The Green Berets: The Amazing Story of the U. S. Army's Elite Special Forces Unit by Moore Robin

Author:Moore, Robin [Moore, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2007-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

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Arklin’s resolutions to keep his relationship platonic proved no match for Nanette’s efforts to make him treat her as the loving wife she knew herself to be. True, he had lasted through two wild wedding sacrifices without acceding to her wishes, and during this time she had become alternately sullen and melancholy.

Not only that, the reason for her ill humor was obvious to everyone in the village, and Arklin could feel the resentment against him pervade the montagnard community. He noticed that he was having difficulty in getting tasks completed. A secure weapons room was still unfinished after six days’ desultory work.

Finally it took Pay Dang’s not-so-subtle hint that perhaps the American thought he was too good for the Meos to make Arklin realize there was more to doing his duty than training mountain tribesmen.

In fact, Arklin was very much taken with this girl the Meos had picked for his bride. Her thoughtfulness, her desire to please, the way she personally took his fatigues, filthy from hard work in the constant heat, down to the stream and would let no one help her wash them—everything about her made him realize that he had a fine woman by any standards. And while Arklin had trained himself to suppress his natural desires, living with Nanette, or Ha Ban as he called her in front of the Meo people, her charms constantly and so tantalizingly bursting out at him, made it excruciatingly difficult to turn away from her at night and pretend to sleep.

On the sixth night following their second wedding party, a sacrifice was held to celebrate the return of a Meo tribesman who had been away from the village for several years. Out of desperation born of his inability to circumvent his morals and nearly inflexible sense of responsibility, Arklin drank three gourds of Meo liquor. The alcohol produced the release and Arklin consummated his “marriage” to Nanette. Once the breakthrough had been effected, Arklin so thoroughly pleased and satisfied his young bride that the Meos, seeing her the next day, knew at once that the American was finally one of them. They slapped his back wherever he went, calling rude suggestions that were approved by everyone.

Tasks were accomplished more quickly now. The weapons room was finished, and Arklin kept the key to it hanging around his neck. Sandbags were filled and molded into bunkers, and on the firing range the montagnards worked hard to improve their marksmanship. He managed to get the entire village back into the habit of purifying all the drinking water with iodine or halizone pills, reducing the prevalent dysentery almost to nil. Even the bridge was put back into safe, serviceable condition.

It was three months after Arklin first entered the Meo village that he had his first direct contact with control. All radio messages were sent to Bangkok in code and were kept to terse intelligence reports on Pathet Lao movements. It had been decided not to risk flights to the airstrip except when absolutely necessary.

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