at our unit area earlier than the previous morning, I found the cooks preparing breakfast for the men who were already up. Kwaikai took my horse to have him graze in a new area. Captain Prawin greeted me immediately after that. "Chief Trainer, yesterday evening while talking with the Sah meeuhn (clerk), I asked him what provisions there were for writing letters or keeping a journal. He showed me the paper that you had provided and mentioned that there was a writing box here, but...
When Captain Prawit and I arrived at the firing range, Lieutenant Chatchai had the men at work already repairing the area of the tam-nop (embankment) to be used for firing and the area on the next dike or embankment where the targets would be placed. With the rain that the area had received lately, the space between the two locations was filled with some eight inches of water, and it resembled a rice paddy – if a small one. The taller embankments were very visible now with the areas between...
We formed up the unit on the company street at 0900 hrs, and marched off in a column of platoon shortly following that. The march to the exercise area required more than an hour before we reached the location where we dropped off the First Platoon to begin their portion of the exercise. The other platoons followed in order. Captain Prawit and his assistants would be grading the First and Second Platoons initially, while Sergeant Chung and I would have the Third and Fourth Platoons. We would...
A new character introduced in this chapter: Sonsri Daughter of the Governor of Korat Province, 5'-0" tall, 98 pounds, 32B-22-32, 18 years old, long black hair, brown eyes, cute On leaving Muak Lek, we had ridden for over two hours without much talk. Chanthra had purchased two large conical hats made of straw and bamboo before we left the village. I had wondered why at the time, but the reason soon became apparent on the ride. "Here put this hat on," she told me handing me one of the...
The following new characters appear in the remaining chapters: Richard Starling (Rick) Commo specialist, SP/4, 5’-10” tall, 145 pounds, 23 years old, blond hair, gray eyes. Harry Williams Commo specialist, SP/4, 5’-7’ tall, 155 pounds, 21 years old, brown hair, brown eyes Noon Thai girl from Chiang Rai, 5’-0” tall, 100 pounds, 32C-20-31, 19 years old, long shiny black hair, brown eyes, very cute The next morning, the 19th, I was up early and fired up the AN/VRC 47 radio after the...
The following characters will appear throughout the rest of the story: Phil Del Vecchio Major, OIC of Team, Bill was on his Team in Luang Phrabang, 5'-7"tall, 175 pounds, 39 years old, black hair, hazel eyes, very muscular Fleming, Jack Captain, Advisor to the Thai Rangers, 5'-11" tall, 170 pounds, 32 years old, blond hair, blue eyes Stills, Ken SFC, Advisor to the Thai Rangers, 5'-9" tall, 155 pounds, 36 years old, Brown hair, gray eyes Wesley 1LT, Team XO, 6'-0" tall, 165...
Fields dropped me off at Ploenchit Road and continued back to the Team House, while I walked the few blocks to the Nana. I was soaked when I got there from Bangkok's heat and humidity. The air conditioning in the lobby felt really great. I went up to the room where I found Suenee talking to two of the women who worked at the hotel. The women left just after I arrived and Suenee took one look at me and said, "Shower." I knew better than to argue by now and collected my other clothes and...
The rest of the morning was pretty dull with only a few good bits of conversations to be captured. It wasn't until after lunch that we picked up the Attapu station again. John went to get Ernie while I recorded it. There was shouting again at both ends of the transmission. Ernie was laughing his ass off after he came in. They finally signed off, and Ernie eventually managed to stop laughing enough to talk to us. "What the hell is so funny?" John asked, as he turned from his receiver to...
The following characters return from Part 1: Sgt. Bill Baker Radio Operator, 5'-10" tall, 170 pounds, 24 years old, Auburn hair, Hazel eyes MSG Sawyer Team Sergeant, 6'-6" tall, 275 pounds, 42 years old, black hair, brown eyes Suenee Sa Bill's girl friend and wife, 5'-2" tall, 108 pounds, 34C-23-35, 21 years old, brown eyes, long black hair, oval face, very cute Sophie MSG Sawyer's girlfriend, 5'-10" tall, 140 pounds, 38C-25-37, 25 years old, brown eyes, long black hair The...
I was awakened again by Suenee shaking my shoulder. There was barely enough light to see in the room. "You must return now," she said, when she saw that I was awake. I reached out and pulled her to me. She offered no resistance and came into my arms for a long kiss - but not too long. "Shower," she told me in a no-nonsense voice. We adjourned to the shower again. I was better prepared this time, but that water was still cold. We both showered and dried off. When I came out of the...
We moved as quickly as possible toward the Aviation area in the near total darkness of this moonless night. Chinese New Year is celebrated on the new moon, and it was very dark here in the Shan States at night without the moon. There were no lights showing in the town either. The Aviation people that we encountered on the way were very nervous, but we managed to get to their command bunker without getting shot. "What were those explosions? We couldn't contact your Operations," Captain...
Captain Tamusarit (Cowboy 6) was early with his report that evening. "Old Hand, Old Hand, this is Thai Cowboy 6. Over." "Thai Cowboy 6, this is Old Hand. Over." "Old Hand, this is Cowboy 6. Is your Six available? Over," I handed the mike to the Major who was standing next to me now. "Cowboy 6, Hand 6. Go." "Hand 6, Cowboy 6. My people are all back from their patrols. The site near my location was the first one checked. They found a large crater in the mountain side above a small...
When Sergeant Tweed returned from Chiang Rai, he was very busy for the first hour or so. Later he took me aside to talk. "I spoke with Noon while at the house. She is very lonesome and anxious for you to return. She asked me to tell you that," Sergeant Tweed informed me. I had been thinking about her a lot also while on watch with nothing more strenuous to do than listen for a call on one of the radios. I had decided that I needed to see her again. I certainly liked her a lot, and not...
The payday bird arrived pretty much as usual at around 0900 on Friday the 28th, and we were setting down in Chiang Rai just after 1030. Sorenson reminded everyone to stay alert in case of a recall before we were all released to get paid. Starling and the others from the Red Tigers headed for their unit here on the Airbase, while Tweed, I, and the other Special Forces people headed for the Team House. Suenee, Phesila, Noon, and our daughters were waiting there for us when we arrived. Noon...
Friday, the 2nd of January, 1970, started out just as cold as the previous day had. After sending the daily report to the B-Detachment last night, I had returned to bed for another two hours of sleep before relieving Starling just after midnight. I re-tuned my radio to the 20 meter shortwave band and listened for any signals that could be originating here in the Shan States, as I believed this was the most likely wavelength that an agent here would be using to contact his superiors in...
New characters appearing in the next few chapters" Luang Silapakom Bill's landlord and teacher, 5'-6" tall, 130 pounds, 53 years old brown eyes, black hair going gray John Bill's co-worked, MOS 98G (Voice Intercept Operator), 5'-9" tall, 150 pounds, 23 years old, blond hair, blue eyes, SP/4 Ernie Translator (Vietnamese), MOS 04B, 5' 8" tall, 160 pounds, 24 years old, brown hair and eyes, SP/5 The entrance to the Operations area was the red guard-shack we had been to last...
The trip from Bangkok back to Korat is about 260 km, more or less by road. We pulled out of Seri Court just after 0830 and made good time once we got out past Don Mung airport. We took the turn to Sara Buri and headed up Friendship Highway. I had a much better view of the trip from the elevated cab of the deuce and a-half then I had had from the pickup truck coming the other way. It was shortly after passing Sara Buri and before we reached the climb to the Korat plateau that I started to...
Characters returning from Part 1 of the story: LTC Hawkins Executive Officer, 46th Group, 6'-1" tall, 185 pounds, 45 years old, brown hair, blue eyes MAJ Carlson S-3, 46th Group, 5'-9" tall, 160 pounds, 39 years old, sandy blond hair, gray eyes The road from the airfield was straight as an arrow and our maps showed that it intersected Highway 4 / 13 roughly half a mile before that road split. One part went through the town and was designated as highway or road 1, and the other part...
New characters appearing in the next several chapters: Short Round Friend of Bill’s, 5’-9” tall, 145 pounds, 21 years old, brown hair, gray eyes Ear Company clerk, tall thin young man, 20 years old, red hair and freckles SSG Williams, Willie S-2, 83rd RRSOU, 5’-8” tall, 170 pounds, 31 years old, very short blond hair, blue eyes First Sergeant Never named other than his rank, tall, thin, balding, reddish completion 44 years old Major Taylor Commander, HQ Co, 83rd RRSOU, 5’-4” tall,...
Our flight arrived at Nawngh Kam just after 1030 hrs. Captain Paribetra immediately posted guards while the rest of us busied ourselves unloading the chopper. In the meantime, MSG Sorenson and SFC Lee started laying out the camp from a plan that they and the Major had constructed. Our helicopter was on its way back to Chiang Rai before the next one arrived just after 1130 hrs with more troops and tents. The Operations tent had been the first one erected. When the additional troops arrived,...
New characters introduced in the next two chapters: Colonel Thuathao Senior Colonel, Thai Special Forces, Suenee's 'uncle', 5'-10" tall, 170 pounds, 48 years old, black hair going gray at the temples, brown eyes I arrived at the airfield while they were still unloading the C-130 aircraft, as it is only about a four mile drive. I pulled up on the unloading ramp near the plane and walked over to the Air Force Loadmaster who was supervising the unloading. "Howdy," I said as I...
This morning I shaved before going to eat, as I knew that Phillips had started the water heating after getting off guard and it would be hot by now. Also the cook had just arrived as I was getting off guard, and breakfast wouldn't be ready for a little while yet. Breakfast at around 0700 was very quiet and everyone took care of last minute things after that. Then they finished loading their jeeps with their rucks, ammunition, weapons and at least one five gallon can of water. De Foor came...
On Monday, the 30th of March, the Major called all of the Section Chiefs in for a meeting. "Tomorrow is the last payday that we will have requiring a split shift, as next payday we will all be on our way to Chiang Rai, and then back to our regular assignments, at least most of us. What will the Red Tigers be doing?" the Major asked. "We'll be rotating also, sir," Captain Rust told him. "But it will be on the First of May. They will hold our pay till then," he assured us. "So, I am...
When we returned to our house shortly after midnight on New Year's day, Suenee seemed very distracted. I was sitting on the bed when Suenee came over to me. "Can we do something different tonight," she asked, but seemed worried. "Sure. What would you like to do?" I asked. "I ... I have been talking to some of the younger women, the ones that work in the bars," she said nervously. "They have told me that it is not a big thing to do." "What is?" I asked, confused. "Smoking,"...
Note: All of the names of places in the Shan States are actual towns there located along the Salween River. The names of towns in China are actual towns located near the border with the Shan States. Tweed and I left for home after the Major finished. I locked the commo room and returned the key to the CQ. We returned to the hotel to drop off our LBE and picked up a clean set of tiger fatigues to change into in the morning. We didn’t run into, or see anyone on the way to the house, but were...
Chinese New Year had been at the end of January in 1968. There had been an uprising in South Vietnam by the Viet Cong. They called it the “Tet Offensive”, and it was a colossal failure. They had too few personnel and weapons for the grand offensive that they envisioned, as they had counted on the civilian population rising up to join them along with major units of the South Vietnamese Army. That didn’t happen, and they were easily defeated by the South Vietnamese Army with the aid of some...
I awoke just after 0430 hrs. As tired as I had been when I turned in, I felt fine now and crawled out of my nice warm sleeping bag to be greeted by a very chilly morning. I dressed quickly and headed for Operations, the coded messages, and the code book. Williams was on radio watch. He looked a little tired and cold. The radio was quiet, and the generator was the only sound to be heard. "You can go to bed, Williams. I'll take over," I told him as my eyes grew more accustomed to the...
I had just started to open the shipping case in the commo bunker when Meadows came in. “I want to see what this thing looks like,” he told me, as I opened the locks on the case and removed the top. The main unit was in the middle of the case surrounded by foam and the other modular units. Spare parts, manuals and tools were in the bottom under these units. “Are you just running code here?” I asked Meadows. “Yes, that’s all we can do with the GRC-109. What will that baby do?” “You can run...
Characters introduced in Chapter 5 “The A Team”: SFC Meadows -Senior radio man SFC Morris and SSG Hadley - Heavy and light weapons SSG Tweed -Engineer and demolitions SFC Walls and SSG Johnson - Medics SFC Barlow and SSG Engles - Intelligence Captain Warren and 1st Lieutenant Sykes - Commander and XO MSG Sawyer - Operations and Team Sergeant The Thai Special Forces (TSF) Team: 1st Lieutenant Tamusarit - Commander Sergeants Mon and Thu - TSF NCOs The airfield was still on a...