A Long Time From Home by Michael Costello

Author:Michael Costello [Costello Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781483504629
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The patrol slipped into the old French fort and Sergeant First Class MacFee took Duke aside to brief him. Brigade Intelligence determined that enemy rocketfire and troop movement had increased markedly. Our own artillery barrages saturated the hilly scrub west of Ho Nai nightly. As in any artillery action, dud rounds landed. An abnormal number lay about this western scrub area, too close to villages thought to be friendly. It was a free-fire zone but the peasants cooperated. For their safety, some brilliant brass hat, some stupid staff officer had decreed that the dud rounds be located and destroyed, in case the rounds didn’t remain duds. Brigade informed Lt. Ripley Masters that the CRIP had drawn the mission: clean up the duds to the west and south to the borders of Bien Hoa, take maybe three days, right into the Tet truce.

Mac had volunteered his squad but due to the nature of the mission - blowing up bombs - he didn’t wish to force cooperation. He would check with the men.

Duke’s high was blown. He didn’t mind and volunteered his services, which shocked the hell out of Sergeant MacFee.

“Didn’t expect such an attitude, Pitts,” said Mac.

“Well, you got it. Just make sure you don’t get carried away out there. I want to arrive in Bien Hoa without my ass in a sling.” The chance to be in Bien Hoa in three days was too fine to skip. The line between himself and Warren Buckle seemed to become tangible. Some shape was taking dimension. Circumstances appeared to conspire. Of course, he might be blown to atoms by one of the “dud” bombs, or shot from existence by a VC sniper, or booby-trapped into a crippled life. He might fall victim to countless mishaps. But these things were part of waking with each new day; he did not count them extraordinary.

He went to the hootch and informed Jungle Jim. Then he slept soundly.

Jungle Jim agreed to the mission more to accompany Duke than to reach Bien Hoa.

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