Night Laager: A Viet Nam War Novel by David Allin

Author:David Allin
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2015-10-22T23:00:00+00:00

“Tell them to cease fire,” Lieutenant Puckett ordered Conners, who immediately keyed his handset and passed the command to the rest of the company. Puckett experienced a slight swelling of pride. He hadn’t needed Sergeant Madison to remind him this time. He had analyzed the situation and reached a decision all on his own. The shattering roar of the gunfire sputtered out, leaving only the excited boasting and congratulations of the men who surrounded Sergeant Castro. Puckett barged his way into the small crowd gathered in front of the medics’ track.

“Sergeant Castro!” he barked angrily. “Who said you could leave the laager?”

“Sir?” Castro’s face, partially lit by the conflagration out on the roadway, was blank with confusion. The other soldiers stared at Puckett, and he thought he detected hostility in their glares. He had forgotten one of the cardinal rules of leadership: never chastise a subordinate leader in front of his men.

“Get back to your posts,” he told them, trying to sound forceful. Some of them gave him looks of defiance, but grudgingly they wandered away. In a moment Castro and Puckett were alone; Conners had even edged a respectful distance away, just out of earshot. Castro assumed a loose approximation of a position of attention, resting the butt of his rifle on the ground beside his foot. Doubt and guilt assaulted Puckett’s mind, but he held them back, for he knew he had to establish the chain of command.

“Sergeant Castro,” he said in low voice, biting off each word, “that was a foolhardy stunt you just pulled. You and Williams could have been killed, and how would I have explained that? We can’t afford to lose a platoon sergeant and a medic right now, especially with Captain Fargo gone and Lieutenant Becker on leave. I didn’t ask to be in charge, but I am, and I expect you to follow my orders. You can’t just go off half-cocked on your own like that. Do you understand?”

“Sir,” Castro mumbled, unusually deferential, “if we hadn’t gone when we did, Aquino and Stack would have been killed. Normally I would have reported to you and asked your permission, but we just didn’t have time, so I did what I thought was best under the circumstances.”

“Well, fortunately it worked out, but what if it hadn’t? I’m responsible for every man in this company, so you’ve got to keep me informed. You need to set a good example for your men by always utilizing the chain of command. We all have to work together. Do you agree?”

“Yes, sir.” Puckett suspected Castro wanted to argue with him, but his military decorum prevented it. It was just as well, for Puckett was unsure of his own position, and feared that, if pressed, he would be forced to back down and admit he was wrong. Regardless, now that he had dressed Castro down, it was time to pat him on the back.

“It’s good that you got them back safely anyway. Next time, though, clear it with me first.

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