Abandoned in Hell : The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate (9780698144262) (33 page)

Pilot:
   Hey, I got a flash!

Spooky 41:
   Well, maybe the boys can fix you up. Hey and be advised, we just got a flash on the ground.

Beak:
   Pour it on, pour it on. Get that son of a bitch!

Spooky 41:
   Roger, he's to your echo on the ridgeline, over there, we're pouring it in on him now.

Beak:
   Roger, roger, OK, that's a point, where you're putting on there is where we've been receiving a lot of the stuff from today. All over the echo side is where we're getting the bulk of it.

Spooky 41:
   Roger that, we're fixing to put it on him.

Beak:
   Go ahead, bring some smoke on his young ass.

Spooky 41 Internal:
   Flare on the
(unintelligible)
spot here. That looked like a mortar tube flash to me.

Copilot:
   Yes sir, that's what it looked like to me.

Spooky 41:
   Hey, Beak, did you all take any incoming coming in?

Chicken Hawk:
   Hey, Spooky 41, this the Hawk, listen, ahh, negative on that, we didn't take anything incoming, so I think you got a secondary.

Spooky 41:
   Might have, 'cause it sure looked like a mortar splash.

Chicken Hawk:
   That's real fine, I hope so, buddy, I hope so, that's one more crew served we won't have to contend with tomorrow.

Spooky 41:
   Roger that and, ahh, old Shadow's coming along with some equipment on board that he might be able to pick out some of this stuff a little better than we can.

Chicken Hawk:
   Well, he'll have to show me.

Spooky 41:
   He's got, ahh, he's a second-generation Spooky.

Chicken Hawk:
   OK, buddy, OK, I'd say he's got some real fine sophisticated stuff and, ahh, the country boys are going to have to take a backseat sometimes, but I don't know, I'm from Missouri, Show Me, right?

Spooky 41:
   OK, he's going to do you a fine job, so no sweat.

Pilot:
   We got a flare.

Chicken Hawk:
   Ahh, I've no doubt of it, no doubt whatsoever.

Spooky 41:
   We're all trying to do the same thing.

Chicken Hawk:
   Roger that. OK, I'm going to turn you back over to Beak.

Spooky 41:
   Roger that.

Shadow 48:
   Spook, this is 48, how about you being our PR man for a while?

Spooky 41:
   Hey, ahh, I don't know if I can handle that or not, you know I'm getting short.

Shadow 48:
   Doing a pretty good job, babe.

Spooky 41:
   Well, I hope you can use that equipment you got, these boys need some help.

Shadow 48:
   We'll do our best.

Spooky 41:
   Ahh, Beak, this is Spooky 41.

Beak:
   Spooky 41, this is Beak, over.

Spooky 41:
   OK, we're fixing to drop a flare, we got one out right now, ahh, we're going to go ahead and expend our ammo, we're getting pretty short and, ahh, we're going to try to get Shadow to come up here in just a minute real quick and show you this and then we're going to have to pull out of the area for just a few minutes, over.

Chicken Hawk:
   Ahh, roger that, Spooky 41, ahh, hey, if those guys are going the other way, let them go, over.

Spooky 41:
   OK, ahh, they're not going to be able to stay where they're going very long.

Shadow 48:
   Ahh, Spooky 41, 48, we're going to hold here north and we will, ahh, we seen the base down there, so we'll be working with you after this other activity is over.

Spooky 41:
   OK, we're going to have to be pulling out as soon as we expend because of, ahh, fuel. Ahh, you say you see the base under our flare?

Shadow 48:
   Roger that we got a good copy on the base.

Spooky 41:
   OK, this thing looks like a big brassiere down here
is, ahh, bald area to the north of their camp and we be getting most of the activity of the eastern slope over here and Beak down there can work you after we leave, over.

Shadow 48:
   Roger that, is this a complete perimeter here on top of the hill?

Spooky 41:
   That's a Charlie, and they got about a 50- to 75-meter radius from their perimeter down through the tree line on all sides.

Shadow 48:
   Roger that.

Night of 1 November: The Escape

Unknown Station:
   Tell them we're circling right 8,500 right above them . . .

Unknown Station:
   That's a lot of shit out . . .

Unknown Station:
   . . . understand we'll be cleared to drop flames right above . . .

Chicken Hawk:
   
(Unintelligible) 
. . . we're going out buddy, we're going out.

Spad Zero Two:
   OK, Hawk, this is Spad, you're going to have to talk slower if you want these people to talk to you.

Spooky 41:
   Hey Spad, Spooky 41, stand by just one second.

Spooky 41:
   Listen
(unintelligible)
 . . . circling at 8,500 right above them . . . you can see it out your window they're taking incoming and the
(unintelligible)
is on the other side. Tell them to move out and we'll go down.

Spooky 41:
   Spad Zero Two, Spooky 41 is in orbit above you
now, and if you move out, we'll go down and get the situation under control if we can, over.

Spad 02:
   OK, Spooky, do you have that flare at this time?

Chicken Hawk:
   OK, Spooky good buddy.

Spooky 41:
   Hey there, Chicken Hawk, take it easy there, my friend. We're right here, we're coming in right now. What's your sitch, Hawk?

Chicken Hawk:
   
(Unintelligible) . . .
the tree line, coming down the valley.

Spooky 41:
   Roger, roger, you're down in the tree lines in the valley in the north west of the figure eight down there, is that affirmative?

Chicken Hawk:
   OK, listen, OK you're going to have to hold up on that, ahh, our people are getting a little bit ahead of me.

Spooky 41:
   Spooky 41, tell them we are descending to 7,000 over the target area.

Spooky 41:
   OK, Chicken Hawk, calm down, get your information down there and just pass that up to me and we'll help you out my friend.

Chicken Hawk:
   
(Unintelligible) . . .
hold your fire, hold your fire.

Spooky 41:
   Spad, Spook Spooky 41, go.

Spad 02:
   Roger, they're moving from the firebase, ahh, to the November about 800 meters and, ahh, you can just watch Hawk here for about a few minutes and see where those lume [illumination] mortars are coming from and they're not friendly.

Spooky 41:
   OK, understand those lume mortars are not friendly, right?

Spad:
   That's affirmative, they're from the bad guys.

Spooky 41:
   OK, now, who's moving the 200 meters to the November, the good guys?

Spad:
   The good guys are to the November, that's affirmative.

Spooky 41:
   Thank you much.

Spooky 41 Internal:
   OK, Lloyd . . . keep them behind us. Tell them I'm going let down in front of them, keep me in sight, I'm going down to 1,500 . . .

Pilot:
   
(Unintelligible) . . .
behind you, right?

Spooky 41 Internal:
   Got 2 airplanes behind me . . . too God damn many planes . . . for us to . . .

Transcriber note:
   [Multiple stations transmitting at same time; too numerous to decipher individual stations accurately. Spooky 41 is trying to get control to clear out some of the stations.]

Unknown Station:
   
(Unintelligible)
 . . . we and a couple of other aircraft out here . . .
(unintelligible)
and the other is Zero Two. We're going to start dropping down to 5,500 here, appreciate it if you'd keep an eye on us so we can both get down there.

Unknown Station:
   Thank you much.

Control:
   Five Zero Two this is control over.

Spooky 41:
   OK, pilot, they're going to clear out for us.

Pilot:
   OK.

Spooky 41:
   Chicken Hawk, Spooky 41, go ahead, my friend.

Chicken Hawk:
   
(Unintelligible) . . .
one of our people popped a trip flare . . .

Spooky 41:
   Chicken Hawk, you'll have to talk a little slower, take it easy, work with me up here. Now what's your situation, go ahead.

Chicken Hawk:
   OK, buddy, one of our people . . .

Spooky 41 Internal:
   Roger, roger, have a flare at my nine o'clock position at this time.

Chicken Hawk:
   OK, a ground flare, ground flare to our November our November, over.

Spooky 41:
   Roger, flare to your November, we're looking now . . .

Spooky 41:
   . . . ground flare there, Chicken Hawk?

Chicken Hawk:
   OK, buddy, why don't we put it to the, ahh, November to the tree line, in the tree line . . . move this strobe, over.

Spooky 41:
   OK, I understand you want us to start working to the November, with that flare up into the tree line, is that right?

Chicken Hawk:
   Roger, roger, right to the front, right to the November the tree line, right there in the valley.

Spooky 41:
   OK and, ahh, Four One Zero to drop its own flares.

Chicken Hawk:
   OK, OK . . . ahead of me, my people . . . got ahead of me.

Spad 02:
   Spooky 41, this is Spad, target . . .

Chicken Hawk:
   Spooky, Spooky this is the Hawk.

Spooky 41:
   Roger, Hawk, Spooky 41.

Chicken Hawk:
   OK, my people got ahead of me a little bit, they're moving out.

Spooky 41:
   OK, real fine, ahh, is Spooky 41 cleared to drop light Chicken Hawk?

Spad 02:
   Negative Spooky 41, this is Zero Two, hold the light. Hold the light.

Spooky 41:
   Roger Zero Two, Spooky 41 to hold.

Spooky 41:
   Hey, ahh, Hawk, understand you're moving out now, is that affirmative?

Spooky 41 Internal:
   Pilot do you have that ground flare identified?

Pilot:
   Yep.

Spooky 41 Internal:
   OK, can you take it 100 or 200 meters north of the tree line?

Chicken Hawk:
   That's affirmative, buddy, that's affirmative.

Spooky 41:
   OK, good deal, how about moving on down . . .

Chicken Hawk:
   . . . affirmative, affirmative, that's what we're doing.

Unknown Station:
   Spooky, hold on here a minute.

Spooky 41:
   Roger, roger, we're ready whenever you are.

Spooky 41 Internal:
   OK, let's let these guys start moving, we don't want . . .

Chicken Hawk:
   . . . moving out . . .

Spooky 41:
   All right, we're up here ready when you get your men in position out of the way we're going to roll in and give you a hand.

Chicken Hawk:
   OK buddy, ahh, we'll keep our heads down, but don't fire to the November, the November, OK?

Spooky 41:
   Roger, we understand, ahh, we won't be firing to the November. You want us to stay to the east in that valley down there in the draw down there, right?

Chicken Hawk:
   
(Whispering.)
Roger.

Chicken Hawk:
   Hey, ahh, we're down at the bottom now and our people are moving out real fine, no trouble so far, WHOA . . . operator, no sweat.

Spooky 41:
   Take it easy down there Hawk.

Chicken Hawk:
   No trouble so far, no trouble so far.
(Whispering.)
OK, ahh, I'll keep you posted.

Spooky 41:
   OK, Hawk.

Spooky 41:
   . . . moving north . . . November . . . moving north . . .

Unknown Station:
   Roger, roger, understand, we'll stay to the Sierra, we'll be working the . . .

Spooky 41 Internal:
   I'd like to get that light out as soon as possible . . . radio . . . drop our flares.

Chicken Hawk:
   
(Whispering, breathing hard.)
Hello, Hawk to control, we're moving pretty good.

Kangaroo Control:
   Roger that, let me know when you come across that first bald hill and starting down this way, over.

Chicken Hawk:
   . . . ahh, correction, OK, buddy, we're by Ambush Hill, Ambush Hill, we're going up on the left side, the left side.

Kangaroo Control:
   Roger that, when you come across that hill and start
down into this next wood line you'll be coming into me, over.