Into the Fire by Philip Trotter

Author:Philip Trotter [Trotter, Philip]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

As Pham studied the wrecked altar of the great hall, he smiled and thought back to the beginning of the evening. Driving through the dark and silent streets of Saigon had left him feeling excited and, truth be told, a little nervous. Squashed into the back of an American Willys jeep, he’d been instructed by Colonel Tung to travel with him to Xa Loi. It had felt like the high point of his career so far. He hoped by the time the sun rose in the morning, he’d have proven his worth to his boss, and promotion would surely follow.

Tung’s chauffeur tasked with driving the old Second World War jeep ensured the colonel arrived at the crossroads with Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Street at exactly 12.25 am. He parked the vehicle just off the road in an unlit area to maintain their anonymity. Tung cleared his throat and hawked its contents out the side of the jeep before half-turning to Pham.

“You’ll follow me tonight. I need you to identify every monk that’s been instrumental in leading this revolution. I’m not interested in the foot soldiers. I want the ringleaders.”

“Yes, ngài, I’ll be able to identify them all.”

Tung didn’t answer, so they sat in silence, until Pham heard the heavy diesel engines labouring up Le Van Duyet Street, distant at first but growing louder as they came. All three looked down the street to see the lead vehicle’s headlights appear from around the bend, closely followed by a second, and then a third. The deep growl of the 7.8 litre engines could be felt through Pham’s seat as they accelerated past the jeep. He watched the convoy pass, the hairs on his neck sticking up in the excitement of the moment.

It took over five minutes before the final truck had rolled past. Tung instructed his driver to pull in behind it and follow the convoy to the pagoda entrance. The street had erupted with activity. At both ends, Pham could see barriers being erected and soldiers standing guard to prevent any unwanted attention. News of the raid would spread like wildfire through Saigon and he knew it wouldn’t take long for every Western journalist and photographer in the city to descend on the scene, demanding access. After all, this was the story they’d been waiting for.

Pham stood by Tung’s side as the colonel shouted orders, directing his officers to break into the pagoda and round up the monks. The noise of gunfire started immediately, quickly followed by an explosion as a grenade was used to force open the main gates. As he watched, Pham saw an APC pull up behind them, but thought nothing of it and continued to survey the assault. Moments later, a growling voice issued an instruction to Tung, addressing him by name. Pham was curious as to who would dare address his commander in such a way. He turned and was shocked to discover none other than Ngo Dinh Nhu and Madame Nhu, each standing through a roof hatch wearing a standard-issue ARVN helmet.

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