Men in Green Faces (3 page)

When Cruz and Alex were across, Doc started. By then, the monkey bridge bore a thick layer of mud. Midway, Gene saw Doc skid. At the moment his feet went out from under him, he yelled, “Oh, no!” and landing astraddle the spiky fronds, let out a Tarzan shriek that must have echoed across the entire Mekong Delta. Gene couldn’t believe his eyes or his ears. Teetering out there on the branches over the shit ditch, Doc was inventing new words at the top of his lungs between howls of pain and fury.

Gene thought about going to help him, but didn’t dare. Doc was having such a fit that he’d probably shoot the first person who went near him. Biting his lip and trying to keep a straight face, Gene glanced at Cruz, who caught Jim’s eye, who looked at Brian and Roland, who stared first at Doc, then Gene. Gene shook with silent laughter. Tears came to his eyes. When he saw Alex struggling not to laugh, and Alex saw him, it was too much. The entire squad lost control. Tears streamed down green and black faces. They roared. Arms around their stomachs, holding their sides, rolling on the ground, they howled, while Doc called them every SEAL and Vietnamese name he could come up with.

With their location completely blown, Jim aborted the mission. When they could stand up, six re-crossed the monkey bridge to head back to Seafloat. Doc refused. He waded. Dripping wet, testicles swelling, he waddled along at rear security, hissing unprintable things with every step. Gene couldn’t remember ever laughing so hard and so long. The 60 and its ammo had weighed a little less on the way back from that op…

Gene looked away from the no-contact green pin just in time to catch Brian grin at him and shake his head. He knew their point man had also been remembering Doc and the monkey bridge.

“Okay,” Jim said, and took a deep breath, “let’s get on with it. Patrol Leader’s Order.”

Gene straightened slightly in his chair and prepared to listen to the tactics he and Jim had worked out. Under the layers of bandoliered ammunition, he flexed his shoulder muscles and the patrol leader began.

“
Situation:
As indicated in the Warning Order. Our target is an R&R Center for approximately ninety NVA officers who have been released from hospitals and are being…are getting ready to take command of enemy forces throughout the Mekong Delta.

“
Enemy forces:
Intelligence reports there are a minimum of three companies of NVA, constantly on patrol around the NVA officers’ R&R Center.

“
Weather:
Tonight should be overcast, possible chance of rain. Sunrise at 0530. Sunset at 2050. The tide will be going out during extraction. High tide at 0130.

“
Terrain:
Basically a triple canopy, as indicated by the visual reconnaissance that took place earlier today. If by any chance the weather clears up, there’ll be very little light coming in due to the triple canopy.

“
Identification of the enemy forces:
Not known, other than the fact that they’re NVA, who are used to protect the R&R Center.

“
Enemy strength:
Seven hundred fifty to a thousand enemy forces.”

Seven of us, Gene thought again. The hard grin flashed. Good odds.

“They are not based at the R&R Center. They have company camps set up in different locations around its perimeter, ranging from five hundred to a thousand meters from the R&R Center.

“
Friendly forces.”
Jim looked up. “There are no friendly forces.”

There never were. Gene adjusted the position of the 60. Before they ever went into an area, they made sure no other operations were going down. When the SEALs operated off the Float, the area they went into became a free kill zone. Anybody they encountered was considered the enemy and therefore a target.

“
Mission of the next higher unit,”
Jim continued. “Again, there are no other operations taking place in the AO.

“
Location and planned action of units on the right and left: Again, there are no other operations within the AO.

“
Fire support available for the patrol:
We have two Sea Wolves, which we’ll be using for air support, and they can be called upon for emergency extraction. We have two MSSC units.”

The SEALs looked at the Sea Wolf and MSSC personnel, studying them, watching their expressions, making sure they understood, would be ready.

“
Mission and routes of other patrols:
Not applicable. We are the only friendly forces within the Secret Zone.

“
Attachments and detachments:
None, other than the Sea Wolves, who will remain on Seafloat up until the time they are called by radio to bear fire support, and our MSSC vehicles, which, after insertion, will be standing by on the Son Ku Lon river until the time the extraction is called for and/or emergency extraction is necessary.

“Our mission this evening…”

Gene focused intently on Jim. Here it came.

“… is to infiltrate the R&R Center, pulling out or abducting one of the highest ranking officers, who will be returned to Seafloat for interrogation and then released to the V Corps Interrogation Center. The rest of the R&R Center will be destroyed. We will take no other prisoners.”

Gene didn’t move. “No other prisoners” translated instantly to an image of explosions, screams, total annihilation.

“
Area or location:
This is going to take place approximately 11.4 miles up the Dam Doi River, in the northern section of the Secret Zone. Coordinates of our target are 68745832. MSSC will take us to the river just west of the Dam Doi, approximately 9.4 miles in, to our insertion point at 68745832.

“
Execute, concept, plans, objective area:
We are going to patrol into the southwest side of the R&R Center. Insertion coordinates are 83783761 for primary. We will take compass bearing, thirty-five degrees magnetic. We will be patrolling about four thousand meters to the objective site with the Dam Doi River to our right.”

Jim paused and looked up for a moment, then continued. “If we can’t get in with compass bearing, we will connect with the Dam Doi River and take it up to the objective site. Intelligence reports three guards inside the compound. Once the objective is in visual sight, we will stop the patrol, and that location will be our primary rally point if anything should happen before completion of the operation. If nothing does happen, prior to the charges going off, all members will rally back to that location.”

Gene made quick eye contact with the others in the squad.

Everybody understood. Especially Doc. He looked ready to bite the barrel of his weapon in half.

“There are two roving guards patrolling the east and west sides of the compound.” Jim tapped the blackboard. “Intelligence reports also reveal that there is a heavy-machine-gun emplacement at the south end of the compound, just inside the open area and backed in against the trees of the jungle. Here. The diagram on the board shows the locations.”

The chalked-on diagram stood out on the green board, white and solid. Gene studied it, listening to Jim.

“Brian and I will eliminate the two roving guards using our Hush Puppies.” He looked at the rear of the briefing room. “Gene, can you take out the gun emplacement? Silently?”

All eyes focused on Gene. Knife kill. From the back of the room, he answered with one word, “Yes,” and realized his hand had found the hilt of his bowie knife. He moved it back to the 60. The men looked back at Jim—except for Alex, who was pointing to himself and mouthing “Me.” Nobody could figure what went on in his head, Gene thought. Strange, weird guy. He wanted the kill.

“Prior to Brian and myself eliminating the two sentries,” Jim continued, “I will be leaving the two LAAWS rockets with Roland, and Roland will give Brian ten pounds of C-4 explosives with five-minute delay fuses on them.”

As Jim named names, Gene, with the rest of the men in the room, studied each man’s face to make sure he had no hesitations, no unanswered questions. Mistakes were almost always fatal.

Jim paced, pointing out locations on the board. “Roland, Alex, Cruz, and Doc will set security for Gene taking out the heavy-machine-gun emplacement, and take up positions ten to fifteen feet apart on both sides of the gun emplacement so, if need be, we can take the entire compound under fire in support of Brian and myself. Roland and Alex will be on the left side of the machine-gun emplacement, and Cruz and Doc on the right side. I suggest fifteen-foot intervals, but maintain sight of each other.”

He cleared his throat and went on. “Brian and myself will each place five pounds of C-4 approximately two feet in on the underneath side on each corner of the main structure housing the ninety officers. All three buildings are on stilts, about three feet off the ground. Brian will be on the west side and I’ll be on the east side, which will put me between the structure housing the ninety and the NVA doctors’ hootch. There are five doctors. The number of personnel sleeping inside the security hootch is unknown. I will be looking inside the officers’ quarters to see about the feasibility of bringing one of them out prisoner.

“While I’m looking in, if at any time the op is compromised, Brian and I will hit the deck, Gene and the other security will take all buildings under fire, firing into them at a three-foot level and up, which will enable Brian and me to crawl back out and head into your location.

“Gene, if the shit hits the fan, I want you to take the officers’ quarters under fire. Primarily I want you to take the main structure under fire.”

The scenario ran like a movie through Gene’s mind.

“Alex, if the shit does hit the fan, I want you to drop 40 Mike-Mike into the security building. It’s the closest building to our security element’s location. And then everyone will be raking the buildings at the three-foot level.
Everybody.
”

Jim cleared his throat again, smoothed his headband on both sides, then continued. “If everything goes to plan, and we can take out a prisoner of war, I will bring him out, placing him on the ground. Then Brian and I will pull the fuses on the C-4 charges. I’ll pick up the POW and move into your location.

“Once the hostage is captured, Cruz will be responsible for carrying the POW to the extraction point. If we should take casualties, Doc will render emergency treatment on location and, if need be, Doc will use the fireman’s carry to get the wounded man out. If we take more than one casualty, the nearest man will be responsible for carrying him out to a safe location where Doc can render first aid.

“Again, when Brian and I, with the hostage, get back, we will all come on line, and at the time the C-4 is detonated, Brian, Cruz, Doc, and myself will fire the LAAWS rockets. Two into the center of the main structure housing the ninety officers, one into the doctors’ hootch, and one into the security hootch. Along with, if need be, 40 Mike-Mike, should any building remain standing.

“At that time, we’ll get back into patrol formation and head due south for approximately five hundred yards.”

With the whole world coming after us, thought Gene.

“We will swim across the Dam Doi River to the far bank, setting up security for the crossing, and patrol down the east bank to our extraction point.”

Gene grinned. Doc’s sour expression left no question about what he thought of getting into the river water.

“
Time of departure:
1700 hours. We intend to return to Seafloat at approximately 0600 to 0700 hours.

“
Alternate route
, if need be, will be straight down the Dam Doi River.”

God help us if we have to go alternate. Gene swallowed. They’d be eleven long miles in, and all of it enemy territory.

“
Organization of movement:
As stated in the Warning Order.

“
Chain of command…
” If they were, one by one, killed or wounded, Gene thought. Would God, the element the other men called luck, keep them safe? “Myself,” Jim said, “patrol leader. Gene, assistant patrol leader. Brian will be third in the chain of command. Cruz, fourth. Alex, fifth. Roland, sixth. Doc is seventh in the chain of command.”

If it came down to Doc, they were all dead. Doc would die too because he’d never leave them, even if the last man was seconds from dying, and they all knew it. That’s why he was seventh. Gene stroked the 60. The enemy would never take and torture Doc, then kill him. Not if he still breathed. Doc knew too much. He’d pop the pill and suicide before sure capture, just like they would. They all had a pill.

“
Action in danger areas.”
Jim illustrated with hand signals as he spoke. “A hand across the throat indicates danger area after a halt sign has been given. Gene will take up the left flank. Alex will take up the right flank. We will send Brian across. He will search up to fifteen meters on the other side of the danger area, whether it be the river or an open area.”

Scary, Gene knew from experience. Damned scary. He looked at Brian. The expression on his face didn’t change.

“Brian will come back out, and if it’s all clear, will give the come-forward sign. I’ll go over. Once I’m halfway across, Roland starts across. Then I want Cruz to come across, and then Doc will come. Once you, Doc and Cruz, are across, you will pick up our left and right flanks to protect Alex’s and Gene’s crossing. We’ll stay in that position for about five minutes; stop, look, listen, to see if anyone detected our crossing of the danger area. This order will be consistent—SOP—throughout this operation.

“
Actions on enemy contact:
The squad is broken down into two sections, if need be, for fire and maneuver.”

Maneuver, Gene noted. His section.

“The first element will consist of Brian, myself, and the radioman, Roland. The second element will be Gene, Alex, Cruz, and Doc. We want to avoid contact if at all possible, but if we have to engage in combat, we will use fire and maneuver, in which we’ll all bring fire to bear on the enemy to gain fire superiority. Once fire superiority is achieved, the first element will move in a direction given at that time, ten to fifteen yards back, while the second element maintains fire superiority. Once we have moved back ten to fifteen yards, we will pick up fire and Gene will move his element back ten to fifteen yards beyond our position.