

## DEPLOYMENT

## VIETNAM

PART 1

## by

## Herb Blanchard

Deployment Vietnam
PART 1

by Herb Blanchard

Copyright 2011 Herb Blanchard

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.

Cover photo by the author circa 1962

Also by Herb Blanchard published at Smashwords

An Okinawan Affair

Shuri Gate

Struggles of a Country Boy

My Life Before & Without Boomers & Yuppies

## Coming soon

## DEPLOYMENT VIETNAM

## Part 2

## DEDICATION

This book is dedicate to the officers and men I served with in the US Navy Seabees. In particular to the Seabees who served with me in Vietnam and made the ultimate sacrifice.

I still think about you.

## PART 1

## ONE

The distant 'thump-thump' of a Huey's rotor blades sent a shiver up his back. Even over the bellowing exhaust of the road grader's engine, the heavy reverberating 'thumps' were distinct and welcome.

It was mid-winter in South Vietnam and the heavy winter rain showers were a daily occurrence. The heavy military traffic and rain worked together to break up Highway 1's original asphalt coated road bed and turn it into a pond of soupy red and yellow streaked mud the color of the surrounding soils. Dan Lee Davis EON2, was working on Highway 1, about two and a half miles south of Chu Lai, RVN. Since mid-January he had been struggling every day, seven days a week to keep this piece of highway passable.

Dan twisted partway around to look south to see if the helicopter was in sight. Though his hazel eyes missed little, he could see only about a quarter of a mile in the downpour of rain and ground hugging fog which was hiding the approaching helicopter.

A steady trickle of cold rain water ran off his olive drab foul weather gear streaming down his neck and soaking into the Navy issue wool jersey that he was wearing under green Marine Corp fatigues. His movements allowed more water to be squeezed out of his rain soaked wool watch cap which covered his very light brown, almost blond hair that he wore in a Marine Corp white sidewall cut, adding to the stream running under the collar of his foul weather gear.

He wondered if it was worth getting wetter to turn and search for the approaching chopper or wait until it came up beside of him. He sat down on the grader's wide seat sliding his loaded M-14 which was wrapped loosely in an olive drab Seabee issue poncho to protect it from the persistent rain, to the rear against the back of the seat.

Dan stepped on the grader's clutch, threw its transmission into neutral and pulled off the engine throttle in quick simultaneous movements. He stood again to scan the area around his spot on Vietnam's notorious Highway 1 named the 'Street of No Joy' by the French. To his right were the low barren, wind rounded sand dunes covering the 200 yards between the highway and the US military installation's sandbag bunkers and the concertina wire topped security fence. On his left, starting only a few feet from the edge of the road fill, was dense dead looking shrubs running off in all directions. From the height advantage of the Seabee, green painted road grader, he could see over the top of the almost leafless brush which was twice as tall as a man and reminding him of a patch of tall sagebrush. It was too dense to walk through except where man and other animals had created narrow winding paths towards the dark green jungle covered low hills of volcanic red laterite several hundred yards to the west where the dense fog rolling out of the mountains and off the closer hills started to obscure his vision.

Deep in his chest and stomach Dan felt the Huey's rotor blades 'thumps' grow stronger. The drab green Marine Corp helicopter came in view about halfway between the concertina wire on his right, and Highway 1.

The helicopter's left door gunner sat in an open door behind his M-60 machine gun. He waved a brief friendly wave as he scanned the area looking for unfriendlies who might be a threat to the lone Seabee.

The Huey slowed down traveled further down the road at tree top level before banking to the left to cross the road several hundred yards ahead of the Seabee. Barely in sight in the heavy rain and fog, the chopper reversed it's course flying slowly south parallel to highway. It was a couple hundred yards to Dan's left flying over the thick brush low enough to make the tops of the shrubs sway in it's rotor wash.

"He's trying to draw fire from Charlie if he's laying up in the brush field." He thought as the Huey crept by him before starting a turn towards the Marine Corp Air Facility on the Chu Lai base. The Huey leveled out several feet above Davis's grader and passed the Seabee close enough so that the warm air from its turbines and the rotor wash blew across his face. The black painted US MARINE and star insignia were clear to read as well as red and yellow hazard warnings for the tail rotor and jet exhaust on the tail boom. The door gunner and co-pilot each smiled and gave him a 'thumbs-up' and quick sloppy salutes before the Huey picked up speed, rose to an acceptable military altitude and crossed the fence line into the Chu Lai cantonment.

All right! This was the fourth time in two days that a Marine Corp Huey had checked me out. Makes me feel more secure knowing they're flying by once in a while. Brad said that he used to see the choppers almost every day and they would buzz him to be sure he was ok. He thought about his friend Brad Burgess another second class EO that he knew from their Adak deployment and later on Okinawa where Brad was at NAF Naha and he was at MCAF Futemma at the same time. They knew each other's girl friends and were sometime drinking buddies.

## TWO

"Reveille! Reveille!

All hands hit the deck! It's 0500 hours!

Reveille!" The Seabee camp's Master-at-Arms' voice bellowed through out the hooches.

Christ! Shut up! Why are all Master-at Arms fleet sailors? Dan Lee thought with a mental smile as he peered through one half open eye.

"You going to breakfast, Dan?" Casey Jones a third class equipment operator, and part of the Highway 1 road crew asked. Jones was barely twenty with his brown hair cut with white sidewalls and barely 1/4" long on top, the Marine Corp cut, as many Seabees wore their hair especially in-country. He was a broad shouldered 150 pounds or so, an even 5' 6" tall as he bragged that was the tallest member of his family with his dad being only 5' 2" the same height as his mother and sister.

"Not right now Casey. I've got something to take care of first then I'll grab a cup of coffee on the way to quarters." He answered while throwing back the poncho and two wool blankets that he slept under.

"I'll be glad when it stops raining and warms up a bit. If it wasn't for putting a poncho over the blankets our racks would by soaking all the time."

"Last night when it was raining I could feel the mist blowing in the side of the hooch and hitting me in the face." Jones added to his squad leader's remark about the rain.

"I talked to the mechanics after chow last night, Casey. Your bulldozer is ready to go. So stop at the motor pool and line up a tractor and lowboy to move it outside the wire first thing."

As well as being a good friend of Dan Davis, Casey was the best cat skinner in Alpha Company after Dan himself and Dan's best friend Brad Burgess.

"Shall I have them take it all the way to the quarry?"

"No-oo. I don't think so. Just take it out the gate. Jump it off the trailer there and run down the drainage ditch on the east side of the road to the quarry site. The Marine mine sweeper won't have got that far down the road so early, so it will take time to wait for them to sweep the road before anybody can take a tractor and trailer on it. You'll save 30 minutes or more this way." He had pulled on his Navy issue wool jersey even before his feet hit the floor. Next he slipped on tight fitting insulated white cotton underwear that wasn't GI issue before he finished getting dressed in his tailored Marine Corp greens while he talked. On the point of each end of his collar was 2nd class petty officer chevrons which the Seabees wore with the chevron points pointing down at collar points and painted black instead of the customary polished brass that had been required on stateside bases. There were no creases in his greens nor spit shine on his black Air Force issue jump boots though they were blackened.

"Chief Thomas will meet you there as soon as he can. He knows where the boundary lines are for the new quarry and can show you so you can start stripping off the overburden."

"Ok. I'll see you out on the road later then?"

"Guess so. And stay away from the little Vietnamese girls and their baskets of goodies."

"Yeah sure." Jones replied with a smile knowing full well that his squad leader and crew boss really didn't care if any of the road crew talked to and flirted with the girls who gathered at any point where a GI could be found outside the wire.

"Rainer." Davis spoke to another member of his squad who was trying to duck out the back door of the hooch before the squad leader could say anything to him. Rainer was another second class driver, but didn't do much operating. Seemed to Dan that he was kind of floating around Alpha Company going here and there with no specific job or position in the company.

"What do you want Davis? I have to get to the company early so make it quick."

More attitude. As if I didn't get enough out of him last night when I caught him in the bunker firing that little .22 pistol he carries. He thought and finished pulling on his jump boots and stood up to his full 5' 7". At 120 lbs. Dan Davis was not very big. Ruddy complexed from his many hours working out in all kinds of weather and was a natural leader.

"I don't want you to forget what you agreed to last night. Get rid of that .22 pistol or I go to the company commander. I'm sure Mr. Roberts won't appreciate hearing one of his petty officers is firing a weapon around camp.. I don't care what you do with it as long as I don't hear it or see you fire it again or even see it in this hooch again."

"Yeah. I'll take care of it. But I don't know why you're making an issue out of it."

"You know damn well the answer to that. I shared all of that with you last night and I mean it. GET RID OF IT!" He raised his voice to emphasis the command. Stressing that it was an order, not a request. Though both men were second class petty officers Dan Davis was senior and the almost 6 foot tall, 175 lb. Rainer had showed signs of not liking that fact of military protocol.

As Alpha Company was falling in for quarters, Dan counted heads and realized that Rainer was amongst the missing. With just a couple of minutes before the Company Chief would be asking for a head count, he trotted into the company office to where he knew he would find the company clerk hiding out so he wouldn't have to stand muster.

"Petty Officer Ryan, by any chance have you seen Petty Officer Rainer this morning ?"

"Yeah Dave, He asked if there was a courier run to Da Nang today. When I told him there was, he beelined it for Headquarters Company." The freckled face, curly headed, tall and skinny clerk answered Dan. "Also said that he had some business to take care of in Da Nang before he went stateside.

You do know that his DEROS is next week don't you? And this is his third trip to Da Nang in less than a week." He added quickly.

"Actually I didn't. Thanks Irish." Dan spoke back over his shoulder as he hurried back outside to stand muster with his squad.

As usual, their platoon leader, a first class petty officer, was busy in the dispatch office. As squad leader of the first squad of the first platoon, Dan stepped in front of the platoon to take his place.

When the company chief dismissed them, Dan caught Chief Thomas's eye so the chief would know that he needed to talk to him before they went out on the road. The 40 year old Chief Thomas was Chief-in-Charge of the Highway 1 road job and Dan's friend. His dark brown hair was a bit longer than how most Seabees wore theirs' with graying sideburns that were barely there. He had green eyes which danced in the light when he talked to you and were just plain friendly. He and Dan had been together on detachment on Adak about three years ago. Dan wanted him to know what was going on with his squad and in particular with Rainer.

"You ready to go to the Company Commander with it, Dan Lee," Thomas asked him after being filled in .

"I was going to give him a chance to do as I asked, Tom. But these trips make me wonder what he's up too and why he feels the need of carrying a concealed weapon. He's taking it with him to Da Nang I'm sure."

"Any signs of drugs?"

"He's clean as far as I can tell. I didn't want to bring that up yet. He doesn't seem to have any connection to any of the dabblers in pot that I know of. Dan hesitated for a second. "Could be getting it between here and Da Nang though. Or downtown Chu Lai."

"I think that it would better if you let me take it from here. I have a bit more horsepower and since I haven't dealt with him personally, I can be more candid with NCIS if need be."

"You already know something don't you, Tom?" Dan asked.

"You might say that there has been scuttlebutt being passed around the Company about Rainer and his trips to Da Nang."

He was with the battalion in Da Nang on their last deployment wasn't he?"

"That's why no one gave it a thought at first, Dan. Thought maybe he had a girl friend there he was going to see.. Then he was seen in downtown Chu Lai on several occasions since January. So other people have got interested in his trips.

This is all between us. Nobody else needs to know anything about him."

"Yeah, right Chief."

"And Dan Lee, let me know if you see or hear anything going on out on the road."

"Absolutely."

"If it's a case of you being able to handle it, with the younger, unrated troops, do it."

Dan nodded and gave the Chief a casual wave watching him walk towards his jeep with his slight but obvious limp. Over four years before while Dan was in "A" school of NAVSCON, Dale Thomas was in blasting school, a NAVSCON "C" school when the story goes, somebody screwed up and the class had built a demonstration pipe bomb which had detonated prematurely injuring Thomas's foot almost ending his Seabee career and being sure he would walk with a limp the rest of his life.

The sun was still only a bright red glow below the eastern horizon. In a couple of minutes the typical Southeast Asian sunrise would reveal the sun as a huge red globe against a maroon and orange backdrop with violent scarlet streaks in a full circle around the sun's orb.

## THREE

It sure isn't much like being almost March anywhere else I've been in the world, Dan thought as he parked his grader next to the pagoda that he and his crew had been using for a several weeks to get out of the winter rains on breaks and lunch time.

Dan and Casey Jones were the only Seabees working on Highway 1 which ran from Saigon north up the coast to Hanoi, North VN. The rains had gradually been decreasing and he was starting to make headway against the mud on the road. With every day showing the progress of the mud drying up, he had decided that he could accomplish more to the road on Sunday when the traffic was light rather than sitting around his hooch in Chu Lai. He had recruited EON3 Casey Jones to ride 'shotgun' on the grader with him. He knew that neither Chief Thomas nor Mr. Roberts, the Alpha Company Commander, would allow him to work on the road alone, especially on a Sunday when there was very little military traffic on the road.

"Coffee's hot Dan." Casey hollered from the pagoda over the grader's idling engine noise. "It's lunch time anyway and you may have your pick of any of the delicious meals from the menu of twelve that we are featuring today.

We have a whole menu of government meals, AKA C-rations, to choose from." He added as Dan jumped to the ground and made his way through the clinging red mud to the partially destroyed pagoda.

"Who's that?" Casey asked listening to the high pitched whine of a military jeep coming from the direction of Chu Lai and pulling in behind the grader.

"Looks and sounds like a jeep, Casey. Maybe the Chief decided to take a Sunday drive so he could catch us screwing off."

"Yeah. Like we'd work on our day off to screw off in the rain on Highway 1 amongst the booby traps, mines and VC.

You can be very weird at times Dan."

"I would think you guys could find a better place to hideout than this." Their Company Commander said with a smile as he came around the grader and stepped up into the pagoda.

There were no salutes between them which would mark the newcomer as an officer. His officer's insignias were also painted black like the petty officer's. But his greens were pressed and his boots spit shined. Both the sign of an office worker though few enlisted men would hold it against him. Mr Roberts was tall, 6' plus or minus a bit, weighing in at a hard 170 or so. He was definitely in shape. His crew cut had white sidewalls but was almost long enough on top to be brushed up in a real crew cut. He was definitely among the top favorite officers in the battalion and a Mustang.

"Have some lunch, Sir?" Davis asked the Lieutenant.

"Your choice of any one of 10 meals fresh from the carton, Sir." Jones added. "The other two are already spoken for."

"In other words your guest gets the leftovers?" Mr. Roberts asked.

"Kind of. But Petty Officer Jones has just started to heat his . I'm sure he'd share with you." Dan offered

"Thanks, Dan. You know that the beans and franks are my favorite." Casey said with a bit of friendly sarcasm.

"Not to worry, Casey. I'll happily settle for the chicken and noodles.

That is if I can heat it up?" The officer added.

"Sure Mr. Roberts. I'm through with my heater." Casey handed the Lieutenant an empty M-2 ration can that had three triangular holes punched along the bottom edge with a church key. (beer can opener.)

"Heat tablets?"

"Here, Sir." Dan started to hand him what looked somewhat like a square tube of slightly off white putty wrapped in wax paper. It was about 12" long, and about 3" square.

"C4?" Mr. Roberts asked with a smile.

"Yes sir, only thing that will get wet and still heat your coffee.

Here this should do it, Sir." Dan offered breaking off a hunk of the plastic explosive about the size of a big gum ball and pulling a little tit on one side to facilitate lighting it.

"Why I came out here was that I was told that you two men knew what was going on with Petty Officer Rainer. Is that true? You turned him in as AWOL on February 23, Dan?"

"Yes Sir. He missed muster on that Thursday morning after taking a courier run to Da Nang on the 22nd which I believe was Wednesday the day before..

Petty Officer Jones only knew that he wasn't in the hooch on Wednesday night and on Thursday he didn't see him."

"He did witness the incident with the pistol and knew of your intentions to let him, Rainer, take care of it himself before you wrote him up?

Did anybody find a pound cake for desert?"

"Here, Sir." Casey handed the Lieutenant a can that he pulled from a ration box still in the carton.

"Thanks, Casey. Do you by any chance know what is in each of those meals."

"SOP and self defense Mr. Roberts. We always pick through the rations and get what we want if there's a surplus."

"Also the way to get what you want to eat and the best of the mediocre." Dan added with a smile.

"You're correct, Sir. I was in the hooch during those times and heard everything that Dan said to Rainer. I also saw the pistol being fired in our bunker and later in the hooch." Casey told the Lieutenant.

The Lieutenant picked up the thread of his conversation. "I just wanted to have you Petty Officers verify what I and NCIS had been told. There are no problems for either of you and I for one think you did what was right and what any Seabees should have done in this case."

"Want some coffee, Sir?" Jones offered as he stirred a packet of instant coffee into a ration tin, faux cup, of boiling water.

"Please. Straight. No sugar or phony cream.

This isn't scuttlebutt and I don't want it turned into gossip like some old ladies sewing circle. Understood?"

"Yes Sir." The two Seabees answered loudly and simultaneously.

"Rainer was arrested in Da Nang by NCIS and the Army Provost Marshal for selling greenbacks for military script. That was on February 22nd. That is what he was doing on the courier runs. They also got him for carrying a concealed weapon which they were informed, before the fact, he was carrying. Thanks to you guys." He stopped talking long enough to take a drink of his coffee.

"That stuff is still terrible. How do you drink it all the time?"

"Pretend it's a day old, over-brewed, burned and you have a bad taste in your mouth from a hangover." Dan answered. "I don't understand exactly what Rainer was doing, Mr. Roberts. How could he swap the script for greenbacks to take home? And why?"

"As I understand it, he had a couple thousand dollars in script which he bought for one greenback dollar for $1.50 to $1.75 worth of script. Sometimes as much a $2.00 in script depending on the market price at the time. He figured that when he got his travel orders to CONUS he'd exchange X number of script dollars here in our disbursing office for greenbacks at face value. Then go to Da Nang and exchange X number more, again at face value. If he ends up in CONUS at a place like Treasure Island with more script he can claim that he forget to exchange his script in-country so they'll exchange the rest for him the same way. With this procedure he could probably get away with a couple or three thousand greenback dollars and a nice profit. The why is about at least 25% or more profit."

"So he'll be courtmartialed for trading in greenbacks?" Dan asked.

"A serious offense. The United Staes doesn't want the North Vietnamese to get greenbacks to spend on the world market. And being charged with carrying a concealed and illegal weapon. As well as being AWOL. He's going away for quite a while. As I said, you men did the right thing.

Now I'm going back to Chu Lai and take the rest of my day off after I clean the mud off my boots. Might even put on civvies and go have a beer in the club."

"Thanks Mr. Roberts. I for one was wondering what was going on." Dan said as he followed the Lieutenant to his jeep.

"Thanks for lunch, Casey." The officer spoke while climbing into the jeep. "Don't stay out here too long. It's supposed to be your day off. Though I can see you are getting the road dried out and more passable than the last time when I was out here."

The two Seabees stood in the mud next to the grader and watched the jeep disappear traveling back north on Highway 1.

"Nice guy isn't he Dan?'

"Yeah. Yeah, he really is. I could see that he was ticked off that one of his Seabees would pull that kind of shit. Rainer is just plain stupid to think he could get away with black marketing greenbacks.

You want to get our stuff together and meet me on the road in a while? I'll start laying some of the fill back on the road bed so we can head back into Chu Lai."

"Gotcha. Go back in about 15 or 16 hundred?"

"Sounds good to me, Casey. Let's make it 1500 or quicker. As soon as I can put a layer of laterite in the road.. After all it is Sunday, the day of rest."

## FOUR

"Gee, another day without it raining, Chief." Dan Davis said to his crew boss, Chief Dale Thomas, as he turned away from the chief's jeep and headed for his grader. "I'll be on the road as soon as I get fueled up." Nodding towards the approaching diesel fuel tanker.

"Okay. I'm going straight out to the bridge job. The drilling crew will be along with their rigs most scratch heading south to the ROK (Republic of Korea) compound in Binh Son. I want to be there to make sure they get around the bridge bypass all right."

"It looked good on Saturday when I was out there, Tom. Windy made a couple of passes on it with his scraper and laid some more dry fill on it. I didn't even have to hit it with the grader when he got through."

"I know what you mean. We're going to lose him in April. His DEROS is about the third week of April."

"I've been avoiding thinking about it.

He's our best scraper operator. I for one will definitely miss him, as a friend also."

"He's in your squad isn't he?'

"Yeah. I never have to worry about Windy for anything. Hates the military but is a hell of a Seabee."

The chief nodded in affirmation as he put his jeep in gear and started south on Highway 1 towards bridge #1 and the village of Binh Son.

About a quarter of a mile south of the cantonment gate Dan started rolling part of the berm of laterite that he had bladed onto the shoulder of the road yesterday back onto the roadbed. The only way he could keep the mud under control was to blade windrows of wet fill onto the shoulders of the road and hope it would dry out enough to blade it back across the road where maybe it would dry out some more during the middle of the day.

Best this muddy mess has looked in weeks. He thought as he eyed a covey of young Vietnamese girls carrying their baskets of salable goodies and chattering amongst themselves as they walked south on Highway 1 towards the Army's Brigade headquarters a mile or so further along the road.

Oh, who is she?

Of the 6 girls walking ahead of the grader only one turned at the sound of the slowly approaching grader. She seemed to be walking by herself, bringing up the rear.

Never saw her before. Really cute. Actually very pretty. Taller than the others. More woman than girl

The girl who had turned to look and was trailing the others was obviously 2 or 3 inches taller which made her 5' 1" or so, and prettier than the rest, also older by 4 or 5 years which did make her a woman.

Operating the grader not much speedier than a fast walk, Dan had time to study her. She turned away to look where she was going to avoid stepping on any wet spots of mud. She didn't seem to be paying any attention to him or the grader. Unlike the other girls who were wearing the traditional peasants' black cotton pants and white cotton shirts, she had on white silky looking pants which had legs tapered down to her slim ankles. Her pastel blue shirt was hip length, buttoned down the front and tailored to fit her waist and shapely hip, and outlined her small Vietnamese breasts without emphasizing them. Her clothes appeared to be newer, and washed less than the other girl's clothes. Her cone shaped non la hat was of a slightly different style and newer than what the other girls were wearing. It had several pink and light blue silk flowers that matched her shirt on it. A piece of pastel blue floral silk ribbon was under her small chin to hold the non la on.

Several feet behind her he spun the steering wheel enough to move the grader a couple feet out closer to the middle of the road while his left hand pulled a lever sliding the blade away from her several inches. Doing so left the windrow that he had been picking up still on the shoulder of the road.

The grader blade was alongside her but about three feet away when she turned towards the big noisy machine next to her. First she looked down at the shiny steel blade passing her. With no change in the calm, soft look of her dark brown eyes, she slowly raised her head and met Dan's eyes. For several seconds there was no change in her eyes until a small soft smile started to betray itself on her delicate pink lips. For just a flash of time, her eyes also seemed to smile and sparkle before she quickly looked away.

Dan also broke into a involuntary smile, and saw as she turned away the flash of white teeth and the soft upward curve of her mouth when her smile deepened. He could see a blush of embarrassment spread up the exposed, faintly tinted skin on the back of her neck becoming lost under the bob of shiny, healthy looking black hair gathered under her non la.

The other girls had crossed the road so he swung the grader back to pick up the windrow of laterite on the shoulder before turning back to look at the woman.

She had started across the road but stopped walking when Dan turned to look down into her pretty face from his vantage point on the grader. Her small soft smile crept back onto her mouth and in her eyes as she hurriedly looked down and away. At the same time her right hand raised slightly above the basket she was using both hands to hold and waved with a discrete small wiggling of her finger tips.

Is that a wave or my imagination?

He turned away from her for several seconds to make an adjustment of the grader's blade before he raised his right hand above his shoulder and waved casually with small motions of his fingers.

Never saw her before today. Very nice to look at.

Was she's flirting with me?

Not dressed like the others. Better. More like a city girl, not from one of these local villages.

Dan started to think about lunch. Checking the time and trying to figure how long it would take him to reach the bridge job. There he could relax and eat lunch amongst the bridge crew of Seabees and not have to be alert and on guard. If he stopped along the road to eat he couldn't relax even for a minute.

Since there was quite a bit of Marine and other military traffic along the road today, he had opted not to take along a 'shotgun' rider to watch his back as he worked.

Maybe a bad decision not to take Thomas up on his offer of sending a 'shotgun' along.

The well-drilling convoy for the ROK camp in Binh Son had passed him 5 or 10 minutes ago. He hadn't realized how many vehicles were involved until he pulled onto the shoulder of Highway 1 to let them pass. First, leading the way was a jeep with the battalion's Marine Corp advisor Gunnery Sergeant Joe Simpson. Riding with him in the jeep's front seat was a first class builder who Dave didn't know. In the back seat, were two seamen from the battalion's security forces armed with M14's. Next was a tractor and low boy trailer which had some water tanks and other smaller equipment for the well drillers. It had a member of the drilling crew riding 'shotgun' with an M14. Third in line was the battalion's wrecker. A second class driver was in the driver's seat and riding 'shotgun' was a first class mechanic. Bringing up the rear of the convoy was the huge well-drilling rig itself with the first class equipment operator who was in charge of the drilling crew driving. One of his crew was in the 'shotgun' seat with two more riding on the back of the rig. All armed with M14s which Dave assumed were locked and loaded. All the Seabees looked big and bulky in their flak vests with steel piss pots on their heads.

## FIVE

He felt the thump in the pit of his stomach before seeing a mixed black and red cloud swirling into the sky and hearing the explosion a couple miles further south down Highway 1 a few seconds later.

Oh shit! That wasn't a mortar round.

I don't see any of our aircraft around. Had to have been a mine.

Dan looked all around checking to see if there were any Vietnamese farmers in sight. A quarter of a mile or so behind him was a small village where the farmers who grew rice in the paddies on his left, the east side of the highway, lived and processed their crop. There was no one in sight. He knew that wasn't unusual. There were more rice paddies out of sight of the road, behind the village further east, but it could also be a sign of VC in the area.. He felt the need to be on the safe side and reached behind him to pull his M14 toward the front of the grader's seat. Without stopping the grader he lifted the rifle. Made sure the safety was on, then pulled the bolt back, released it and let a cartridge enter the rifle's chamber.

Guess I'd better just keep working towards the bridge even if it means a late lunch.

After laying his rifle back on the seat his right hand pushed against the throttle handle but it was already opened all the way. He then put on his flak jacket taking both hands off of the grader controls to hook up the jacket's zipper.

Each hand grabbed a blade control lever and made a couple of minor adjustments of the grader blade. He was grading by feel and instinct with his eyes constantly searching the area around him.

The violent red and black cloud had continued to climb for several seconds before changing to a tall black column of smoke. Dan kept glancing up towards where the cloud's origin appeared to be. As he moved down Highway 1 the column slowly dispersed and drifted out of sight behind the low hills and tall trees he could see off in the distance..

On the south end of the half mile long straight away passing through another series of rice paddies he watched what appeared to be a weapons carrier approaching him. The weps was moving fast and in just seconds became recognizable as the Seabee green, road crew's weps carrier. The vehicle slowed down as it drew closer to the grader and the driver, a third class builder from the bridge crew flagged Dan down.

Pulling off the throttle and bringing the grader to a halt next to the weps Dave saw how excited the builder was and several thoughts flashed across his mind. The VC blew the new, unfinished bridge!

NO! They'd wait until it was finished.

Charlie blew up the Chief's jeep!

Oh shit! His original presumption came back. Charlie got the drilling crew!

The excited Seabee was talking at hyper-speed and Dan could only catch a word or partial word now and again.

"Slow down! Start over. What's going on?"

"They blew up the wrecker! Chief Thomas wants you to get the grader there as fast as you can to fix the road and make sure the three dump trucks from the bridge job get to the laterite pit to haul fill for the crater."

He stopped to catch his breath before going on. "The Chief said you would know where to get the laterite and where the loader would be."

"I do. I need you to keep going towards Chu Lai about a mile and a half behind me and watch on the left for a short road going towards a Vietnamese rock quarry. Also look for 6X6 tire tracks coming onto the road. The loader will be in there a hundred yards or so off the highway. The dump truck drivers know where it is and will go there. Make sure the loader stays there and loads the dumps until a dump driver, the Chief or I, tell him what else to do.

And do me a favor after you get to the loader and are waiting for the trucks."

"Sure, what is it, Dave."

"Take that damn mortar round off the hood and get rid of it before it falls off and someone hits it with a tire.

Besides, it marks the weps as belonging to the road crew." He added as an after thought.

A blue, spent 81MM illumination mortar round had been wired to the weapon carrier's hood a couple of days ago. One morning while waiting for the Marine mine sweeper to go through on Highway 1, a couple of Seabees had found the separated pieces of several mortar illumination rounds which had been fired the night before and thought it would be cool to wire it to their weps.

"Do you know where the dump trucks are?"

"Yeah, they should be along any minute they were getting turned around when I left the bridge and Chief Thomas was in his jeep going back to where they blew up the wrecker."

Dan pointed towards the road. "I see 'em. They're just coming over the hill.

They didn't get the well drilling rig?"

"No. We couldn't see all of the convoy from the bridge. Just the well-drilling rig and it was okay. I think just the wrecker."

Thanks and drive careful. Hurry, but not any faster than is safe. Okay?"

The young Seabee put the weps in gear and with a wave started down the road.

He felt and heard from somewhere behind him oncoming thumps of a Huey. Dan knew it wasn't directly behind him, but somewhere off to his left over the rice paddies and moving fast. Twisting his upper body he watched the drab green Marine Corp Huey come into view and as it drew beside him he could see the bright red crosses on its nose and fuselage.

Medevac. Looks like it's headed for the bridge.

Damn! Somebody was hurt by that mine.

He watched as the medevac slowed over the low hill where he had seen the cloud rising from the explosion. Then the chopper slowly settled down out of sight into a purple smoke grenade cloud.

I'd better hayaku out of here!

With that thought he reached for the gear shift pulling the lever down placing the grader in high gear, slipped the clutch out and push the throttle up the full distance of its travel and the engine responded with a belch of black smoke and burst of power. Speed being relative the grader was topping out at about 25 miles per hour but seemed to be flying low in a few seconds.

With quick deft motions of his hands and arms, he finished tucking the blade up tightly into the undercarriage of the machine. He made a finer adjustment of the front wheels so the grader would travel down the road in a straight line before sitting down on the wide seat and laying his M14 across his knees.

Movement at the low hill ahead of him caught his eye and he watched the medevac hurriedly lift high enough to clear the hill. The pilot then made a pedal turn to point the Huey's nose towards Chu Lai before picking up forward speed. It seemed just seconds and the Huey passed him. The doors were open and Dan could see two litters on the cabin deck.

The grader slowed momentarily as the three dumps trucks passed with quick waves from the drivers and were soon around the next bend and out of sight.

Rather than going to the actual bridge construction site, Dan guided the grader to the left and onto the by-pass that had been built across the creek with two temporary huge culvert pipes and lots of fill dirt. A quick appraisal of the construction site told him that the chief was in fact gone and he was correct in his decision to go directly to the scene of the explosion.

This blast was unlike the first. Smaller, less intense and little more of a thump that he hardly heard and felt over the grader's bellowing engine. He did see a cloud of blue black smoke and black mud flying from a rice paddy dike and two men in green were thrown back away from the blast.

A figure he hadn't seen earlier jumped up from where he was lying on top of the paddy dike. As he drew closer he recognized Chief Thomas and realized the chief was pulling his .45 from its holster as he got to his feet and was jacking a round into the pistol's chamber.

Dan stopped the grader behind the well-drilling rig which was parked on the right shoulder of the highway. He grabbed his M14 and cartridge belt before dropping to the ground from his grader and trotting towards the chief. Several other Seabees and a corpsman were running to the two fallen men.

"What happened, Tom?"

"Booby trap! Watch for an ARVN carrying an American carbine! He was heading that way when I saw him last." He pointed towards a cluster of three thatched roofed Vietnamese hooches about 50 yards away and started towards them.

Dan followed closely behind with his M14 at the ready.

The chief continued as he hurriedly moved towards the hooches, "He was showing us the wire used to detonate the mine and where it was fired from. When we came onto the dike I realized he was holding the wire in his hand and was dropping back. I hollered and hit the ground just when he jerked on the comm wire. It had a grenade on the other end.

Obviously." He added.

"The Gunny and Shaw didn't have time to react. They were right on top of the grenade when it went off."

A column of brownish painted Korean trucks pulled up before Dan and the chief reached the hooches. In seconds the Korean soldiers set up a perimeter around their trucks and the Seabee convoy. The officer-in-charge of the new arrivals looked around before hurrying towards Chief Thomas and Petty Officer Davis.

"Are you in charge Chief?" The officer asked in perfect English. "What happened and what can I do to help you?"

Thomas hurriedly filled in the Korean officer before he was interrupted by a shout from the corpsman who was attending the wounded. "We need another medevac Chief. I can't do any more for these guys."

"You got it," Thomas answered as he broke into a run for his jeep and its waiting radio.

Without waiting for more details the Korean officer shouted to a Korean non-com who seemed to be in charge of the perimeter of soldiers. Within seconds the majority of the Korean soldiers formed a skirmish line and started to infiltrate the cluster of hooches and surrounding paddies. Several soldiers remained on the road to guard their vehicles and the Seabee convoy.

Dan watched as three or four Korean soldiers approached each hooch. One Korean kicked the door open. The two Koreans behind the kicker then quickly entered with their M16's at the ready.

A burst of automatic AK 47 fire from behind the hooches shattered the quiet that had descended upon the scene. The AK 47 fire was quickly followed by shouts in Korean and several bursts of M16 automatic fire.

Dan dropped down into a kneeling firing position behind a banana tree which was more bush than tree. He felt rather than saw Chief Thomas drop next to him.

"See anything, Dan?

Damn! Look over there at the hooches." The chief exclaimed.

He turned in time to see one of the Korean soldiers lift his Zippo lighter to the thatching of the second hooch's roof. The dry under layer of thatch immediately caught in a burst of yellow flame and blue/gray smoke. He looked towards the hooch nearest to the road realizing that its roof had been torched from the opposite side. Flame and smoke was billowing over the roof's peak and starting to roll out the door.

An elderly Vietnamese man and woman ran out of the second hooch their arms full of blankets and the woman had a large metal pot on her head instead of a non la. Seconds after they escaped through the door the interior of their hooch became engulfed in an inferno of yellow flames and black smoke. Turning back towards her home the woman screamed and cried as she threw herself to the ground a few feet from the flames which were reaching out for her. The man dropped his precious load of household items and blankets to drag his screaming diminutive wife to safety.

Two young Seabees with M14s slung over their shoulders ducked low, sprinted under the inferno that was swooping down on them. Scooping up the Vietnamese couple's most valuable possessions the young Bees took the older couples life's possessions out of reach of the furiously burning fire.

There was just the popping and crackling of the hooches burning and every few seconds a swooshing of heat and flames as a gust of wind passed through the burning hooches. The gunfire had ceased.

In four or five minutes passed before from behind the third burning hooch several Korean soldiers appeared dragging two black pajama clad bodies. One Korean followed the bodies carrying two AK 47's, the favorite VC weapon, while another Korean carried what appeared to be two locally manufactured claymore mines. They were about as big around as a really large pizza and covered with black tar and felt roofing paper and each had a short piece of comm wire hanging from it.

The Korean officer walked around from the most distance of the flaming hooches and approached Chief Thomas.

In the distance the 'thump-thump' of an approaching Huey's rotor blades became louder as the inbound second Marine medevac circled the area before settling down next to a green smoke grenade a Seabee had dropped on a cleared section of the highway.

"My men found these two hiding in the brush on the edge of the rice paddy. But they were unable to find the ARVN soldier who exploded the grenade.

I am sorry and hope all your wounded will recover. Seabees are very brave men. We see them out here repairing the road so that we can get supplies from the LSTs at the Chu Lai docks."

The Korean officer was interrupted by the medevac winding up its jet engine to lift off the road and at tree top level turn sharply towards Chu Lai with one wounded Seabee and one wounded Marine.

"We'll fix the road so you can be on your way as quick as we can. But it will be a while to get enough fill to build a temporary fix." Chief Thomas told the Officer.

"That will be fine. We'll stay with you until it is safe to resume your trip. I will have one truck lead you to our camp and a second to watch your back until you reach Binh Son."

Finished with what he had to say, the Korean spun on his heel and signaled his troops to renew their positions around the two convoys. The two VC bodies were casually thrown onto the bed of the last truck in the convoy and the two Korean soldiers who had dragged the bodies from the paddy climbed onto the truck clamoring over the blood soaked corpses as if they were two sacks of rice.

Dan smelled burning wood and became aware of the light blue smoke drifting across the road from the remains of the burning Vietnamese hooches. Spastically a pop or hiss would come from the red hot ashes and a flame would flare up when the fires found fresh fuel to consume.

"There's the first load of fill Tom. Want me to get him dumped then start fixing the road before the other two trucks get here?

I think I can make two passes with the first couple loads of laterite and get the Koreans and well drillers on their way to Binh Son."

"Sounds good to me. After the two convoys get going you can take your time and as many loads of laterite as you need to fill the mine crater.

How many loads are they going to bring out?"

I told the builder that you sent in, to have them keep coming until we send the word back for them to stop."

"Good deal. Unless you can see some reason to bring the loader out here, turn him loose with the dumps when you have enough fill. Chief Barrett needs some fill hauled for the road into the milk plant. So if they have time left before quitting time they can start hauling for him. I think Burgess has his grader there today."

"Gotcha. I can't think of any reason to bring the loader out here either, I can side cast the laterite into the crater until I fill it up enough to run loaded dumps on it for compaction after I build a nice little ramp in and out of the crater for the dumps."

"Alpha Company has asked the Marines to send out a tank retriever to help us get the wrecker back into Chu Lai. He can also help us drag the wrecker engine and winch out of the rice paddy. As you can see there isn't much left of the front end. No wheels, no axle. Engine and winch are out there in the rice paddy."

"Couldn't cut off the front end any better with a cutting torch, Chief. Where are all the pieces?"

"Look almost straight out about a hundred yards you can see the winch sticking out of the mud and water. Next to the paddy dike on the left is a pile of black dirt. That's where the engine hit before bouncing over the dike and into the other paddy."

"Shit. The engine went about 75 yards didn't it? Where are the wheels and axle, Chief?"

"We haven't really looked for them yet and I think that we have two very lucky Seabees that are still with us."

"Yeah. Hurting, but still amongst the living. The wrecker driver had his left foot on top of the sandbag between the brake and clutch. Everything ripped apart and tore up so much that we had to cut the pedals off his foot with a torch the well drilling crew had. The shotgun had some bad lacerations and probably lost at least one ear drum." Chief Thomas added before turning and heading for his jeep

With a quick smile and wave he told Dan as he slid under the jeep's steering wheel. "Don't find any mines today. Okay Dan? We still have to find the rest of the front end from this one. I'm sure it's in small pieces scattered all over these paddies."

## SIX

The Vietnamese sun was warm with a light breeze blowing across Highway 1 and the mud had dried up considerably. Dan Davis was about a quarter of a mile south of the Highway 1 gate of the Chu Lai military cantonment. He felt that he was finally starting to make some progress in getting the road dry enough to start grading some fill to widen the road bed and repair the torn up shoulders. In a couple weeks the rock crusher would start producing enough crushed rock so they could put a finish onto a newly repaired highway.

Damn, the Vietnamese rock haulers are tearing up the laterite pit road again. Dan thought as he looked down the road leading to a Vietnamese rock quarry and the Seabee laterite pit. For several days the Seabees had been hauling 25 or so loads of laterite from the pit every day loading the military dump trucks with a front end loader. They were sharing the road with the Vietnamese rock quarry and its truck drivers and the operators of the quarry didn't do much, if any maintenance on the haul road, maybe in hopes that the Seabees would do it.

I just as soon make a pass or two over it now since I'm here. Not that the Vietnamese will care or say thank you. Our trucks will make better time on it though and it will make the driver's ride a little more bearable.

He swung the grader into the haul road and started grading the extreme right side of the road in hopes that he wouldn't have to make more than three or four passes over the quarter of a mile of road going to the laterite pit.

Lots nicer to work the laterite now that the rain has stopped. Stays just moist enough to get good compaction.

Weird. There's not a rock on the road bed. I guess the Vietnamese load their trucks so they don't lose any.

Dan was looking all around as he worked closer to the turn off to the Vietnamese quarry coming up on his left. There were two medium sized Vietnamese trucks with flatbeds and about 18" wooden sideboards being loaded by hand. A group of women were carrying large, heavy duty baskets which they could barely lift above their heads and were dumping the full baskets into the head high beds of the trucks. One man, who he figured was the driver, was on the bed of each truck and as each basket was dumped he would spread out the pile of golf ball sized rocks.

The rest of the workers, male, female,and children were scattered about the site all busily doing their jobs. All the women and most of the children worn black pajama bottoms while most of the men wore black cutoff shorts which exposed their skinny, but muscular leg muscles. Contrary to the work especially dangerous to feet and legs everyone on the quarry site was wearing some sort of sandal like what we call zories or Ho Chi Minh sandals which were hand made from old tires. All of the women had on a non la and many wore an additional scarf of various colors to protect their face from the sun and long sleeve shirts to cover their arms. Dark or sun tanned skin was not a desirable thing to any Vietnamese woman.

Near the top of the rock face, 20 or 30 feet above and to the right of a flat working area where the trucks were being loaded, were several men with sledge hammers, steel pry bars and wooden poles made from the 4" or 5" diameter tree trunks, working on the rock face. Several pieces of rock had fallen off the face to the right of where these men were prying at a car sized slab of rock. Some rocks that had been ripped off the face were the size of a small refrigerators while some were larger than a Volkswagen 'Bug'. Several men were attacking these larger rocks that had already fallen from the quarry's face with sledge hammers and wooden wedges producing basketball sized hunks of rock.

Well away from the quarry face was a group of women and children, ten or maybe a dozen of each, were squatting flat footed,Vietnamese style, next to a pile of the basketball sized rocks. Each of them had a small single handed hammer and were chipping off smaller hunks of rock which were sorted by size into four or five different baskets. One held golf ball sized such as was being loaded onto the trucks while in another basket were small rocks about the size of hazel nuts. When a basket became level full, a man who appeared to be in charge, would mark something on the slip of rice paper he had attached to a clipboard. One of the bigger boys or a woman would then take the basket to a larger pile of rocks of equal size near where the trucks were being loaded and dump it on the pile then return to the rock crushing crew with the empty basket.

Dan had stopped the grader and was sitting quietly watching the busy working life of the quarry. I wish that I had my camera with me. Nobody working construction in the States would believe this.

At the same time he recognized one of the trucks which he saw almost daily hauling on Highway 1. The driver looked up and seeing that Dan was watching him, stood up full height, (5' or maybe 5'1") and with the same big smile that he gave the grader operator on the highway, waved vigorously at him before dropping back down to continue smoothing out his load.

Dan waved back and smiled as the driver was crouching back down. He let out the grader's clutch to continue grading.

I could use a cup of coffee and a pecan roll. Wonder where Ryder is with the chow wagon? Dan thought as he turned back onto Highway 1 having finished grading the haul road. He looked south down the highway towards an expanse of sand that the roadcut went through some wind blown sand dunes. The spot where their new first class driver and second in charge of the road crew usually parked the trailer he had cumshawed from the Seabee builders to hold the road crew's few tools, three 5 gal insulated water jugs full of ice water and several cases of C-rations, also a product of cumshaw from supply. If nothing else, the Highway 1 road crew was well watered and fed. It was little enough to pay the crew which spent more time in or near the Viet Cong than many of the rest of the Seabees in the battalion did.

A couple minutes of travel, grading as he went and the trailer and the crew's weps came into sight partially hidden by the curve of the roadcut sand dune. Squatting flatfooted in the shade of the weps were several of the local village girls with their baskets of goodies. Dick Ryder, the new first class driver, second in charge of the road crew, was sitting in the shade on the truck's running board drinking from a C-ration can of what Dan knew would be fresh brewed instant C-ration coffee.

Dan pulled the grader off the road onto a grader-sized flat in the sand that he had made a couple days before so he could get the grader off the road and out of the way of any military traffic which might stop to visit or to grab a drink and something to eat.

Sitting on her zories so she wouldn't get her white pants dirty, was the young woman he had watched walking down the road a week ago. She was by herself and only about three feet from where he had stopped the grader's front tire. On the sand next to her was her basket which appeared much like what the girls were carrying except for a small bundle about the size of a softball wrapped in a banana leaf with a narrow red silk ribbon tied to hold it together.

As Dan looked down at her while giving the grader's engine a chance to cool down a bit met her brown eyes. Again he saw how soft and doe-like they were and surely didn't miss the soft smile that crept across her lips then lit up her whole face. The blush of her embarrassment seemed to flash up the exposed sides of her neck and although she turned her eyes down, the fingers of her right hand came away her basket to wiggle in a friendly little wave. He saw that her neatly filed fingernails were longer than the average female villager's and were clean as were her hands with no sign of grime or betel nut stains on them. She washes her hands and keeps her nails clean. More so than the other girls.

Dan couldn't help but smile in return when he jumped down from the grader's high deck on the same side of the grader as she was sitting. He walked towards her on his way to get a drink and C-ration pecan roll. When he attempted to meet her eyes, her smile deepened, and when she turned her eyes to meet his they were shiny in a smile and if possible, her red blush deepened as he drew closer.

"Hi." Dan spoke softly.

Softer still she answered, "Hi yourself." She replied with an American phrase in perfect English that had no sound of a Vietnamese accent.

He stopped in surprise. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as he stood for several seconds before giving a small shake of his head and resuming his walk towards the waiting ice water and his pecan roll. When he got to the trailer and reached for the C-ration can he saw that she was still watching him. When she realized that he was returning her gaze, the red stain of blush flashed back up her neck as she dropped her eyes hiding her face behind her non-la.

While opening the can containing a C-ration pecan roll he looked to where the pretty young Vietnamese woman was still sitting patiently on her zories and watching the other girls as they were gathering up their baskets and getting ready to move to where they usually hung out at the Army Brigade gate a mile or so down the road.

She doesn't look as if she's in any hurry to leave or go with them. Wonder what's up and what that's all about? She really doesn't seem to be part of that group anyway. They're mostly from Chu Lai and I only saw her with them last week yet they've been hanging out at Brigade headquarters off and on all winter.

As the girls set off down the road Dave looked down at the open can he held. Shrugged his shoulders slowly and walked over to the young woman stopping to take a C-ration cup of ice water in his other hand.

"Would you like this. It's a kind of cake." He said quietly and offered her the roll.

She looked up in surprise.

"Davis, you going to be here a few?" Ryder hollered from the far side of the weps. "I'm going to get one of those security troops hanging around the bridge to come down and give us some security. The trucks will be hauling you some fill in a while. The chief said you would know where they were to start dumping? Some where north by the haul road?" Ryder asked.

"Yeah. Just this side of the haul road. We want to start repairing the shoulders and widening the sub-grade a bit."

As he spoke, Dan felt the can of pecan roll leave his hand. Taken from him gently.

"Thank you. It's a pecan roll. I've never had one before." She spoke softly and very quietly. And again in perfect English.

"Water?" He offered her realizing that she had stood up and was standing next to him. Her head barely reached his shoulder. She was trying to get the roll out of the can which he knew was no easy task. With a paper cup around the cake its total size was larger than the size of the can opened with a P-38 C-ration can opener, so it took a bit of manipulation to extract it in one piece.

"Here. You take the water and I'll get that out of the can for you."

Leaning against the grader's front tire he turned the can upside down and when the roll started out caught it with his finger tips and tugged and twisted it the rest of the way out into his hand tearing its paper cup it was in as he did it.

A soft snicker came from her and he felt her arm cross next to him when she set the empty water can on top of the tire he was leaning on.

"You've been practicing taking rolls from their cans." She said in her quiet voice with a gentle smile. Thank you."

"What is that in your basket, wrapped in the banana leaf?"

He could see that she was becoming embarrassed again and was going back to where she had left her zories and basket sitting on the sand dune. She sat again on her zories and carefully started to eat the sweet pecan roll.

Thinking she was ignoring him in her embarrassment, he asked "Would you like more water?"

"Yes please. The roll is a bit dry." As she answered, she maintained eye contact with him for a few seconds before speaking again. "It's my lunch. What you call sticky rice. See." She picked up the object of their conversation and pulled back on corner of the bright green leaf revealing a lump of what Dan thought might be brown rice.

"It is gao ne'p Vietnamese rice. Not polished like American rice. A bit brown which is the inside of the hulls." She answered his unasked question.

Handing her a freshly filled C-ration can of ice water from the water cooler, he asked "What's your name? I can't just holler 'Hey you' whenever I see you."

"You expect to see me again?"

"I will if you keep coming down this road. I'm going to be working out here for a few more months.

So? What shall I call you besides? 'Hey you'."

"Linh. If you really see me again. It means gentile spirit. My mother thought that I was very gentle when I was being born. Trying not to hurt her."

"I'm embarrassing you, sorry. I don't mean to embarrass you. Linh? Right?"

She answered so quietly Dan could barely hear her. "Yes. Linh is my first name.

You are not embarrassing me. I am embarrassing myself. I am being too brazen. A Vietnamese woman should not be talking to a foreign man, any man, as I have tried to speak to you.

Your last name on your name tag is Davis. Is that what your friends call you? I also need to know so I don't have to holler 'Hey you' either."

"Linh? I like that. A very nice name and your English is very good even if I can barely hear you. Too good for village girl. Right?"

"I don't want to call you Davis. I know that is not what you like. So?" She laughed softly and kept a steady gaze in his eyes before speaking with no hurt or defensiveness in her voice. "I am not a village girl. I am a city woman."

"Whoa! I hear you and I did not mean to insult you. And as an excuse I have to admit that I'm ignorant of Vietnamese customs and what would be the correct way to speak to you.

They call me Dave."

"That is just a shortened version of your last name. Is that what your family called you?

And you don't have to apologize to me. I didn't mean to scold you. I also make mistakes when I talk to Americans as you do when you speak to me.

"All right. my full name is Dan Lee Davis. My mother called me Dan and sometimes Danny. Most of my close friends also say Dan, but a few very close friends get away with calling me Dan Lee. Casual military friends use Dave."

"That is common in the American military to use a shortened version of a last name? Why?"

"I think because it is on our name tags so it is easy to remember and read."

Dan heard the loaded truck coming closer on the road and knew he had to get back to work.

"I have to go. I'll see you later?" He asked her as he shoved a newly opened pecan roll into his mouth and climbed onto the grader.

She answered just before Dan hit the diesel engine's starter switch. Only very loudly now. "I'll be here all afternoon and everyday this week." She then waved a full hand wave and smiled brightly. She mouthed some words which were smothered by the roar of the big engine starting.

That looked like 'be careful' but I can't be sure. She is also embarrassing herself again. He thought when he saw the red of her almost perpetual blush cover her throat.

Dan backed the grader onto the highway and waved to Linh and hollered one word. "LATER" before going down the road towards the waiting dump truck.

Again she smiled and nodded a small careful nod and the fingers of her right hand waved their tiny goodbye.

She is definitely educated. Maybe even a Stateside education. Her accent sounds almost like Southern California. That is kind of hard to believe here in the middle of nowhere in South Vietnam.

When Dan pulled into his parking spot for lunch at the crew's trailer he looked around but none of the Vietnamese girls were around. He had hoped in the back of his mind that Linh would be there.

Guess she went down the road to Brigade headquarters with the others. None of them can make much money hanging around here with just three or four of us only here spastically.

Never saw that kid before. Where did Ryder find him?

Ryder had come back from the bridge and not only had brought a seaman from bridge security but had a Vietnamese boy of 8 or 9 years old following him around.

"This is Honcho. He lives in the ville next to the bridge. We can use him for an interpreter. Speaks good English and has lived here all his life and knows everybody around here."

"Hey, sounds good to me, Dick. Just make sure that he stays away from the equipment when it's running. I'd hate to see him get squashed under the duals of a dump truck."

"I think he'll be fine. I was told by the builders that he's been hanging around the bridge job ever since they started and hasn't created any problems. His father is a village sub-chief or some such thing in the village this side of the bridge."

"Can we keep the security? It's impossible for me to be running the grader and laterite pit and still watching our trailer."

"That's okay, Dave. I'll make sure somebody is always here if you're too busy or too far away."

Nice clean kid. Good clothes and his hair is cut short and even. Clean teeth with a nice smile. Very different from a lot of the street urchins that are roaming around here. Wonder how they came up with that name for him?

Dan filled his canteen cup with ice water and after taking a couple of swallows started to pick over some loose C-ration cans trying to find something that would appeal to him for lunch. He didn't hear Dick Ryder come up beside him walking in the soft sand.

"I saw your girl friend at the Brigade gate with the rest of the girls. She kept looking this way down the road. Maybe looking for you?"

"Oh shit! I didn't know you were here Dick.

She is kind of cute don't you think. But not hardly my girl friend. I've only said twenty words to her and I think she has only said half of that to me." He answered as he picked up a can of hardtack biscuits with a fudge disk then continued browsing amongst the cans from previously opened C-ration boxes. He finally picked up a can of boned chicken to go with the biscuits before asking, "Where and who came up with the name Honcho for the little guy?"

"His Vietnamese name is something like Hung Ho'ang. None of the bridge crew could say it or remember it so they started to call him Honcho. You know, the Japanese word for boss." Ryder added unnecessarily.

He seems like a good kid and his family have the nicest house in the village just above the bridge. His mother even has a Siamese cat that nobody has eaten yet. Honcho said that they can't let it out of the house. If they do a neighbor will eat it. I saw the cat when they invited me in for tea this morning after I left here. House is really clean and neat even though it isn't loaded with furniture, at least they have a wooden floor which is unusual around here."

"Doesn't he go to school? I thought every village had a school and teacher."

"Seems the Viet Cong kidnapped the teacher the same night that they blew the bridge about 10 or 11 months ago. Honcho claims the teacher was VC and went willingly. His father won't say either way."

Dan sat on the warm sand of the dune while eating his lunch watching the traffic on the road, mostly Vietnamese buses and trucks. Once in a while a farmer pushing a bicycle loaded with rice straw, or vegetables would go by, and the inevitable south bound truck load of rock would go speeding by .

They drive like mad men. I wonder if they realize what would happen to them if they slam into the grader or a six by six? Doubt that they're thinking that far ahead.

## SEVEN

Going to be a great day. First week of April and the fourth straight day of sunshine. Dan thought while walking from the chow hall towards his hooch. The eastern sky was turning redder as the sun started to peek up over the far eastern horizon of the South China Sea and was a dark blue overhead with darker, almost black clouds tipped with dark gray where the sunlight had not fully reached yet.

After drinking a canteen cup of coffee and carrying his second cup still full of ultra hot, ultra black Navy coffee he made a fast stop at his hooch to pickup his M14, cartridge belt, two extra ammo bandoliers full of 5 round clips and his flak jacket before going to the Alpha Company compound and muster.

"The main topic of the day." Master Chief Ellsworth, the Company Chief started out. "Commander Ross, who even you new boots know is the Battalion Commander, made an unannounced tour of the hooches yesterday. He is not happy with the condition of the various squad's sandbag bunkers. He is under the impression that many are the original ones thrown up when the camp was built. And I and other people agree with him. Lots of them look exactly like that, they were thrown up and some have bags that are losing sand as well as some are just plain junk which I would not want to have to use to protect my life if we get hit with a mortar attack.

Since we are getting a break in the weather the Commander decided that it is the time to do some bunker building. You squad leaders are in charge of your squad's bunker and will see that it is brought up to battalion standards by 1700 on Saturday. That gives you four days to accomplish it.

If you need bags or more sand stop by the company office and tell Petty Officer Ryan what your needs are and it will be delivered to your hooch.

If you need or want time off from your regular duties tell your crew leader and he will see that you get the time off as well as having some other member of your squad to help you.

Remember squad leaders, it is your responsibility to accomplish this. Though you don't have to do the physical work."

After being dismissed from quarters, the yard in front of the company office as well as the office itself became a little chaotic.

Dan caught Chief Thomas's eye as the chief was getting into his jeep.

"You want to take care of your's this morning Dan? Take Kramer with you.

No, Dan Lee! You can't have Casey. I can do without a grader for the day, but I do need my Cat skinner." He answered before Dan could say or ask anything. "Do you need a load of sand? If so I'll have one of our dumps get it to you before they go out on the road."

"Don't think so. The company didn't get our dumps for the sand detail?"

"No. Mr. Roberts said 'never happen'. They have plenty that work in the cantonment everyday and didn't need ours and the Commander agreed with him."

"Thanks Tom. I'll see ya when you get in tonight?"

"Yeah I'll stop by your hooch then."

On the way back to their hooch, EONCN Eddie Kramer and EON2 Dan Lee Davis picked up several sandbags apiece from a pallet full of bags sitting next to the company office. Dan knew that they would have to replace some torn and worn out ones and if they needed more to add height to their bunker walls.

"What if we need more sand, Dan?"

"There's a pile left from where the security troops sandbagged the officer's shower and built them a bunker aways behind our hooch. We'll just take what we need from there.

I want to make our's a bit shorter in length than it is now.. In other words making it square not rectangular, but also taller. The existing sides aren't that tall. Barely over my head even when I hunker down in it and I'm not especially tall."

"How about putting a sand bagged floor in it, Dan. Then if it rains we won't be sitting in the mud. It just has some sand sprinkled on top of the laterite now."

"Yeah. that's a good idea, Ed. We can do that easy enough since we're going to build up the sidewalls and shorten two sides."

The sun was warm and so different from what the weather had been Dan decided that they would throughly enjoy this day of respite from the rainy, windy days on Highway 1. Working in their olive drab tee shirts the 2 Seabees ripped the bunker down to the the raw earth setting the reusable sand filled bags in one pile and doubling up some of the tore up, or worn out bags with new bags.

By 1600 they were ready to put a final row of sandbags around the bunker's perimeter to get the wall height that Dan wanted. Dave handed Ed Kramer a script dollar and asked him if he wanted to walk over to the EM club and get them some icy cold Cokes.

"Sure. The club should be open now.

Is this going to be big enough, Dan? Looks a bit small for a squad of men to me."

"I'm hoping so, Ed. I like the taller sidewalls and there being less chance of Charlie being able to drop a mortar round in on top of us."

"Well? Is it finished?" Chief Thomas asked as he walked around from the front of the hooch where he had parked his jeep.

'Hey Ed. Bring the Chief a coke too."

"Okay, Dan."

"Hell yes. Finest bunker in Alpha Company. Actually in the whole battalion." Dave answered as Thomas stepped up and looked into the newly rebuilt bunker.

"Looks kind of small to me even though I'm sure you filled more bags. Where did you get the sand to fill them, Dan?"

"That's what I asked him Chief." Kramer said as he looked at and pointed with his chin to the now diminished sandpile by the officer's shower building.

"Just wait you guys. If we have to use it there will be more than enough room for my whole squad in it.

You going to get those Cokes, Boot?"

"I'm on my way. I always know it's time to do what he asked when he calls me Boot." Kramer said as he jumped off of the wall of the bunker he was standing on and headed in the direction of the EM Club.

"If you say so, Dan. You guys be ready to go back on the road tomorrow?" Chief Thomas asked.

"For sure. You can only have so much fun building bunkers. Even when the sun is shining, Tom."

"By the way, security asked for another load of sand to finish sandbagging the officer's shower room. They can't figure where all the sand they had for it went to." Tom said in passing with a smile.

## EIGHT

On Thursday morning Dan and Chief Thomas traveled out the gate together in the chief's jeep leaving Dan's grader inside the wire behind the gate's guard shack.

"This end of the road is starting to look really good. Monday morning the engineers will be out to put in some grade stakes and Tuesday you can start blue topping getting it ready so we can start laying rock on it. I'd say that we maybe a sukoshi high and we can use the extra on the shoulders." Thomas commented

"Will I have the rubber tired roller also? Two would be nice." Dan asked.

"You're kidding of course. I talked them out of one which you can keep for the duration as long as you're grading fill.

Don't let the operator break it down. If it has to go in the shop I may not be able to get it back for you."

"Nothing saying we couldn't fix it ourselves is there? We can use the empty shop at the old RMK rock crusher site and Smitty will let me use his tools. After all a first class mechanic never uses his tools anyway."

"Christ! Is that how you replaced the cutting edge on your grader?

Don't let Chief Marks know or you, Smitty and I will all be a target of the mechanics dictator's revenge. In case nobody told you, Marks has his own rules and number one is 'NEVER let an operator repair a piece of his equipment.' Meaning Marks' equipment. He thinks he owns every piece of battalion equipment if it has wheels, an engine or wheels/engine driven, personally."

"I'll remember that and not let him catch me. Besides, he never leaves the Alpha Company compound and main shop anyway. Right?"

"That's true."

As they approached the Army's Brigade headquarters gate Dan looked at the group of girls standing by the guard shack flirting with the dozen or so of soldiers who were still on the inside of the fence.

I don't see Linh. She's been out here every day that I went by, but she hasn't come down to our end of the road. Ryder made a remark yesterday about seeing her at the bridge and hinted that it was too bad I wasn't there since she seemed to be looking for somebody.

"Today, as you can see, they started to walk the Northwest 6 crane back to Chu Lai so the operators and mechanics can put the shovel front back on it over the next couple of days. Then we'll walk it back out to the laterite pit to load fill. Some of the fill will be for you to finish the approaches on each end of the bridge. That by the way is the excuse to get the rubber tired roller out here. For the bridge approaches. Then on Tuesday or Wednesday I'll have Windy take out the bypass with his scraper and Casey can help with the D-8 Cat."

He saw her standing next to the sandbag bunker on the bridge site with Honcho. They were both relaxed and smiling about something. Honcho looked up at the sound of the approaching jeep. His whole face lit up in a smile when he turned to Linh and said something.

She looked towards the jeep quickly and from several feet away Dan could see her soft smile spread across her face as she recognized him. Her right hand came away from her basket just a few inches and she gave her almost invisible small wave.

The Chief parked the jeep on the left shoulder of the bridge approach a few feet from the sandbag bunker. Dan started to follow him when he walked towards the group of builders standing and talking on the bridge, but hesitated when Linh stepped away from the bunker's wall and took several steps towards him.

"I'll be right back Dan, then we can look over the bypass and approaches to see where we stand as to being able to accomplish what we want over the next couple of days.

I think somebody wants to talk to you." Chief Thomas said and looked at Linh who was hesitantly walking towards them.

With his usual huge smile Honcho waved at Dan then hurried to catch Chief Thomas who seemed to be his hero of the week. "Linh has been waiting for you. She wants you to buy Coke from her." He hollered as he went out of sight around the bunker.

"Is that so?" Dan asked Linh who was only a couple of steps away and had not only stopped coming closer, but had turned red in embarrassment.

"No, I did not say that. Excuse me, I must leave."

"Linh where are you going?" He asked her as she turned and started to follow Honcho and the Chief across the completed bridge.

When she didn't answer him, Dan spoke louder but to no avail trying to reassure her that he understood and knew Honcho was just being a boy and was not speaking for her, but had unintentionally draw attention to her.

"Ready, Dan?" Thomas asked a couple minutes later as he slid behind the wheel of the jeep. "We can drive across the bridge. Not officially yet.. We're privileged."

'What's going on on the bypass, Tom?" He asked just as Tom slammed on the brakes and the jeep slide to a stop in the soft fill on the south bridge approach.

Going south and already several 6 X 6 lengths onto the bypass was a US Marine convoy of about 8 trucks and two jeeps. In the lead jeep a Marine Captain was standing in the passenger side and waving and hollering at an ARVN convoy of six trucks that was just entering the bypass fast from the south. The Marine PFC driving the lead jeep started to slow down but the Captain waved him on with his left hand and without turning to him, spoke to him.

The ARVN trucks kept coming fast only stopping when the first truck was barely a jeep's length from the front bumper of the Captain's jeep. All the while the Marine was waving for the ARVNs to back down without results.

At the same time the Marine jeep had skidded to a stop on the compacted laterite surface of the bypass and the Captain jumped out of the jeep giving orders to the Marines in the jeep and drawing his .45 from his shoulder holster.

"Heads up. Everybody grab your weapons!" Chief Thomas hollered as he and Dan jumped from their jeep and put the jeep between themselves and the ARVN convoy.

Dan pulled back the slide of his M14 and chambered a round as he laid across the engine hood and aimed at the lead Vietnamese truck. On second thought he reached up to the side of the rifle and turned the selector switch to full auto before pushing off the safety. He didn't have time to think about his flak jacket still sitting on his grader's seat.

Thomas had drawn his .45 and as he came around the rear of the jeep, checked to see what the other Seabees were doing. His order had been unnecessary. Most of the Seabees had already established a defensive perimeter and an M-60 machine gun was sticking out of the bunker's gunport where its field of fire could sweep the ARVN convoy. The rest of the Seabee crew had armed themselves and were hurrying to their defensive posts on both ends of the bridge.

In the lead Marine jeep the gunner had already swung his M-60 machine gun to point at the front ARVN truck's windshield. All the Marines in the 6X6s pointed their weapons at the column of ARVN trucks.

An ARVN officer jumped from the lead Vietnamese truck and was screaming loudly as he waved and motioned at the Marine Captain.

The Vietnamese officer reached for his sidearm but before his weapon cleared its holster the Marine had pointed his .45 at his head and was hollering into the Vietnamese's face from just a couple feet away.

The Vietnamese's face drained of color. His eyes changed from arrogance and rage to fear. He threw both hands up and away from his weapon with his palms out as he stepped back three steps nodding rapidly in half bows as he retreated and became mute. He continued to stare at the ground in front of him.

"Watch that ARVN with the US carbine on the left front of the first truck. He's getting really antsy, Dan."

"Got him, Tom. He had better put that carbine down quick.

Looks like the officer has found his voice again."

The Vietnamese officer turned towards his troops and spoke rapidly and not without some nervousness that could be heard in his high pitched voice. Dan could hear it clearly though he didn't understand more than a word or two.

He motioned with his arms and hands and after a few seconds the half raised weapons on the ARVN soldiers started to be lowered. Reluctantly the soldier in the front truck that Dan and Chief Thomas were both watching closely also lowered his carbine.

Neither of them relaxed, nor did any of the other Seabees on the bridge or the Marines in the convoy.

Slowly and reluctantly the ARVN trucks started to back off the bypass and retreat to the right side of the road leaving enough room for the Marine convoy to pass them. As his jeep came alongside the lead Vietnamese truck the Marine Captain with a smile, threw a mocking salute at the Vietnamese officer who at that moment was angrily mounting the running board of his truck.

"The antsy ARVN soldier in the lead truck was getting antsy again moving his American made carbine around half raising it only to again lower it.

"That sucker is a VC for sure and just asking for it." Dan said as he leaned back across the jeep's hood and watched him. "Can't say as that Vietnamese officer was very happy either. The Captain really made him lose face in front of his troops. Though it was his own doing trying to bluff a US Marine."

"I think you're probably right. We'll just keep an eye on him until they get away from the bridge." Thomas agreed with him as he slid his .45 back into its holster.

"Let's make a run on the bypass and I think we should make sure the dump trucks can still turn around in that wide spot you built just this side of the burned out hooches.

It also might be a good idea to follow these guys to Chu Lai."

"You want me to make one more pass on the highway all the way to the bridge before I get tied up close in to Chu Lai on Tuesday?"

"Yeah. Why don't you do that. I'll take you back to the Chu Lai gate and drop you at your grader then you can take the rest of the day doing that. Why don't you start at the Brigade's gate. No sense in grading along the fence since you'll be working there for the foreseeable future."

## NINE

Dan Lee Davis started the week off on Monday by making a pass along the shoulder of Highway 1 from the Army's Brigade headquarters south to Bridge #1 since he was going to the bridge to finish its approaches. Less than a half mile south of the Army's gate rice paddies opened up on both sides of the road with several culverts running under the highway to allow the Vietnamese rice farmers to move water from one paddy to another on both sides of the highway. As Dan passed over the first culvert he noticed from high up on the grader's seat that the normally dark paddy water was cloudy with fresh mud especially thick close to the mouth of the culvert. The cloud of mud was lighter colored than the dark brown almost black mud in a normal paddy. It was almost beige which was what drew his attention to it.

Huh? That's strange. I don't remember ever seeing water that color in a rice paddy.

Is that a piece of comm wire in that cloud of mud?

I'll stop a bit down the road and walk back rather than park the grader on top of the culvert if there is something in there that shouldn't be. The road is all right. I graded that whole shoulder Saturday and there aren't any signs of anybody screwing with it since. I'm damn sure the mud wasn't stirred up then either.

He had lifted the blade slightly and pulled the throttle to about half and gradually brought the grader to a halt. He threw the grader's transmission into neutral and set the hand brake before he put of his flak jacket then reached behind him for his M14 and cartridge belt. He pulled back the M14's slide to chamber a round. He was about a hundred yards from the culvert and looked across the road towards the village sitting in a clump of trees back up the road from where he had parked the grader. Several villagers were working around their hooches. Three women were walking along a paddy dike carrying the Vietnamese version of a hoe and headed for a paddy where there were already several more men and women working.

Looks secure enough. Since the villagers are working here, Charlie probably isn't close by. Looks like the same villagers I've seen here before.

Okay! Here goes nothing.

He slung his M14 loosely on the front of his right shoulder upside down with its sling to the back. Just a quick swing and it would be ready to fire. Then he dropped on to the roadbed from the grader's bottom step.

Carefully walking in the grader's tire tracks he back tracked to the culvert. When he could see the mouth of the culvert he stopped and looked all around the adjoining paddies and again checked the villagers around the paddies. All seemed quiet. The same as a few minutes ago.

From where he stood and with the sun at a different angle from what he saw from higher up on the grader he could see into the cloud of muddy water. The comm wire was in plain view running underwater across the paddy from the west and into the culvert. The culvert was only about half full of water and it was not flowing in either direction.

That's why the mud is still stirred up. The water in the paddies on both sides of the road are equal. It isn't moving.

Wonder what's in there?

Moving carefully towards the mouth of the culvert with his rifle now in both hands and his finger pushing against the trigger guard safety, Dave watched where each foot went to be sure he stayed where the grader blade had been.

Here goes! One foot on the top of the culvert pipe, then step down in the water next to the pipe so I can see into the pipe.

Oh--shit! Olive drab with yellow strips and lettering. Definitely American.

He had no doubt that he was looking at a US made bomb without fins. Even in the dim light afforded by the reflection off the water in the 24 inch culvert pipe he could see a series of deep scrapes and shiny bare metal in the paint on the side of the bomb.

I've seen enough. Best get the Hell out of here before some stray VC decides that I'm screwing up their ambush.

Dan sauntered back to his grader again being careful to stay in the tire marks feeling the paddy water squishing around in his left jump boot. He left his rifle draped on his shoulder even as he stepped up the two step ladder to the grader's deck. Trying to be casual he put the transmission in gear and pushed the throttle up and as he eased out the clutch,then hit the blade lift control to reset it.

Best and quickest place to go is Brigade headquarters or keep going to the bridge?

The bridge it is. Thomas is there and has a radio in his jeep.

He didn't bother to blade any further believing that disposal of the bomb more important than road grading. He pulled the grader blade up and after shifting into high gear he tucked the blade under the chassis and at full throttle and about twenty-five miles an hour headed for the bridge.

Thomas contacted the Marines of the 3RD MAR DIV who were in charge of that part of Chu Lai and made arrangements to meet their EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team and a detachment of Marines at the south end of the Chu Lai cantonment fence ASAP.

"Let's go Dan." The Chief hollered and waited for him to break off his conversation with one of the corpsman and Honcho.

As soon as he had arrived at the bridge and filled in Chief Thomas to what he had found, Dan went looking for Honcho since he did not see Linh in the group of Vietnamese girls hanging about the north bridge approach nor earlier at the Brigade Headquarter's Gate. He found Honcho hanging out with a young third class corpsman. Pete Reynolds who Dan knew and knew would keep his mouth shut and not spread a rumor about him asking questions about Linh.

Honcho told Dan that he hadn't seen her since Saturday when he, Dan, and the Chief had arrived before the Marine/ARVN confrontation. "She left then. When the Marines left and I tried to find her, she was not here. She's a relative, maybe a cousin to me. I will ask my mother if she knows where she is. You can come back later?"

The corpsman also said that he saw her walk away from Dan and Honcho then and didn't see her again or since as Honcho had told him.

"Thanks guys. If you see her tell her I asked about her. All right?"

"Sure Dan. I like her too. But I know she was looking for you for several days when you hadn't been out here."

"Honcho, where does she live? With your family?"

"No, with my mother's sister in Chu Lai. She walks out here early in the morning or if she has money, rides a bus."

"So? What did you find out about Linh?"

"Nothing. Nobody has seen her. Honcho said he would ask his mother. I think that she's his mother's cousin, a distant cousin, but lives in Chu Lai.

We going to meet the Marines?"

"Yeah. You'll have to show them the bomb."

"No problem. It's pretty hard to miss."

"Oh? So how come nobody else saw it?"

"Maybe they weren't looking?"

"You are such a smart ass."

The 250 # dud bomb, minus its' fins, had been disarmed and pulled out of the culvert. It was on the shoulder of the road so the Marine EOD team could load it on to their truck. The Marine security detail was still in a defensive mode along the road and at the access to the village. One Marine from the EOD team was wet and muddy under his foul weather jacket that he had put on over his fatigues for warmth. He was smaller than the rest of the team and obviously had the unenviable task of climbing into tight spots. He had first taken a quick look following the comm wire to assure himself and the team leader that the comm wire had been run over the top of the bomb and into its nose where a fuse usually was. He cut the comm wire at the mouth of the culvert pipe then crossed the road and slid into the pipe to the bomb's nose that was almost directly under the center of the road. With the team leader at the opposite end of the culvert he had communicated what he had found.

"They ran the wire over the top as we saw from your end. Then put a charge of what looks like C4, with an electric blasting cap into the fuse hole. I would say the fuse is completely missing, but I'll know for sure when I remove the cap and plastique."

"All right, can you remove the cap and plastique without any hassle?"

"Yes Sir. No problem." He was quiet for several seconds. "You can pull the comm wire out now Sir. I have the cap and plastique. Just for future info, Sir, I don't think its C4. Seems to be something else that I'm not familiar with so I separated the cap from it."

"Okay, get out of there Gunny. Do you want to go in from this end and put a rope on that thing so we can pull it out?"

"Might as well, Skipper. I'm already wet and muddy. No sense in anybody else ruining their day."

Laughing the Marine Captain said, "You can take a shower and put on clean fatigues as soon as we get that thing secured and destroyed, Gunny."

As the Gunny walked back across the road he added. "I'm holding you to that offer, Skipper.

Now if the Corporal will give me a hand with the rope we'll haul the beast out of there. We definitely ruined Charlie's day and that makes it worth getting my manicure and coiffure screwed up."

The Marine Staff Sergeant in charge of the security detail approached the EOD Captain and Chief Thomas as they stood in the middle of the road checking out the rice farmers who were showing some, but not a lot on interest in what the Seabees and Marines were doing.

"Sir, Chief, I think we should make a pass and a kind of look see in that village. Just to see if any of these so called rice farmers are or will get antsy and kinky. I doubt if we have much of a chance of any VC showing their hand, but you can never tell."

Thomas turned to the Marine Captain and nodded. "It might be a good idea. It might put them on notice to be careful about messing with us."

"I agree. Can't hurt anything, Chief.

Okay, Sergeant, do your thing. In the mean time we're going to load the bomb and get out of here."

With a smile, his M16 hanging from his right shoulder, the Staff Sergeant spun on his heel and started back to his Marines. The M16 came off his shoulder and with few words and several hand motions his Marines started into the village spread out on each side of the trail which was the villager's access to the highway barely wide enough for a jeep.

From the Chief's jeep, Dan and Thomas saw that the Marine EOD team was ready to leave. They started down the road as the Captain came to meet them.

"I don't have any business cards, but we're at the Seabees service any time. Just give us a call day or night." He said with a pleasant smile and held out his hand. "Thanks Davis, took some guts to checkout that culvert.

Chief, anytime." As he shook Thomas hand before turning and trotting back to his waiting weapons carrier.

"Shall we wait around for the sweep of the village, Tom?"

"Let's get out of here. We've wasted enough time and had our thrills for the day, don't you think, Dan?"

## TEN

Before 0800 on Tuesday Dan Lee Davis met Chief Thomas near the Chu Lai gate where he had left his grader the night before.

"The engineers want another day or so to run the grade lines. Also we need to finish up the bridge approaches. So we'll let this end of the road go until we finish out on the bridge.

I'll meet you out there later."

"Ok, Tom See ya out there." Dan climbed up on his grader and headed south on Highway 1 for bridge 1.

With three dump trucks hauling from the laterite pit 4 miles away he spent most of the day rebuilding the approach shoulders on the north side of the bridge with the help of EON3 Casey Jones and his D8 Cat working the steep parts of the shoulders. For all intents and purposes at quitting time the north end bridge approach was finished. Casey Jones and Dan met with Chief Thomas next to the bunker to decided a course of action to finish up on Wednesday.

"Why don't you guys leave the D8 and grader here for the night. Put them where ever the security troops want them."

"I think that's a good idea, Tom. I'll be all right for fuel through tomorrow. How about the D8 Casey?"

We're good for another day and a half or a bit more. You want me to stay out here and help Windy takeout the bypass tomorrow Chief?"

"That's the plan Casey. If you'll help Dan finish up the shoulders and approaches tomorrow morning, then in the afternoon the upper echelon and Vietnamese civilians are having a dedication ceremony to open the bridge. They want to tear out the bypass as soon as the official ceremony is over. You and Windy with his scraper, will start that when the Old Man gives us the signal after the ribbon cutting.

I'll be ready to go into Chu Lai in 30 minutes or so. Right after security gets here and you can ride in with me rather than on the cargo truck with the builders. They're leaving in just a couple minutes. So hang loose around here if you want."

The builders and corpsman had gathered around the cargo truck and the Corpsman Pete Reynolds caught Dan's eye and started to walk away from the group towards the now empty bunker. Dan sauntered over to the bunker and when they were both out of sight of the others Pete asked, "You talk to Honcho today?"

"Yeah this morning. He said he didn't know where she was. And his mother isn't talking."

"He told me the same thing a few minutes ago. I'm not sure whether I believe him entirely or not. I've never completely believed him. Sometimes I have the feeling that he's holding something back."

"I don't know him well enough, but he's only a kid and maybe saying what his elders want him to say."

"Could be, Dan. Nobody on the crew has seen her either since the last time we all saw her."

"Thanks Pete. I appreciate it."

"No sweat Dan. I don't think that I'll be out here again. No more builders, they will just be here for the ribbon cutting tomorrow. Then you EOs for whatever you have to do and you seldom have a corpsman with you anyway. The security troops were saying that they will only be out here tonight and tomorrow night, then the ARVN troops take over."

"We're tough."

"Yeah. Right. See ya." Pete Reynolds turned and went back to get on the cargo truck. As he climbed aboard he smiled and waved.

The ribbon cutting for the new bridge was set for 1430 so Chief Thomas brought Dan and Casey Jones out to the bridge before 0700 on Wednesday so they could finish the south bridge approach before the ceremony. Since less work had to be done than on the north approach they were sure it would be done before noon.

The trip out from the Chu Lai gate took a bit longer than expected since the Marine Corp road minesweeper was a bit late and standing Seabee orders were that no Seabee or Seabee vehicle could travel Highway 1 until after the mine sweep had gone south to Binh Son. The minesweeper was a 6 X 6 cargo truck heavily covered with sandbags. There was a layer of sandbags two deep on the running boards, along the tops of the fenders and across the hood. The windshield had been removed and the door windows rolled down into the doors to prevent casualties from flying glass. Inside the cab the floor was covered with sandbags and under the seats a double thick layer of bags to further protected the driver and his shotgun rider. The Marines were in full battle gear with heavy flak vests and the attachment that draped over their crotches and was usually worn by helicopter crew members. Steel piss pots covered their heads and heavy goggles covered their eyes with aviation ear protectors over their ears. Every morning the minesweeper would travel south then return north on Highway 1 looking for anything suspicious or disturbance on the road bed while traveling in each direction on the main traveled part of the road to detonate any mines, except command detonated ones, planted during the night.

The Chief pulled out a hundred yards behind the minesweeper and followed it south at about 25 miles an hour until they reached the bridge.

At 1000 hours Windy showed up at the bridge with his double barrel Euclid scraper followed closely by the Battalion's second double barreled scraper.

"Thought we could use the extra help" Windy explained to Chief Thomas and Dan Davis as he jumped to the ground on the shoulder of the road at the south end of the bypass. "Adamson had the day off with nothing to do so he volunteered to follow me out. Besides, Chief Marks didn't know we took it out of the maintenance compound. For all intents and purposes the mechanics won't get to it until tomorrow anyway. It just needs the oil and filters changed and since Marks won't let us do it ourselves we figured you guys had a better use for it today.

With a big smile Thomas spoke up. "I don't know or see anything.

It will cut the time drastically so we can definitely take out the bypass after the ceremony and still be finished before dark."

"Where are we going to get rid of the fill from the bypass, Chief?" Windy asked.

"The Marines have a tank road at the south end of the Chu Lai fence were it hits the highway. We'll just lay it in there and build up a decent ramp to the highway. Eventually, like in the near future, we'll be putting a road in there so that will give us a jump on it."

"Gotcha. We can each take a pan full off the bypass now and go back down there to shape the new access road up so we can go like hell once we start seriously taking it out."

"Good idea. We'll probably want some more laterite fill for the shoulders where we take out the bypass don't you think Dan?"

"Yeah for sure, Tom, no doubt but I think that can wait until Windy and Adam are almost through ripping out the bypass then have them each bring a pan full of laterite on their return."

"Good idea. Also let the dumps haul a couple loads each which we can just dump along the shoulder of the main road for you to use later." Thomas stated as he walked towards his jeep.

Dan met the last loaded dump truck that was headed for the bridge as he was going into Chu Lai. The grader was running low on fuel so he and Chief Thomas had decided it would work out all right if he refueled at the Chu Lai gate. He would then return to the bridge and finishing up the grading tomorrow morning without being pressed for time. The ribbon cutting ceremony had lasted longer than they had anticipated. The Vietnamese politicians were more talkative than usual. They were obviously looking for the Seabees to do something else for them.

Dan swung into the laterite pit on his way into Chu Lai and told the loader operator to call it a day. It was already after 1730 and the Chief had called the battalion from the bridge to set up late chow for his crew.

Two of the dump trucks that had been hauling laterite to the bridge pulled through the gate as Dave was getting ready to climb into the crew's weapons carrier. He asked the driver to wait while he walked back to talk to the drivers since the third truck should have been with them as well as Chief Thomas in his jeep. Windy and Adamson had come in ahead of him with their double barrel Euclid scrapers and should be in the Seabee compound by now and Casey had parked the D 8 Cat behind the gate guard shack and was already aboard the weapons carrier.

"Jimmy was going across the bridge to turn his dump around. I had to wait for him to clear the bridge since I was all ready turned around and the Chief was still on the bridge talking to the security troops from his jeep." One of the drivers told Dan. "I never saw either of them behind me all the way in."

"Thanks. Head for the motor pool and then get some chow, They're holding the chow hall open for us."

When he reached the Seabee compound Dan had the driver drop him at the command post. Entering the CP he met Lt. Roberts the Alpha Company Commander also going in. "What's up Davis?"

"We seemed to have lost a dump truck and Chief Thomas, Sir"

"Let's find out what's happening. I got a message to come over here, That's probably what it's about.

You came in ahead of them?"

"Yes Sir. The third dump truck should have been with the two that came in directly behind me and Chief Thomas should have been just a few minutes behind them. The last they saw of the Chief he was talking to the security detail on the bridge."

The interior of the CP was dim with brighter desk lamps where the radio operator sat and over the maps tables.

"Sir, we have Chief Thomas on the horn for you. He asked that we contact you for him."

"Ok, let me talk to him.

Chief, what's going on?" Lt. Roberts had picked up the mike and spoke.

"We have a bit of a snafu out here on Highway 1, Sir. One of our dump trucks missed the place to turn around and drove to the next Vietnamese village and tried to turn around there. I believe he was getting worried and maybe a bit scared that he had gone too far and that affected his judgement on where to turn around.

To make a long story short, Sir, when he was backing up the tailgate of his truck hit the local gas pump. Didn't knock it down, but broke the glass out of it and it probably isn't safe to use as is. The villagers got a bit upset and instead of getting away from them and out of the village, he got out of the truck. Without his weapon I will add. To look at what he had done. He also wanted the villagers to know he didn't do it on purpose and was sorry it happened."

"Is he all right, Chief?"

"Yes Sir. When he didn't come right back the Third Class Boatswain Mate in charge of the security detail and I went looking for him. When we got to the village they had cut him off from his truck and seemed to making all kinds of threats and demanding the truck and money. Basically pure intimidation."

"You ever been in that village Dan?" The Lieutenant turned to Dan who was standing close by on his right.

"Yes Sir, but just while grading, Never had any trouble, but didn't feel as comfortable as in the villages closer to Chu Lai. It's the village were most of the laborers from the Vietnamese rock quarry come from and they aren't particularly friendly."

Mr. Roberts turned back to the radio mike. "So where is the driver and truck now, Chief? Was there any additional problems?"

Waiting for the Chief's response the officer spoke to Dan under his breath. "I don't want to hear shots were fired."

"We had to use a bit of intimidation ourselves but nothing serious. The truck, driver, security boatswain mate and I are all back at the bridge."

"What kind in intimidation, Chief?" He grimaced and rolled his eyes in mock worry.

"The boatswain mate I took with me." The chief hesitated for just a second. "Just happened to be holding an M60 and a couple hundred rounds when he got in the jeep and I forgot to remind him to leave it behind. No rounds were fired, but a belt of ammo had found its way into the breech just as we pulled up to the crowd."

"I'm assuming everybody then became quite civilized?"

"Yes Sir, quite. They were also very quiet. But I did notice three or four of the village men that I wouldn't want to meet in the dark. They were dressed in black pajamas and had rock dust on them."

"It's getting too late and dark to come in now Chief? You're going to have to share some C-rats and spend the night in the bunker with the security troops?

So you'll be in with security after the minesweeper goes through in the morning?" Asked Mr. Roberts but it was known by all parties that they were orders not questions.

"Yes Sir."

"How are you set up for tomorrow? Anything we can do from this end to keep you on schedule? I have Petty Officer Davis with me now."

"No Sir, Petty Officer Davis will handle what needs to be done to finish up the bridge approaches then start hauling fill and grading to get ready to blue top the north end of the road. Also Petty Officer Ryder will take care of the rock quarry and laterite pit."

"Okay, Chief, have a good night."

"Oh, I will Sir, I talked the Boatswain into letting me sleep with the M60.

Over and out Sir."

'Copy Chief.

You good with that Dan?"

"Sure, Mr. Roberts. Just do what we've already planned for the next few days."

"Okay. You going to get something to eat?"

"Yes Sir. I haven't made it to the chow hall yet."

"I'll go with you. I didn't finish my supper and the officer's mess is closed. Lead on Petty Officer Davis." The officer said with a sweeping motion of his right hand and smiling.

## ELEVEN

The company chief had dismissed Alpha Company from quarters and as Dan Davis walked across the company yard Chief Thomas hailed him from the company office. "Hey Dan, a notice just came down from the battalion command post. They've put some restrictions on our working and traveling on Highway 1 south of Chu Lai."

"What's happening Tom?"

"The Marines have picked up an increase in Charlie's activities and they seem to be more active towards Highway 1 during the last two days. The command post wants us to travel in convoy if we go beyond the wire and doesn't want anybody, meaning you and Casey, working alone anywhere on the road. Casey will be at the quarry site and the drilling crew is there. You on the other hand have a habit of wandering south "

"Well, I guess that I have to if I'm going to do my job and keep the road in decent shape. You want me to limit where I'm working for a day or two?"

"Actually, were you planning on taking Kramer with you? If so I'd like you to finishing getting the road in shape as far as where we're going to develop a new laterite pit across the road from the first village south of the fence. But the CP wants the two of you to stay together all the time, wear your flak jackets and Ryder has to check on you at least every 30 minutes."

"Okay with me. You and Ryder all right with it?"

"Absolutely. It's mostly to keep the CP happy."

"I'm going to have Ed do most of the work. It will be good experience for him.

The day turned out to be warm and dry and the grader operators accomplished a lot working mostly on the shoulders of each side of the road to accommodate the expected increase in heavy truck traffic that Chief Thomas hinted would start within the next couple of weeks.

The Marine Hueys coming and going from MAG 36 at Chu Lai passed close over head and one slowed down, dropped some altitude and started to zig zag along side of the graders. After a quick wave and salute from the left door gunner the Marines climbed out and headed west into the hills. There was a lot of Army vehicle traffic, more than usual and they left Highway 1 on the many side roads and disappeared into the bush west of the highway.

When quitting time came Dan and Ed Kramer caught a ride from the Chu Lai gate with a cargo truck load of builders. Ryder had checked on them less than an hour before and asked if they minded that he went to camp early so he could mail a package of Vietnamese clothes to his wife and daughter in Texas.

The crews that were working all over the various parts of the Chu Lai cantonment were slowly drifting in from work some headed to the EM club, some to the chow hall and the showers were getting busy with the Seabees who had dirty jobs and wanted to get showered before hitting the chow line. Nobody seemed nervous or especially cautious after the word of a possible VC attack on the camp at been spread at morning quarters. The security forces were joking and screwing around as usual after their muster while headed for their assigned bunkers. Few had their flak jackets on and would possibly wait until the sun started down before putting them on as was usual. Most of the security force were fleet sailors, E2s, E3s and an occasional E4. They had been basically drafted into the Seabee battalions from the fleet. Sent to Port Hueneme and Davisville, RI for the same military training given to the Seabees then assigned to the active MCBs as security troops so more Seabees could work in their trained construction fields.

Dan sat out on the side of the squad's new bunker reading a paperback until it became too dark to see. He continued to sit out even after full darkness had come on this moonless night. He was enjoying the comfortable, dry evening air and looking south watching aircraft and helicopter navigation lights as the helicopters lifted off Mag 36's LZ and the winged aircraft took off from the runways further southwest and turned out over the South China Sea.

A strange sound came from the south that drew Dan's attention but it stopped before he could locate any source for such a strange noise. From where he was sitting on the bunker he could see south across the bay where the Marine Corp swim beach and recreation area was and further to the peninsula where the Korean camp at Binh Son was located. As he sat searching the area the sound of a powerful stream of water hitting on a piece of tin roofing started again. About where he thought the center of the peninsula was Dan could see a line of red streaks going down from an unseen source onto the ground. When the red streak stopped he heard in the distance the unmistakable rumble of a twin engined C-47's piston engines. The streak of red tracers commenced again from a slightly different spot in the sky. Spooky, an AC-47 was at work.

Three Gatling guns on the left side of the AC-47and firing 6,000 rounds per minute from each gun. For every red tracer round there was five regular .308 full copper jacketed round in between them. Looks like a stream of red water from a garden hose from here. It must be 8 or 10 miles away.

For several minutes he watched the intermittent squirting of red tracers. When they stopped the area was still lit up by illuminating flares that Spooky had been dropping as it fired its Gatling guns over the target area The flares were slowly drifting down on their parachutes long after the guns stopped. He could hear the AC-47 out over the bay coming closer before it turned and passed over the area it had been firing into.

He heard the rest of his squad returning from the movie and club. Shortly it would be lights out and he realized that he and most of his squad were tired and ready for a good night's sleep.

What in hell is Casey doing standing by my bed? With his helmet in his hand? Dan thought. His mind still fuzzy with sleep.

What're those bangs?

Shit!! That's incoming!

"INCOMING! INCOMING! Grab your weapons and helmets. EON2 Dan Davis hollered as his feet hit the floor.

He could hear more rounds and could tell that Charlie was walking them closer to the Seabee camp. He stood by the back door of his squad's hooch and counted heads as he put on his flak jacket and helmet then with his flashlight gave a visual check of each bunk to be sure everybody was at least out the door.

Those first rounds sounded as if they were on the LST ramps. Those last ones were a lot closer.

Plenty of room in the bunker. He thought as he stepped from the middle step of the hooch's back stairs onto the top sandbag on the bunker's side nearest the hooch. There was a huge empty space in the center of the small bunker as each helmeted member of his squad had picked a particular sandbag to hug and make love on the sandbag wall.

Just skivvies, helmets and weapons. If you Seabees only knew how silly you look. Only four of us have flak jackets. and nobody put on their boots. I'd like to do something about that. He thought as the incoming rounds came closer and he too made love to a sandbag.

"Finally!" Somebody exclaimed as the camp's warning siren started to scream in a night that had been quiet except for the steady thumps of 60MM mortar rounds and the sharper crack of 58 MM recoilless rifle rounds exploded in the lower side of the camp.

Dan turned his back against the sandbag wall and again scanned the inside of the bunker and counted heads putting a name on each of the remaining nine men in his squad. He also saw that the center of the bunker was still empty and nobody seemed to be uncomfortably crowded or in need of more space. Room for three or four more in here. But I no longer have a full squad with Rainer in the brig and Windy home and a civilian again.

The sound of helicopter engines winding up came down off the bluff where MAG 36's LZ was located almost simultaneously with the dark night sky overhead was being lit up by the battalion's 81 MM mortars firing illumination rounds. First one helicopter, then another followed as the Marine Hueys lifted off and he could only see their blackened shapes as there were no navigation lights or landing lights showing. The Hueys moved north from the LZ and appeared to be headed for an island in the Chu Lai harbor directly behind the LST ramp where three civilian operated LSTs belonging to MSTS were in the process of unloading.

A short lull in the incoming rounds was broken by a renewal of thumps and cracks as more and closer rounds started walking through the middle of the Seabee camp.

Overriding the sounds from the incoming rounds came the deep rumble of heavy diesel engines moving rapidly towards the port and then a heavy churning of water as the 70 ton Marine Corp amtracs entered the water off the LST ramps and headed for the same island as the Marine Hueys were now circling around.

Looking around Dan watched as Ed Kramer raised up and looked over the top of the bunker's wall. The sound of close incoming mortar rounds whistled as he hollered and reached partway across the bunker to pull Kramer down. First round closely followed by another exploded and shrapnel from both rounds sang their deathly tune over the men's heads smacking into the plywood sides of the hooch and rattling on its tin roof as they fell out of the air.

"Ow!" Came from somebody on the opposite side of the bunker as Dan straightened up.

"Who got hit?" He demanded.

"Something hit my neck. I'm not bleeding. But it's tender. Like a burn." Casey Jones exclaimed.

"Everybody stay down." Dan commanded as the sound of one then another close mortar round whistled in. As all waited, there were no explosions, but a heavy burst of M60 fire erupted from one if the two amtracs that had landed on the island. Continuous gun fire had started from a Huey on the very north end of the island where a Vietnamese village was and they could hear the heavy roar of an amtrac's engine as it hurried across the island to block any movement from the village.

"Those sounds were incoming. Remember that sound and don't go looking around to see whatever is making all the noise. And don't worry about the VC getting inside the wire. Security would be making all kinds of ruckus if the VC were attempting an attack on our perimeter. I'm also sure the Marine Corp Hueys would see any unfriendlies that were inside the base. And as if to validate Dan's statement a Huey circled the LST ramps then made several passes along the camp's perimeter facing on Chu Lai Bay.

It was only about 15 or so minutes when the camp's loudspeakers declared an all clear. The CP put out the word to check around every where for dud rounds and if any were found to contact the CP for disposal.

A Marine medevac passed close over Alpha Company before landing on the battalion's helicopter pad which was just a few steps from sickbay. It seemed like just seconds after the first Huey lifted off the pad than another one was settling down onto the pad.

We definitely have some WIAs if two medevacs came in.

"You heard the man, guys. Be careful where you walk and give the area a quick check, but don't wander any further away than the pisser. I have to go, I'm sure others do to. If there are any duds around that we can't see in the dark we'll find them in the morning. So stay on the walks and roads where you can see clearly where you're stepping.

Casey, I have my flashlight, let me look at your neck."

"Look what I got, Dan." Casey held his hand out with the palm up. In his cupped hand was a piece of shrapnel about the size of a dime. "It was down next to my leg on a sandbag."

"I believe that's what burned you. Looks about the right size. A piece of hot shrapnel falling down from one of those rounds.

It doesn't look very bad. Less than a good healthy hickey. Be gone in a day or two. Want a Purple Heart?'

"Not for that little thing. If I was at least bleeding a little. I'd be ashamed to tell anybody that I got the Heart for a hickey."

"All right. It's up to you. You just have to go to sickbay to collect it, Casey."

"Thanks anyway, but I'll pass. Dan."

Dan noticed that most of the troops in and around the chow hall for breakfast were still a bit antsy and not as relax as usual. He drew a canteen cup of coffee from the huge coffee urn at the end of the serving line than made his way to the very back of the chow hall that was almost empty. Few troops sat back there especially in the morning. He passed the table where several corpsmen were quietly drinking coffee and it was obvious to him that few, if any of them had been in bed since last night's attack.

"Morning Dave." several of them spoke as he walked by.

"Rough night, huh, guys." He responded and the most response he got was the nodding in affirmative of several heads.

When he sat down facing the front of the chow hall he was the only occupant on the very last table before the back door. His friend Pete Reynolds made eye contact with him from where he was sitting with the other corpsmen. Pete's usual amiable smile was missing. In fact Dan thought that he looked a lot older than the very early, barely twenties he knew him to be. His usually smiling blue eyes weren't sparkling and were downcast.

"Can I sit with you?" Pete asked and without waiting for an answer slid onto the bench seat across from him. Pete was a slim, 5'7", blue eyed Mid-westerner from somewhere in Iowa. .

"How bad did we get it last night?" Dan asked him.

Five wounded. one KIA. You haven't heard?"

"No. Who are we missing this morning?" How else am I suppose to ask the question?

"A builder. Third class from the bridge." Pete said softly and watching Dan for a reaction. "You haven't heard about him either?"

"You're the first one I've talk to this morning. I just know that my squad and the several others around my hooch are all okay. Who?"

"Mike Easley. He was the Charlie Company radioman. We think he got mixed up and tried to make it from his hooch to the CP instead of hitting his bunker until the incoming stopped. Charlie Company took the majority of the first rounds to come into the camp. Mostly 58MM recoilless rifle rounds. He got caught in the open and didn't stand a chance."

"He was the small builder with the perpetual smile. Right?"

"Yeah. I got to know him on the bridge. Everybody who was anywhere near the bridge job got to know him. You couldn't help but to get overwhelmed by his personality." Pete 's voice started to break and with his right hand he wiped each eye then wiped his hand on the front of his green blouse that had several dark, with a hint of red, streaks on it.

"Two builders in the same bunker both got hit by a 60MM mortar round that hit the top corner of their bunker as they were diving into it. They'll live but one of them will have permanent damage to a foot and his calf. May even lose it. He was the first to be medevaced last night."

"Yeah, I heard the two medevacs."

Pete met Dan's eyes, nodded quietly then continued. "A few bunkers over, up the hill more towards Alpha Company some guys in Delta Company have various small shrapnel wounds. But none took a direct hit like the bunker in Charlie Company."

"Pete." Dan hesitated. I wonder if he noticed, or if I should even bring it up?

"My squad was all in our bunker before the siren went off. We heard what we thought was incoming on the LST ramps and we're a lot further from them than Charlie and Delta Companies. Why do you think they were just getting into their bunkers when the incoming were already there?"

"Don't know, Dan. I was between our bunker and hooch when the siren went off and I had stopped to grab my helmet and aid bag."

"Go get some sleep, Pete. And Pete, Thanks and take care of yourself."

"I will shortly. I'm going to finish my shift at noon and I think we'll probably medevac one of the Delta Company casualties before then. We medevaced the two from Charlie Company last night. The others will be okay.

Thanks Dan " He said as he got up and with a wave headed back to pick up his canteen cup and follow the other corpsmen back to sickbay.

When Dan arrived in the company compound he saw that most of his squad was gathered roughly where they would need to fall in for muster at 0700 hrs. which was still 20 minutes away. They were talking and laughing animately.

"Hey guys. Hear anything from our fearless leaders this morning?"

"No, but Casey got nosing around this morning as the sun was coming up and we got a bit of a surprise." Scott Hilliard a third class driver and the squad's second fire team leader spoke up. "He found two unexploded 60MM mortar rounds. We think they were the two you said were incoming but we never heard them explode and you were right."

Dan looked at smiling and relaxed faces around him and knew instantly that there was no problem about the unexploded rounds and the squad wasn't going to have any problems from Charlie trying to do them harm in the wee hours of this morning. Actually at 0103 hours when Casey Jones, the first in the squad to wakeup and get out of bed woke him up.

"Where were they?" He asked no one in particular.

The whole squad turned to Casey Jones. It was his moment and no one was going to take it from him. Hesitantly he started to speak. "I sent Kram to the Master at Arms office to have them get EOD here then Scott and I babysat them."

"It took you both to watch them?"

Casey blushed a bit as if was being chastised before tripping over his next words. "Yeah. One was kind of under and behind the hooch's front steps. It looks like it hit the sill and bounced a bit into the dark under the steps. Scott stayed with that one. I actually saw it by getting on my knees and looking under the hooch." Casey stopped, smiled slightly as he realized that the squad leader wasn't finding fault with what he did or what he was saying. "The other one was almost completely buried in the sand right under the bulletin board next to the latrine. All I could see was some weird shaped metal sticking out of the sand where whoever put up the bulletin board didn't bother to rake out the extra sand. I stayed with that one until EOD showed up."

Then Scott Hilliard started to picked up the tale. In the meantime Master Chief Ellsworth the Company Chief and Chief Thomas walked up to the group. "Keep going Petty Officer Hilliard. Finish telling your story." The Master Chief said.

"Actually it's Petty Officer Jones' story, Master Chief. I'll finish what I started though."

Every Seabee in Alpha Company knew that Master Chief Ellsworth could get hung up on protocol and by the slight snicker and smile on Thomas's face the other chiefs were also aware of it. Nobody had ever seen or heard him speak familiarly to any man enlisted or officer. The story was going around how when a second class driver's mother had died and the Red Cross was arranging emergency leave for him, Ellsworth had to tell the Seabee of her death and he would be leaving Chu Lai on the next available flight out. With no words of sympathy or compassion the Seabee stepped into his office and Ellsworth had burst out with, "Your mother has died and you'll be on the next flight to CONUS." His explanation had been that it was best to just get it out and make the Seabee 'man up' to what life hands you. He was never forgiven by anybody in the company since word had spread like wildfire by way of Ryan the Company Clerk, who in fact thought Ellsworth was a pompous jerk.

"Go head finish, Scott." Chief Thomas spoke up with an encouraging smile.

"Well, the gist of it is that EOD ran us out of the area. So we came over here to get a cup of Ryan's coffee as terrible as it is, to wait for the word so we can go back and get our weapons and other gear. And maybe even go to chow."

"You now have the word. EOD sends you their thanks. Said the area is clean. So go do what you have to do and Petty Officer Davis will be sure to muster you in if you don't make it back from the chow hall, which is going to stay open until 0830 this morning.

"That's correct isn't it Master Chief?" Thomas asked as he turned towards Master Chief Ellsworth and looked him in the eye daring him to contradict him.

## TWELVE

"You got anything planned for the day, Dan?" Thomas asked him after the squad had left for the chow hall to get something to eat and to their hooch to get their weapons and other gear.

Master Chief Ellsworth left behind them to harass another squad.

Dan watched a couple of other squads leave the area and surmised that they also had not been to chow. "I'm going out on the road and shape the drainage on the road into the rock quarry. Casey asked me to do that. He can maintain it with the Cat but has a problem with the ditches. Also I might hit the access road into the laterite pit.

That okay, or do you have something else in mind?'

"Sounds fine with me. If you have time work on the shoulders some more out as far as the Brigade I have meetings most of the day so I won't be out. Probably at all. We have to go over the engineer's drawings and schedule the EAs to put in some more grade stakes for you.

You're escaping aren't you Dan?"

"Where'd you get that idea?"

"I know you and know that you'd rather be a party of one, or at most two. Also you are still looking for Linh.

Take Kramer and Casey with you. That was an order by the way."

"Okay, Tom. I do hate to waste this sunshine sitting in here.

Why do you think I'm still looking for Linh?"

"I won't dignify that with an answer." Thomas answered with a smile and threw Dan the keys to his jeep.

"Tom, did you think that the MAA was slow on the trigger hitting the siren? My squad was already in the bunker and the corpsmen said that some of them also were in and some were just about at the bunker."

"I think that is on the agenda for this morning. I had to stop and put on my boots because of my bum foot. You know I can hardly walk without a boot on it and I was also going over the sandbags when it went off."

Thomas turned and started towards the company office with a quick wave.

Davis swung by the chow hall and found Casey Jones and Ed Kramer together finishing up a breakfast of hash browns, over easy eggs and sausage patties washed down with lots of ultra black Navy coffee..

"You two drones ready to go to work?" He asked them as he slid onto the bench seat across the table from them.

"What do we have to do? Build the Master Chief a new portable bunker that he can carry around with him since he got the shit scared out of him this morning?"

"You picked up on that, huh, Casey? I would say that he was still a bit scared a while go in the company compound.

Anyway, that is not what we are going to do. Casey you can take your D8 to work in the quarry doing whatever you know you have to get done. The drilling crew will be working so you'll have security to watch your back."

"What about me Dan?" Kramer asked as he drained his canteen cup of the remains of his breakfast orange juice.

"That must taste like shit out of that aluminum cup." Casey said with an exaggerated look of distaste.

"Only if you are too slow in swallowing or think about how it is supposed to taste."

Dan and Casey looked at each other, then at Kramer and both shook their head each thinking the same thing, that their friend was a bit weird if not crazy.

"So? What about me?"

"You're going to work your butt off all day."

"Doing what?" A now suspicious Kramer asked quietly as his dark brown eyes squinted cat like and went from one Petty Officer to the other.

"Operating my grader fixing new shoulders on Highway 1 while I am happily dozing along side of you on the pretense of being your shotgun."

You're making me your slave operator? Is that it?"

"Yeah. Pretty muchly. That is if you want to run the grader when I'm not."

"Oh Hell! You got a deal Petty Officer Davis."

With Dan relaxing on the right side of the grader's bench seat, Ed Kramer drove the grader out through the Chu Lai gate and turned south down Highway 1.

"Where do you want to start Dan?" Ed turned to take in the vision of his senior petty officer. Sitting on his flak jacket, relaxed with his jump boot clad feet resting on the sandbags that lined the floor and under the seat of the grader. He had his M14 standing upright between his out stretched legs holding it by the very end of its web sling. Under his legs was a small green civilian pack. Across his chest from his left shoulder hung a full cartridge belt with 4 ammo pouches hanging form it with 8 full 20 round magazines of .308s. Slung from his right shoulder was a cotton cartridge bandolier. It held a hundred rounds in 5 round clips that could be fed into the M14's 20 round magazines.

"Let's fix the drainage ditches on Casey's quarry access road first then go out to the laterite pit road by the Vietnamese quarry. You can drop me at the mouth of the quarry road while you fix the ditches."

"Looking for somebody special?"

"No. Casey has our C-rats on his Cat."

"Yeah, sure."

'What?"

"What my ass. Get off my grader so I can get some work done."

"Whose grader!? Just for that I'll make you do all the work today."

"And take your flak jacket with you." Kramer hollered as he tossed Dan's heavy kevlar jacket at him and started the grader moving down onto the shoulder of the road.

"Don't get fancy Ed. Just fix the drainage for the road." Dan hollered as his striker drove away.

"Got ya Boss." He hollered back.

Dan walked down the road about fifty feet to where he could look down the quarry access road and could watch both north and south on Highway 1. He climbed up onto a small sand dune that was probably built by Windy and his scraper a month or more ago. He tossed his flax jacket down on top of the sand and dropped the small pack next to it. He sat on the jacket leaning his rifle across the pack to keep its action out of the sand and dropped the cartridge belts within easy reach next to him.

Shortly from the north, from the direction of Chu Lai village, he could pick out a small figure walking on the road towards him. Still too far away to distinguish any relative features he continued to scan the area for 360 degrees around him. It wasn't long before he could see that the figure was a female, at least dressed like a female and she was wearing a non lac and carrying a typical woven straw basket.

It must be break time. I'm getting ready for a snack, He carefully moved his weapon onto to the cartridge belts before picking up and opening his pack. First he took out his canteen which was still icy from the ice he had taken from a beverage cooler in the chow hall reefer. Reaching deeper he took out two unopened C-ration cans. One contained a pound cake, the other a pecan roll which he set down in the sand next to his canteen.

Scanning around him again he could make out the lone figure which now he knew was a girl, and felt a strange twitch run across his chest and into his stomach. Plainly seen were her white silk pants and light blue shirt. Her non la was reflecting golden in the mid-morning sun but it was shading her face as she walked with her back to the sun.

He couldn't help but smile in pleasure. He knew that it was Linh even before he could see her face, by her walk and how she carried herself. When she started to step off the road turning towards him he knew she had also been watching him. The sun caught the soft beauty of her peaches and cream complexion also slowly revealing her soft smile and white teeth.

He stood up. Met her dark brown eyes which were happy and welcoming as she also met and held his look and really for the first time held his in an almost physical embrace.

Without a word being spoken he held out his right hand which she took in her left hand leaving her basket teetering close to falling until she tightened her right arm about its rim. She let him draw her up onto very top of the sand dune. They stood almost touching just the rim of her basket keeping them a couple inches from each other and still holding hands.

"Hi. Are you all right? The Viet Cong attacked your camp last night. I was afraid for you. I had to be sure your were all right so I came to find you or talk to the other Seabees to be sure you were all right.I hoped we would see each other and I would know that you were not hurt or worse.

I'm talking too much aren't I?" Her voice trailed off not finishing what she was thinking.

"I'm fine. Thank you.

You aren't talking too much."

"I'm not sure it is safe for you out here today." Linh went on having stopped talking only long enough for Dan to say he was ok. "The VC have not left the area. My family is very scared of them and I had to sneak away to come here."

"Your family lives in Chu Lai village? It isn't safe for you there, Linh."

"I'm staying with cousins of my mother. To me they are distance relatives but my mother wanted me to leave Saigon.

There have been many Viet Cong in the village for several days. Then early yesterday we heard or saw none until after they attacked you. And then many went away from the village to hide. I have not been able to leave Chu Lai for many days. I wanted to see you but I was afraid to leave."

Still standing close, Dan leaned his face into her's and meeting no resistance kissed her lightly on her lips. Their eyes met and her soft smile told him that he had done the right thing.

"Here, sit on my jacket so you will stay clean.

Didn't the ARVN know they were there and help you."

"The ARVN soldiers are also afraid of them and sometimes ignore them hoping they will go away before they have to tell the Americans that the VC are there."

Look what I have for you." Dan sat next to her before picking up the two cans. "Your choice, pecan roll or pound cake."

"No. I cannot eat your food. I have some gao ne'p for my lunch. I cannot stay long anyway. My family will get upset and wonder where I am if I'm gone too long. They did not want me to leave their house today. They think I went to the store. They don't know that I came here to see you." She looked down seeming to look in her basket which only held the red silk ribbon tied banana leaf full of gao ne'p and two bottles of very warm Vietnamese made Tiger beer

Dan saw the color change on her neck and when he put a finger on her chin and raised her face so he could see her eyes. There was a tiny tear in the corner of each eye and her cheeks became a brighter shade of red. Her skin was warm and very soft like a baby's.

Their eyes met and she took his hand pressing his fingers tighter against her chin and slowly lowered her face until her lips firmly touched the back of his fingers. Slowly she raised her face until their lips met. For several seconds Linh pressed her lips against his before moving her head back away from him and breaking their kiss.

"I must go.

My family is sending me to Hue shortly. Maybe in June. They said my mother made the arrangements but I think that they want me gone before other people in the village or the VC know I am American educated.

But we can see each other before I go if you will keep working here on the highway."

"I will be. I'll be gone tomorrow Sunday, then be back Monday."

"I shall find you on Monday then. Be careful." Linh started to stand when Dan took both her hands and drew her down to him. Without a word being spoken they slipped into a mutual embrace and their lips met again. "Linh pushed against him before slowly moving away to separate them. "I must go." She said and again raised her lips to him at the same time pressing her small pointed breasts to his chest. She stood leaving her basket on the sand. They were almost touching when she placed both her hands on his chest. Keeping the distance of separation between their bodies she raised on tip toes. Her soft warm lips touched the right corner of his mouth. She bent over to pickup her basket, but Dan got there first and placed all the C-rations from the ground and several cans out of his pack into her basket.

As she stood her gratitude showed clearly and again a tear formed in the corner of each eye. "Thank you."

"Later. We'll see each Monday. Dan said.

"Be careful, please." Was barely above a whisper as she turned and started down off of the sand dune.

Ed Kramer parked the grader off the shoulder of the road and carried an unopened case of C-rations and his canteen up onto the sand dune. He tossed the C-rats down next to Dan before handing him the canteen cup. "Here, this is ice cold from the drilling crew's water jug.

"That I presume was Linh. I see that you gave our lunch away." He said as he toed Dan's empty pack. Thought I would replace it with a case from the drilling crew. They didn't seem to mind. Of course they were very busy drilling foolish holes in the rock that they will make bigger with C4, and won't miss the rats anyway." He went on with a broad smile that showed his white teeth and a sparkle in his brown eyes showing against his dark tanned face.

"You realize that every Seabee on the drilling team is bigger than either of us."

"Yeah, but they're wimps beside two dare, do or die Seabees like you or me the tough Samoan."

"Who's a Samoan? You're not big enough to be a Samoan."

"I know, but I was born on American Samoa to a French father, who I guess wasn't very big, and a Tahitian mother who gave me my handsome face. Dark brown hair and big hands." He held up his hands which Dan had to admit were bigger and probably stronger than his. Operator's hands. Dan thought as he looked at the calluses on well kept, clean hands.

"Oh Jesus. Spare me. You're under 5'8" and 140 pounds I do bow to your skills in procuring needed food though."

"You had better after you gave ours all away to a Vietnamese woman. Even if she is the prettiest of the pretty."

## THIRTEEN

Dan Lee Davis went into the company office before muster on Monday morning to check if there was any news on his R & R which he hadn't asked about for several days.

"Hey Dave, I got something you want and have been waiting for." Petty Officer Ryan the company clerk spoke from behind his desk. He took a fat folder from his desk which at first glance appeared to be full of blue mimeographed copies of orders. On the folder's face Dan could see R & R printed in big black letters.

"When is it for, about August, after I get transferred to some other battalion?" Dan stated a bit sarcastically. He had applied for an R & R to Okinawa the first morning the noticed was published that a second R & R trip would be available to the members of the battalion in April. The first to Okinawa had been in the first week in March. Dan's friend Brad Burgess had a girl soon to be his wife in Naha so Dan didn't put in for that trip. He definitely wanted this one which would be the next to last week of the month on the 19th, which was this week. Only one slot would be available to the battalion and a chief had put in for it therefore bumping a second class out. Ryan had tipped off him about what was going on and Dan had started an undercover campaign to get the chief to relinquish his place on the list. The chief just wanted to go as a tourist after having only served on Okinawa with a battalion at Camp Kinser a few years previously.

Dan had told his tale of woe to Chief Thomas during a casual conversation at lunch one day on the road about three weeks ago. He hadn't expected that it would go anywhere. It was just a friend telling another friend something.

Until today, he had heard nothing more about his R & R and had about given up on going to Okinawa during this deployment. He was entertaining an idea to take R & R on Taiwan or Manilla then catching a hop to Okinawa.

Ryan handed him his orders. "Don't ever say I didn't do anything for you. A certain chief came in and said that he had changed his mind and wanted to go to Hong Kong instead."

"That all he said? Nothing about Thomas or anybody saying something to him?"

"Nope. Just 'put my name on the next slot for Hong Kong'. That's all he said and then left my office."

"Thanks Ryan. I appreciate this."

"I know. You leave for Da Nang Tuesday morning, that's April 18, tomorrow in case you're mixed up. Catch the R & R flight out of Da Nang on Wednesday morning, that's April 19th. I'm assuming since you were stationed at MCAF Futemma you have a girl friend waiting for you when you get there."

"Something like that. I was there for a while and know lots of girls."

"Yeah, like I believe you don't have one special friend there."

"You are such a smart ass, Ryan." Though Dan didn't bother to correct him or his thinking.

"I know. Have fun and I'd like to see a picture of her sometime, Dan."

Chief Thomas was climbing into his jeep when Dan left the company office. and hailed him. "Did you have to threaten him?"

The chief laughed. "I don't think he really cared where he went. Just wanted to get out of here and away from responsibilities for a couple of days. Never batted an eye or asked who wanted the slot. Said sure, no problem and that was it."

"Thanks Tom, I really appreciate it anyway."

"Did you see Linh on Saturday? You never said and truthfully I forgot to ask."

"Yeah I did. She walked to the quarry access road from Chu Lai village. The rest of the girls were at the Brigade gate. Didn't have much of a conversation though she said she'd be here until later in the summer then would be going to Hue to stay with relatives. Also said she would be out on the road today. The VC gave Chu Lai hell with intimidation and such before they hit us. She was really scared."

"You're going to Da Nang tomorrow?

"Yeah, be back Monday the 24th. Back to work on Tuesday."

"We'll probably start spreading some rock while you're gone. The stockpile is starting to build up. Any idea who we can put on your grader while you're gone?"

"Yeah, actually. How about Eddie Kramer if you can't borrow Brad for a few days? Ed sews his crow on May first and is a good worker plus he wants to learn. I let him run the grader when he was riding shotgun for me and he was getting pretty good."

"I don't think they'll give us Brad, so we can settle for Ed. Want him riding shotgun today?"

"Yeah, why not? I don't really need a shotgun next to the wire, but he could use some more experience."

"Why don't you pick him up. The motor pool has him driving truck today. Waste of talent."

"Gotcha. See you out on the road. I'm going to smooth out the weekend bumps as far south as the Brigade headquarters then Kramer can concentrate the rest of the week on the shoulders until you start laying rock down."

"Why don't you catch a ride in after lunch so you can get ready to leave early. The Marine Corp Chu Lai to Da Nang C-130 leaves at 0800 tomorrow.

Kramer can handle it all right."

"Thanks Tom. See ya when I get back."

## FOURTEEN

It was after 1100 before the Okinawa bound C-130 R & R flight departed Da Nang.

Looking around to see if he could see a familiar face, Dan tried to count heads amongst the scattering of troops. No one that I know. Or at least amongst the few I can see. Wonder how many there are?" The Gunny was keeping a strict count as we came aboard. I think the max is about 90 troops or so in the troop seats.

Wonder if it's through snowing in here?

Shortly after engine start and the air conditioning and pressurization system was turned on it often snowed inside the cargo compartment of the C-130s. The high humidity and warm air of Vietnam was conducive to such a reaction when the humid air's temperature was dropped to freezing or below by the air conditioning system. Almost always the sudden snow flurry was met by the hoots and hollers of the surprised passengers where the frigid air and snow was the furthest things from their minds.

Dan's thoughts were comfortable. That is really nice. Quite a change from Southeast Asian weather. I could take a dose of snow every so often.

The loadmaster and crew chief were making their last minute checks of the passengers and cargo compartment before takeoff. When the loadmaster came by in the raging flurry of snow Dan asked if this happened often.

"Almost every time we start engines and turn on the A/C and pressurization system in-country. Humidity is so high, and also the flight engineer turns the temperature control really low so it shocks the air into producing snow for a couple minutes. Cools off the cargo compartment quick and the troops like it. Some flight engineers have no sense of humor so it doesn't snow much." With a wave and quick smile he moved on.

There were troops scattered throughout the cargo compartment of the Marine Corp Herkie Bird. The main part of the aircraft was full of wooden crated and palletized cargo with little room for anybody's legs while seated on any of the red nylon troop seats which lined both sides of the fuselage. Before the C-130 reached cruising altitude several Marines and a couple Seabees including Dan Davis had left the safety of the troop seat harnesses for the comfort of stretching out on any flat spot on the cargo. Dan could touch the overhead of the cargo compartment from where he was laying on a huge wooden box of cargo labeled with a bunch of indecipherable military code words. His legs were hanging off one end of the box barely resting on the top of a another piece of palletized cargo. He had to cushion the back of his shoulders with his foul weather jacket so the cargo tie down chain holding a crated helicopter engine wouldn't bite into him.

Dan's thoughts drifted back to Chu Lai. Where was Linh yesterday? I hope she came out after I left and Ed or Casey told her that I was all right and would be back on Monday. I did want to see her and tell her myself, but that is the way it worked out. She didn't come out on the road first thing so she missed me.

The way her relatives are reacting makes me wonder how she manages to get out on the road at all. Their politics kind of make me wonder also. If could be involved with the Viet Cong.

The Marine Gunny who had check him in at Da Nang was just inside the MCAF terminal on Futemma, Okinawa. Dan was surprised at the number of troops coming off the Herkie Bird and checking in with the Gunny.

"EON2 Dan Lee Davis" Dan told him. The Gunny checked his name off the list then turned a couple sheets on his clipboard to find another list.

"You're an E-5 Davis?"

"Yeah Gunny."

"Alright, be back here at 0700 on Monday 4/24 for your flight back.

Listen up everybody." He demanded.

"All E-5s and above can leave. You're on your own. Just be back to catch your flights back to God's Country on Monday at 0700. He shouted with a broad grin followed by a few hoots and hollers from the more salty of the Marines and Seabees.

If you want, there is transportation to the Tokio Hotel in Koza. They have some rooms available. But if you want to go somewhere else you can still ride the bus to Koza.

All E-4s and below will load on the buses outside and go with me to Camp Butler. I'll get you checked in there and you'll get a bunk and locker and a liberty pass for the duration of your R & R. You'll be leaving Camp Butler at 0530 on 4/24, Monday to catch your flight back to Da Nang.

Move it out!"

Dan rode the base shuttle bus out to Futemma's front gate then caught a pink sukoshi cab. "Olympia Hotel, dozo Papa-san."

"You came from Vietnam?"

"Hai. Just for 5 days, then I'll go back."

"You speak Japanese. So you have been to Okinawa before?"

"Hai. I spent about three years here at Futemma and I speak just a sukoshi."

"You have a nesan you are coming to see?"

"I have a lot of Okinawan tomodachis here. I want to see as many as I can."

Dan got checked into the hotel and the first thing that he wanted to do was to scrub down his whole body Japanese style then soak in the neck deep, Japanese bath with the water as hot as he could stand.

Comfortable, relaxed and drowsy he looked at his watch when the hot water had turned tepid and aroused him. Though he had added hot water twice it started to cool off again. I've been in this water for over two hours. I could stay longer, but I also need to get something to eat. Real food like some sushi and tempura. Maybe a big plate of Yakasoba. Big bowl of miso would be great.

It was only a short walk down to BC Street and the Goya restaurant. Close by, two store fronts down BC Street was a sushi bar that he had eaten in and had bought take out sushi from before. He contemplated which he wanted the most and unconsciously went down BC Street to the sushi bar where he could also get a bowl of miso soup and all the sashimi and sushi that he could hold..

Now that was easy. I guess my stomach made that decision for me. Let's see, mixed platter of a dozen pieces of sushi, then go to the Goya for their great yakasoba. With chicken, about midnight. Happily he went into the sushi bar and found an empty stool on the end of the bar furthest from the door.

His appetite for sushi and sashimi sated for the moment, Dave meandered further down BC Street until he recognized a small bar that he remembered as being quiet and well run. The music from the jukebox playing Dino's 'Everybody Loves Somebody' drifted barely audible from the open front door. Two bars down the street the big boisterous BC Bar had The Association's 'Along Comes Mary' blaring on its jukebox so loud it was trying to override every other sound for a whole block around.

He stepped into the small, dimly lit bar. He hesitated just inside the entrance to let his eyes adjust. Though it was getting late in the day, it was not as dark on the street as it was in the Moonlight Bar. Taking a few casual steps towards the darker interior he stopped when a soft voice came to him from behind the bar.

"Dozo. konnichi wa, please." The usual greeting when a GI walked into the dark inner depths of a bar and given by an unknown nesan.

"Dan-san?" Louder, almost a scream but with friendly overtones as the nesan who had been behind the bar came around the end of the clean and polished hardwood bar. "Dan Lee?"

The voice was more than familiar. It was ingrained in his memory. His eyes' tried to focused in the dimness so he could see and verify who the dark haired, green eyed Goddess that was coming across the bar's small dance floor. She was as tall as Dave's 5' 7", maybe even an inch taller and weighed about the same. Slim with nice womanly hips, tiny waist and full breasted more so than the average Asian woman's. She wore a little too much makeup which exaggerated her round, emerald green eyes and her caucasian nose. As she came closer to Dan some of the light from the street struck her hair bringing out the reddish highlights which flashed to show that it was not the deep shiny black a person would expect. With no hesitation she was in his arms. Her rich soft lips tender and warm. He felt her womanly body on his full height. The taste of her lipstick which was a deep shade of red brought back an overflow of remembrance and emotions.

"Dan-chan? You okay? Not hurt? God how I've missed you." She hung on to him and started to lead him towards the booth farthest from the front door.

Taken by the suddenness of the encounter, Dan had kept his arms about her soft woman's body. Finally finding his voice he tried to answer her questions. "Yes, I'm not hurt. I'm alright. I've missed you too."

"How long have you been away? The last time I saw you and we were together was when?" She answered her own questions without having to think about it. "October 9th last year and you were going to Port Hueneme, California, then to Vietnam. She stumbled a bit over Hueneme but recovered in the next breath.

You never wrote to me. You never let me know that you were alright or that you missed me. Or that you were coming to Okinawa again."

Dan changed his arms and now held her with his arms wrapped under her breasts and was gently pulling her towards him. Their lips met with open mouths and she softly nibbled his lips before their tongues touched and explored each other's mouth.

"You are still very bad and make me want you. My Love, how can you do this to me?" She asked running her right hand down across his belly and onto his thighs. Her hand went no further, just slipped between his thighs halfway between his knees and crotch as she always did.

"Suzie." He definitely had pent up feelings and passions for this woman and the almost lose of her from his life came bursting forth. "You wouldn't give me your address, and told me to leave. To forget you and find a rich and nice blonde, blue eyed American girl to love, marry and have kids with. Remember that discussion?"

I have thought about you almost every day for the last months. I never gave up my feelings, yet wasn't sure if I would ever see you again. Dan thought as he tightened his arms on her and felt more of her body warmth.

She didn't answer. just held him tighter. Her hand tightened on his thigh as tears ran profusely down her beautiful prominent Asian cheekbones.

"What are you doing here on BC Street? Why did you leave the Rendezvous in Futemma? You could have worked anywhere you wanted. You didn't owe Mama-san any money. What happened?" The questions poured out while he held her tighter as she twisted around in his arms and slid under his right arm so she could bury her face against his throat. The wetness of her tears smeared than started to run down his neck.

"I want to go. To leave here. Now!" Suzie demanded.

"Do you have a hotel room, Dan My Love?

My room is very small and I do not want to take you there."

"I just got here from Vietnam this afternoon and I'm staying at the Olympia in Koza."

In a teary voice she spoke so softly he could hardly hear her. "That is a very nice hotel. Is it okay for us to go there together?"

"Of course."

"Wait out front for me. I will talk to Mama-san then meet you." She kissed him on the lips and again it stirred him.

He looked into her tear filled eyes as she tried to smile and finally her face glowed in a full smile. Not wanting to release him she slid her hand down his arm and along his hand and fingers until she could no longer reach him. Still smiling she turned and started for the back door to find the bar Mama-san.

The jukebox was now playing The Righteous Brother's ' My Soul and Inspiration. With a smile Dan stopped in the bar's front door to listen to the song. How apropos.

He felt her warm hand slid done his arm and take his hand. She snuggled against him and they listened to the song together.

"I love this music." She said when she nuzzled his neck. "I love you Dan-san."

Hand in hand they went up BC Street then cut across the main part of Koza City to the Olympia Hotel. The short hair, tanned and not too big caucasian and the very tall, well built woman, dressed in a brilliant green and gold Chinese cheongsam who undoubtedly was of mixed race and ethnicity, were a striking couple and Okinawans and Americans alike took a second look.

They had hardly got through the door to Dan's room when their hands reached for each other. With mutual feelings they went to the bed and sat down. With no word passing between them they stretched out next to each other and Suzie spoke for the first time since they had left the bar. "Don't let me go again, please Dan. Just hold me tight so I can be sure it is you. That you are here and you are the one holding me."

Dan lost complete track of time. Suzie started to move around in his arms and with her mouth close to his ear spoke softly. "I want to make love, but I want to first take a hot bath and soak for a long time. Can I do that?"

Sleepily he answered. "Of course. I'll start the water, then you can make it as hot as you like. If you would like I'll even wash your back."

She lifted her head and smiled happily. "You can make the water as hot as you used to. You always did it perfectly. I'm not sure about you washing my back. I will tell you later about that." With that her smile brightened considerably. Dan slide off the bed and headed for the bathroom to start the water and Suzie stood up and started to take off her green silk dress which Dan had recognized as one of her favorites which brought out the red highlights in her shoulder length hair.

"Dan? Unbutton me , dozo?" She asked turning her back to him as he turned back instead of going into the bathroom.

Seeing him looking at the dress Suzie smiled happily as she shook her head in a very American gesture. "It is our favorite dress. You remember?

I have not worn it very much. Only when I have had happy thoughts about us. Today I never thought about it. I just took it out of the closet and laid it on my bed before I got dressed."

"I remember the first time that I saw you in the Clover Bar in Noumanoui and you had it on. You said it was it was brand new and that was the first time you had worn it. "

She turned back to him as she was slipping the cheongsam off of her shoulders. then she stepped up to him in just a black bra and panties. "Yes I remember also. You had come to Noumanoui with Brad, your Seabee friend and his tomodachis." She kissed him lightly on the lips before going into the bathroom where her hot bath was waiting. She just pushed the door partially closed.

Dan had crawled under the futons with just his skivvies on and almost immediately fell asleep listening to the soft sound of water as Suzie washed herself Japanese style then slipped into the hot tub.

He felt a warm body against his back and warm soft breath on his neck and right side of his face. Her warm right hand was resting above his waist on his right side drawing him closer to her stomach and bare breasts. "Mmm." He murmured when Susie moved adjusting herself closer and lifting her right leg over his thigh.

He moved careful and turned over to face her. Her arms went around his neck drawing her warm naked body tighter against him. He felt her soft warm lips searching for and finding his lips then she started to carefully and softly nibble on his lips as she pushed herself tighter against him.

"Are you awake?" He heard being spoken softly and her right hand slid down from his neck onto the top of his butt.

"Yeah" He answered and found her lips in a long passionate kiss. He took her full woman's hips with both hands and pulled her tightly against himself.

"You have been asleep a long time. I have never seen you sleep so much especially when we were naked in bed together. You are very tired, Neh?"

Dan realized then he no longer had his skivvies on and Suzie's svelte Eurasian body was also unclothed. "What time is it? It's dark outside."

"Yes it's still dark. About 0400. You understand military time, neh?' She asked laughing quietly.

"Smart ass" Was all he said when he rolled on top of her.

"Mmmm! That is the Dan that I remember. You were worth waiting for. I have not been with a man since the last evening we were together. That last time we made love very quickly because you had to catch a plane."

Neither spoke again until the sun was shining brightly into the south facing window of their room. Spooned together. Suzie in his arms and her butt tight against his stomach and his right hand gently cupping her full right breast.

"I'm hungry." Then she added hurriedly. "For food. I do have two hungers. One long meal after 7 months of hunger does not make up for everything." She murmured.

Sitting around in the hotel supplied blue flower pattered nemakis They ordered room service breakfasts with lots of coffee.

"I need a scrubbing. I don't think that I can ever get enough soap or hot enough water to clean the red laterite out of my pores."

"I'll fix the tub and scrub you all over, My Love. Then we can soak away the morning. Then I must go to my sukoshi place and change my clothes."

"Why don't you bring enough clothes to last as long as we are going to be here?"

"I never asked, and you never said when you have to go back to Vietnam. I'm too scared to ask, but I know it will be in a very short time. Neh?"

"Hai. I have to be at the Futemma Marine base air terminal at 0700 Monday to catch a flight back to Da Nang. So we can have four more nights."

"You can wash my back for me this morning and every morning until Monday. Maybe more than my back would feel good." Suzie spoke quietly smiling as she stood behind Dan and hung her nemaki on the back of the bathroom door next to his.

Neck deep, facing each other in the tile soaking tub with their legs interlocked and eyes full of contentment, their conversation had been slow and quietly spoken.

"I'll tell the bar Mama-san that I will be gone until Monday night. And I'll bring enough clothes so we won't have to go to the bar."

After a few minutes of quiet, he asked, "Can I go with you to help and meet Mama-san."

"Yes. But I'm ashamed that you will see the sukoshi room I have been living in. You must know everything though."

After another pause in their exchange Dan asked her, "Do you owe Mama-san much money?'

"You did not ask if I did, but how much."

"You would not live as you do unless you owed her money and wanted to pay her off."

"Only a sukoshi. Three hundred dollars. I have only been there at the MoonLight for a month. She loaned me almost five hundred to pay my rent in Futemma and move here."

"What happened? Why did you leave Futemma?"

Suzie reached for the hot water faucet and added more hot water before speaking.

He watched the sadness cross her face and enter her eyes.

"I was going to leave the bar and wanted to find a job like in the BX, but it takes a long time to get on the list. Even though I thought I would never see you again, I wanted to do what would make you proud of me and think of me as a someone besides the woman you picked up on an Okinawan bar. I left the Rendezvous Bar two days after you left for the States. I ran out of money after almost six months of trying to get another job. And you know I quit the Clover so I could be closer to you and we could live together in Futemma."

"So you had to borrow money and go back into a bar?"

"Hai. I couldn't go back to the Clover in Noumanoui or the Rendezvous without paying the bars and Mama-sans an enlistment fee because I quit and didn't owe either bar any money.. I have known the Moonlight Mama-san a long time and she helped me move and pay my bills. She is also Eurasian. She doesn't look it like I do, but still is."

"Suzie, I am so sorry. I don't know what to say."

They were quiet for a very long time. Suzie was running one of her long legs up the top of his left leg and tickling his belly with her toes. "It was no way your fault, Lover. I told you that I wanted you to leave and forget me. I didn't think that I wanted to remember you or that I would miss you so much. I should have known that I was quitting the Rendezvous because I wanted you to know me as a woman who wasn't a bar hostess." She repeated herself. "And I really didn't want you to leave me. Now I am a 31 year old Eurasian woman who lost her true love and is again a bar hostess." Her eyes filled up and tears ran down across her beautiful cheeks.

"You never told me much about your family. I always knew or suspected that you were Eurasian. But you never told me anymore than that."

She smiled and met his eyes with deep affection. My mother was Okinawan and my father Caucasian, maybe Swedish or Danish. Nobody really knows. He was with my mother for 8 or 9 months then left on a whaling boat. When I was born 6 months later, I was named Suzume with my father's last name Larson."

Dan reached for her hands and pulled her towards him He turned her so she could sit on his lap under the hot water. She leaned back against his chest with his arms circling her just under her breasts and tightened his hold while nuzzling and kissing her neck and shoulders.

He felt Suzie relax in his arms and after a few minutes began to wonder if she was asleep. He nibbled an ear and as he did she pressed her face against his and made a soft cat like murmur.

"I love you, My Dear, and I don't want you to leave me again. I want to be with you forever and have your baby." She spoke so quietly Dan could barely hear her.

## FIFTEEN

Just before 1600 Dan and Suzie finally left their hotel room and were on BC Street going to get her clothes from the Moonlight Bar. Holding hands, Suzie led him into a narrow alley next to the Moonlight Bar, then around back and into a small adjoining concrete Okinawan house.

"Sasha-chan" Suzie hollered when she led him through a door into the house.

Getting no response, she led him towards the back of the house and into a small room barely big enough for the built-in bed and a double doored freestanding closet that looked as if it had been built to fit exactly where it stood in one corner of the tiny room.

"I told you it was very sukoshi. Sasha and I share her dresser and makeup mirror."

They had brought Dan's small sized B4 type bag with them which Suzie opened and placed on the bed. She opened the closet that had two small drawers built into its bottom. It only took her a couple minutes to take what she wanted for clothes and after carefully folding a couple of cheongsams to place in the bag she asked him to zip it closed. She took a small cardboard suitcase from under the bed. "I'll get my makeup from Sasha's room. I will be just a minute

What shall I wear now, Dan? Are we going out tonight?" Suzie asked from the other room.

"Do you want to? How about we got to Machinato and the VFW? We can have dinner and a couple drinks. What do you think?"

"I don't think that you will last very long. You are still very tired. Besides I want to spend takusan time with you holding me naked in bed. I think we should soak some more in a hot bath."

Suzie came back and stood in the short hallway just outside the door to her tiny bedroom. "You also want to go to Naha. Maybe a couple of times?"

"Maybe we could go in the morning and spend time shopping on Kokusai Dori and go to see Tomako."

With a smile she answered. "Does that mean you want to soak and then take me to bed? Naked?"

She came into her tiny room with her suitcase full of make up on the floor next to the bed. She then opened one of the drawers which Dan could see was full of sheer silky girl things. She placed several of the silky things in the B4's side pockets

"I know that you like me to wear sexy girl things at night. Or even in the morning when we are alone." She broke into a smile which turn sultry and sexy as she could do when the mood struck her. "You know it is your fault to make me think these thoughts." She said as she stepped close and lightly held her ample curves against him.

"Are you ready to go?" Got everything that you want?" He asked and took her hand before picking up the full B4 bag from the floor.

"Where are we going?"

"To take your things to the hotel."

"I think it is just an excuse to take me to a hotel so you can seduce me."

"Who has been seducing who?"

Laughing she squeezed his hand and led the way into the bar through the backdoor.

She spoke to the nesan behind the bar who looked at her bags and Dan quizzically. Several seconds of speaking Japanese and both women smiled and Suzie came back to him.

"Sasha has gone away with her boyfriend for the day but Kim will tell her where we are. Kim also said that Sasha had figured out what I was doing and who I was with."

"She knows about me? I never met her."

"I know Love, but she knows all of my business, even about us when we were living together in Futemma last year. We have been friends since we were 10 years old. We were in the orphanage together."

They hailed a sukoshi cab for the ride back to the hotel rather than carry her bags.

He felt her lips tenderly touching his cheeks and forehead then full on his lips. Soon she was nibbling on them.

"Mmmm. Don't stop on my account.

Oh, oh yes!" He responded to her bending over him gently rubbing her nipples across his chest then up onto his face. Gently he took the nearest nipple into his mouth as she pressed her breasts onto him. His ams went around her waist and pulled her down onto him. The coolness of her body made him realize that they were not under the futon and the warm spring sun was just starting to flood the room.

"What time is it?" He asked and let his hands slid down her body onto her buttocks. She was still laying across his body and started to nibble on his right shoulder before pushing herself up and swinging around to straddle him

"Time to get up. Take a shower and go to Naha."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah, yourself." She leaned down to kiss him then stretched out full length on top of him. After teasing him for two or three minutes she bounced off of him and onto the floor. With an exaggerated swing of her naked butt she headed for the bathroom. "I have dibs on the shower." She declared.

"Why? Are you privileged?"

"I got out of bed first."

"That isn't fair. You were on top and so I couldn't get up."

"You were on top last night and early this morning. Some of the time." She added softly.

"I heard that. I knew it. You can be a domineering woman at times."

She stuck her head out the half closed bathroom door smiling almost to the point of laughing. "And you love it. Admit it. You moan and wiggle as much as I do."

"Oh shut up." He laughed as he swung his feet onto the floor and he walked to the partially open door. "Can I watch?"

"If you can keep your hands and other parts to yourself or we'll never get to Naha."

Dan had been quiet on most of the ride to Naha. When the sukoshi cab turned east and started towards Kokusai Dori Suzie squeezed his hand that she had been holding since they left Koza.

"You're very quiet, are you alright?"

"I was just looking at what I haven't seen with you for months. At times it seems like years.

"Do you miss Okinawa so much?"

"Not by itself. I have spent 7 months or so denying you and now that I'm back on the island and touching you, I know that I missed you so much and everywhere I look I have visions of us being here before. Because we have been. Nekkyo, neh?"

"No. You aren't crazy. I also have such thoughts and have had since the night you walked into the Moonlight and back into my lonely life." She slide closer to him. Kissed him softly on the cheek and pulled his right hand up between her breasts.

"Koko desu, niisan." She spoken loudly and hurriedly when she saw them passing the Kokusai Coffee House.

Standing on the sidewalk next to the short fence that protected the stairs down into the coffee house. He held her around the waist loosely while looking around at all the familiar sights and inhaling the scents of Okinawa.

"I love you Suzie." He said out of the blue as he turned and started down the stairs in front of her.

He reached for the door handle and from one stair behind him she placed a hand on each side of his face and pulled him back against her as she turned his head so she could place her lips on his left ear. Instead of kissing him she spoke, then asked him a question. Smiled and released him.

He remembered to take off his sun glasses as he stepped through the door knowing he would still not see clearly for several seconds after the bright Okinawan sunlight. He took a step to his right so Suzie could step up beside him.

Not quite in focus, he saw the figure of a small Okinawan woman step out of the short hall leading to the kitchen.

"Suzie!? Suzie-chan! It is so good to see you."

He recognized her voice and as his eyes adjusted saw that Tomako and Suzie were hugging.

Over Suzie's shoulder, which she could barely see over, Tomi's eyes settled on him.

"Dan! My God! Where did you come from?" She exclaimed as she stepped into his arms for a sisterly hug. Taking each by a hand she started towards the back of the coffee house. Smiling happily Tomako hugged them each again when they had reached 'their' table. The last one in the very back corner of the coffee house.

"Sit, dozo. I will be right back. Michako is in the kitchen I will get her to be at the front and we can sit and talk. Oh, it is so good to see you both. And you are together. That is great."

Dan watched Tomi as she walk away then turned to Suzie with a question in his eyes. "Has she put on weight or has it just been too long since I saw her?

I know that she isn't very big but her face looks fuller and she has a little more butt."

"Were you watching her butt with your loving wife-to-be sitting next to you?" Suzie asked with a smile and soft laugh. "I like that new title. Wife-to-be."

"Me too.

No, just thought her face was fuller, then checked out her butt to see if she had changed. Maybe she's pregnant. Brad was here about 6 weeks ago. Would she be putting on weight or otherwise changing that quick?"

"I think it's possible. But she was told that she cannot get pregnant."

"Wouldn't be the first doctor who was wrong."

"That's true, My Love. I hope he was wrong. She would really like to have Brad's baby."

"I don't think we should ask her though. She will tell us if she is or when she is ready to tell us."

Suzie nodded in agreement.

"How do you spell my name in American English?"

"Huh? S-u z-i-e. Why?"

"I just figured out a while ago that most GIs spell it S-u-s-i-e. With an s not a z. That is the American version of a shortened Susan, neh?"

"Hai. I never spelled it that way, with an s."

"Domo arigato gozaimasu, My Love. Is your answer yes?"

Laughing and with a huge smile Dan leaned over and kissed her passionately. Neither was aware of Tomi coming back to the table.

"Yes!" Dan said exuberantly and kissed her again.

"What is going on with you two. I know that you like each other, but Dan has been on Okinawa for at least a couple of days, correct?" That issue should have cooled enough so you can appear in public without any lose of control?" Tomi looked each in the eye in turn before starting to laugh at them quietly.

Dan decided to answer and Suzie nodded and with a small pushing motion with her right hand told him to go ahead.

"Just as we came in the door, my very forward girl friend, Told me she loved me very much and asked me if I would marry her.

By then we were in the door and meeting you, Tomi, so I just this minute answered her."

"By the looks on both your faces the answer was yes."

"Oh yes! A very big yes. Which you heard. But that is not exactly how it was." Suzie said with a smile.

"What do you mean? That is exactly how it was." Dan spoke up.

Suzie caressed his cheek. Lightly placed a finger on his lips before continuing. "He has had me all up and hot since he arrived on Tuesday evening. He never gave me a chance because he had me in bed within an hour of finding me. Then we come here to see you and before we even come down the stairs he whispers sweet nothings to me then comes down the stairs leaving me on the sidewalk with all kinds of thoughts about love and him making love to me. What was I to do? I had to ask him.

I am right, aren't I Tomi?"

By now all three friends were laughing quietly and holding hands.

"So how was it when Brad came on R & R?" Suzie asked her."

Tomi blush grew rapidly and her beautiful almond shaped dark brown eyes seemed to glow in their own light.

"I take that as a very successful and meaningful togetherness." Dan said with a straight face.

"My Love you are terrible. Can't you see how embarrassed you have made her?" Suzie exclaimed but could not hold back a small tittering giggle.

Changing the subject in self defense Tomi touched the front of Dan's shirt. You are still wearing the kariyushi that Suzie bought for you in Black Market Alley last year."

"Oh yes, my Okinawan shirts. Actually I still have all four of them including the very bright one you and Brad gave to me for my birthday last year. The one Brad said I would never wear. Well, I do wear it."

"Do you see Brad much Dan? He is all right?" Tomi asked reaching for Dan's free hand. The one Suzie was not holding. "When he was here on R & R in March he did talk about Vietnam some. One thing he said was that it is fun to see you every few days and sometimes to work together. I get quite a few letters from him every week."

" He brags about all the letters that you write to him.

We see each other once in a while. There is a project of some kind coming up shortly after I get back and we'll be both on it. We're both running graders and since the need of two graders, much less two experienced grader operators working the same job doesn't happen very often."

"How about the new project? Brad hasn't said anything about it in his letters. Will you really be working together?"

"I doubt if he knows about it. My crew is the lead crew on it so we've had to do some planning for it all ready. Also I'm not sure that I'll be running grader on it. I asked to get Brad on the job since we'll need experienced grader operators. I picked up a feeling from the Chief-in-charge that I'll be running one of the crews out in the boondocks not operating anything."

A stricken expression flashed across Suzie face. "Does that mean you will be where the VC is?"

Afraid that he had said too much and not wanting Suzie to worry needlessly, Dan tried to back pedal. "Well, not really. I'll be out on Highway 1 a little ways from the fenced perimeter. But I almost always work out there. Have since I got in-country. Please don't worry or blow it out proportion. We're very careful and don't take any chances."

"Iie. I know that you are trying to make sure that Tomi and I do not worry. But I know you as she knows Brad. We have seen you both run your big machines and you do things that the average Seabee would not try. So we know you will go where you have to go to do what you think needs doing.

That is honto isn't it Tomako?" Suzie's worry and excitement became apparent in her words. She reverted back a little bit to a more simple English.

"Hai. Suzie-chan is right Dan. We know that you are being gentle with us because you don't want us to be scared or worry. But we will be anyway. We can try not to be too much or to let you know how scared we are, but we will always be until you are safely home and in our beds holding us against all that the world threatens us with."

"God, Tomi. I didn't know how much you worry about it and I'm sure that Brad doesn't realize it either."

"My Love," Suzie started, "We know what kind of men you are. Neither of you are quitters and even if you get scared you will continue to do what you must and deal with your fears. We also accept you as the brave men you are and deal with our fears and don't expect you not to do what you have to. I for one, love you very much and do not want to lose you. I can not tell you often enough how much I love you and want you with me.

I know Tomako feels the same way about Brad. Now that is enough. If I say anymore I'll start crying and maybe ruin a very nice day for all of us."

With that said, Suzie rose from her chair and wiggling her way onto Dan's lap snuggle her face into his neck.

He could feel the wetness of her tears on his neck and how hard she was hanging onto him. His response was to hold Suzie tighter and with gently fingers lifted her chin up and softly kissed the tears from each eye then settled his mouth on hers. Their tongue's touched, flicked gently then increased in passion.

"Shall we take Tomi out to dinner?" Dan asked with his lips nibbling on her neck.

"Yes. But first we ladies have to fix our faces before we go out in public."

"What about me? I have to see you without and before and after face repairs."

The only answer he got was a very pink and slowly curling tongue stuck out at him.

"Damn. You've been around Tomi too much. She did that all the time to Brad." Dan complained with a smile, reached towards her and as she was raising off his lap kissed her on the forehead.

"Poor baby" Tomi exclaimed getting up and coming around the table to kiss Dan on the cheek.

## SIXTEEN

Suzie snuggled tighter against him before asking. "Dan, are you awake?"

"Mmm, I think so. What time is it?"

"I didn't mean to wake you up. I can't go back to sleep."

She turned her head slightly to see the clock and reached across his waist to hold him tighter. "It's 3. I'm sorry. You need more sleep to get rested. Tomorrow morning you won't get much sleep before you have to catch your flight away from me."

Dan turned over slowly until they were face to face and putting his hands on her hips pulled her into him.

"I love the feel of your bare skin against me." She said and threw her right leg onto his thigh.

"What are you going to tell Brad about Tomi?"

"I don't know. Haven't really thought much about it. I have been thinking more about us. Selfish, huh?"

"No. I don't think so. I like that you spend so much time thinking about us. Especially if it is good thinking. But can we talk about Brad and Tomi for a minute?" She rubbed her leg gently up and down his thigh.

"Sure. And yes, they are good thoughts." He answered and reached to turn on the small bedside light on. "I want to see your gorgeous eyes."

"No. You are looking at my naked body." and she leaned back away from him to expose more of her full breasts to him.

He leaned down and softly kissed each of her nipples before she raised his face up, moved back closer to him. "No. If you keep that up we won't talk. At least about Tomi and Brad."

"If I say anything about our thoughts that she is pregnant and she isn't, it might build up his hopes before he has a big let down when he finds out she isn't."

"That is why I wanted to talk about it. A women's view, especially in relationships which you and I know are more complex than the usual 'boy meets girl'. I want to share and I know you will listen to me and I know that you do not think that I'm being silly or stupid.

Other people should not interfere in telling such news. Tomi will want to tell Brad herself. There is a 'but' though. He is a long ways away and news between them travels only as fast as the fastest letter can travel."

"Which is almost two weeks between Okinawa and a GI in Vietnam." Dan added.

"So, maybe, if you said something like, you and I, Suzie and I, I mean, think Tomi is pregnant."

"How about, 'Ole Buddy, my girl friend and I think that your girl friend is knocked up and carrying your baby and it's time to commit or run'."

"Iie! You are terrible Dan Lee Davis."

"Oww. Why did you slug me?"

"Because you sounded like an American redneck. And what do you call them? trailer park trash."

"I was only kidding."

"I know, but sometimes your sense of humor gets you in trouble."

"Like just now?"

"Hai."

"I guess I better play it by ear."

"What do you mean, 'play it by ear'?"

"I'll wait until I hear what she tells him, what you may write to me, or what Brad says or asks of me. Then decide how much to say to him."

"You're right. We have talked about them enough." Suzie stated firmly.

"How about us, Suzie?"

She pushed him onto his back and slid over on top of him in one smooth motion. "Will you write to me every week? That is not too much to ask is it?"

"No My Love it is not. Sometimes I may write more often."

"I don't think I'll be able to answer more than one a week. I'll have to take them to the translator to read yours and to put mine into English so you can read them. I'm not as educated as Tomi who has a typewriter and has learned to read and write English."

"Please don't compare yourself to her. Her life has been different and the opportunities for her in life have come from a different direction. Remember, when I left, you thought that we could part ways and forget each other so you just went on with your life without me or without having to learn to write me letters."

"Hai. Now that has all changed. Neh? I would like to learn to read and write English, and to have your baby.

I don't think like Tomi does. There are schools I can go to just to learn English and they are close by."

"Have my baby?"

"Hai. As soon as I can get pregnant."

"Oh. Before we're married?"

"Hai. We are married in our souls already neh?"

"What do you want to do about a place to live?"

"What do you mean? I'll stay with Sasha until I have paid her back then I can keep saving money by living in her little house with her."

"I want us to pay Sasha back as quick as we can. And also I'll send you enough money every month to pay your living expenses. You'll be able to move into a place of your own with more room and a bath of your own. Besides, when I come home on R & R and on leave we'll have a place of our own."

"You are coming to Okinawa on leave? Honto? When? For how long?"

"Honto, hai. First another R & R maybe in June, then in July or August on leave for a month."

Suzie rubbed her stomach on his as she squeezed against him. "Oh, I do love you. I can now believe everything we have thought and talked about? Neh?"

"Hai."

"I want to stay in my tiny room at Sasha's until just before you come next. That way I will be saving money. She lets me stay there for nothing and I don't mind the tiny room except having to share her kitchen and bathroom.

I will just be a full time bartender and won't have to ask GIs to buy me drinks. That will be some more pay every month."

"When will you get your own house, or even an apartment?"

"There are some nice apartments here in Koza just up the street from here. Would you like to live here near the hotels?"

"Sure, that would be fine.

Do you have a passport? A birth certificate?"

"Hai. Why?"

"Is it a Japanese passport?" Is your father on your birth certificate? What his nationality or citizenship was?"

"Hai, it is Japanese, but my birth certificate only has his name on it, and my mother's citizenship."

"Can we get them tomorrow? I want to see what we will need to get married and also how to get you into the US."

He heard and felt her breathing change knowing she had fallen asleep. He ran his hands across her naked back and felt how cold she had gotten. Carefully he pulled the futon across them as he gently rolled onto his side and kept holding her against his stomach. Her regular breathing never changed she was so deep in sleep.

"I'm going to the Moonlight and talk to Sasha. Do you mind if I do it alone. Talking about money will be very hard and even though we are tomodachis, like sisters, I don't know how she will answer me."

"All right. You're going to tell her you're going to give her the $300 back in a couple of days and only want to tend bar from now on?"

"Hai. I will do it all slowly and not tell her I'm moving out of her house until I hear when you will get here on R & R. She doesn't need to know that you are sending me money."

"That's up to you.

How much do you need a month?"

"You do not need to do that My Love. I will be all right until you come back. Then you will have to pay the rent on our house or apartment and to buy my food when you are not here."

"I'll leave you some money when I leave tomorrow, besides her three hundred. Then you can use it as you have too."

"I must go now. You know that you are too good to me? I was the one who said go away and then tried to forget you."

"I know. Didn't work that way did it?"

"Take me to the beach after I get back and we'll only come back when night comes?"

"Hai."

"In case you are thinking about it, I had my period two days before you got here. There is no way you can make me pregnant this time."

## SEVENTEEN

Petty Officer EO2 Dan Lee Davis and the Marine Gunny in charge of the R & R flight would be the last to board the waiting Marine Corp C-130 Hercules at MCAF Futemma. Dan had stood just outside the terminal door as the Gunny checked all the other Marines and Seabees off his list and watched them one by one enter the 130's troop door.

"I guess we have to go too." The Gunny said when he stepped over to where Dave was looking across the tarmac towards the distant South China Sea. "I live here and almost once a week I go in-country and every time I have to force myself to climb aboard that Herkie Bird. My wife is here since I'm supposed to be on shore duty and I get to spend maybe 5 out of 7 nights a week with her if I'm lucky.

We saw you and Suzie in the VFW night before last. I knew that I knew you from somewhere before when we came out of country last week."

"Where was that Gunny?"

"You and Suzie lived about three doors down the street from Reiko and I. You were attached to Public Works and the motor pool here and lived with Suzie for several months until you were transferred last year. I know of at least 50 Marines who tried to move in on her when you left but it was like she had gone into mourning. Not one Marine could even get to first base. Then she quit the Rendezvous and we never saw her again until you reappeared. She is one hell of a lady. You are one lucky Seabee I hope you realize that."

Together they walked across the ramp towards the 130. The loadmaster had closed the side loading troop door so they turned slightly and headed for the rear loading ramp. The crew chief who was on headsets in front of the engines gave the Gunny a thumbs up which the Gunny returned the signal meaning 'go ahead, start engines' ".

"Don't worry, they won't leave us behind. I fly this airline so much that all the crew chiefs and loadmasters know me. Like I said, lots of times I have to force myself to get on board."

"Suzie and I are getting married." Dan said quietly.

Gunny turned to look him in the eye as they stepped up on the loading ramp. "Good. I'll tell my wife. Where is she living? Don't worry, did you see that cute little Okinawan looking at us through the terminal windows? My best friend and wife. They know each other as passing neighbors and Reiko wants to see Suzie. She was going to talk to her in the VFW but didn't want to butt in. We could both see how you were together and it occurred to me that you would be leaving with me this morning. I know, these R & Rs trips are never long enough."

"The Moonlight on BC Street until I come back on R & R probably in June."

"Gunny Lars in case you couldn't read my name tag. Congratulations." As he offered his hand.

"We might as well stay here and watch the island disappear. The loadmaster always keeps the ramp partway down so we can watch the shoreline disappear."

The high pitched throb of the Hercule's engines with their Hamilton Standard props always sounded powerful and comfortable to him and Dan leaned against the bulkhead looking aft long after the Okinawan coastline had gone out of sight. Slowly the loadmaster brought the ramp up and the upper door down to shut out the fading red sunrise as they headed southwest back to Vietnam.

On the flight from Okinawa to Da Nang Dan decided that he didn't particularly want to stay there overnight that he would much rather go on to Chu Lai. When he off loaded at the Da Nang Marine terminal he found Gunny Lars at the ATCO counter talking to a Marine Liaison. "Got a minute Gunny?"

"Sure Davis. What you need?"

Anyway I could find a hop to Chu Lai?"

"You mean now instead of tomorrow morning? You have a guaranteed seat on tomorrow's courier flight."

"Yeah, I know. I can't see much sense in staying here if I could get to Chu Lai any time between now and midnight or so."

"Let me check. I know there's a flight in a few minutes but it's loaded with Vietnamese refugees."

Lars went back to the counter and appeared to be fast talking and laughing with the Marine Staff Sergeant behind the counter. In a couple minutes he pointed out Dan then motioned for him to come to the counter.

""The Sergeant will talk to the loadmaster in a minute. The cargo compartment is loaded with Vietnamese sitting on the floor. They will be dropped off at several stops down the coast. But the bird's first stop is Chu Lai and he thinks he might get you a seat in the cockpit. Let's wait here for a minute.

Another Marine Gunny in a gray flight suit, entered the terminal through the back door behind the counter, talked to the Staff Sergeant for several seconds then came to the counter. "Petty Officer Davis? Gunny Graham. Need a ride to Chu Lai?" He asked as he stuck out his hand.

Shaking the Gunny's hand he spoke. "Sure do Gunny."

"Okay grab your gear and come on. You can have my cockpit seat. I should stay in the cargo compartment anyway to make sure our passengers will be okay."

Dan turned back to Gunny Lars "Gunny, thanks. I'll try to catch up with you next time I come through."

"All right Dave. My wife will probably go to see Suzie and will tell her that we delivered you back here in one piece. Take care of yourself and I'll watch for you." He said as Dan followed the other Gunny out the back door.

"You can stow your gear in the cockpit with the flight crew's. Watch your step, there isn't much walking space."

The Hercule's engines were all ready running and it became hard to hear when he walked around the back of the aircraft and stepped up onto the ramp. Dan could hardly believe what he saw. Across the width of the aircraft was row upon row of Asian faces. The majority of them with looks of fear and a few looks of pure terror. For each row of Vietnamese peasants was a gray nylon cargo tie down strap which each peasant was hanging onto for dear life with one had while in the other each held some type of parcel or bag which could hold personal belongings or food.

This is like a Vietnamese village. Ducks, chickens, pot belly pigs. That old man has two pigs in that hand woven wooden basket and they weigh as much as he does.

"I have over 200 Vietnamese souls here and no seats. We can't put 90 in troop seats and the rest on the floor, so they all ride on the floor.

I'll tell the cockpit you're on your way up and they'll take care of you. Try not to step on any bodies on the way." The Gunny smiled as he put his headset on and spoke into it.

A young corporal got out of a crew seat at the very top of the stairs leading up to the very aft end of the cockpit. "You can seat here with me. Take the inside seat. That's where the loadmaster sits whenever he rides up here. The other is mine. I"m the crew chief. It's my airplane." He said with a smile and took Dan's AWOL bag from him. "It will be in here." And placed it in an open locker with several other bags. "Watch out for the navigator's chair. It has armor plating that sticks out and if you get hit when he swivels it will nail you right in the knee. Guaranteed to hurt. I know." He said with a smile. Handing Dan a headset after he had got settled and the aircraft started to taxi towards the active runway. "Here, if you want to be entertained and hear what is going on. Just don't push the button, it activates the mike."

"Thanks, Hart" Dan answered with a smile after reading his name tag.

Dan looked at his watch as he watched the Chu Lai runway growing in the pilot's windshield on their descent. It was just after 1310.

I'll find a radio and see if Tom can come pick me up and we can go out on the road for a couple hours.

After thanking the crew and especially the loadmaster, Dan headed to where a group of Seabee builders were working on a new Marine building near the terminal.

"Hey, Dave, where did you come from?" A second class builder hollered from where he sat on the new building's ridgepole."

"Okinawa, Sam. R & R. You guys got a radio?"

"Sure, I'll be right down. Meet me out back."

Dan walked around the new building until he came to a Seabee green painted weapons carrier. Sam stepped off the ladder and pointed at the weps. "It's in there Dave. You need a ride?"

"Yeah. I want to see if Chief Thomas will come out and pick me up so we can go out on the road."

Sitting in the driver's seat the builder started the weps turned on the radio and handed Dan the mike. "I'm presuming you want the vehicle to vehicle, crew to crew channel." He asked reaching for the knob to change the frequency.

"That I do. Thanks, Sam."

"There you're all set.

Any time my friend. Turn off the radio and engine when your through, ok?'

"Sure enough."

"Golf 1 this is Golf 3."

It was just seconds when Chief Thomas answered. "Golf 1, go ahead Dan."

"Chief, I'm at the Marine air terminal, just got in from Da Nang. Can you pick me up?"

"Matter of fact I can. I'm headed back out to the road, want to go?'

"Affirmative. That's my goal."

"Good. See ya in about 3 or 4.

Golf 1 out."

"Golf 3 copy, out."

"I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow?"

"True. I didn't want to hang around Da Nang. They shoot at you up there.

We got in from Okinawa so early that I figured that I might get a hop. Which I did.

So what's the plan? We still a go for rock?"

"Planning has given us a reprieve on the rock. So we can build up the stock pile some more."

"I know there has to be an ulterior motive. I'm waiting for the shoe to fall."

"I'll take it in order of occurrence.

The First Cav's Huey's are moving north from the Da Nang area sometime about mid-May. So on May 1 we are going to start building LZs and pads for them at the south end of the fence."

"Where we started the road? In other words the powers-to-be knew about this two or so weeks ago."

"Yeah. We're planning on 10 days to complete them. We'll open a new laterite pit across the road from the first village after Brigade headquarters. Just this side of your bomb culvert.

You'll have a 2 1/2 yard loader, the Northwest 6 and as many dumps as we can get to haul. Also the two double barrel Euclids. They'll build the roads with help from Burgess and your grader."

"I'm going to run the borrow pit? What about Kramer?"

"He'll get one of the Eucs. Windy's in fact.

That borrow pit is going to a tough one and you'll have to use what resources that you can find."

"What's the catch?" Dan asked as Thomas pulled through the gate and started south on Highway 1.

"There are graves scattered all up and down that hill. You'll have to plan around them because we can't get permission to move them for a borrow pit. From what I've seen we'll end up with the main pit where the NW6 will be. Then a small hill south of the NW6 the scrapers will load out of. The loader you can move around the edges as you need to. It will depend on how many dumps you have every day which will vary upon the demand for them for other projects."

"That where we're going now?

Who's my shovel operator?"

"Duke. Thought you would like that. Casey has to stay at the quarry because they are going to keep drilling and blowing rock. So I can't give you a dozer yet. Maybe later."

"Where's Ryder?"

"Leaving on R & R to Hong Kong in the morning.

That's why I'm glad your back. I want you to run the road and quarry the rest of the week. Burgess is on the grader working on shoulders since Kramer got Windy's scraper.

When Ryder gets back he'll be running the quarry and we hope to have a grader back on Highway1 to maintain what we have. Any ideas for an operator?"

"No chance of keeping Brad? That was a rhetorical question I know the answer to it. Can I let you know later?"

"Sure. Let's see if we can find Honcho. I think he'll be your best bet for a translator and I talked to him yesterday and he seems to know where the graves are. I was on my way out here to meet him and an elder from the village so we can locate and mark the graves when you called."

Thomas pulled off the road into the small borrow pit that had been used over the years. "Should be able to start the NW6 here. He can develop his own access after a few loads go out."

Shortly after they got out of the jeep Honcho, with his habitual big smile, walked out of the shade of the banana trees across the road next to the village access road. "Papa-san is working in the rice paddies and cannot leave. He said come back early tomorrow morning. Sorry, but he is an old man and is one of the village elders."

"That's okay, Honcho. Tell him I'll be here at 0900 tomorrow and we can do it then if he wants to." Dan told him.

The young Vietnamese smiled happily his mission accomplished. He had done as the elders told him to. Turning, he started back across the road. Half way across he stopped and turned part way around. "Lai Mai Linh was looking for you." Smiling he turned away and continued towards the village.

"Lai Mai Linh?" Tom asked.

"Linh. The good looking Vietnamese girl. You know, they put their family name first."

"White silk pants?"

"Yes."

"Every Seabee who has ever worked out here talks about the white silk pants."

## EIGHTEEN

It was mid-morning on Tuesday before Dan could talk to Brad Burgess. They had agreed to meet at the crew's trailer for coffee and a C-rats snack. Brad was there already and Dan saw the grader parked there as he came south on Highway 1 from the quarry access road.

"Waiting long?"

"No, just a couple of minutes. Long enough to heat some coffee water. Here. The cup on the stove will be ready in a second."

Dan thanked him as he ripped open a packet of C-rat instant coffee and started to stir it. "I got back together with Suzie."

"Good. She's a nice lady. You wouldn't have ever stood a chance with her if I hadn't met Tomi."

"I know. Right. You weren't taking your relationship with her seriously. She was just a bunch of one night stands and a sure thing to get laid when you got horny. Sorry old friend, but I know you. Dan thought as he sipped the hot brew and looked Brad in the eye with a smile.

We're getting married."

"Really! I for one would never expect it of either one of you. I can see you living together as long as you were on the island, but for her to marry an American never occurred to me. She thought a lot of you but I didn't think she would never want to marry you."

"I told you when I left the island that her goodbye was basically 'go home to America and find a blonde, blue eyed caucasian and live happily ever after.' " Dan said.

"Yeah, you did. Instead you go back to Okinawa and find a tall gorgeous green eyed Eurasian that you lived with before. True?"

"Got that right. I found her in Koza the first night I was there. All by accident." Dan started to tell his best friend the details of their meeting and how they had both changed some attitudes along the way.

"We went to see Tomi also."

Brad's face lit up and his almost perpetual smile spread across his face.

"How is she? I get three or four letters a week. But it isn't the same as seeing her face to face or having you tell me how she is."

"Gorgeous as ever. Happy as she can be considering the fact you're here and she's there. She misses you very much."

"I put in for R & R on May 26 and nobody can see any reason I shouldn't get it. Most guys in this battalion were never on Okinawa so they want to go to Taiwan or Hong Kong. I can't wait to see her again. It helps getting and writing letters and best of all knowing when I will see her again.

She isn't working too hard is she? You and Suzie would see if she was quicker than I can in letters."

"No. She seems fine. Looks great if I can say so."

"Thanks Dan. I appreciate you and Suzie going to see her."

"Hey, she's our friend too. Suzie's and mine. We hung out in the Kokusai Coffee House when we were living together."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Thomas is trying to keep you on the road after we finish the pads, but doesn't think the chances are very good.

What we need to know is, do you want to stay out here? After the pads are done that is. You and I could swap off between the loader loading rock at the quarry and the grader spreading the rock. We'll have the belly dump Athey wagons. So it should be easy grading the windrows from them."

"I think I would. You got most of it all ready blue topped except the road bed itself which will be no big deal. Now what?"

"Play it by ear and see what Operations says. Lt. Roberts will go along with what ever the Chief wants to do. But he has to answer to them."

After Brad went back to work Dan took the crew's weps south with the intention of going to the site where they were going to build the 1st Cav helicopter pads and the new establish the laterite pit. About a quarter mile north of the pads, before he reached the Brigade gate, he saw Linh walking north on the right side of the highway. She was alone and he could see in the distance the other girls near the Brigade gate clustered where they usually where.

He pulled off the highway and onto the sandy shoulder. Got out of the weapons carrier and waited for her to come to him. He had to admit that he was attracted to her and from all signs she was also attracted to him. He also thought about Suzie almost constantly and it was not his way to be able to have any kind of close or sexual relationship with more than one woman at a time.

I have to love or at least really care for a woman to have and enjoy good love making.. Sex aside. I know myself well enough to know that I couldn't just have sex with either of these women. I care too much for each of them to have casual sex. I've really admitted to myself that I am completely committed to Suzie now. Dan was thinking while watching Linh walk up to him.

"Hi you. I missed you before I went on R & R."

"I wanted to see you and was worried until Honcho told me that the Seabees told him you had gone to Okinawa for a week. Is that true?"

"Yes. I was going to tell you but you weren't here before I left."

She came up close to him as they walked around the front of the weps and onto the built up sand shoulder of the road. Their shoulders touched and neither pulled away. She set her basket down before raising her face to be kissed. It was more than a light touching of their lips but without the passion of their first kisses.

"Do you have a girl friend or wife on Okinawa?"

"A girl friend. I have known her for a long time, but when I came to Vietnam she broke it off."

"Broke it off?" Linh asked with a frown on her face.

"Didn't want to be with me anymore. So I was looking for a girl friend.

I like you as much as I can knowing very little about you and we have never been together long enough to really get to know each other or to make love."

"But now?" She asked.

"Suzie, that is her name, and I saw each other, stayed together all the time I was on Okinawa and made promises to each other."

"She was sorry she had let you go?"

"Yes. Very much."

"You slept together?" Linh's eyes had become sadder with each answer.

Dan felt though very little had happened between them, he owed her some compassion and understanding.

"At the very least, we're friends Linh. And I will always want to see you and talk to you."

"I was not here on that day because I had to go to Hue and just came back yesterday. I'll be going back around the middle of May. The 14th or 15th I think then I will have to go. I'd like to see you and talk to you until I must leave. Is that all right?"

"Yes. I'd like that. I'll be out here every day except on Sundays. Next week I'll be down by the first village after the Army gate. Know it?"

"Oh yes. You will be there on Monday?"

"Yeah."

She stepped closer to him. Almost touching his chest and for the first time he noticed her breasts barely touching him. Not big, but great shape. She's wearing a new bra I think or she never wore one before.

"Where are you going now?"

"I have to go back to Chu Lai. I stayed with Honcho's mother last night. I brought some family things to her from Hue so I rode the bus to her village instead of getting off in Chu Lai last night."

"I have to go back to work. Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'll be here."

"You know the road to the laterite pit. Where the big trucks get loaded?"

"I'll see you there. Our trailer with the C-rations and water on it will be there as soon as the Marine minesweeper goes through."

"All right." She again raised up and kissed him lightly on his lips. "Bye."She said and waved after picking up her basket and turning away.

Dan watched her walk away and when she was about a hundred yards down the road she turned and waved her small hand away from her basket wave.

He returned her wave then slid into the driver's seat of the weps.

## NINETEEN

Monday May 1st was spent making sure that everybody knew their jobs and what they hoped to accomplish over the next ten days. The most important was to start the three different sections of the laterite pit off on their right foot. Duke moved the NW6 into the small existing pit and immediately started to enlarge it to give himself room to swing the big shovel. Adamson and Kramer with their big double barrel Eucs scrapers had to make several passes each up and down the hill to gain access to the top of the pit and then figure how to stay within the flagged boundaries that Dan and Honcho had put in to keep the scrapers clear of the Vietnamese graves. To make it easier and faster he told them not to be fussy trying to slope the shoulders of the cut. Just load the pans in the cut. He also told Duke to go into the hill flat from the road and hold the same grade throughout where ever he was loading out. Again, don't worry about having a sheer face. The Seabee on the loader had been running the loader on the road off and on since February whenever they had the need to load dump trucks. Dan didn't have to watch him too closely and best of all didn't have to worry about his operating skills. Dan asked him to improve the access for the dump trucks and scrapers to the pit. By quitting time on Monday he had added a separate access for each piece of heavy equipment so they would only be sharing the highway back and forth to the helicopter pads.

Just before 1800 hours the job's quitting time, Chief Thomas came by to see how it was going. Pulling in behind the NW6 what he saw brought a smile to his face. Dan had walked across the pit from where a cargo truck for the crew was waiting to take the crew to camp, to talk to Thomas.

"I see you got creative today."

"What, Tom?" He asked in all innocence.

"You're assuming that you'll be able to have a Cat and time to shape the hill after we've finished the pads." He said smiling and obviously pleased that Dan was taking that approach. "Operations brought that up before the final plan but never made an issue of it."

"You told me to get the fill to you as quick as I could. This is the quickest way. I don't want them wasting time dressing it all up pretty-like when that can be done anytime and lots quicker if that is all one cat skinner has to deal with."

"It's all right Dan. I just don't know what Operations attitude towards it will be when they see it. Except for Mr. Roberts none of the officers that will be out here know anything about actually running this kind of operation.

Be prepared in case they say something or question it. Then tell them how fast you, and I do mean you, can shape it up after we pull all this equipment out of here."

"Do you actually mean that I get to actually run a Cat to shape it?"

"Yes."

"You need Casey's Cat in the quarry."

"We, or rather you, will be getting a used D8 from RMK on the 9th of May. We're supposed to be finished hauling for the pads on the 10th. You can start shaping up the pit on the 11th.

Chief Marks wants two days to get the D8 serviced and inspected before he'll sign off on the acceptance."

"So If it's in good shape I'll have it out here on the 11th?"

"You got it."

"Thanks Tom. It's definitely something to look forward to."

"You now know why we have to figure out who Ryder can have as a grader operator. I have to give Brad back to the crew putting in the access roads to MAG 36's warehouses. I'm going to try to hang on to him until the middle of the month since the roads are on hold until then."

"I can't be sure who to suggest for a grader operator. He definitely won't be a replacement for Brad. So maybe, if its just spreading and moving crushed rock one of the younger operators deserve the chance for some experience."

"Yeah. I hear you. Who."

"Young Egan. Can't remember his first name, but I saw him working sand near the taxiway one day and was handling it all right."

"See?"

"See what, Chief?"

"See how easy it was once you made up your mind to do it. I'll put him out with Brad the rest of this week so between you two hot shots the kid will get a good start."

"You are so damn sneaky. You wanted me to tell you Egan. You didn't want to be the one to bring him up."

"Yeah. I thought about him but wanted to hear from somebody else who had seen him operating to mention him.

By the way, his first name is Fred." With the last word and a wave, Thomas turned his jeep around and drove off back towards Chu Lai.

"Let's go get some chow." Dan Davis hollered at the cargo truck full of equipment operators. "We did good today. Tomorrow is another day and 0700 is an early start time.

Did I tell you guys, the Marine mine sweep is going to be 90 minutes earlier every day until we finish this project. We leave the Alpha Company compound at 0630. Also the chow hall will be open for us a 0530.

NO QUARTERS for you guys! Be at the truck outside Alpha Company at 0615!

And remember, EVERYONE who goes out the gate will carry their weapon. NO EXCEPTIONS!

I will check that there's a weapon in every truck and on every piece of equipment.

The Powers-to-be think that Charlie may not like us helping out the First Cav. The Chief and I agree with that thinking. So be on the lookout for anything strange or any Vietnamese you can't identify. Some of you guys haven't worked on the road or outside the wire before so you stick with and follow the lead of any of the regular road crew."

On Tuesday morning just before 0900 Linh appeared at the laterite pit along with several other girls who usually hung around the Army's Brigade headquarters gate. Honcho saw her from where Dan had parked the crew's trailer and went down to meet her. Dan had parked the trailer on a little knoll out of the way of the equipment. Yesterday he had had the loader operator rough a road, which was more trail than road, a short ways into a stand of 15 and 20 foot tall trees on the knoll so the trailer would be out of sight of the road and in the shade most of the day.

Honcho reappeared a few minutes later and came over to where Dan was watching the access roads to the pit.

"Linh is here. I told her to stay by the trailer. OK?"

"Yeah Honcho. That's all right.

Have you talked to the Elders since yesterday morning?"

"Yes. Before you came today."

"Everything all right? They aren't upset about the graves?"

"One man said that we are too close to his family, but the old ones said that it was okay."

"Which grave Honcho?"

"The one at the bottom where the big tractors come out."

"Okay, the scrapers. Like that one coming back?" Dan pointed out a empty scraper which was just coming back into the pit.

"Yes. The scrapers." Honcho nodded happily. He now knew the name of another piece of Seabee equipment.

"All right. I'll get some red flagging and we'll go down and put it up on another stake or so to make it easier to see. OK?"

Dan walked back to the trailer. Linh was sitting on his flak jacket in the shade of a mango tree sipping on Dan's canteen cup she had put some ice water in. "Hi, how are you today." He asked her.

"Hi yourself. Honcho brought me up and said that I could stay here where it's cool."

"Yeah, that's fine. Just stay out of sight if any jeeps come.

I'll be back in a few minutes. Honcho and I are going down to the road to mark a grave better."

"I'll stay here out of the way."

With a wave Dan grabbed a roll of engineer's red flagging and started down the Vietnamese's trail through the graves and down to the road.

Starting back up the hill, Dan turned and looked at their handiwork before Honcho spoke. "That will make the family very happy that you are respectful of their family."

Just as Dan and Honcho were walking along the access road before returning to the trailer Thomas pulled up their trail and stopped. When they reached the trailer Tom was getting a drink out of a cooler and talking to Linh. He waited until Dan picked up his now empty canteen cup and splashed some ice water into it. "You comfortable with what is going on down on the road? Looks like they just descended on you this morning."

"They did. Showed up about 0900."

"Linh seems to think that one of them is an agitator. Maybe VC. She say anything to you about her?"

"We haven't had a chance to say more than Hi. Honcho and I had to go down and hang more flagging on that first grave. The family was afraid that the scrapers were going to run over it."

"That's all right. I'm thinking we should have some daytime security there so none of them get any ideas about interfering with the equipment. Our security is pretty well tied up, but the Army at Brigade headquarters has said they would provide you with security. They've already posted guards on the new pads."

"Might be a good idea. That one female has always been out spoken. Really more like out shouting but not really agitating just too damn mouthy."

The one standing in the middle of the road now?" Chief Thomas asked.

"Yeah that's her.

Honcho do you know her?"

"She is not from around here. She stays in the village across the road."

"Linh?" Dan got her attention and motioned for her to come up to where he and the chief were standing next to his jeep. "Know that girl standing out in the road?"

"She is what you call a trouble maker. She does not like me and calls me a capitalist pig and a whore to you. I'm afraid of her."

"Okay that settles it. Keep your eye on her Dan. At least until I can get some security out here to watch her and keep them out of the road before she or somebody else gets the idea of pushing one of those kids under a truck or scraper to create an incident.

Should be before lunch. Most of those doggies would do about anything to get out of that compound."

"Can we get the Athey wagons, Tom? They would speed things up and work really well on building up the access roads between pads. Our supply of dumps is somewhat spastic day to day and Duke doesn't always have enough dumps to keep busy. Duke has widen the pit enough to handle them now, and we can back them in off the highway without much hassle."

"That will work. Don't know if we can get them today, but we'll have them tomorrow for sure."

Thomas started for his jeep. "The Old Man, (Battalion Commander) and Operations Officer may stop by later, so keep those two interpreters out of sight and keeping a low profile. I'm sure Mr. Roberts will be with them and will smooth anything he has to. He knows about Honcho and is trusting us to keep him out of dangerous grounds."

"Gotcha Tom. See ya later."

By 1530 the heat of the day had arrived and Dan was coming back to the trailer for a drink of ice water and the cooler shade of the trees. He had been up and down the hill several times since lunch and was growing uncomfortable with the building commotion going on at the entrance of the pit where the Vietnamese girls were hanging out. The one they had decided was an agitator was harassing the Army corporal that had been dropped off for security. When he first arrived the girls, even the agitator, was quiet and respectful of him. As the day wore on the corporal started buying and drinking Vietnamese beer, the GIs called 'Tiger piss' after its trademark name 'Tiger Beer', from the girls and as he grew drunker, the agitator grew bolder and more aggressive.

Dan was watching events from the trailer as he sipped on his ice water. He felt her take his hand in her soft, callus-free city girl hand. "Come over here. It's hot and you haven't sat down all afternoon." He yielded to the pressure to turn into her and as she moved closer. Felt her thigh against his and the warm pressure of her almost bare breasts on his chest.

No bra on today. I guess she gets too hot.

She gently lead his left hand through the opened front of her shirt and he felt the bare skin of the curves of her right breast. She had unbuttoned several buttons on her blue silk shirt just far enough so her firm young breasts were exposed to his eyes.

"Please?" She asked and gently started to lead him away from the trailer and deeper into the shade of the trees.

He took several steps to follow her and allowed his right hand to run down her smooth silky skinned backside and under the waistband of her pants. What in hell am I doing?

She has no panties on either.

He looked into her eyes and was confused by what he saw. The emotion of love or desire that is always in Suzie's eyes and on her face isn't here. I have never made love to a woman who didn't have some kind of emotion in her eyes. What kind of game are we playing here? 'Take me to America?' Or is she VC?

A bad actress who has forgotten her lines or was forgetting to act?

They were almost out of sight of the trailer and his M14 when Dan heard the "crack"-"crack" of two rounds being fired from an M14. He took his hand from her breast and dropped her hand. A few quick steps and he reached for his M14 and was searching for the source of the shots.

Honcho, who a moment ago was sitting on the trailer hitch scooted around the trailer and dove under it.

Dan saw the Army corporal raise his weapon as the agitating Vietnamese girl ran out into the road in front of him and started to taunt him to the delight of the other girls.

Although Dan couldn't hear what she was hollering over the noise of many different pieces of heavy earthmoving equipment there was no doubt it was nasty and she was really getting under his skin.

The corporal fired another round into the ground in front of the girl screaming what Dan believed were probably obscenities at her.

Dan was almost to them and close enough to be heard by the army corporal. "At ease soldier!" He hollered as loud as he could. "Back off, now! Put that weapon down! Now!"

The Corporal looked up. Saw Dan with his weapon raised coming at him fast and a look of confusion flash across his face. He lowered his weapon hastily and looked around again still confused. The agitator was not insight. In the few seconds Dan took his eyes off of her to deal with the weapon she had disappeared.

When he was only a few yards from the soldier Dan slowed down to a careful walk and approached him. Dan reached out as he drew closer to him. "Give me the weapon, Corporal."

"Yes Sir." And he raised the M14 up with his left hand on the forearm and handed it to Dan.

Several Seabees had left their equipment and were armed standing in the haul road behind Dan.

"Would a couple of you move these girls back out onto the shoulder of the Highway. Check that no one has been shot and if you see that little agitator run her off or let me know and we'll have the ARVN deal with her. Or better still the Koreans."

Dan led the soldier up the trail to the trailer, drew him some ice water. "Sit and drink this."

"Yes Sir."

"And don't call me Sir. I'm only a couple pay grades above you"

Dan heard the whine of a weapons carrier coming up the trail and looked to see the Engineering Aides who worked the road job and now the helicopter pads pulled up.

The driver leaned out the window towards Dan. "You need some help Dan? We heard those shots up the road."

"Got any idea where Thomas is?"

"We saw him about 30 or so minutes ago. Do you need him?"

"Yeah. I think I'll let him handle this one. This soldier needs a transfer to less volatile grounds.

Can you raise him on the horn for me?"

"Sure." The EA riding shotgun was already on the radio and in a few seconds hollered out his window. "He'll be hear in about five minutes."

"Want us to stick around, Dan?"

"It's up to you if you want a break.

On second thought. Can you go back down on the road and keep those girls out on the highway and off the haul road so my operators can get back to work?"

"You got it." With a wave the EAs backed off the hill and parked down on the highway before getting out of their weapons carrier to corral the Vietnamese girls onto the shoulder of the highway out of the way of the equipment.

After Chief Thomas had arrived, heard the story and took the corporal and his rifle back to Brigade, Dan realized that only Honcho was still around. "Where's Linh, Honcho?"

"She left. Went down the path and onto the highway while you were down on the road."

"Was she upset?" Realizing the Honcho might not understand the term 'upset' he tried rewording with no results. Honcho still had a confused look which was unusual for him.

"She took C-rats before she went. Filled her basket and took your canteen cup."

"You okay, Honcho?'

"Yeah. I think that girl is a VC."

"How about Linh?"

"She is family. I don't know though. My mother's family is from the North. Maybe Linh is also from there.

Do you want me to go?"

"No Honcho. I still want you as my interpreter. You need some cold water?"

'Yes, please."

"Where you scared?"

"Yes. Sometimes it is hard not to trust somebody. Especially if you like her."

Out of the mouths of babes. Dan thought. Smart little shit isn't he?

The ten days from day one of starting the building of the First Cav's helicopter pads until today, the tenth and final day, passed quickly. They had built over thirty pads, a huge LZ plus access roads and several maintenance pads where the army engineers were now constructing Quonset huts for the helicopter mechanics.

Dan stood by the crew's trailer and was impressed by the hole Duke had dug with the NW6 loading out dump trucks and Athey wagons. A little further south was the slot the two scrapers had made as they loaded out fill.

"You got some big holes to fill in and shape up, Dan."

He hadn't paid any attention to the whine of a jeep coming up the trail which was barely audible under the sounds of a loaded Athey wagon pulling out of the pit on its last trip and Kramer on his double barrel Euclid scraper making his way up the hill to scrape up a load on its return down the hill. Chief Thomas had arrived almost quietly in comparison.

"Morning Tom. I actually didn't hear you. Yeah, we did make some big holes out here.

We going to shut the haul down soon?"

"Yes. The Army is going to finish up. We'll let the scrapers work all day but shut down the Athey wagons after they each make another round. After the last load goes out tell Duke to start walking the 6 to the Chu Lai gate. It will take him the better part of the day to get it there and we want it inside the wire before dark.

The motor pool will bring your D8 out from the shop and leave it inside the wire by the pads. Tomorrow morning you can walk it out here and start dressing up the hill.

Do you want a 'shotgun'?"

"I don't think so. Play it day by day? I haven't heard anything from the Brigade about any VC activity. Have you?"

"Operations have said that the intelligence reports put them out of the local area. There will be a lot of helicopter activity from the First Cav starting before the weekend. The drift I get from the army engineers is that the Hueys will start coming in late tomorrow afternoon or evening. Their support vehicles and people will be here early in the morning.

Brad is going to help them out for at least two more days, then go back inside the wire to play in the sand some more."

"So Ryder will get Egan to work the road?"

"Definitely. He's with Brad now and will keep the grader when Brad leaves."

## TWENTY

For the next three days Dan enjoyed running the D8 Cat that the battalion had acquired from RMK contractors, (Rogers, Morrison,& Knudsen,) the military contractor who had to pull out of the area as VC activity increased and the Seabees took up their contracts.

The days were sunny, and warm with an onshore breeze that brought in the faint smells of the South China Sea to somewhat override the smells of the rice paddies which dominated the whole area. The breeze grew a little cooler towards the top of the hill so he would hesitate for a minute after backing the Cat to the top and before starting another push down.

Pausing at the top and enjoying the view offered from the height of the hill, Dan couldn't help but think about the difference between the last couple days and last week. So different from last week. No other engines screaming up and down the hill and road. Nobody else to worry about, just me. And no Vietnamese girls getting in the way or harassing me to buy weed or beer. Almost as nice as Okinawa except there are a few people around here who would like to kill us. Also no Suzie to go home to at night.

Wonder if Tomi is pregnant? I shouldn't say anything to Brad one way or the other. Suzie said that she saw her Tuesday. That was the 9th and she did mention having a doctor's appointment sometime in the next couple weeks as part of getting paperwork together so she and Brad could get married.

Who's that?

Dan saw a jeep pull onto the bottom of the hill and it just sat there for a minute so he put the Cat in gear and pushed a huge blade full of laterite over the remaining face of the NW6 pit before allowing the Cat to drop over the edge and down the steep slope to the floor of the pit. He put the D8 in neutral as the jeep came towards him. Dropped the blade onto the ground and climbed off onto the ground.

Chief Thomas climbed out of his jeep.handed Dan a icy cold can of Budweiser. "It's almost 1500. Let's call it a day. You're the only one still working out here. Even the EAs have called it a day."

"I saw them cruise by before lunch." Dan said between gulps of the icy beer. "God that tastes great. First one I've had since I was on Okinawa.

"Fresh off the LST and out of the Chief's club freezer."

Has Brad finished up for the Army?"

"Yeah. He'll go back with the MAG 16 crew on Monday grading the laterite fill they're laying over the sand for roads and pads."

I thought the EAs were going to run us some grade lines on the pit?"

"Like you saw, they cruised by and looked."

"Yeah so? When are they going to do it?"

"They aren't. They said that they would be wasting their time since they can't do anything to improve what you're doing by eye without grade stakes. The engineering specs don't give any specifics to slope and gradients. Just says it should be put back into a natural shape and slope so it won't slid or be dangerous to the local people.

Have you seen Honcho?"

"Actually I have. Monday he stopped by when he was walking towards the Brigade gate. Then this morning he was riding around with Ryder in the weapons carrier. They stopped and shared some ice water then headed south."

"Ryder playing commando again?"

"Looked like it. Came back about a half hour later heading north. Didn't stop, just blew the horn. Haven't seen anybody act like that since I was around teenagers and their first cars."

The chief laughed. Or maybe it was between a laugh and a snicker. "I'm going to have to talk to him again. Also about having Honcho riding around with him."

On Monday morning Dan was running late in getting the D8 down the road to the pit. The fuel truck hadn't refueled the Cat over the weekend . When the road crew dropped him off he had to use the gate guard's phone to call Alpha Company and have them divert the fuel truck out to him. About 45 minutes later the truck arrived and with profuse apologies the Cat was topped off with 110 gallons of diesel fuel.

Running down the shoulder of Highway 1 by the Brigade Headquarter's gate he thought he heard the popping of rifle fire but passed it off as target practice within the compound.

Strange morning he thought to himself. Gate guards with full combat gear and nobody off duty hanging around the gate. Thinking no more about it, his mind on a way to get an R & R to Okinawa. He knew that Brad had the one on the 26th scheduled. Dan knew that the next date open wouldn't be until in June and by that time he might have orders to another battalion that was just arriving or would soon arrive in-country. Then he would put in for a 30 day delay en route for leave in Okinawa.

Dan had been dressing up the last of the scraper slot and paused on the top of the hill looking over what he had accomplished. Hearing something strange but not quite sure what it was he pulled the D8's throttle into idle and listen intently. Again off in the distance on the north side of the hill he heard what he thought was far off rifle fire. Must be the doggies playing around. He thought since it seemed to come from the area of Brigade Headquarters.

Dan pushed the throttle control back up and adjust the blade to make a final pass down the top edge of the scraper slot.

An Army jeep pull into what used to be the scraper slot and come up the hill towards him. He shut the throttle down, put the Cat into neutral and set the brakes but left the blade in the pile of laterite he was moving.

The soldier who climbed out of the passenger side of the jeep was carrying an M16, had a Colt .45 hanging from his right hip and wore a helmet. As he approached Dan and got close enough for him to see the rank insignia on the cloth cover of the soldier's helmet he realized that the man climbing up over the track of his D8 Cat was a one star, Brigadier General.

"Morning, Sir."

The General smiled, shook his head and finished climbing onto the deck of the Cat. "You're alone out here Seabee?" He smiled again. "It figures. You're the Seabee who was running this pit operation while the pads were being built. I was with Lt. Roberts on the inspection tour and thought I recognized you.

Anyway." Not giving Dan time to answer or comment the General went on. "We've been taking sniper rounds into camp off and on all morning since first light, and I guess nobody bothered to inform you. So you might want to be careful and maybe get some security out here with you.

They're just over that hill." He pointed back behind Dan indicating the backside of the hill they were on.

"I'll leave it up to you. It's your call, but keep your eyes open.

By the way Seabee, you guys did a tremendous job for us. It's much appreciated."

With that the General jumped off the Cat track and trotted back to his jeep and PFC driver.

As they pulled back onto the highway the General waved with a friendly gesture and smile.

Before going back to work, Dan stood and removed his flak jacket from where he had folded it and tucked it beside the hydraulic reservoir next to his seat and put it on. No helmet but the jacket is better than nothing.

It was coming up on 1500 hours and Dan was starting to get thirsty and wanted a snack when he stopped the Cat on the top of his run next to the scraper's slot.

I'll go over across the hill and take a break in the shade of the trees. This thought brought Linh into his mind. Wonder where she is? I can't believe how fast she disappeared that day. Hard to believe she could actually be VC. More like 'Life in America' would be her style.

After a few more seconds of looking around he started to grade another path down the hill towards the grove of trees.

She's a pretty woman and has a delicious body. I almost lost it though. VC or not. I don't know if I could have held out from the opportunity or not?

Maybe I'm lucky that idiot doggie decided to start firing warning shots at that precise moment in time. I could have ended up dead or made love to her and be screwed up massively. I wouldn't want to do that to Suzie.

At that very moment he heard the first round crack over his head. "Shit!! That was a live round." Then he heard the sharp thump of rounds hitting the D8's fuel tank behind him followed almost simultaneously by the cracks from an AK47. It seemed to take forever for him to push the Cat's gear shift into neutral, lock the gear shift handle in position at the same time as he stepped on the brakes pulled up the brake lock, grab his M14 out of its rack and with the toe of his right boot pushed the throttle into idle.Two steps got him down onto the track on the side of the Cat away from the top of the hill when the fourth AK47 round snapped by his left shoulder. Two more steps brought him to the end of the track where he jumped down between the front of the Cat and the heavy steel blade as the fifth AK47 round passed over his head.

He pulled back the slide on his M14 putting a round in the chamber before cautiously moved over towards the side of the blade and the front of the track so he could see back towards the top of the hill. For several minutes he watched the hill and checked all around the perimeter of the hill without seeing any movement or other signs of the sniper.

Wanting a better view of the hill behind the Cat Dan decided to belly crawl underneath the Cat and use the hitch on the rear of the bulldozer for cover. He had no more than laid down and was only a couple feet under the front of the Cat when he smelled the diesel fuel and saw the wetness as a stream of diesel fuel ran from the back of the Cat and ran downhill under it and into his intended path.

No way can I crawl back there without getting in that diesel fuel. The hell with it. I have enough angle on the hill so if I go out on the right side the Cat will give me cover enough so I can see if he's still there or has hauled ass out of the area.

He must know that he didn't hit me. Lucky for me he's a lousy shot!

Cautiously he squeezed in front of the right track and slid over the dozer blade's attaching arm. He landed on the ground in a crouch hesitating to look over the surrounding area. If he's anywhere close by it will be above me. Here goes nothing. He thought before moving rapidly in a crouch towards the rear of the Cat.

For what seemed to be hours, but a check of his watch was barely over five minutes, Dan searched the green leafed bushes and low growing trees along the top of the hill and down towards the grove of trees as far as he could see. He used all the skills he had learned and used hunting in the forests of the Northwest. A few more minutes and his patience started to run out.

That son of a bitch isn't going to keep me pinned here all afternoon. I can drop over the edge to the south and work my way up to the top where I think he was. Either he's gone or I'll find him. Obviously there was only one and he has no weapon big enough to take on the Cat.

"BULLSHIT!" Dan changed his mind. Moving fast and low, Dan climbed back up over the track and into the seat of the Cat. With his M14 across his knees and his head below the level of the top of the fuel tank he threw the transmission into high gear. Pushed the throttle to full as he raised the blade all the way up and pivoted the bulldozer inside its own track and sped up towards the top of the hill as fast as the dozer would go.

When his line of vision was just below the hill's crest without being sniped at he pivoted the dozer 90 degrees to the left. Set the brakes, slide the gear shift and locking it into neutral, pulled the throttle down into idle before he bailed over the left, downhill side of the dozer. On a crouching trot he left the absolute safety of the Cat and moved around the blade and up the hill. When he reached a point barely over the crest of the hill and into the low growing leafy green brush he dropped down onto one knee and stayed quiet for several minutes before slowly moving up towards the highest point on the hill and just deep enough into the brush where a sniper would have hidden and still be able to see down the hill.

He had a clear shot at me from anywhere here. "What's that?" He spoke to himself quietly when the sun struck and shined off of something a few feet ahead and a bit to the right of him in the brush.

Staying low, he moved forward and again dropped down to kneel. Looking all around and listening for anything moving through the brush and small trees before he reached down and picked up five fired cartridge cases. AK47's 7.62X39 mm military, Chinese rounds. He had five chances to get me and blew it from less than a hundred yards.

Satisfied that he was now alone, he still stayed low as he walked back to the dozer and went by the back to check on it's fuel tank. "Shit!" He spoke aloud to himself. Two very nice not quite perfectly round holes on the upper left of the tank. One was about 6 inches down from the top of the tank and the second was about half way down from the top and that one was still leaking out since the Cat was leaning on an angle to the left. Both having entered at a slightly down angle.

Guess I better get out of here in case he gets brave and wants another chance at me. The General was correct. I should have somebody out here watching my back.

He ran the D8 up the road to the Brigade Headquarter's gate and brought a smile to the Army squad leader's face when Dan pulled through the gate which was just barely wide enough to fit the blade through. Dan stopped and the soldier climbed up on the track to talk to him.

"All right if I leave this here tonight. I had a bit of a problem a while ago."

"Yeah, no sweat. Actually the General passed the word when he came back from talking to you that if you need anything to help you out. What's up"

"First I'd like to leave it overnight. I also got to do a bit of maintenance on it. Got a couple holes in the fuel tank."

"Sure. That's okay. Just run it in besides and a bit behind the guard shack. There will be a squad here 24/7 until we're sure Charlie ain't around anymore."

While he waited for the Cat's engine to cool down a bit, Dan shucked off his flak jacket and cleared the round out of the chamber of his M14.

After Dan shut down the Cat the soldier he had been talking to came around to where Dan was looking at the now dry holes in the fuel tank.

"Hey guys, come see this." The Sergeant hollered at the rest of his squad.

"I would say that you did and do have a bit of a problem. Bad shot huh?"

"Thankfully for me. Yes."

They both turned to the whine of a jeep coming up along side of them. "You got a problem, Dan?"

Chief Thomas asked as he climbed out of his jeep. "How come you parked here?"

He stepped up beside Dan Davis and reached up to put a finger on each hole. "Nice group. Probably not where he wanted them though."

"Smart ass. Here, want a souvenir?" Dan asked as he handed the empty cases to Thomas.

"Five? And all he could hit was the fuel tank twice."

"I guess we can only give him a 'C-' for effort. Chicken-shit ran though. I couldn't find him."

"Maybe he ran out of bullets." One of the soldiers who were standing around quipped.

"So what do you want to do, Dan?"

"Plug the holes and go on as if nothing happened. I do want a shotgun to watch my back for a couple days though."

"All right by me.

Can we leave this here?" Thomas asked the Sergeant.

"No problem. You guys are all ready on the General's 'Good Guys' list."

Turning to Dan with a questioning look and before Thomas could ask the Sergeant spoke up. "The General said to give your operator here any help, or anything else he wanted."

After getting some doweling from the Army's carpenter shop, and whittling them down so they could hammer one in each bullet hole, Chief Thomas and Petty Officer Davis climbed into the Chief's jeep and headed back to Chu Lai.

"What was that all about?"

"What?"

"You and the General?"

"He came to the pit to warn me about the snipers. Said we're maybe a bit crazy, but did them a great job.

Real nice guy."

"How long before you're going to tell anybody about the bullet holes and your temporary repairs. You do realize that Chief Marks is going to go ape when he finds out about it."

"Not if he doesn't know when it happened. I'd like to finish the pit up over the next couple of days. Then you can tell him."

"Me? I've got to tell him?"

"I sure as hell don't want to. Besides, you have more horse power than I do. And Mr. Roberts for one loves you."

"All right. But you owe me big time."

"What kind of pay back?"

"I don't know, but I'll think of something."

"It isn't going to be nice is it?"

"Probably not."

## TWENTY-ONE

On Tuesday, last night, Dan had run the D8 in from Highway 1 and the laterite pit to the Chu Lai gate.

"Marks wants the D8 in the shop today so he's sending out a lowboy to pick it up shortly. He also said that he's glad you're okay and that the sniper was a bad shot. Let's pull out the plugs and as far as he's concerned it's best not to say when it happened. I'm sure he knows, but Mr. Roberts told him to forget it. Just fix it." Chief Thomas filled Dan in as they traveled across the Chu Lai cantonment heading for the Highway 1 gate. "They want Burgess to take a convoy with some stuff for the well drillers at Binh Son. So after you load the Cat I'll run you over to Mag 16 to pickup Brad's grader. You can run it doing some maintenance on the highway for a few days."

"Gotcha. So I'll stay here and load the dozer. When you get back from the quarry I'll be here."

"That will work. Meet ya back here in an hour or so."

Dan was chatting with the Marine on the gate after loading the Cat and waiting for Thomas to reappear. The whine of a military jeep caught his attention but it was coming from the opposite direction that he expected Thomas to come from.

When Brad Burgess saw Dan at the gate he pulled off the road and parked next to the guard shack. "I have to wait for the lowboy and another truck load of stuff to get here. What are you doing hanging out at the gate?"

"Waiting forTom. Just sent my dozer to Chief Marks to get the bullet holes patched. Huge convoy you have, huh?"

"Yeah. Me, my jeep and two trucks. Nice day for a joy ride down the 'Street of No Joy' anyway."

"Jesus. You are in a good cynical mood this morning."

"Actually I was trying for a joke and lighter note."

"Don't tell anybody but you missed. Your R & R still on?"

"Oh yes. The 26th. Be home on the 27th.

Did you put in for your transfer, Dan?"

"Definitely. Should be about the first of July. About the time the battalion is headed for Port Hueneme."

"Delay en-route? Stupid question wasn't it? I know you put in for at least 30 days."

"What do you hear from Tomi.?"

"Actually have a new letter right here in my pocket that I picked up on my way out of camp. Nothing special in it to anybody but me."

"I know. Suzie and I are the same way.

She isn't pregnant yet? I know you both want a kid, and Suzie and I also know what the chances are."

"Nothing. We'll keep trying and maybe we'll prove the doctors wrong. For Tomi's sake I keep hoping."

When I was on R & R Suzie and I spent sometime with her and she has put on a little weight. She hasn't been to a doctor, but in Suzie's last letter a couple of days ago she said that she was convinced that Tomi is pregnant but doesn't know it. The gist of it is she won't know for sure until her doctor's appointment on the 22nd."

"I know about that appointment. It's for the start of the paperwork for us to get married."

"Yeah, we know. Anyway. Suzie didn't know if we should say anything to you or not. Kind of left it up to me."

Thanks, Dan. I know it's difficult thing to handle for friends. I'll listen to the tone and drift of her letters more carefully now with that in mind. I also know that if she thinks too much about it and then isn't so, or tells me she thinks she is, she'll be very disappointed. We've been through it before."

"So Suzie told me. That's why I decided you should have an idea what's going on."

"Thanks again, Dan. And thank Suzie for being a good friend to Tomi.

There's the rest of my convoy. I'll see ya this evening when I get back."

"Okay. Be careful, my friend." Dan said and then watched his friend drive off with a smile and wave.

He's happy just thinking Tomako might be pregnant.

Dan had just started towards the gate to Highway 1 after Chief Thomas had dropped him off at MAG 16 to get the grader 10 or 15 minutes before. He realized that the jeep coming towards him was Thomas returning and pulled off the side of the road thinking there was probably a change in plans.

The Chief climbed out off his jeep and motioned for Dan to meet him on the ground next to his jeep.

Dan could see something was wrong by the look on his friend's face. "What's up, Tom?"

"Brad Burgess is a KIA on Highway 1." He stopped. Looked at the ground while he cleared his throat then continued, "He hit a mine on the shoulder of the road trying to avoid hitting a little girl who had wandered out into the road."

The official Navy record reads:

BRADFORD (NMN) BURGESS, EON2, was a KIA in the Republic of Vietnam on 18 May 1967 while leading a convoy from the Chu Lai military facility, traveling south on Highway #1 to the village of Binh Son, RVN. The jeep he was driving struck a mine planted on the shoulder of the road when Petty Officer Burgess swung off the traveled portion of the road to avoid hitting a young Vietnamese girl. The girl was also killed in the resulting explosion.

Dan Lee Davis stood in shock. Not knowing what to say or if he even wanted to say anything. Visions and thoughts of his last conversation with Brad appeared in his head as he slowly leaned back against the side of the jeep.

He finally got himself together enough to ask, "Is there anything I can do, Tom? Fix the road? Haul fill?' Anything at all?"

"We've got it under control. I sent Ryder to find Egan and start him out the highway with his grader and Ryder will also get some dump trucks loaded and on their way out there. Chief Marks and Mr. Roberts are taking care of getting the jeep picked up and brought in.

They called in a Marine Medevac, but there was no chance." Came out as an after thought.

"What do you want me to do with this grader?"

"Why don't we park it at the gate." Which came out as a statement. "If you want we can go out the highway to where it happened? I'm on my way out there."

"Yeah, I'd like to do that, Tom."

"I'll pick you up at the gate.

You going to be okay?"

"Yeah. I'm worried about Tomako. He was going on R & R on the 26th. She's going to expect him."

"If you'd like I'll see if you can have that R & R slot."

"I'll talk to Ryan in the morning. I'll scream if I can't make it happen, Tom."

"Dan, I'm sure that Mr. Roberts will make it happen if need be."

"Thanks, Chief. See ya in a few at the gate."

"Yeah, take your time."

TWENTY-TWO

Immediately after quarters on Friday morning Dan went into the company office to talk to Ryan the company clerk about getting Brad's R & R spot.

"Can we do it, Ryan? Just change names on the orders, or some such thing."

Actually, Dan, you're a bit late. It's all ready been done."

"What's been done?"

"Your name is on that R & R to Okinawa on the 26th. You'll be on Okinawa a week from tomorrow. Mr Roberts and Chief Thomas were talking here before quarters and Mr. Roberts turned to me and said in that quiet, no nonsense voice of his. 'Do it, Ryan'. And I said 'Yes Sir, consider it done.' You can pick up your orders on the 24th. The Wednesday before. I'm leaving for Taipei on Thursday the 25th but I want to be sure you have them before I leave."

"Thanks Ryan."

"No problem. He's not in." He added in response to Dan starting towards the Company Commander's office. "Operations meeting. You can have the day off if you want. Get drunk or something.

And Dan, I'm sorry, Burgess was a nice guy and I know you guys were close."

Dan felt himself choking up for the uncountable time in the last few hours, waved without speaking as he turned and went out the door.

Dan had spent the rest of Friday the 19th at Mag 16 grading sand and laying laterite over the sand sub grade as well as doing the same thing the following two days to keep busy.

On Monday morning right after quarters, Chief Thomas hailed Dan from his jeep. "Jump in. I'll take you to get the grader at Mag 16. I need both of you out on the highway. Egan is having trouble keeping up. He's doing a good job and learning, but hasn't got the experience I need right now.

You worked at MAG 16 Sunday? They should be caught up if not ahead aren't they?

What day are you leaving for Okinawa?"

"Friday morning. The 0800 shuttle to Da Nang then to Futemma on Saturday morning.

Yeah, they're way ahead. It will take them about a week of pumping enough water to firm up the sand before they can lay any more laterite on it."

"Okay. If I can have you for the next three days so you can get Egan caught up and a little bit ahead it will really help me out. It's making it tough not having Burgess and with you going on R & R to be gone the better part of a week."

"Nobody else you can use?"

I'm going to make Ryder run a grader some if it gets real bad."

On the day after Brad was killed Dan sent off a letter to Suzie telling her what had happened and that he would be on Okinawa in Brad's place on 5/27. He had little hope that she would receive it before he arrived, but had to hope and that it would be some kind of good news for Tomako. He knew Suzie would love it and be anxious for him to get there.

On Wednesday the 24th of May he received a surprise when he walked into the company office after quarters to pick up his R & R orders.

"Hey Petty Officer Davis." Ryan the company clerk hollered from the back of his office.

"Are you traveling in officer country these days?" And with a big smile handed Dan a manilla legal sized envelope. "Imagine Mr. Roberts surprise and interest when he opened this mail addressed personally to him."

Dan looked at the Company Commander's name on the slit open envelope.

"Check out the return address, Dan. Do you know who that is?"

Dan read: CWO Donald Winters, NAF Public Works, Naha, Okinawa."

"Who is he?" Ryan asked.

"Well, I worked for him in Port Hueneme tearing down the old WWII rifle range. Now he's the Public Works Officer at NAF Naha and a friend of Brad Burgess's and Tomako."

"Check inside."

"But it's Mr. Robert's mail."

"That is what he and I both thought. Take out the envelope."

Dan extracted the small white personal sized enclosed envelope and the first thing he did was to check who it was from and who it was addressed to. The return address was the same as the outside. From CWO Winters, but the enclosed envelope was addressed to EON2 Dan Lee Davis, etc, etc.

"What the hell?" He knew instantly who it was from and a tiny shiver of fear went through him as he tried not to think of all the reasons that Suzie would use such a system to get a letter to him.

"Interesting huh, Dan?" Ryan commented as he picked up a letter opener from his desk and handed it to Dan.

Taking the opener from his friend Dan turned away from the desk and took a couple of steps to further distance himself from the desk. Then after a couple deep breathes he slit the envelope open and took out a sheet of typical white typing paper used by the Okinawan translators.

With a sigh of relief he read the opening paragraphs.

May 23, 1967

"My Darling; I am so sad about Brad and so very sorry for you, my greatest and best friend. I know how much you and Brad meant to each other and know that it must be very hard on you to be there where it has happened.

I cry for Tomako every night and hurt so much for her. I did not know what had happened until the next day, 5/23. Mr. & Mrs. Winters came to the coffee house on the 22nd to tell her what had happened. They knew through the Navy.

We had not been told by or heard from anybody else. When I went to see Tomako at the coffee house Mama-san told me and I went right to Tomi's house As I held her to me and felt her tears on me did I realize how lucky I am that it was not you. So please my Darling, be extra careful.

Why I took such an elaborate way to get my letter to you was to tell you that Tomi had just come from the doctor's and had written a letter to Brad to tell him that she is pregnant. She never had chance to mail the letter as the Winters came soon after on that same afternoon with the very sad news.

I know that you have written to me and am waiting impatiently for it to arrive. Did you know that Brad was coming to Okinawa next Saturday? I do wish it was you coming. I know that is probably selfish, but I need for you to hold me and make love to me. I need very much to know that you are alive and well.

I know, I am such a baby.

Please come to me as soon as you can.

With all my love forever.

Suzume Larson ( She had signed her full name in English script with blue ink.)

TWENTY-THREE

On Friday the day before he was to fly out of Da Nang for R & R on Okinawa Dan Davis had to catch a mid-day hop from Chu Lai to Da Nang. He had not made the Marine Corp 0800 shuttle to Da Nang so he had taken his time to take care of some things in the company office and battalion administration knowing he had all day and most of the night to get to Da Nang.

First on his agenda was to check if any orders had come in for his transfer to another battalion in-country or one which would soon be in-country so he wouldn't have to go back to Port Hueneme for 7 or 8 months of tedious boredom. He had some good, no, great news. A set of orders had just come in transferring him as of 1 July, with a 30 day delay en route. He would report to the battalion in Phu Bai on 1 August after spending a month with Suzie.

Next he went to the company office to inform them about his orders. He wanted to start the ball rolling even though he wouldn't be leaving for more than five weeks.

"You came in to rub it in and make us envious because you're going to Okinawa for a month's leave." Ryan the company clerk teased.

"Who's leaving?" Mr. Roberts asked walking out of his office after over hearing the two talking.

"I got my transfer orders, Sir. Leaving first of July." Dan informed his Company Commander.

"I for one, hate to see you leave, Dan. But I know it's what you want.

Are you going to see Brad's 'almost widow' when you get to Okinawa tomorrow?"

"Yes Sir. My girl friend and I will see her right away. She has priority this trip."

"That's what I had in mind also.

Do you need a ride to the air terminal?"

"Actually I do. I'm about ready to go. I'll have to see if I can catch a hop to Da Nang before 0600 or so tomorrow."

"Unless you have something else to do, you can go now. That work for you?"

"Yes Sir. I've done all the damage that I can do around here."

The Lieutenant laughed. "Have fun, Dan.

Ryan, take my jeep and take Dan to the terminal."

"Thanks Mr. Roberts."

"You going to have any trouble getting a hop, Dan?"

"I don't think so. Just need a little patience and not be fussy about who you fly with or on.

The Marines didn't have anything until later in the day but the Marine staff sergeant hollered across the room to the Air Force flight liaison. "Got anything going to Da Nang? This Seabee needs a ride to go on R & R tomorrow."

"I'll fix him right up. Got a C-123 Provider doing their walk around as we speak.

You ready to go Seabee?" He asked Dan.

"Ready. The sooner the better."

The Air Force Sergeant lead Dan out to a camouflaged twin engine cargo plane which was sitting on the ramp. To Dan it looked like a WWII glider with a high wing, two reciprocating engines and hanging down on each wing outboard of the reciprocal engines was what he quickly figured out was a small jet engine with their intakes covered by openable doors.

As he and the Air Force liaison approached the ramp on the rear of the aircraft two men, a sergeant and first lieutenant came from the other side of the aircraft. "Lieutenant, I got a Seabee who needs a ride to Da Nang, can you find room for him?"

"Sure, if he doesn't mind squeezing in between pallets of cargo, Sarge," He turned and spoke to the crew chief. "You want to fix him up?"

"Sure Sir." The crew chief answered and with a motion of his head motioned Dan to follow him up the ramp and into the cargo compartment. We're pretty well loaded. Stuff doesn't weigh much but takes up lots of room. You can sit anywhere in those folded up troop seats. Whichever one you can unfold. If not make yourself comfortable on the floor somewhere.

By the way, it's hot so we leave the ramp open. The air conditioning isn't worth a shit so that is the only way we can stay cool. If you want sit towards the back and you can get a good view of the countryside." The crew chief added with a smile as he raised the ramp part way before jumping to the ground and disappearing from Dan's sight.

Shortly the engines started and with little delay and obviously no unnecessary procedures, they were on the runway and airborne for Da Nang.

As the engines were winding down the crew chief came from the direction of the cockpit. He reached for the ramp control and dropped it onto the tarmac. "You want the Marine terminal?" He asked Dan

"Yeah, actually. I've only been here a couple times and never at this terminal."

"No sweat." He led Dan around towards the nose of the C-123 and pointed to a typical wooden, tin roofed hooch not much bigger than the Seabee berthing hooches. "It's the third one up the ramp. When you get close you'll be able to read the sign on it. Where you going on R & R ?"

"Okinawa. I was stationed there before here. MCAF Futemma."

"Okay. I was at Kadena for a while before this gig. Really like the island but didn't care much for transit alert. Much rather be crewing and flying even if we do get shot at once in a while."

"Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime. Good luck and have fun. You got a girl up there?"

"Sure enough."

The crew chief just smiled and with a wave turned and went towards the tail and ramp.

Dan entered the terminal hooch with the idea of finding out if he had to check in before morning then he was going to catch a bus to the Seabee battalion up the road. As he stood inside the door waiting for his eyes to adjust after the bright Vietnamese sun he heard a vaguely familiar voice.

"Hey, Seabee. Over here."

Dan scanned to his left and as his eyes adjusted saw Marine Gunnery Sergeant Lars rising from his chair behind a grey military issue desk in a far dark corner of the hooch.

"Welcome back to Da Nang." He said with a friendly smile. "I didn't see your name on the roster. Davis right?"

"It might not be there. How you doing Gunny?" Dan asked as he offered the Gunny his hand. "Been in sunny Southeast Asia long?"

"Off and on. Arrived a few ago from the land of the rising sun and wished that I was still there with my Honey. What are you doing here?"

"R & R. The name that is probably on your roster is Bradford Burgess, EON2. I'm taking his slot."

The Gunny looked at him with a bit of confusion on his face. "What's up?"

Burgess was KIA on the 18th. He was also my friend."

"I remember my wife said something about that. She was talking to your wife-to-be, as I said she would. Suzie said something about a friend being killed. I didn't make any connection. And nothing was said about you going to Okinawa."

"No one beyond in-country folks knew I was doing it. I have my orders and caught a hop up from Chu Lai a bit ago. Is that going to be a problem, Gunny?"

"Let's see a copy of your orders and I'll just change names and keep a copy of yours to cover my ass. I'll be through here in about a half an hour. Then you can buy me a beer in the NCO club and I'll get you a bunk in the regular transit barracks where I stay. Not where the R & R personal stay. Those are real pig sties.

As I told you I just came in with a return R & R flight and we'll go out in the morning. I've been trying to get us out on an earlier flight so we won't have to hang around here waiting. There's going to be one at 0830 with some room for about twenty souls and I think that will be about all there is. So if I can talk the A/C into it, it will be a go.

Go grab a Coke while I finish up here."

After a good night's sleep considering it was not only Vietnam, but Da Nang. Helpful was that the sheets were clean and the pillow had a real, clean fresh smelling pillow case on it.

Dan was stretched out on four troop seats relaxed as could be and he thought about seeing Suzie though the reason he was going to see her sooner than they thought was kind of taking the pleasant edge off and adding some stress and sadness to the trip.

I wonder how Suzie is dealing with it. It would be easier I'm sure if she got my letter and knew I was on my way. Tomi, oh God. How I feel for you lovely lady.

"You awake Dan?"

"Yeah, Steve." Dan answered Gunny Lars as he sat up, then stood up in the narrow space between the troop seats and the pallets of cargo.

"We're starting down into Futemma now. I wanted to ask if you guys want, Reiko and I would like to have dinner with you and Suzie before you go back in country. How about the NCO Club at Futemma, or the VFW in Machinato? I know Reiko and Suzie have visited since you were here last and like each other."

"Sounds like a great idea to me Steve. Okay if we figure it out later? We have to see and spend sometime with Tomi. And an officer friend of Tomi's and Brad's helped Suzie get a letter in official mail to me, so I owe him a favor."

"We'll leave it up to you and whatever night you can make it, we'll do it. Sound OK?"

"Sounds great to me. If I know Suzie, she has everything, including that, all set up. She's my social secretary."

"I have one of those too.

By the way, as soon as the ramp is opened make your break through the terminal and be back at the terminal at 0730 on the 1st. Think it's a Thursday. And we'll see you sometime for dinner."

TWENTY-FOUR

Dan hurried through the swinging doors of the MCAF Terminal and the first person he saw was a small young looking Okinawan woman in a flowered light green kimono. She made eye contact with him and broke into a big smile as she turned to a very tall woman standing next to her and spoke. Though only partly within Dan's line of sight behind a column he could see she had on a Chinese cheongsam that was blue with pink and white flowers entwined and spirally up from the hem and onto her right shoulder. Knowing that Suzie loved them and had several cheongsams because they went well with her height he had what he considered an impossible vision. It can't be her. She doesn't know that I'm coming today!

She stepped out around the column as he drew nearer. They came face to face and both broke into a huge smile. Tears ran down Suzie's high Asian cheek bones. Her dark hair with its attractive red highlights was up Oriental style showing off her slim neck and small ears with dangling gold ear rings that Dan had given to her their first year together. In fewer than two steps they were together holding each other fiercely. Every inch of one was pressed against the other as if they were trying to take the other completely into themselves to become one. Their mouths met and for several minutes it seemed that each was breathing for the other.

"My Lover, I love you so much." Mostly out of breath, they leaned their heads back enough so they could speak.

Dan looked into her emerald green eyes sparkling with tears. "I love you too." He started to kiss her tears away. They each refused to let the other go. Both were content to stand pressed together feeling the other's warm breath on their faces and necks and feeling the warmth and soft pressure of the other's body.

They finally separated a bit more and looking into each other's eyes, held each other with their hands on the other's hips.

"How did you know I was on this airplane?"

"Reiko came to get me this morning at about 0600 and said that you were on your way home."

"You didn't get my letter that I was coming then?"

"No. When did you send it?"

"The day after Brad died. I took his R & R. How did Reiko know?"

Suzie looked over Dan's shoulder at somebody standing behind him. She pivoted him around by his hips so he could see Steve Lars standing with his arm around his wife.

"I am not without resources and a little pull. I called Reiko from Da Nang last night after you went to sleep and told her to bring Suzie here with her when she came to meet me."

"Thank you. Both of you." Dan spoke with a catch in his voice.

Reiko stepped over to Dan and Suzie to hug them both. "We want to see you. We still on for Tuesday night, Suzie?"

Suzie's eyes were still full of tears and she could only nod at first then managed to squeak out "Hai." She stepped away from Dan just a little so she could reach Reiko and leaned down and hugged the barely 5' tall Okinawan girl. "Domo arigato gozaimasu, both of you." Suzie spoke through tears and stepped over to hug Steve also.

"She wiped her tears away, dabbed her nose delicately with a small pink silk hanky before turning to Dan. In a hoarse whisper said, "Let's go home My Love. I want you to myself for the next 24 hours. Then I'll think about sharing you."

Without another word being spoken, hand in hand, they left the terminal and stepped into the first on base taxi in line. Suzie gave the driver an address so fast that Dan wasn't quite sure what it was.

"Where are we going? That didn't sound like Koza to me."

"You'll see. I have a small surprise for you. Be quiet now." She said as she snuggled against him and slid her upper body under his left arm pressing her full breasts against him. She raised her face to him and he gently kissed her red lips though he was sure that he was already wearing as much of her lipstick as she was.

When they went out the front gate, the taxi turned left instead of right towards Highway #1. Dan decided to keep his mouth shut and enjoy going where his Lover wanted to take him. He wasn't paying too much attention, but shortly, maybe two miles from the Futemma front gate they turned left on a busy street and Suzie spoke for the first time. "This is part of Ginowan. It is a nice place for us to live. When you come back from Vietnam if you are stationed again at Futemma you are just a short way to work. If you go to Camp Kinser it would not be too far to travel. Anyway, we can live here until you know where we need to live. It's all right, neh? That I found us a place for you to come home to? I know we were going to wait until you came home on leave, but I couldn't wait. I wanted our own place."

Dan drew her closer. "It's more than all right. I like this part of Okinawa. It's very close to where we lived before isn't it?"

"Hai. Only before we lived closer to Highway #1 because I was working in the Rendezvous."

Do you want to stop working in the bars? Concentrate on finding a BX job, a club or even a job in a restaurant or lunch counter?

"Can we do that? I used all the money you left me to rent this house. But with what you send me every month will be enough to pay our bills until I find another job and you come back to Okinawa to stay."

"We can figure it out over the next couple of days before I go back." Dan said

Haiji, dozo." Suzie told the driver. The street was dirt, had several mid-sized houses that weren't really Okinawan, nor Western style, but a pleasant blend of each style. Though it was a Saturday and mid-day the street was quiet.

"Koko." The driver stopped half way down the street at the third house on the right. It was set back a bit further on the largest lot on the street.

Suzie took him by the hand and led him through a wooden, oriental style gate which went through a dark brown rock wall almost four foot tall and a foot and a half thick.. Then up to the front door of what appeared to be an Okinawan style of house. It had a red tile roof, a wide wooden front porch and on each side a bit narrower porch all of which the house's tile roof covered. The front door was of western style, heavy duty solid wood construction with a heavy duty deadbolt lock and brass door knob also with a built in lock. Suzie handed him a key which unlocked both locks. "We do still have stealie boys but they will have a tough job getting through that door."

Dan also noticed that the big sliding, Okinawan windows had steel bars across them. Before he stepped through the front door he started to take off his boots but Suzie slapped him playfully on the butt. "Inside. We can put on and take off our shoes inside.

Right in front of the front door was a tile covered area almost 6 foot square with built in shoe racks on two sides. It had one tall step up to the main floor made of wide boards which was almost two feet above the entrance. Then there was in a short hallway. From this hallway on the right was a western kitchen with small, but western appliances. Straight ahead was a sliding wooden door.

Dan sat on the raised floor to take off his jump boots.

As soon as he had them Suzie again took his hand and led him through the door and into the back of the house. "The bathroom and soaking tub is there." Pointing to the left. "Our bedroom Is through the next door here. On the right is what you call a living room is a tatami room. I haven't been able to buy any furniture or pillows for it yet. I want you to help me pick them out.

Wow. It's a big room, neh. I love it and it will be fun to buy things for it. It looks about big enough to be a 9' X 12' carpet. And windows on two sides facing the back yard."

"It is what we call an 8 tatami room. Bigger than the one in our other little house in Futemma. That one was a 4 1/2 tatami room.

Which do you want first?" She asked as she led him back to the hall then left into the bedroom. A Western style bed that was all made up with floral sheets and a light weight beige blanket dominated the room. She had put his AWOL bag on a chair in one corner next to a double door clothes closet.

She stepped up to him to be held which he happily did. Again it was as if they were trying to become one physical being. She wiggled and rolled her hips against him as his hands slid down over her slim hips on to her butt and pulled her tighter against him.

She kissed him harder before moving her head back so she could see his eyes. With a soft and obvious happy smile she spoke in a deep hoarse voice. "I think we have what we want to share." With more of a smile she rolled her hips rubbing against him some more before gently pushing him away far enough so she could turn her back to him. "Unbutton me, dozo. I will fill the tub while you shower, and I will wash myself Okinawan style then I will scrub your back, then we can soak together. Neh?"

After undoing the tiny silk covered buttons which ran from the back of her neck to below her tiny waist he gently slipped the cheongsam off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She stepped out of the dress before turning back to him. She didn't have a bra on. Her full breasts were high and their nipples pinkish beige and very hard with aureoles the same beige around them the size of a silver dollar. She had on a pair of small and very lacy red panties.

Dan bent over and softly kissed each of her nipples before she gently pushed him away with a soft laugh. She unbuttoned his green fatigue blouse and pushed it off his shoulders and pulled each sleeve off one at a time. While he peeled off his tee shirt she undid his belt and fly buttons. He felt her soft fingers slip under the waistband on each hip as she slid his trousers off.

With a smile she kissed his chest in several places then on his lips. "You taste salty. And muddy! I think that you should take a shower." A warm soft hand tenderly held his manhood "It's going to have to wait until we are both clean.

Shower!" Was the last thing she said as she pushed him towards the bathroom.

Still damp from the hot soaking water and their somewhat aggressive love making they lay on the sheets of the bed quietly holding each other. Sated and comfortable in their nakedness and knowing what the other liked, their warm sweaty state didn't interfere in their enjoyment of the moment.

""It has been too long My Darling. It will take more than a couple of 5 day R & Rs to make up for the time we have not had each other" Suzie's voice was hoarse and very low. Her right hand was down between his thighs, halfway down to his knees and slowly caressing his smooth skin.

"I hope that we never catchup, but I do want to sleep with you every night for the rest of our lives."

"Are you asking me to marry you? Again? Do you still want me to have your baby?"

"Yes and yes. I think that we should keep on working on that baby thing. Don't you?"

"Mmmm, ohh! Yes!

Oh most definitely yes!

Suzie what are you doing to me?"

Dan started to slowly wake up and become aware of his surroundings. He felt her hot skin pressed against his back and felt her arm which lay across his side as her hand softly and slowly caressed his chest. He forced one eye to open and look out a window as he tried to orient himself to the bed they were in and the position of the window. He slowly moved his head.

"Are you awake My Love?" Suzie asked him quietly.

He felt her warm lips touch his forehead then gently touch his lips. He couldn't help but to react even if he hadn't wanted to. His lips pressed back as he nipped hers before sucking her lower lip between his lips.

"Oh! You are awake." Suzie leaned over him her breasts teasing the skin of his chest. "Are you ready to wake up and have something to eat? You've been asleep for over 8 hours."

"Hai." He said sleepily in answer to her question.

"Is that all you have to say? Me your one true love and I only get a 'Hai' after all the time I spent holding you and holding you, and.."

"And what?"

Dan gathered her up in his ams and pulled her naked body on top of him. "Don't you ever wear any clothes?"

"Not when I'm in bed with you. Does that bother you?"

"Only if you decide to start wearing them."

"Want some coffee? I think that maybe you want to pretend it's morning. At least for a while. And it is all ready to make. Just boil the water and pour it into the coffee press.

Coffee and then breakfast? American style breakfast. I remember how to make you pancakes, bacon and eggs."

"After a couple of cups of coffee that will really sound and taste good. Your pancakes are terrific."

"Of course. Real Aunt Jemima right from the box. With real butter."

"And where did this box of good American pancakes and butter come from?"

"The BX at Futemma. Reiko got them for us so I could make your first breakfast back on Okinawa like I used to make for you. It's good she got it the day after I asked if she could because you were not supposed to be here until maybe June.

But again I knew deep in my senses that you were on your way to me."

"I need a shower while you make coffee then we can lay around and drink coffee and talk. God, how I want to talk to you. There is so much I thought about after I went back to Vietnam."

"I want to do that also.

I already took a shower while you were asleep. If you want I'll wash your back for you."

"That would be great. A hot shower followed by an Okinawan bath to jump into ."

They had finished eating their late evening breakfast. Suzie took the dishes into the kitchen and objected when Dan tried to help her. "Now I will do it. Later, after we are really married, and you are home all the time, and maybe we have aka-chans to take care of, you can help."

Though they were yet to furnish the tatami room, they both liked to use it and usually ate their meals in there using trays that Reiko and Steve had given to them as a house warming gift when Reiko saw how bare the room was.

"Is it too late to go to Tomari and see Tomi, Suzie?"

"I think it would be better if we go early Monday morning, tomorrow. It's almost 2200 hrs. She is probably not asleep, but by the time we get ready to go it would be very late, My Love."

"Yeah, you're right. I can't adjust to the time. If I looked out the window I would know it's the middle of the night."

"I think that in a couple hours you will be ready to go back to sleep. You are always so very tried when you come home from Vietnam."

"I don't think that I sleep very much or very good in Vietnam and we work very hard. Here I'm more relaxed and since I can touch you at anytime I want, I know you and the rest of our world is all okay."

The early morning sun was flooding their bedroom with a warm golden glow. Dan was laying on his back with both his hands behind his head. He was trying to be quiet and moving very little so he would not wake up Suzie. She had moved closer to him when he first stirred awake maybe 30 minutes ago. She was on her left side curved in an arch with her bare butt pressing against his left hip, Her hands were pursed together under the left side of her face.

"Are you ready to get up, My Love?" She asked without changing position.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked her while turning up onto his left side.

"I think the same time as you did. The sun is beautiful and feels so nice."

He realized that the light weight blanket they had been sleeping under had been thrown off the bed and except for the gay floral print sheet across their lower legs they were naked and he also knew how great the sun felt on his skin.

Suzie snuggled closer after he had got on his side and took his right hand and arm and pulled them over her side and placed his hand on her left breast. "There, that is where it should be. It feels very nice and makes me feel safe.

We can get up and I'll fix you coffee and breakfast again if you would like."

"Let's just stay here a while longer."

"Mmmm. Hai" She agreed in a contented and sultry voice.

"We do have to get up now if we are going to see Tomi.. It's almost 10 hundred hours." Suzie said as she wiggled and pressed her butt into Dan's crotch.

"Hai, you shower while I make coffee. Then when I shower you can fix us something to eat. Neh?" Dan asked as he swung out of bed and headed for the kitchen.

"Are you going to put on your nemaki?"

"Iie. I thought that I would tease and tempt you and you would shower faster to come back to me." He answered before reaching for the light blue geometric patterned nemaki in the doorway to the bedroom.

"Where is my nemaki?" Suzie asked as she slid off the bed.

"I think it's in the living room where you dropped it last night." Dan answered.

"Where who dropped it?"

"Hai. You dropped it. Don't blame me for all your clothes falling off." Dan responded with a smile as he ducked into the kitchen to avoid a pair of Suzie's airborne panties.

It was a warm typically sunny morning with a gentle onshore wind carrying before it the smell of the tide flats and hint of Okinawa. They had not hurried showering and went out on the small back porch with only their underwear on to drink their coffee. Only the roof of the house behind them showed above their backyard fence. They were content to be in each other's company and neither was in a hurry to leave their home knowing that this time visiting Tomi would not be a fun visit. It was past noon before they finally had finished getting dressed and left the house.

"Is Tomi at home or at the coffee house?" Dan asked as they walked to the busy street looking for a sukoshi cab.

"She said that she was going to work every day to be with people and so she wouldn't think too much about Brad. I guess that the nights are the hardest for her, but she has gotten more used to the idea and her head has settled down.

It's lunch time and the coffee house gets busy so she would stay to help "

Dan and Suzie were two steps down the stairs into the Kokusai Coffee House when the door opened and Tomi started up the stairs.

"Konnichi wa Suzie-chan". Then she stopped as she realized who was behind her tomodachi. "Dan-chan? Where did you come from?" Tomi exclaimed and Suzie stepped aside to let her pass in her haste to reach Dan. Tomi threw her arms around his neck as Dan fought to keep their balance on the steep and narrow steps. Lifting her, he swung around and stepped up the two steps back to the sidewalk.

"When did you get here?" Tomi asked as the tears flowed down her cheeks and her voice started to choke up.

"Suzie, you didn't tell me he was coming home."

"I didn't know either until Saturday morning when he got here. And I haven't let him out of my sight since.

Are you okay Tomi-chan?"

"Hai, oh yes. Right this moment I am better than I have been for a while." Tomi let go of Dan and turned to Suzie and hugged her long and hard. "I am so happy for you two. How long will you have him?" She asked Suzie.

"Until early Thursday morning. Then he must go back to Vietnam." She answered. Then with tears running down her beautiful oriental cheekbones she broke into a huge smile. "He will be back to me in a month for all of July. Thirty days he will spend with me."

"Can I join this conversation?" Dan asked.

Suzie put her arm around him and kissed him lightly on the mouth. "Hai My Love."

"Lets go someplace where we can sit and have a nice visit. Neh?"

"Hai. I was going home. Let's go there and have some ocha. Or biru and sushi if you would like Dan." Tomi took Dan's arm while Suzie still had her arm around his waist. "Let's get a cab. Neh?"

On the cab ride from Kokusai Dori to Tomari and Tomi's apartment the women made small talk about what they had both been doing since they had seen each other 4 days ago. Dan sat back and enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of Okinawa which he was missing more than he cared to admit.

Tomi finished making and serving ocha as they sat around her Okinawan lacquerware coffee table. Dan searched out Suzie's eyes. They made contact and she nodded slightly and moved her lips slightly. He knew what she said. Knew that she was agreeing with him so it would be up to him to broach the subject of Brad's last day.

Suzie reached for his hand on top of the table and moved one of her long legs to be able to slowly and gently rub her foot on his leg. Her way of giving him the support that she knew he needed to talk about Brad, especially to Tomi.

"Tomako-chan, you know that Brad and I knew each other a longtime here on Okinawa and worked together in Vietnam. Sometimes we drank a beer together, or just sat around where we could talk and share."

Tomi's eyes fastened on Dan's and tears sprang into both their eyes. Suzie squeezed Dan's hand and with her other hand reached to take Tomi's.

"The morning ." He hesitated,his voice quaking slightly, took a deep breath before continuing. "It happened. That he died." He blurted out. "I was waiting at the gate going out onto Highway 1, for a fuel truck before going out on the highway. Brad came to the gate and had a few minutes while waiting for the two trucks he was leading to Binh Son so we were talking. Like we always did when we were together."

Again he stopped, still holding her hand, he again found Suzie's eyes.

Suzie nodded very slightly in encouragement.

"Suzie and I had an idea that you were pregnant when I was here on R & R in April. We understood how you felt and knew how you were dealing with disappointments and didn't want to give Brad or yourself false hope. Honto?"

Tomi nodded a yes and met Dan's eyes with her dark brown, almost black, tear filled eyes.

"Because we really didn't know. You hadn't told us and we guessed that you didn't know either, we decided to wait and see and not say anything to you or Brad until you told us or if we were more sure.

Suzie was writing to me and a few days before you went to the doctor she was very sure that you were and told me so in a letter.

It takes mail so long to reach Vietnam from Okinawa so she told me to do as I thought best."

He stopped again, stared at the table for several seconds and felt each hand being squeezed. He looked from woman to woman. Suzie smiled her soft gentle smile in encouragement. Her beautiful emerald green eyes sparkling with tears. Tomi with a steady stream of tears running down her oriental cheekbones implored Dan with her eyes to continue.

"I had a feeling while Brad and I were talking at the gate that it was not going to be a good day for us. Since Brad was the one going into VC country, I decided I would tell him that Suzie and I were thinking it was very possible you were pregnant. We talked a while longer and he knew it was possible that you were, but might not be. He took the typical Brad optimistic view. He decide that you were. He just knew that you and he were going to have a baby. I let him go down the road with a huge grin on his face and he said as he left, 'I do love that woman. God how I love her.'

And I never saw him again."

Tomi slid around the table onto Dan's lap and into his arms "Thank you. Domo arigato gozaimasu Dan-chan. Thank you, domo, thank you, domo." She said many times very quietly under her breath while hanging onto him crying softly.

Suzie and a Dan stayed with Tomako through the day. As the sun went down the three tomodachis watched the red and orange glow of the sunset over the South China Sea before going to the Seamen's Club at Naha Port for dinner. It was almost midnight when they returned to Tomi's apartment. All three were a little drunk.

Satisfied that she was going to be all right they left her and went home.

"You did very good, My Love. It was very hard for you, I know. You made me very proud that the man I love with all my heart has so much compassion for other people."

"I couldn't have said all that had to be said without you, Love. I know it hurt her to hear it. But it also hurt to say it."

"She wanted to know. And she feels better knowing that he knew he was going to be a father.

You still miss him, neh?"

"Hai. We knew each other a long time and you know we were really close."

"I cannot replace him for you. I wish that I could."

"No, you cannot replace him, but you fill a big hollow in my life so it's easier to deal with his loss."

When they finally got to bed, he held her and gently kissed her.

"Do you want me?" She asked in her sultry voice. And pulled him closer against her. "I have no clothes on."

"I noticed that."

"It's probably baby making time. Sometime in the next couple of days."

"Maybe we shouldn't miss the chance."

"I'm sure that Tomi and Brad would want us to try.

TWENTY-FIVE

At a little after 0600 on Thursday, Dan and Suzie were getting ready to leave their house for the Futemma Marine Corp air terminal.

"What time did Steve say he would meet you to catch the plane?"

"0730. He has to go to Camp Butler to round up the E-4s and below and load them on a bus for Futemma."

"Reiko ask us if we would pick her up at their house."

"She's going with us?"

"Hai. She can get me in places with her ID after you and Steve get on the airplane.

I want to be with you as long as I can and she knows that. So she offered to go with us so I could stay in the terminal with you.

That's okay, neh?"

"Hai. Honto. I was wondering where I would have to leave you when I checked in.

You and Reiko are very good tomodachis, neh?"

"Hai she has been very nice to me.

She is like having a sister. We are almost the same age, but she is so tiny and looks so young. I think that we love each other like sisters and she's the baby sister."

"Of course my lovely Eurasian beauty. You don't look any older, maybe one or two years more than she, but you are at least 8 inches taller and a bit bigger all over than she is. She's very cute in a kimono and you are very sexy in a cheongsam."

Suzie stepped into his arms. Looked straight across into his eyes. "I am two years older than she is. And domo, I love wearing my cheongsams.

You don't care that I'm as tall, maybe a sukoshi taller than you are? A lot of men turned away from me because I am so tall. Especially Okinawan and Japanese men."

"You're careful not to wear heels. In fact, do you ever wear high heels? I have never seen you in heels."

She kissed him lightly on the lips. "I stopped wearing heels when I met you. After the second time you came to see me, I gave them away. It was you or the heels and I decided that I wanted you and could do without the heels."

"What about after I left last year? Did you go back wearing heels?"

"Iie. It was as if I knew you were coming back to me even though I told you to go away and not come back.

Now you better let me go if we are going to be on time for your airplane. I can feel something growing between us." She laughed and pulled back. "I am so sorry, but we don't have anytime to make love again."

Dan and Gunny Lars stood by the partially opened ramp with the loadmaster and watched the Okinawan surf disappear in the 130's wake.

"You'll see it again before too long. Correction, you'll see her again next month. She's quite a lady Dan. Reiko and I both like her and will watch out for her even though I doubt if she needs any more looking after than what you do.

Reiko and I lived together for almost a year before we even thought about getting married. The difference between our situations is that I'm on Okinawa most of the time."

"We feel like we're a foursome, Steve. Suzie and I are glad to have you guys in our lives. Besides our kid is going to need Godparents."

"Is she pregnant?"

"Not that we know of. We're hoping though.

Are you going to stay on this R & R detail much longer?"

"Can't be sure, but can only hope. Of course as opposed to going to a rifle company in-country, a few nights a month in Da Nang is a good deal which both Reiko and I can deal with and appreciate. This gig has been going on for over a year and I have a feeling that a transfer is coming up."

"Any idea to where?"

"Not actually. I hope back to a MAG unit of some kind even if it is in-country."

"A Gunny. Good chance of an admin job isn't there?"

"Yeah I hope so."

"You must be getting close to retirement. I see 5 hashmarks."

"Before I met Reiko I was going for 30. Now I have less than two years left on this hitch and I'll have 22 then. We're hoping we can do the rest of our hitch here or in Japan.

"Reiko will stay on Okinawa, in your house even if you go in-country? So we can find her and she and Suzie will stay together."

"No doubt. What about you? You're going to Phu Bai in August. For how long and then where?"

"Seven or so months. Until the end of their deployment. Then I'm due shore duty. Would have got it this time, but I chose to stay on sea duty so I could see Suzie and workout what we wanted from each other and out of life. After I get to Phu Bai I'll reenlist and put in for shore duty, stateside or overseas. It will depend on what Suzie and I decide when I'm on leave in July. I'll also add a hash mark and chevron before then and those will help me get what I want."

"If you and I don''t see each other Suzie can tell Reiko where you are and how we can get together after all transfers and such are over.

I do think that I'll put in for overseas shore duty and stay on Okinawa or go to Japan. Like I said, we'd like to do a tour in Japan to see what it's like living there We took 30 days just over a year ago and toured a lot of Japan. Reiko loved it."

Dan and Steve walked into the Da Nang MCAF terminal together.

"You want to see if you can catch a hop back down to Chu Lai this afternoon?

If you want you can stay with me in the Marine transit barracks again."

"I'll stay over, if you'll go to the Seabee Acey-Ducey club with me. I want you to see that Seabees do like Marines and we aren't afraid of you, nor do we bite." Dan exclaimed laughing.

"It's a deal. And I promise not to bite any Seabees."

TWENTY-SIX

On Friday morning a little hungover after a major reunion with several Seabees who had been stationed on Okinawa at about the same time. Add some instigation caused by having a Marine Gunnery Sergeant in their midst who attracted the attention of the Battalion Marine adviser who was also a Gunnery Sergeant along with a Marine Staff Sergeant who just happened to stop in for a beer. They soon figured out that the Staff had instructed the Seabees on the Camp Pendleton rifle range.

Three Marines and eight to twelve Seabees, the number kept changing as Seabees came and went, definitely added up to a lot of beer being consumed with nobody keeping track of whose turn it was to buy or how many pitchers passed between the bar and their table. Even the coke and ginger ale drinkers added to the nostalgic feelings that were there.

Stepping off the ramp of the Hercules he had rode from Da Nang to Chu Lai on Saturday morning Dan put on his sunglasses, pulled his cap low over his eyes and hurried into the cool shade provided by the hooch that served as the Marine Corp air terminal.

"Need a ride to your battalion Petty Officer? I can get your duty driver for you."

"Thanks Sarge, but if you would let me use your phone I'll find out where my crew is and have them pick me up."

"Help yourself. Where do you work?" The Marine Staff Sergeant asked as he pushed the phone across the counter.

"Highway 1. Rebuilding the road."

"Outside the wire?"

"Yeah. From Chu Lai village out about six miles south. I run graders and dozers."

Dan dialed the battalion command post and got a builder that he knew. "Hey Elmore, Dan Davis, do me a favor?"

"Sure whatcha need Dan?"

"Would you try to raise Golf One and find out where he is and if he can pickup Golf Three at the Marine air terminal, Jack?"

"Sure hang on." Dan heard both sides of the radio conversation which sounded far away, but was readable. After a short wait Elmore came back on. "Did you read that Dan?"

Yeah thanks Jack, sounds like Golf Two is coming to get me and Golf One will meet us at the quarry."

"You got it. He said it would be about twenty minutes or so."

"Thanks Jack."

"Anytime my friend. You owe me a beer.

"You got it. At the club?"

"The club some afternoon when we both have a day off."

Dan laughed. "You got a deal. No tonight though. I need a night's sleep. I was in Da Nang last night partying and I do regret it right at this moment."

"Oh, yeah. I see you on the list to get back from R & R today. Okinawa?"

"Yeah. Old times."

"Noumanoui?"

"Not actually. Mostly Futemma and Koza."

"I got radio traffic. Catch you with my beer later and you can fill me in."

Ryder pulled up in the highway crew's weapons carrier almost to the second of twenty minutes.

"You've been riding around too much. You have the timing down as if you were running the rounds of a bus.

"I seem to spend most of my time chasing people and pieces of equipment around. Not what I thought it would be like when I made first class.

Stay second class Dan. It's way more fun.

So how was Okinawa?"

"Great. I can go there and it's just like any other tropical vacation place. Relax in the sun and trade winds. Walk around in your shirt sleeves after the sun goes down. At noon on a midsummer day all you have to do is find some shade where you can catch the trades and take a nap and best of all, nobody shoots at you."

"Is the rumor true?"

"Which one?"

"You're going to marry your Okinawan girl friend?

My wife is Filipino. Met her on deployment to Subic Bay."

"Yeah. We've started the paperwork."

"Takes forever. But be patient and beat these bastards at their own game.

You saw Brad's 'widow-to-be'?

That's what everybody is calling her by the way. It isn't derogatory and I think you started it.

You and Mr. Roberts together maybe?"

"We did. I guess. Ryan overheard us I suppose. He is a kindhearted rumor monger isn't he?

Suzie, my girl friend and Tomi, Brad's, are friends. So we spent sometime with her and Suzie sees her a couple times a week when I'm here.

You went to Taiwan on R & R? Not the Philippines?"

"No, Hong Kong. My wife and I wanted some silk and jewelry and Hong Kong is the place to go."

"Do you have in laws in the Philippines?"

"Yeah, but they don't much like me. They blame me for taking their number one daughter away from them. They have some money. My father-in-law-is a corrupt province official son-of-a-bitch of some kind and their number one daughter couldn't wait to leave home and the country. She had a constant fear that dear old dad is going to be arrested any day and didn't want to be around when it happened."

Ryder pulled the weps up next to Chief Thomas's jeep and a D8 Cat that was idling as the chief and Casey Jones were looking under and walking around it.

"You guys expect that thing to give birth or something?" Dan asked when the two walked up to the weps as he was getting out of it.

"Jump up on that thing and give it a test run, Dan. That's why I had Ryder bring you out here."

"Come on Tom. I'm still on R & R. Technically anyway. Besides I have one hell of a hangover headache."

"Poor Baby. Just do me a favor and tell me what's wrong with this thing."

Shaking his head and pretending that his head really hurt, Dan sacrificed all and climbed up over the Cat's track and cautiously sat on the comfortable seat.

"I thought it was your head that hurt. You act like it's your ass." Casey shouted at Dan.

Damn! This thing doesn't want to turn to the left at all.

Dan stopped the Cat, slipped the forward/reverse lever into reverse and when he was clear of the parked vehicles slapped the gear shift into high as he opened the throttle wide open.

Wow! I do believe this thing has a problem. Likes to go to the right okay, but sure hates the left.

He stopped. Selected forward and low gear and as he headed back to where the vehicles where parked pulled one steering lever after the other alternately and felt the unpredictable results.

The three Seabees stood looking as he got off the machine. Chief Thomas spoke up first. "Can we fix it in the field, Dan? I guess we'll have to give Casey your D8 since we need to keep the quarry functioning.

Next question. Do you want to take a crack at fixing it? If we put it in the shop we probably won't see it again on this deployment."

It might be possible. I'm not 100% sure without the manual but this model doesn't have clutches and brakes in it as such. Nor is it all hydraulic actuated. It acts and feels to me like something came loose in the final drives. Or what we used to call the final drives."

"Casey, let's take it over to the rock crusher and see if we can put it into one of those ex-RMK shops. Then you can take Dan's D8 out to the gate and to the quarry in the morning."

"I'd rather Dan take this one in, Chief. It's kind of erratic to run. Truthfully, it scares the shit out of me."

"Dan, you alright with that? I don't know as I blame Casey there's going to be a tight spot or two before we get it into the shop.

I'll talk to Smitty and ask if you can borrow his tools and I'll try to have the shop manual for you first thing tomorrow morning.

"No problem, I'll take it in. It will be nice quiet ride."

A week later, Friday the 9th of June, with only Chief Thomas in attendance Dan Davis cranked up the D8 which he had been working on since he came back from Okinawa. Carefully while holding down the brake pedal with one foot and the decelerator foot pedal with the other, he slide the forward/reverse into reverse before slipping the gear shift over into the lowest gear.

Slowly releasing the brake, Dan felt the Cat barely creeping back out of the shop. Easing up on the decelerator it moved a bit faster. Once clear of the shop's door he released the decelerator and allowed the machine to feel full throttle.

Here goes nothing. Go for broke!

He smoothly pulled the left turn lever fully back and the Cat responded by locking up the left track and starting to pivot around to the left as it was supposed. He released the left turn lever and when the Cat moved back in a straight line he started to manipulate the right and left turn levers with his finger tips and made the huge machine do a hula dance in reverse. Stopping and starting forward towards the shop and Chief Thomas he did the same thing. A hula dance in forward. He popped the gear shift in high and brought each steering lever fully back alternately locking one track then the other then pulled both levers back simultaneously and the D8 came to a sudden stop..

After he brought the Cat to a halt in front of the shop he looked towards his friend with a big smile. He got two thumbs up and a huge smile in return. He shut the Cat down and dropped off the track to the ground.

"What do you think, Dan? Looks like it's running right now."

"I hate to say it Tom, but I think the same thing is going to happen to the right drive. It feels spongy compared to the left that we just fixed."

"Think it's worth ripping down now?"

"No. I'm all for running it until it quits. I can limp it in from even the laterite pit if I have too."

"Okay, it's your call. Want to start back to work and finish up the laterite pit tomorrow?"

"Damn right. I didn't fix that beast to have it sit around doing nothing and me playing footsie for the next two weeks."

"You're short. You don't have to go out on Highway 1 if you don't want to.

You know that?"

"Yeah I know Tom. I'd rather be out there than hanging around dispatch or the Company Office."

"You been talking to Ryan haven't you?"

"He tipped me off about certain plans to try and get me to write a heavy equipment curriculum for graders and bulldozers for training in Port Hueneme."

"OK. On the road until let's say June 26th. Then into the A Company compound until you head for Okinawa on leave."

"A deal. I'm sure that I can hide for 4 or five days before I catch my ride."

"You don't miss a bet do you?"

"What can I say."

TWENTY-SEVEN

On the first of July, a Saturday, EON2 Dan Davis threw his duffle bag, flak jacket and 782 gear up onto the cargo deck of the duty driver's 2 ton cargo truck before climbing into the shotgun seat

"Morning Dan. Catching the first plane out?" The CN (constructionman) duty driver asked. Dan knew his face and could read his name tag but had never worked with him.

"I'm catching hops to Okinawa on a delay en-route, Hank." Dan recalled all of a sudden who the kid was. He was in the third squad of his platoon and had arrived about four months ago and drove this same truck everyday picking up small loads of cargo and passengers coming into and going out of the Chu Lai MCAF terminal.

"You can do that? Take leave when you're transferring in-country?"

"Yeah, if you have the time on the books or a good Company Commander who will let you go in the hole on leave."

"How do you get hops? You fly on government airplanes?"

Dan laughed quietly before answering. He understood how naive the almost 20 year old kid was. "They cut your orders for a given length of delay en-route with no transportation being provided. But anybody on active duty with orders can ride any military aircraft that will have or give him a seat. You just ask at the air terminals if there's any rides available to where you want to go."

They pulled up to the MCAF terminal at Chu Lai before 0600. It was still dim the sun was still a hair below the horizon.

"Good luck and see ya Dan."

"Yeah thanks, Hank. Keep your head down"

It was still early and quiet in the nearly empty terminal. Dan dropped his gear by the flightline door before going to the counter. The Marine ATCO was shuffling papers but had looked up when Dan came through the door and was waiting for him to come up to the counter. "Where you going this time Seabee? R & R again?"

"Not this time Sarge. But I need a ride to Okinawa, but I'll settle for Da Nang. Got delay en-route orders."

"Got a Hercules leaving in 10 to 15 minutes for Da Nang and it has plenty of room. Come on I'll help you carry your gear out and get you put on the manifest.

How long you going to be on Okinawa?"

"Thirty days, then I'll catch a ride back and go to Phu Bai."

Their C-130 was making a straight-in to the Da Nang runway when it started to climb back out. Dan was standing alongside some palletized cargo were he could look out the small window imbedded in the aft troop door. As the aircraft rolled up into a turn to the left he could see parts of the base and some aircraft parking revetments where several aircraft, two or three fighter types and two multiengine cargo planes obviously damaged and foam covered. One cargo plane was still smoking as fire fighters sprayed it down with off white foam.

The loadmaster and crew chief came back into the cargo bay and were explaining to some of the passengers what was going on.

There had been several people aboard which Dan didn't really pay any attention to on the short ride to Da Nang. Now he noticed a Navy Lieutenant in khakis armed with a Colt Officer's model .45 in a shoulder holster and had a magazine in it which Dan presumed was loaded with copper jacketed ball ammunition. He was carrying a briefcase handcuffed to his left wrist. The officer stood up and moved up the tight space between the red nylon troop seats and the pallets of cargo to meet the loadmaster who had just reached the spot by the door where Dan was still standing. The two men and Dan kind of huddled in the slightly larger spot by the troop door.

"Da Nang got hit with a heavy mortar and rocket attack about 6 hours ago. Sappers got through the wire and blew up a couple of planes . So everything was shutdown until Command Post figured it was over after Marine gunships nailed some of the sappers on the north perimeter and opened up the field again. Right after a 141 landed they cleared us to land and Charlie opened up with mortars on the 141, and we got a 'get-the-hell-out-of-the-way' and the 141 did a 180 and took back off with the wind. He has diverted to who knows where, but since there won't be any flights out of Chu Lai to do you any good Sir, we're going to hang around a few then duck in under Charlie's radar. In other words wait for a quiet moment then pull a C-130 move of a steep and fast approach, so we can drop you and anybody else wants off. We'll pickup the other courier then go back to Chu Lai. The Command Post will have somebody waiting for you in Ops to do whatever you have to, and then you can wait there for the first plane out or you can wait for a plane to Okinawa."

"Thanks Sergeant. The Petty Officer and I will stay together." And he pointed his thumb at Dan.

That was when Dan realized that the officer was wearing CEC (Civil Engineer Corp-crossed bananas) collar devices. He was a Seabee officer and by the holstered sidearm and briefcase handcuffed to his wrist was obviously a battalion courier with classified documents.

"You're going to Okinawa, Davis?" The Lieutenant asked after the loadmaster had moved on to another group of passengers.

"Yes Sir. On leave between transfers."

"So you're on your own and catching hops?"

"Yeah." Dan answered with a quiet laugh.

"That's what my orders also say. Catch hops that is. I also have some priority which I can use to help you. I can decide that I need an escort."

After about 30 minutes of circling out over the South China Sea the C-130 made a dash into Da Nang. Fast and steep it started to shoot its approach.

When the 130 started its approached Dan put on his flak jacket before moving his gear next to the ramp. The Hercules landed on the runway closest to the taxiway leading to Operations. When they taxied towards Operations the loadmaster opened the ramp and talking into the mike on his headset. As soon as the aircraft came to a nose dipping stop he motioned for the passengers to unloaded over the ramp. When Dan and the Lieutenant got on the ramp followed by 2 or 3 of the passengers who also wanted off, there were several armed Marines in a line to direct the passengers away from the back of the aircraft and the still spinning propellors. The sandbagged entrance to Operations stood out with two square double decked, double walled bunkers. One on each side of the main entrance with the barrels of a couple of M60 machine guns sticking out of each bunker. Hurrying towards Operations at the urging of the Marine guards they both instinctively ducked when they heard the whistle of incoming mortar rounds. Both rounds landed out of the hurt or kill range of the 130 and as the last of passengers came around the wing tip closest to Operations and two men in jungle fatigues ran and jumped up onto the ramp the loadmaster also jumped back onto the ramp. The 130 started a taxing turn towards the taxiway almost sliding in the intersection turning onto the runway. With the wind on its tail started its take off roll. As Dan went through the door into Operations he turned to see the nose of the 130 come up, black smoke was rolling out of its' jet engines and it started a typical steep Hercule's climb out of Da Nang and away from any stray mortar rounds Charlie may want to throw at it.

"I need to meet that Navy Commander standing by the counter. Do you want to find us some suitable seats and after I get done with him I'll check on flights for us to Okinawa or some place else besides here."

"Okay Sir. I presume we want to be insight of the ATCO but also close to the bunker entrance"

He didn't answer. Just smiled at Dan and with a small wave headed towards the senior officer who looked impatient to remove himself from Base Operations and get back to his cozy bunker somewhere besides Da Nang Air Force Base.

Guess we'll be here a while, Dan. They've closed the runways until they can root out those mortars and rocket launchers. The ATCO has copies of our orders so we'll get priority on the first flight out of here. He thinks it will probably be going south like Subic Bay or Saigon. From there we won't have any trouble getting into Naha or Kadena.

I put you on my orders, so we can leave together."

"Thanks Lieutenant. I appreciate that. You do realize that I'm not armed?"

"No big deal. I just need you to watch my back so if we're here too long I can take a nap or two. In return you may get out of here a little quicker and have a choice of what flight you want to take. You won't have to take the same one as I do if it's inconvenient for you. You can also get a few winks."

"First on my agenda is to find something to eat. Looks like the snack bar isn't going to be open for a while and I only had coffee before I left Chu Lai."

"Me either. I do believe we will be treated compliments of the US Air Force, to some good old American food of unique varieties. If you want to go ask the ATCO I'm sure he will let you see the menu which consists of 12 selected entrees with various fruits and meats as appetizers and deserts."

"Are you sure that you're an engineer, Sir?"

"Of course." He answered with a smile. How else would I get to wear these CEC, crossed banana, devices?"

"I thought maybe with your description of what we can get to eat here you worked on Madison Avenue in your spare time."

"Can't blame me for trying to improve our appetites and giving us the idea that we are about to have a unique dining experience compliments of the US Air Force."

"Oh, brother." Dan said in response as he stood up and started for the ATCO's counter. "What is your choice this morning, Sir. A full gourmet meal or just a breakfast roll and gourmet coffee?" He tossed over his shoulder as he walked away.

Off and on all day and into the early hours of evening the muffled sound of in-coming rounds exploding in various directions from the bunker, though muffled by the structure and sandbagging of the Operations bunker startled them.,. At one point a close by fire fight erupted within hearing of the bunker which the ATCO said later was when a squad of Marines had discovered a small group of VC sappers trying to reach the aircraft in nearby revetments.

By midnight all was quiet and at 0600 the oncoming ATCO said that the runways were now open and they would have some outgoing and incoming flights shortly.

At just before 0800 the Lieutenant and Petty Officer Davis were called and a flight was available to Subic Bay on a PBY.

Oh, that is going to be one long rough ride. Should I or shouldn't I?

"Up to you Dan. If you want to try for something different you will still have priority. Personally I like the Philippines. Truthfully, there's a Navy nurse at Subic that a I would really enjoy seeing and I can get rid of this briefcase at least overnight until a flight I'm booked on leaves."

"You're not booked on a flight from Subic Bay to Naha."

"I know, but I can be after I get to Subic."

"Thanks Sir, but I'll wait around a bit longer. Probably can't get anything direct to Okinawa, but hopefully closer than Subic Bay and not on a PBY."

"You don't care for a ride in a PBY?"

"I appreciate your help and your company Mister Goldman. But a PBY to Subic is a bit more than what I want at this time."

"An elitist, heh?

I owe you Dan, I couldn't have got any sleep at all if you hadn't been here to watch my back." The Lieutenant offered Dan his hand. "Good luck and wish I could be at your wedding. Take care."

He picked up his AWOL bag and briefcase before turning and starting for the door out to the tarmac.

Finally at few minutes before 0900 on Sunday morning the ATCO caught Dan's eye and motioned for him. "Got you on a C-124 to Saigon if you want. Leaves shortly as soon as any passengers I have are loaded."

"Yes. I'm on it."

The ATCO handed Dan his loading pass and said, "Grab your gear. You're first on."

"Thanks Sarge. Appreciate it."

"No sweat. Have a good trip and you won't have any trouble getting out of Saigon for either Naha or Kadena. When you get to Tan Son Nhut go directly to Air Force C-141 operations and they'll fix you up. Most likely into Naha. Which won't be a problem for you will it?."

"Only a $2.00 taxi ride difference."

Being first on and on the upper deck of the C-124 Dan had his pick of seats and took one nearest to one of the cabin windows. About ten or so more passengers boarded before engine start. They were mostly Air Force personnel with a couple of Army officers who were deep in conversation with each other and didn't seem to have any time for anybody else.

Pencil pushers. Never been off the paved sidewalks of Da Nang AFB and are headed back to their plush duty in Saigon. Probably came up here slumming so they could say how they were in Indian Country. Trying to earn their Combat Infantry Badges. The only sign of wear on their jungle fatigues is the seat of their pants.

Those three Air Force dudes look like they just came out of Indian Country. Not so clean jungle fatigues and in need of haircuts. Real Australian bush hats. FAC controllers. Betcha.

They had not yet reached cruising altitude when it appeared that all the flight crew had gone into the cockpit or where ever they hung out in the 124. Dan unbuckled his harness and turned so he could lookout the window which he then realized was larger than the windows in any other aircraft's cargo compartment that he had ridden in giving him a great view of where they were. He could see far enough in front of the wing to see the terrain before they got to it. The 124 turned south. At first Dan saw the green of patches of what he figured were rubber plantations then the fresh green of rice paddies with the shiny blue of water reflected here and there between the plants. Looking closer and deeper into the country side he started to see bomb craters. First a single crater here and there. As they traveled a bit more westerly on their southern route the craters seemed to become more numerous and larger and ringed with bigger piles of brown, almost black dirt. Soon it seemed that the hills became a tapestry of brown rimmed volcanic craters surrounded by bright green patches of jungle changing here and there duller green patches of what he thought was sugar cane or maybe rubber trees. Sometimes the rectangular shape of these duller green patches was broken by two or three perfectly round craters trimmed in brown as if they wore necklaces.

Going over the Central Highlands of Vietnam the trees became taller and denser with fewer obvious bomb craters The craters were replaced by patches of blackened jungle. Napalm. Got to be. I don't know what else would leave a scar like that.

Rain forest? Looks like it. The larger trees of the forest lands brought back thoughts of his experiences working in logging camps on the Canadian, US and Maine borders. You can't use a chain saw on those trees. They have to be full of shrapnel from all those bombs and artillery rounds. Iron and saw blades sure as hell don't mix.

While the C-124 droned on south and still a bit westerly the land started to level out. The mountains became hills and soon the hills took in a more roundish shape until looking as far ahead as he could, Dan could see the sun reflecting of many stringers of water. As they drew closer the stringers started to connect into whole rivers with boats of all kinds navigating in both directions. Green rice paddies seemed to be everywhere and the inevitable craters grew in numbers again to fracture the flat land of the delta country. Losing altitude and turning into the air traffic pattern for Saigon's Tan Son Nhut airport the huge delta of the Saigon River grew and filled the whole limited sized window that Dan was looking through.

In barely over an hour, Dan found himself along with eight or ten Marines and sailors with a couple of Air Force sergeants mixed in, sitting on the troop seats of an Air Force C-141 bound for Naha Air Force Base on Okinawa. Finally able to relax he stretched out on a line of several unoccupied grey nylon troop seats and with the lullaby of four big jet engines was soon sound asleep.

Dan felt his ears plug then pop an instant before the loadmaster shook his foot to proclaim,"We're starting our descent into Naha. Be on the ground in about 20 minutes."

"Thanks Sarge." Dan responded when he sat up and groped around the deck under the troop seats to find his jump boots. He stood to get the blood flowing in his arms and legs then laced his boots. Gathering up his duffle bag, 782 gear and flak jacket he happened to catch the loadmasters eye who nodded then pointed to the forward starboard troop door and nodded. They would off-load through that door so Dan carried his gear forward and dropped it in a pile next to the door.

The late afternoon Okinawan sun felt familiar and friendly. The slight onshore breeze carried the scent of the golden sand flats uncovered by low tide across the runway from the ramp where the 141 had parked. He stopped to look towards the South China Sea and took a deep breath. Hey, I can't smell anything but ocean. No diesel and feces smell from burning outhouse refuse. No artillery firing rounds or jets making passes across the jungle.

He was again gathering up his gear when a Marine Staff Sergeant from the 141 came along side. "Give you a hand Seabee?" You going to catch a shuttle?"

"Thanks. Not actually Sarge. Going to grab a taxi to get home In Ginowan."

"Are you stationed at Futemma?"

"Was. Got 30 delay en-route then back to Phu Bai."

"Wife here?" The Marine asked as they walked through Operations headed for the street-side door.

"Wife-to-be. We live in off base housing in Ginowan. Not far from the Futemma gate.

You heading north?"

"Yeah, Camp Butler. Brig chaser." He said and indicated the .45 and night stick hanging from his web belt. "My partner and I just took one to Saigon for transport back to CONUS and smuggling drug charges."

"Isn't that unusual? Aren't they usually tried here?"

"Actually, yes. But this pair were going to make it big so they tried sending it to CONUS rather than selling it here. So the Navy and Air Force wants them in CONUS for trial. Be a lot stiffer sentence.

There's my ride." The Marine pointed to a gray Marine Corp carryall with a red bubble light on top. "Come on, we'll drop you off in Futemma and you can catch a sukoshi cab up the hill from there."

"Thanks Sarge, I appreciate that."

Dan had told Suzie that he couldn't tell her an exact date or time when he would be home. Since he was catching hops there was no way he could come any closer than Sunday, Monday or even Tuesday. Did really good. Hope she's home I just want to hold her and feel her softness. Not exactly the tiny Asian woman that I thought I would fall in love with and marry.

Getting out of the sukoshi cab, Dan threw his flak jacket and 782 gear over the wall before walking through the gate with his full duffle bag balanced on his right shoulder.

Suzie either heard the cab, or was watching for him. He barely stepped up on the porch when a pink and floral covered missile flew through the open front door. He barely had time to drop his duffle and brace himself when she hurled herself squealing into his arms. After the initial squeal the only sound was made by their lips meeting, a faint sucking sound as each tried to engulf the other's lips and low, unheard by anybody but the two who were entwined in each other's arms, murmurs of "I love you, God I missed you, hold me, you're safe, tighter, please tighter."

Dominating feminine murmurs soon became "let's go inside, take me inside."

The sun slipped down to the horizon and they were still lying on the bed, The day was warm and they had thrown the blankets onto the floor. Dan still had his olive drab skivvies on and Suzie had on a pair of very brief black lace panties but no bra. Their ardor had cooled at least to the point of being almost civilized. Suzie's hand came up Dan's thighs, where she had tucked it a long while ago, as Dan ran his hands down over her hips then around onto her butt and started to slid her panties down.

"Are you ready My Love?" He asked her and kissed her passionately.

"Mmmm. I don't think I can wait any longer." She answered before raising her hips to meet him.

It was fully dark and one of them had picked the blanket off the floor and thrown it over them. They were spooned together. Suzie had her butt tucked into Dan's crotch and had pulled his right hand over to caress her full breasts.

"You hungry, Dan My Dear?

I'm not sure what I'm hungry for. Food or more of you." She said and slowly turned over, took him in her hand and guided him between her legs.

He pushed himself against her before answering. "This is not fair. I wanted some of the sushi and cold beer that I know you have in the fridge until a second ago. He gripped her butt with both hands and pulled her closer to him.

She kissed him passionately before gently pushing him away with both hands on his chest. "I have to go. There is not room for you and all my pee in there. And we must eat some real food.

Then we can give each other an Okinawan bath and soak in the tub."

"That sounds really good." Then he pulled her back to him and kissed her tenderly on her lips, cheeks, forehead and ended by sucking on her throat.

She returned his kisses, kiss for kiss and tongue for tongue. "Are you going to eat me up? Wouldn't you rather have some sushi?"

"Depends on what your offering to me to eat."

"Dan Lee, you are terrible! But I love what you do to me." She answered in a quiet and very low voice before sliding away from him and getting off the bed.

The late morning sun was soaking into their bedroom with its radiating warmth. Without moving anymore than he had to, Dan patted the sheet on Suzie's side of the bed expecting her to be there within easy touching reach as she had been since yesterday afternoon. The sheet was warm to his touch. He felt the warmth of the sun soaking into his skin so he pulled the sheet a little higher covering his upper legs and up to his waist. He closed his eyes before rolling over onto his back.

Coffee. I smell fresh coffee. Maybe not. I do definitely smell Suzie. Subtle as it is I know her scent in my sleep.

Yes. The coffee is new and if it isn't ready it soon will be.

With his eyes still closed he hear a soft step and could feel her closeness. Then he felt her barely touch the side of the bed.

"Do you want this?" He barely heard her when she spoke.

Her lips touched his lightly and he could taste the coffee. The exaggerated sound of her sipping coffee forced him to open his eyes and turning his head far enough to watch her sipping again from the coffee mug she held in her right hand. She had on a light blue nemaki, her hair was brushed out and hung at its full length below her shoulders. She had put on a touch of lipstick but no other makeup.

"My God! You are so beautiful"

She broke into a huge, happy smile which showed tiny wrinkles at the corner of her eyes as they closed part way, and at the sides of her mouth.

"I love you also." She leaned down and kissed him softly and long. When she straightened back up she sat on the bed next to him and swung her left hand around to pick up a full and very hot mug of coffee she had set on the night stand out of his sight.

"I've already taken a shower. Then I made us kohi. Maybe you want to get a shot of caffeine then take a shower. You do taste salty."

"What time is it? Actually, what day is it?" He asked laughing easily. 'I have lost all sense of time. Except how many times we made love. That was about a hundred times wasn't it?"

"Don't you wish. It's 1300 on Monday. You can stay in bed as long as you want. You're very tired and I might add, badly in need of at least a shower."

"Hai. All right I get it. You want me to be Okinawan clean and to forget that I just came from the land of red laterite and stinky benjo buckets, neh?" He had sat up carefully so as to not spill his coffee and Suzie slipped two pillows behind him.

"Just relax. Drink all the coffee you want and I'm going to fix you some breakfast when you're ready. Are you hungry?"

"Actually I'm starved. For food as well as you. What can I have?"

"Solid food first. Then a hot shower and then soaking for about an hour. You're still sweating red from your pores.

After that we can talk about what else you want. You know that I won't have any problem agreeing to anything that my Lover needs or wants."

She carefully snuggled against him being careful not to spill any of the fresh cup of coffee she had brought him.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or did something bad happen that you don't want to talk about?"

"Other than being away from you? Nothing bad happened this time. I do miss Brad, but I have you to think about. You help me deal with it even if you aren't where I can reach out and feel your warm, silky skin or your soft loving lips."

"Hai, I think that I understand. I miss you too, but I have Sasha, Tomi and Reiko. I do miss you holding me and touching me all over. Having them is not the same. Not nearly the same as being in bed naked with you.

You ready to eat?"

"Hai, If you want to start cooking I'll take a real fast shower and put on a nemaki.

What are you going to fix me?"

"You want a GI steak, rice and two or three eggs, neh?"

"Hai, Sounds great. Three eggs over easy and the steak rare?" Where did you get the steak?

Never mind. I know. Reiko and the commissary at Machinato."

"You are so smart My Love." She said before kissing him lightly on the cheek and carefully slipping off the bed.

Get up! Into the shower. Now!"

For the next three days Dan and Suzie stayed close to home. The furthest they went was towards Ginowan village where the nearest Okinawan store was. Here they could get fresh eggs, bread and whatever vegetables that the store Mama-san had that day. Two blocks further down the same road was a small sushi bar/fish market and they could get fresh fish as well as much sashimi and sushi as Dan wanted to eat.

Just after 0800 on Wednesday morning Dan carried two cups of coffee into their bedroom. The early morning sun was radiating across the bed and Suzie was stretched out on her back across the bed diagonally. She was naked and her skin glowed golden in the warm clear glow of the sun.

"Where did you go? I tried to find you but you were gone." She asked in a sleepy voice without opening her eyes. "I smell you. You just came from a shower and also smell fresh kohi."

Dan stepped up to the bed, leaned over her near her face and passed a cup of the steaming coffee close to her nose.

"Mmmm. Do I have to open my eyes and get dressed to get some kohi?"

"Iie. Just stay as you are My Love then I can enjoy your gorgeous naked body."

"Are you looking at my boobs. You always look at my naked breasts. Stop it."

"Hai. They have great shape, are beautiful and have the cutest little nipples especially when they get hard." He answered as he set the coffee cups on a bedside table before reaching for the hand she was extending to him. She still hadn't opened her eyes depending on Dan to guide her. He lifted so she was sitting on the edge of the bed and still holding her left hand placed one of the cups of kohi in her right hand. Smiling she squinted one eye open enough to see the cup before carefully sipping the very hot brew.

"That's good?"

"Honto." She responded and opened her eyes. "Eeee! You are already dressed. Don't you love me anymore? Are you leaving me after four days?"

"Actually I thought I would wait until after we came back from Naha tonight before I left you. I found this really gorgeous Eurasian lady with great legs, gorgeous breasts and who likes to stay naked all day so I can watch her breasts jiggle and bounce as she moves around the house. And they are just positively gorgeous when she's on her back in the sun.

Did I also tell you how great her whole body is? Her personality is the best I have ever known. And best of all, she loves me."

Suzie put down her coffee, stood and stepped into his arms. She took his hands and placed them one on each cheek of her butt. "Do you love her as much as she loves you?"

"Hai. More."

"Iie. You cannot possibly love her more than she loves you. It is impossible."

"Honto? Is that true?"

"Hai. Do I have to prove it? Again?" She asked pressing into him.

"Hai, after we come back from Naha. I think we had better go shopping at Ryubo's and Black Market Alley. Then have lunch with Tomi."

"What do you want to get in Naha?" Suzie asked as she slipped out of his arms and headed for the bathroom taking her coffee with her. "I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. So stay away from me. We don't want any distractions if we're going to Naha. Honto?"

"Hai. I hear you. Do you want another cup of coffee?"

"Hai, dozo. I would like that very much."

Tomi was at the coffee house when Dan and Suzie got there in time for lunch.

"I am so glad to see you both. When do you have to leave, Dan?"

"The end of the month. But we don't think about it."

"We're taking it one day at a time and refuse to count the days until he leaves or the months until we will be together again." Suzie commented as she hugged her tomodachi then stepped back and slipped her arm around Dan's waist.

"Come on. Lets go sit down and decide what we want for lunch. I haven't eaten either. After you called on the denwa I decided to wait for you."

Tomi led the way to their table in the far back corner of the coffee house . When they were all seated, a new waitress, that either Dan nor Suzie knew, arrived with three copies of the coffee house's new menus.

"Wow." Dan exclaimed. "New nesan and new menus. More choices on the menu. New chef also, Tomi?"

"Iie. Never happen. You will remember him. When Mama-san retired, he married her and then I let him plan his own menu and this pretty thing is what we ended up with. You know he is really a great cook, Dan."

"I do remember. Especially his yakasoba.

So you, Tomi, my second love, how are you and the aka-chan?"

"I'm only your second love?"

"Quiet. My first love is next to me and she gets really mean if she forgets that she is my number one love of all times.

Do you think that will keep me from getting in the dog house Tomi?"

"Dog house? Where is the inu?"

"He's being an American smart ass, Tomi." Suzie said before telling Tomi what Dan meant.

"They have very strange ways of saying things, neh Suzie?"

"So how are you, Tomi?" Dan asked again.

"We are fine. Very good and he will be arriving the first week of December."

"He? Aren't you jumping the gun in deciding he is going to be a he?"

Both women looked at Dan, smiled then laughed quietly."

"What? What do I say that is so funny?"

"Don't you know that is up to the mother to know whether the baby is a boy or girl?" Suzie responded.

"I never heard such a thing, but I'm stupid in the way of babies and mothers."

"Yes, I know. A mother can tell what the child she is carrying is. Honto, Tomi?"

"Always, My Love?"

"Hai. Always. Sometimes even before she gets pregnant. We are going to have a girl first."

"Iie. How do you know that? You're pulling my leg again. There is no way that you can know that. Besides you have 50-50 chance of being correct."

"What if I have twins or triplets?"

"Then we have problem because the odds change beyond my comprehension."

"Do you want to bet with Tomi? It maybe a sucker bet even at 50-50."

"What do you think Love? Is she going to be all right? It has been almost 8 weeks since Rick was killed, and other than the fact that she doesn't spend much time with friends. To me she seems as happy as you would expect." Dan asked Suzie when they started up Kokusai Dori after leaving the coffee house.

"She never spent a lot of time with friends before. Ever since I have known her it has always been if you want to see and talk to Tomi, you have to come see her. Wakarimasu ka, what I am trying to say?"

"I wakaru. She's a bit of a loner."

"Hai. Just like you my Love. When you first came to the Clover I thought that you just wanted to screw me. Then when I knew I was in love with you, I looked at you harder and could see that you were a loner, who loved me. A person who enjoyed his own company, but was quite capable of loving a woman deeply.

When I had my first period with you in my bed, you held me and caressed me the same way as if we were going to make love."

"You thought that out about me? Loved me before you knew that I also loved you?

You didn't know that I fell in love with you the first time I met you and after we made love I wasn't going anywhere."

"I figured that out and also learned that you are a one woman man."

Dan slipped his arm around Suzie's slim waist and she stepped closer until their hips met for just two or three steps and he moved over enough so they were no longer touching.

"How many more days do we have?" She asked.

"Remember, we aren't supposed to think about or count days."

"I know. But seeing Tomi and remembering Rick makes me sad and worried about every minute we have together.

"She is going to be all right isn't she?" Dan asked again.

"Hai. I believe so, My Love."

TWENTY EIGHT

"I have to think about catching a plane back in-country tomorrow."

The fact that today was Dan's last day of leave and being on Okinawa had not been mentioned since the day he had arrived on the island. Now they had to start facing it, he was going back to Vietnam tomorrow.
"I know" She answered and squeezed his hand tighter. "When?"

"I have until 2400 tomorrow to be anywhere in-country."

"We can have all day today together? And tomorrow?"

"Hai. I'm not going to start looking for a ride until about 1600. I'll start here at MCAF then go to Kadena. If I have to, I'll go to Naha and try for a cargo plane."

"How long will it take to do? Go from base to base?"

"A couple hours more or less. Depends on how many bases I have to hit.

Do you want to go with me?" Dan asked her.

"I can do that?"

"Sure. After I find a ride I'll put you in a base cab and send you home."

"I would like that."

They were quiet for a while each lost in their own thoughts. They were still holding hands and occasionally making eye contact and smiling though their smiles were a bit on the sad side each knowing that this interlude of quiet and love was about to end.. The early morning sun at 0600 was just starting to build up some warmth though even in the direct sunlight they were comfortable sitting on the little back deck of their house in their under wear.

"I think we should go back to bed, or else you should take a nap later. I know that neither of us will sleep much tonight. But you'll be very tired when you leave."

"I'll get enough sleep on the way."

"You can sleep on an airplane?"

"Oh yeah. Always do."

"You don't have the need to take me to bed?"

"I always like our time together in bed. I'm not sure of how much of it is need and how much is wanting to be close and being able to enjoy each others in togetherness.. To me there is a difference."

"Hai. I know. I can tell how gentle and caring your are and that it is not need.

You would not be contributing to our baby fund today. I'm starting my period soon today."

"No aka-chan staying is there?"

"No. Are you disappointed?"

"Not really. Actually I want to be with you from the day you get pregnant until the kid arrives. I don't want to spend 7 or 8 months away from you while we're waiting for him to arrive."

"That is very nice." Suzie said when she slid onto his lap straddling his thighs with her long, bare legs. "I think I want you to take me to bed and spend the morning holding me."

For the last 36 or so hours they had talked almost ceaselessly about their future when they weren't napping in bed or on their back porch laying in the sun enjoying each others company as well as the warm Okinawa sun.

"Where do we go now?" Suzie asked when Dan came out of the MCAF terminal at Futemma with out finding an aircraft going in-country.

"Kadena my Dear. We'll try the Air Force next. I have a feeling that my best chance is going to be the Naha AFB cargo terminal. They have C-130s and 141s leaving for in-country around the clock."

"Around the clock?" Suzie asked. What does that mean?"

"Like all day and all night. A lot of aircraft go from there everyday. But it's the farthest away from Futemma so I left it for last.

The taxi papa-san likes it anyway. He's making a good evening's pay." Dan made eye contact with the driver in the rearview mirror and saw his smile.

"I'll give you a break if we have to go to Naha for you to catch a plane. You're going back to Vietnam tonight?"

"Yeah. I was home on leave for a month."

Suzie slid close to him and put his right arm over her shoulders as she snuggled against him. " Is Phu Bai a safe place to be? I'm scared for you and 6 or 7 months without you is going to be a long time."

"I will get at least one R & R in about 2 months and since most of the Seabees in-country now were never stationed on Okinawa they want to go to places like Taiwan or Hong Kong. I shouldn't have a problem of getting home each time it's offered.

Safety in Vietnam is a question of where we are and what kind of job we are doing. The Seabees like to tell the story that we are safer in-country than we are on the LA freeway."

"The? What is it? The L and A? What is a freeway?"

"The LA is Los Angeles."

"The city in California, neh?"

"Hai. A freeway is a very big road with lots of cars and trucks and goes through cities. Imagine a road four times bigger that Highway One with three times the cars and trucks."

"Honto?"

"Hai."

"That is very scary. But I don't think it is safer in Vietnam. At least nobody shoots at you in LA. Neh?

You will be very careful. Always wear your flak jacket and helmet. Neh."

"Hai, My Love. Remember I want to come home to you as much as you want me to."

There wasn't much small talk when they left Kadena AFB and started south for Naha AFB. They just held on to each other and when Dan looked down into Suzie's face her eyes were closed with a tiny tear running down over her Oriental cheeks smearing her makeup. He gently kissed each eye and licked the tears from her cheeks.

"Doesn't my makeup taste bad?" She asked in a very quiet and soft voice?"

"I didn't notice I just tasted you and felt your warmth."

I love you."

"I know. I love you too. Just come back to me."

"I will."

"In the same shape you are leaving me. Promise." The promise came out as an order.

"I promise. All the same pieces in the same place."

It didn't take Dan long in the Naha AFB cargo terminal. He came out followed by an Air Force buck Sergeant. "I'll pull the pickup over and load your gear and then take you out to the C-141. We have a few minutes. They won't be starting engines for 15 or 20 minutes yet."

"Thanks Sarge."

Dan walked over to where Suzie was standing next to the taxi. "I have a ride to Saigon. It's leaving shortly."

"Hai. I heard. Is Saigon all right so you won't be late or get in trouble?"

"It will be fine. I just have to be in Vietnam before midnight. Doesn't matter how long it takes me to get to Phu Bai and the battalion."

She stepped into his arms. Tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "Be very careful My Love. I love you too much and I'm afraid that I would lose it if anything happened to you."

"I know.

You have to leave. The taxi will take you home or to Reiko's and Steve's if you want or need company."

"I just want to be alone so I can think about us. I have many good memories of us and I will feel better remembering them alone."

Dan handed the taxi Papa-san a twenty dollar bill. Domo arigato, Papa-san. Take my Oku-san home dozo."

"Hai. This is too many doru."

"Iie. Dozo. Domo. Take good care of my oku-san."

"Hai. You be careful."

Dan pulled Suzie against him as the Sergeant and taxi Papa-san transferred his gear from the trunk of the taxi to the bed of the Air Force pickup then waited patiently.

"You must go." Dan said with a husky voice and opened the taxi door gently leading Suzie into the back seat.

She just nodded, unable to speak and her face wet with tears. She mouthed "I love you," through her tears.

When they reached the C-141 the loadmaster was standing by the forward troop door and helped Dan unload his gear from the pickup and carry it up to the cockpit. "I'll put it in here with the crew's gear. We have no other passengers so you can either ride in the cockpit here." He pointed to the seats behind the flight crew. "Or you can stay in the cargo compartment and catch some ZZZ's. It's your call.

Coffee and water is there in those big thermos containers and I'm sure that there is an extra box lunch if you're hungry."

I'm fine, Sarge. If it's OK I'll ride up here for a while then maybe sack out on a couple troop seats later."

"Fine, that's okay. You know the routine, so you've been our guest before?"

"Yeah. A couple times, thanks Sarge."

This is really cool. Dan thought as he watched the crew prepare to depart Naha AFB. He was watching and listening as they got ready for engine start when the navigator reached into a leather flight case which he had slid under his desk. He pulled out a spare headset and handed it to Dan. "Here, you can listen to what's going on. On this panel where the headset is plugged in is the volume, and this is the push-to-talk button on the cord. But you probably won't need it."

"Thank you Sir." Dan said as he slipped the headset on.

The navigator nodded as he swiveled his seat back to face his desk.

"Where are you headed, Seabee?" Came through Dan's headset.

He looked around trying to figure who had spoke to him and when he looked forward he saw that the pilot, a youngish Air Force Captain, was looking around the side of his seat with a smile.

Dan found the push-to-talk button. "Ultimately Phu Bai, Sir."

"Saigon was the best you could do from Naha?"

"Yes Sir. I'm sure I can get a hop up the coast from Tan-Son-Nhut."

"Is time a factor?"

"No Sir, I just have to be in-country before midnight."

"That won't be a problem. We should be on the ground at Tan-Son-Nhut before 2300. We can get your orders stamped there."

"Thanks Sir. I appreciate that."

"This isn't your first tour in-country is it? Nor are you a stranger to Okinawa."

"No, it's my second tour. Before that I was at MCAF Futemma for a three year tour."

"I gathered that you knew your way around. Never had a Seabee trying to catch a hop out of Naha before. One of the crew will help you get a hop to Phu Bai when we get to Tan-Son-Nhut."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Enjoy the ride. I've got to get the engines started." The pilot said as he turned away and picked up a checklist.

Dan tried to wake up as his ears popped for the second or third time. With half opened eyes he turned towards the navigator who had turned to look back at him.

"We're starting our descent into Tan-Son-Nhut. You've been cutting the zzzzs for a couple of hours without moving from the seat. There's still some coffee left if you want some and you have time to finish it before we're on the ground. It will be at least another 20 or 25 minutes before we get on the ground depending on how approach handles us." He smiled and turned back to his desk and radar screen.

"Thanks, Major. I do need a shot of caffeine."

After the aircraft was parked and as the flight crew started to gather up their gear the Aircraft Commander spoke over his seat back as Dan was puling his gear together from the crew's gear locker. "When you get on the ramp wait up Seabee and I'll take you over to C-130 Ops and get you on a northbound. I have no idea when one will be leaving but they go off and on all day and all night long so we won't have any problem getting you at least to Da Nang."

"Okay Captain. Thanks. I'll wait for you on the ramp?"

"Yeah. That will be good. I'll be ready to go as soon as I sign off the flight log."

The A/C spoke to his co-pilot as the two officers came out the forward troop door. "Put my stuff on the bus and I'll meet you in Ops as soon as I get our friend on a C-130."

"Will do."

"This way Dave." The A/C said taking Dan's name off his name tag.

"I appreciate this, Sir. You're making it lot easier for me."

The Captain smiled and shook his head slightly. "I've got a secret. My Dad was a Korean war Seabee. So this is kind of pay back."

"Well thanks. I do like being on the receiving end of this kind of pay back."

"You have girl friend on Okinawa?"

"Yes. Wife-to-be."

"Thought it was something like that. Why else would you go back to Okinawa on leave when you could go almost anywhere in the world that you wanted to. My Mom is from New Zealand. Dad met her on his way to the New Hebrides in 1939 before the Seabees were formed. And yes, she is part Maori.

But you don't really care do you?"

"Well, I am interested, but you're right I don't care. My fiance is Okinawan and some kind of Scandinavian. Has the height and rest of the build with emerald green eyes to prove it." Dan laughed. "Even has red highlights in her hair."

"In this door. There should be several crews getting ready to file their flight plans." The Captain said as he went up the short flight of stairs and opened the door to C-130 Operations.

There were several crews around a long counter and some Air Force enlisted men behind the counter helping them by getting them the weather data and current airport conditions the flight crews needed.

"Hey guys." Dan's guide spoke up. Who's headed north this morning. Phu Bai even Da Nang? I got a Seabee who needs a ride."

"An older Major turned and took a step or two away from the counter. "We'll be leaving on a milk run in about two hours. He's welcome to ride along as far as Da Nang."

"That work for you Dave?"

"Yes sir. That will work just fine.

Thanks for the ride Sir."

"Stan Gilles. And yours?"

"Dan Lee Davis. Thanks again."

"Your welcome. Now I can tell my Dad that I helped out a Seabee and got him to Saigon, then a ride north." The A/C offered his hand to Dan. "Good luck and keep your head down."

"Aye aye, Sir." Dan responded as he shook the Captain's hand.

"Set your gear in that pile over there by the door. We'll be ready to leave in about 5 or 10 as soon as the Nav finishes screwing around trying to mess with these poor Airmen's minds. Had any breakfast?"

"No Sir." Dan responded as he walked towards the pile of gear the Major indicated.

"Okay. You can go with us to the snack bar. They have a decent cup of coffee for Vietnam and the eggs and hash browns are edible. It will be a long day before we get a chance to eat again. We're not a scheduled airline and some stops get long." He said smiling as he turned back to the counter and looked at the papers another Major handed him.

"You want me to sign this? I don't even know what you put on them."

"Just sign the damn thing. If we crash you'll hang anyway no matter what I put on them." The second Major said laughing and turned away from the counter and started for the pile of gear where Dan had deposited his. Dan looked at the wings on his flight suit and realized he was the navigator and obviously older than the pilot.

"Pilots. They're all crazy control freaks." He said almost under his breath breaking into a smile then an open laugh.

"All right, Nav. Where are we going? Da Nang by way of Tahiti?" The pilot started snickering as he too walked towards the pile of gear. "You do realize that someday one of these Ops types are going to take you seriously and call the APs and put you in the looney bin?"

"Major, Sir, we are looney, otherwise we would not be in Indochina flying over people who would like nothing better than to kill us."

"You're right. I know you're right and by the time we get to Da Nang this Seabee will not only agree with you but could be a looney as we are.

What do real people call you Davis? To ride on my aircraft you have to be on a first name basis with the whole crew. I'm Tom, this ill tempered navigator is Joseph, no connection to anybody biblical, and our co-pilot is Little Joe. Really another Joseph but doesn't pretend to have any biblical connections and the 'Little' comes because he hasn't finished growing yet."

"Yeah sure, Sir. Tom. It's Dan to most people." Dan turned and looked up at the co-pilot who he figured was even younger than he was.

Knowing the obvious question the co-pilot smiled and answered Dan's unspoken question with a good humored smile. "6'-2 & 1/2 inches."

Dan followed the crew to the aircraft who had split his gear amongst them so he as just carrying his AWOL bag. When they reached the forward troop door the navigator motioned for him the go ahead and the pointed to the left and said, "Up the stairs. You can put your gear in the stowage at the top on the left. Sit in either of those seats", he told him pointing at the crew seats against the aft cockpit bulkhead. "Watch your knees when I swivel my seat forward. It has armor plating on the sides and back which will nail your knees if you get in the way."

"Yeah, I know, been there. Didn't get nailed, but came close."

"You've ridden in a 130's cockpit before then?"

"One time, Nav. Between Da Nang and Chu Lai last spring."

Their first stop out of Tan-Son-Nhut was Phan Rang where several pallets were unloaded and a couple pallets picked up as well as a group of 6 Green Berets who were headed for Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands, the 130's next stop.

From his seat in the cockpit Dan could see the rapidly changing landscape from the coastal plain then into the mountains and a repeat of the bomb craters and bright green areas which were interrupted by napalm burned patches of black. Going into Ban Me Thuot was a bit different than what Dan thought was a normal approach for a 130. Looking out the windshield Dan could see the end of the runway approaching rapidly. About half way down final the navigator swiveled his seat to look at Dan. "Charlie has been sniping at any and all aircraft on approach so we take advantage of the Herkie's flight characteristic. Steep and fast. Enjoy it . You get used to it." With a smile he swiveled back to watch the approach.

The Green Berets left them along with several smaller green painted wooden boxes each quite a bit larger than the average footlocker, and a pallet loaded with cases of C-Rations.

When the co-pilot who was flying the 130 settled onto a steady course, the nav picked a map off his desk and turned to Dan. "We are following a kind of zig zag route northward. You can see we went out to the coast to Phan Rang then into the Highlands . now we have left Ban Me Thuot and are headed for Qui Nhon on the coast. Not quite a guided tourist tour."

"It's all right though Nav. I haven't seen this much of the country even by air. Went down south from Da Nang to Saigon in a 124. Kind of a straight run. Not near as interesting as this tour."

"Glad you're enjoying it. It will get more interesting coming out of Qui Nhon. We're picking up two Long Tom artillery barrels to take to Da Nang." He was interrupted by the A/C on the intercom.

"What is our ETA into Qui Nhon, Joseph? Any chance that we'll have time to hit the snack bar?"

"Why? Is Little Joe hungry again? Hell we just ate less than four hours ago."

"Actually 3 hours and 40 minutes ago." Quipped the co-pilot.

"Art, how about coming up front? I want to pick your brain about those Long Tom barrels we're going to pickup in Qui Nhon and haul to Da Nang. I want to know if I should increase my life insurance since I've never hauled any before."

"Be right up, Tom." The loadmaster answered.

"Whatcha doing back there, Art? Reading dirty books?" The flight engineer asked the loadmaster.

"Actually, no. You stole all of mine so I haven't anything to read until I get some more in the mail from stateside."

Dan heard several snickers on the intercom followed by a couple mike clicks.

"A couple of other loadmasters who have hauled the Long Toms say the best configuration is to alternate the breech ends and put the forward most breech end aft a bit more than the aft one. Try to get the aft one as far forward as possible. And be ready to adjust elevator trim as soon as you rotate."

"In other words fly it by the seat of my pants until we level out at altitude."

"That seems like the best solution, Tom."

"Okay. We'll find out how right your cohorts are, Art."

There was a bit of a hassle to get the Long Tom barrels loaded. Dan stood with the pilot and navigator watching the loadmaster and crew chief sweating with the ground crew making sure the extra extremely long artillery barrels were lined up and insert into the C-130's cargo deck correctly.

"I think this is the best we can do Sir. The loadmaster, a twenty something Staff Sergeant standing on the open ramp told the pilot. He had sweat running down both sides of his face and the underarms of his gray flight suit was dark with sweat stain.

"Looks good to me, Art. What do you think Joseph?

"I think that I'll wait for the next train, Tom. Maybe they should strap those things down? You know, so they won't fall out the back when we take off or come up into the cockpit when we land?"

The pilot turned and looked at the navigator. Shook his head and retorted. "They would have tied them down, that is the correct term for it, if you hadn't hocked all the tie downs to buy Tiger piss from the girls in Da Nang."

"I'm sorry Tom. Next time I'll buy Budweiser and share it with you. Then you won't have anything to complain about." With that the navigator turned on his heel and headed across the ramp to where the copilot was coming towards them carrying what appeared to be bags from the flightline snack bar.

"Here goes nothing." Came over the intercom when the 130 started its' take off roll. Both pilots and the flight engineer seemed to be busy and concentrating as the airspeed built and the far end of the short runway seemed to be rushing at them.

"Rotation." Came over the intercom and Dan saw and felt the nose come up. "I'm feeling the need of a bit more nose up trim to ease the yokes forces." The A/C declared in his quiet voice. "That's better. It seems our loadmaster was right again."

"That wasn't so bad Tom. I knew you could do it." Quipped Joseph. "I guess the Seabee and I won't need these parachutes after all."

"Yeah, thankfully we don't have another stop to make before Da Nang.. We'll see if I can repeat the performance into Da Nang without trying to land on the nose gear or burning out the brakes. One advantage we'll have the runway is a lot longer so we won't have to make as steep an approach as we did into Ban-Me-Thuot. Nor stop as quick."

"Do you know where to go here in Da Nang?" Joseph the navigator asked Dan.

"Thanks, Nav. I've been here several times I can go over to Ops and see what I can do for a ride to Phu Bai. There should be plenty of short flights headed north from here."

"I would suspect so."

"Take care and keep your head down Seabee." Came through the intercom just before Dan removed the headset to return it to them navigator.

Dan walked across the tarmac, to a building with a sign reading Flight Operations hanging from a porch railing, carrying his duffel bag with most of his uniforms and civilian clothes, his 782 gear which had not only the required blanket and poncho in it , but also four C-ration meals he had brought along to offset any chance of getting stuck somewhere as he had in the attack on Da Nang when he was trying to get out of country on leave. He was wearing his flak jacket only because it was easier to wear than carry hot as it was to wear.

I will be very glad to get rid of this gear. Never realized what a pain In the butt it was to carry around. He thought as he dropped it all in a pile in a corner of the porch before entering the air conditioned Ops building.

"Need some help Seabee?" An Air Force Staff Sergeant asked from behind the counter.

"Actually. I need a ride to Phu Bai."

"You're in luck, got a C-7 Caribou leaving shortly which only has four or five passengers and a couple of bags of mail aboard. Got a copy of your orders? That will do." He acknowledged as he wrote Dan's name, rank, serial number, unit and destination on the aircraft's manifest. "They'll be loading shortly. Park it if you want and I'll let you know when they're ready to load". The Staff indicated the row of chairs set against the far wall.

That thing flies, huh? Looks like they forgot parts of its rear end. Was Dan's first thought when he followed an Air Force Sergeant onto the tarmac.

The dark olive drab aircraft had a new paint job and the aircraft numbers and US AIR FORCE designates were also obviously new.

"They used to belong to the Army, but we just got them" A very young Air Force Sergeant, who turned out to be the crew chief/loadmaster, explained.

"Put your gear here & I'll throw a tie down over it." The Sergeant told him when he put down Dan's duffle bag which he had carried onto the aircraft. "We won't be leaving for a few more minutes . You can sit anywhere you want but fasten your seat belt before we start taxing for the active. OK?"

Dan acknowledged the OK with a nod and stepped out the way of the aft loading ramp but continued to stand where he could catch a small amount of the light breeze that was blowing across the hot asphalt parking area.

"We leave the ramp open in flight. This thing hasn't any air conditioning so we use what airflow we can get in flight." An Air Force Lieutenant in a grey flight suit said as he passed by Dan after coming from the cockpit and stepped off the ramp. "You ready to do our walk around. Bobby?" The officer asked the crew chief who had been standing by the ramp rolling up a black ground wire which he had plugged into a comm outlet on the forward starboard side of the aircraft.

"Yes Sir. I already pulled the down locks."

"Yeah I saw them on the ramp. Anything wrong with this critter that isn't in the forms?"

"Not that you don't all ready know about, Sir."

"In other words, if there is, we'll discover them together." He said with a smile and motioned for the crew chief to follow him and started around the right side of the C-7.

Dan heard a bit more of their conversation as they walked away.

"What is this, our fourth or fifth trip together Bob?'

Actually this week, Sir? Our sixth. When do we get a day off?"

"Never, my boy, never. Unless I break your nice shiny, old ex-Army airplane."

"You wouldn't do that Sir. At least not here in Da Nang."

"Pick the spot where you want to take a day or so off and it's yours, Chief."

Dan couldn't help but smile at the rapport passing between the young officer and lowly very young Sergeant. They are obviously friends and spend a lot of time together and respect each other.

The two men came back to the ramp in just a few minutes. The pilot stepped up onto the ramp and the pilot headed for the stairs going up to the cockpit. As he passed Dan he stopped long enough to tell him that he could seat here back by the ramp and it would be cooler since the ramp would be open for the whole flight.

"Where's the other passengers, Bob?

"There's six, Sir. They're waiting on the side of the tarmac by the Ops building."

"Round 'em up and herd them aboard so we can start engines." The Aircraft Commander hollered down from the top of the cockpit stairs before he turned and slid into the left cockpit seat. Dan saw him turn as he was putting on his headset and say something to the copilot, who appeared to be the same age and rank as the A/C.

Dan couldn't help but notice the first man to step up on to the partially raised ramp. Undoubtedly an Army First Lieutenant in green tropical fatigues. He was wearing a camouflaged hat that was commonly called an air commando hat. Pattered after the English and Australian broad brimmed hat with one side of the brim snapped up on the side of the hat's crown. Not exactly regulation Army so far as Dan knew. The unpainted, unpolished brass insignia that he wore, except for his rank bars, was unidentifiable to Dan and didn't give a clue to what the Lieutenant's job was. His nylon jungle boots were blackened with little if any shine though his pants were bloused with some type of blousing device on the top of his boots. He wore a pair of thick lensed Granny glasses and carried in his left hand a rolled up black umbrella he used as a cane and was more at home in London or San Francisco than in Da Nang, RVN. In his right he carried a olive drab nylon AWOL type bag just large enough to hold a shaving kit and change of underwear.

Dan couldn't help but snicker to himself at the man's body language and manner of dress. Arrogant bastard. Wonder if he'll tell the pilot that he wants to ride in the cockpit instead of in the cargo compartment on uncomfortable troop seats like us common folk.

The Army Lieutenant did select a seat far removed from the other six. He went all the way forward and sat in the last troop seat just below the stairs going up into the cockpit. Before he sat down he took a red painted can which was hanging several seats aft of were he was headed and carried it with him. It was a standard aircraft ashtray. Usually a Coke or beer can painted red with a bent piece of tin soldered onto it's side so it could be hung from the aluminum tubing that supported the troop seat backs.

The C-7 had hardly level off at an altitude lower than Dan had ever flown in Vietnam when the Lieutenant reached into an upper pocket of his fatigues blouse and pulled out what appeared to be a gold cigarette case. He took out a cigarette much longer than the common American cigarette and proceeded to place it in a white cigarette holder about 4" long before lighting it with a huge gold lighter.

At the same time the crew chief who had been standing by the aircraft's ramp watching Vietnam slide by under the C-7's belly turned and scanned his passengers. When he saw the smoke drifting up from the freshly lit cigarette his eyebrows went up and he made his way towards the cockpit stairs talking on his headset. Dan saw the A/C turn in his seat, look down on the hippy looking officer then made eye contact with his crew chief as he shrugged and smiling said something into his mike. The crew chief made eye contact with Dan and nodded positively as well as mouthing, 'go ahead'.

Dan unhooked his seat harness and stood. He took the opportunity to see what other strange persons might be amongst the other six But they were actually quite average at least for the American military in RVN. Three were Army and they all looked like draftees and were right out of basic training. They were all in brand new tropical fatigues which had never been washed and had creases reminiscent of having just come off the shelf of supply. Their jungle boots were all un-scuffed and unpolished with not a trace of red Vietnam laterite on them. Dan doubted that any of the three had to shave more than twice a week to conform to Army standards. Of the remaining three, two were Marines. Dressed in freshly washed red stained camouflage jungle fatigues wearing jungle boots which were more red than their original green with black leather. Though neither carried a weapon, Dan was sure they were from an active unit in the bush up north and were headed back to their unit after being in Da Nang for some Marine Corp reason. Maybe returning from R & R. They both made easy eye contact with him and smiled easily. Each recognizing him as a salty Seabee one who had been there. The sixth was a middle aged white man in civilian clothes. Average height 5'8" or so, and a bit over weight with a thickening around his waist. He had a full dark brown mustache that was streaked with a little gray as were his side burns. Dan couldn't see the rest of his hair since he wore a cream colored straw cowboy hat that was the worst for wear. Red streaks and dark brown smudges along the crown. He wore well worn jungle boots, khaki pants and shirt with epaulets almost like a uniform. On an also well worn wide brown leather belt and holster he carried a Smith and Wesson 357 magnum with a 4" barrel that Dan recognized as a model 28 Highway Patrolman.. A strictly self defense weapon in Vietnam.

Flying military? A contractor or CIA? Nice smile and really blue Santa Claus eyes. Dan observed further when he made eye contact with the man. A cold blooded CIA hit man? No, his hands are rough and callused. A working man. Contractor no doubt, but carrying a weapon?

Dan heard the power come off the engines and felt his stomach drop when the copilot, who was now flying the C-7, pushed the aircraft's nose down and started to rapidly lose altitude. Before the crew chief could say anything Dan dropped into the nearest troop seat and pulled the harness over his shoulders and across his waist.

TWENTY-NINE

He didn't have to wait long. He sat on his duffle bag in the shade of the operations building at the Phu Bai airfield watching Marine Corp Huey's setting down on a nearby LZ before air taxing over to the fuel pits where they were being refueled 'HOT'. Engines running, both pilots in their seats with their helmet shields pulled down. Nomax flight gloves pulled up over the tight fitting cuffs of their nomax flight suits which were zipped up tight around their necks and down over the tops of their flight boots. As near as Dan could bother to figure each Huey was on the ground and back in the air in less than 10 minutes. He heard the Seabee green flatbed stake truck pull up next to where he was sitting before turning his attention away from the steady stream of incoming and outgoing Hueys.

The third class driver stepped out on the truck's running board before speaking. "You Davis? Going to Gia Le?" The driver was tall and lean. He was in need of a haircut by Seabee standards and his greens look like they had been worn for several days. His Marine Corp hat had the Marine Corp symbol almost, but not really marked out very well with a black marker, but unlike Dan's and most Seabees where all you could distinguish was a black triangular shape on the front of the hat.

"Yeah. That's me. Here I expected a long wait so I could watch the Marines."

"I was coming back from the LCU ramp in Hue so I was only a few away.

"You're Davis. I'm Jack Berg. Duty driver for a few days. Come on. I'll help you load your gear then take you to "A" company then to a hooch. It's a few miles up the road from here so relax and enjoy the scenery. Been pretty quiet around. No VC.

You came from Chu Lai didn't you? You guys got hit while we were still in Port Hueneme. Also lost some people on Highway One didn't you?

"Yes. Yes, and yes." Dan answered in quick order. Not wanting the discussion to go there nor to think about Brad Burgess.

The rest of the trip was made in basic quiet. Neither man seemed to want to talk. Dan was looking over the area and soon could see a group of hooches and hardback tents sitting on top of the hill they were headed towards. Just as the gate through the multilayer concertina fence was reached the red dirt road made an abrupt turn to the left and continued on.

"This is the Marine's Gia Le Combat Base. It's the Third Marine Divisions Third Tank Battalion and a detachment of the Third Marine Division Shore Party. We've done some work with them. Pretty nice guys.

"Yeah. I worked with them on Okinawa before they got shipped here. Borrowed equipment from them also."

"There are Seabees on Okinawa?" Berg asked.

"Dan thought that he was putting him on until he looked at his face and Berg turned and made eye contact with him. It dawned on Dan what was going on.

"You're an 'IPO' aren't you? How long have you been in the Bees?

(An 'IPO' {Instant Petty Officer} was the Seabee enlisted men's characterization for The Direct Procurement Petty Officer Program,a program in the late 60's to build up the forces which was much like the WWII procurement of the first Seabees.)

"Yeah, I am. Came in in January of this year. Just in time for military training with the rest of the battalion including a delightful tour of Camp Pendleton and in particular the San Onofre Quonset hut village. Rained every damn day we were there. Took me a week to get all my gear clean and dry after we got back to Port Hueneme."

The red laterite road twisted and turned a couple more times before another group of hooches and sandbag bunkers surrounded by concertina wire came into sight.

"Welcome to Camp Wilson. Named after a KIA like most Seabee bases. So I have been told.

We built this place up from scratch. When we got here in May it was just a barren hill like the the rest of this hill. Nothing grows here except for some bushes and bunch grass type stuff."

It took less than an hour for Dan to get checked into the battalion administration at least to the point where he could go check-in with Alpha Company and get assigned a platoon and squad which would also get him a permanent place to lay his head most nights and also set him up to draw a weapon first thing tomorrow morning.

Returning to the company office before quarters at 0700 on Wednesday 8/2/67 he met with the company clerk again and also the company chief who was the complete opposite of Master Chief Ellsworth. Senior Chief Evan Black was medium height, slim, to the point of being skinny, with a lean narrow face and receding hairline of thinning grayish hair. His haircut was definitely not a Marine Corp white sidewall haircut.

"I know that you're a grader operator and Cat skinner, Davis, but right now we are in need of a good crane operator. According to your record and evaluations as well as the words of petty officers who know you, you have handled nukes and missiles as well as using a drag and clam attachments. So if you'll bear with us I'm going to put you in the heavy shop as a mobile crane operator. We have a Lorain 20 ton which is on the go all the time and at times we need two operators for it." Chief Black smiled as he got up from his chair behind his desk and came around to sit on a front corner of the desk. "It won't be so bad, Dan. We have a rock crusher out in the boonies up towards the A Shau Valley, and a detachment out on Col Co road which is at the mouth of the Perfume River. You'll be going to both places off and on. So don't look so disappointed. You won't be stuck inside the wire all the time. Oh yeah, we are also expanding an LCU ramp on the river not far from downtown Hue and the Imperial City. I think some clam shell work is scheduled to begin in about ten days and will take about 15 to 20 days."

With a smile Dan relaxed and accepted the offered cup of coffee. "I guess it isn't as bad as it sounded at first, Chief. The idea of being cooped up inside the wire all the time sounded very boring"

"Like I said, I doubt if you'll be in one place for very long or very often.

See Chief Connery in the heavy shop and he'll get you set up and also have one of the operators show you around the area. I know tomorrow or the next day the crane will be going out to the rock crusher for a couple of days. Connery will probably send you with it.

Dan walked across the Alpha Company compound from the company office heading for the hooch that held the heavy equipment dispatch. He was passing the transportation dispatch office on his right and when the office door flew open.

"Dan! Hey Davis!"

Turning towards the deep, loud and friendly voice that held just a tiny bit of Southern accent Dan confronted the biggest and blackest Seabee he ever knew. "Sandy? What in hell are you doing here?"

The two Seabees rushed towards each other and Dan felt his huge friend embrace him in a grizzly bearlike hug. His feet came off the ground and he felt as if he was three feet off the ground.

Setting Dan back on his feet Sandy stepped back with a huge smile his one gold front tooth shining in the Vietnamese sunshine. The huge six foot and 250 pound black Seabee stuck out his huge hand and gently crushed Dan's right hand in an almost civilized handshake. "You are a sight for sore eyes my little friend. I heard that you were in-country for your second tour but didn't expect to see you. Damn, it is good to see you!"

"You retired." Dan stated as a fact. "You're here with another chevron and another hashmark on your sleeve?"

"Yeah you're right on both counts. I shipped over after almost two years working for Frank at CBBU Transportation in Port Hueneme and they gave me another pay grade. With the IPO program I guess we're hard up for good Seabees." Sandy said with a huge smile before going on. "My wife and I couldn't stand to be together so much, so it was either get a divorce or ship over."

"That's terrible, Sandy. When I saw you a couple years ago you sounded happy and content to be a civilian."

"I'm afraid by then it was a façade. I couldn't wait to go to work every day because nights and weekends were hell. I finally got a job pumping gas evenings and weekends. Not that we needed the money but it kept me out of the house. With no kids and you know that I'm not a beer drinker or that I hangout in bars. Even on Adak I didn't do that.

I even went to church with my wife, but that didn't help us any."

"I'm glad to see you and be in the same company again with you Sandy, but I'm sorry you couldn't have retired peacefully."

"Thanks and it's okay Dan. I do like the Bees and I've got a great gig going as transportation dispatcher. How about coming to work with me? Not for me, with me. I need a good assistant and I think that I can get Chief Black to buy into two second class drivers running dispatch."

Dan hesitated before answering and actually weighed the pros and cons of Sandy's idea. "I don't think so. You know that I prefer working and playing in the dirt rather than sitting in an office."

"I remember us sharing a TD-24 on Adak. Then you wanted to work twenty hours a day Dan. I hope you don't do that any more."

"Come on. You remember how Adak was. Twenty two and one half hours of daylight and nothing to do on your time off except read or contribute to tomorrow's hangover."

"Yeah. I know, but keep it in mind. Sometimes I have a trip that requires more than a truck driver. Okay if I ask for you to do those trips for me?"

"Sure, I'd be glad to.

How about I meet you here for chow tonight?"

1700 or so. I never go before then."

"Gotcha, 1700 it is."

With a wave Dan turned from his friend and started towards the heavy equipment shop.

"Hey, Dan, Betty T. was looking for you just before I left Port Hueneme. You know the blonde with the great body and welcoming smile?"

Dan stopped and turned back to face Sandy. He was a little unsure of himself and wondered what would come out next. "Yeah, I remember Betty with the nice boobs and pearly white teeth.

How do you know she was looking for me?"

"I was a civilian remember. She handled civilian paperwork. So when I resigned I had to see her. She remembered me from you and I being together on Adak."

"If you see her again you can very nicely tell her that I'm spoken for."

"Who?" Sandy asked him.

I'll tell you about her tonight, all right?"

"Sure, but I always thought she had the hots for you and you for her. Was I wrong?" He asked with a smile.

"Shut up until later."

"Whatever you say my little friend." He said followed by a deep, characteristic Sander's laugh.

As he walked away Dan couldn't but help to think about Sandy and some of the other Seabees he had known since 1962 and kept running into throughout Vietnam and the rest of Asia. The Seabee world is a small world. At least until they started to bring in the IPOs (Instant Petty Officers) the regular Seabees called them. I remember Chief Black from about '63 at CBBU and who knows how many others I've run into. Chief Connery could very well be a first class Jerry Connery who ran the rock crusher on Adak.

Dan stepped into the dim interior of the heavy equipment hooch and had to hesitate for several seconds to let his eyes adjust even after taking off his sunglasses.

"You Davis, the new EO?" Came from behind the drab green steel military issue desk to the left of the entrance.

"Yeah. He is." Came from deep in the hooch's dark shadows.

"Welcome to the House of Chaos, Dan."

"Gees. Not fussy who the give a crow to are they?"

"Well your still one set up on me, Dan."

Dan and EON3 Richie Frasier stepped to each other and with a 'long time no see' hand shake and pats on the shoulders started catching up on the happenings in each other's lives.

They were physically similar except Richie was a couple inches shorter than Dan with a lighter frame and several years younger. His short Marine Corp haircut almost concealed that it was very light, almost blond and his hazel eyes were full of humor.

"When did you leave Futemma Richie? I expected you to take a discharge and go home."

"Well, I really considered it. After you left for Port Hueneme I took my orders to CONUS thirty days early and used up some of the leave I had on the books. I went back to Iowa."

Dan finished what his buddy was going to say. "Took one look at the endless rolling landscape and corn fields and said to yourself,' Bullshit, it's too boring for me.'.

I'm right aren't I?" Dan asked.

"How did you guess?"

"It was easy. I know you and told you that you were a lifer a long time ago. You were enjoying yourself too much running equipment, exploring new territory and chasing nesans around the bars."

"Speaking of which, I heard the scuttlebutt that you were back with Suzie. True?"

With a soft and pleasant laugh Dan answered. "Yeah, it's true. Found her again when I was R & R in April. And again in May and just spent a month delay en-route with her."

"I would say it's a serious relationship. Isn't it?"

"I guess. We have a house in Ginowan and we're getting married shortly."

"That's great, congratulations. She is one gorgeous woman." Richie said sincerely before he laughed quietly.

"What's so funny?" Dan had a good Idea where his friend was coming from and where he was going. He had heard all the good natured kidding before. "You're never going to let up on me are you?"

"Probably not. I arrived at Futemma just a little bit after you did. A naïve nineteen year old from the Heartland of America. The first night we went out drinking you were seeing a cute, barely 5 foot tall Okinawan and said that you just loved these small Okinawan women and had waited all your life to meet one."

"Yeah? So?"

"What do you mean? So? Less than a month later you're going to Naha, or rather Noumanoui, three or four times a week. Then you have a house in Futemma and every Seabee and Marine on MCAF Futemma flocks to the Rendezvous Bar to see your new girl friend.

Image our shock when we saw you with this gorgeous, amber headed Eurasian. All 5' 8" of her. In a sexy Chinese cheongsam no less and who is all over you on the dance floor.

Who by the way after you transferred back to Port Hueneme, would not give any GI, or other male of any make or model, the time of day. You did realize that the minute you left it would become 'hit on Suzie time'? God, I don't think that you did."

"I didn't. I couldn't. We agreed to forget each other. A Eurasian bar girl and American GI were just setting themselves up for disappointments."

With a huge smile Richie declared, "Obviously it didn't work. Did it?

Well I for one am glad that it didn't."

With a smile Dan finished what Richie was trying to say. "I have a Marine friend in Futemma who told me stories similar to yours of what happened after I left. Stuff that Suzie didn't seem to think was important enough to tell me like how all the local males, including a lot of so called friends, hit on her the minute my bird left the ground. Though they got nowhere with her."

Dan changed the subject smiling happily.

"I don't know when or where yet, but would you consider standing up for me?"

"Absolutely. No matter where I am in the world, I'll get there. Just name the day, time and where in the world it is.

I heard about Brad and realize that you would have asked him. I'm glad to be your second choice.

How is Tomi? She doing all right?"

"Actually not bad at all. She's pregnant with Brad's baby and quite happy about it even though it is making life tougher on her."

Both Seabees turned to the sound of the hooch's front door closing. Dan smiled to Richie before speaking in a voice loud enough for the new arrival to hear. "I thought it was bad when I saw the crow on you, but a chief. That is really pushing the envelope of reality."

"Can't say as I see much difference between you two." It was said with a bit of still hanging around Irish brogue. The 5'10" 180 pound chief came closer and stuck out his a work hardened hand to Dan.

He looks more like Santa Claus as he gets older and develops more crow's feet around those bright blue eyes. He really will if his hair turns from black to white and grows a beard. I can see some gray there all ready even as short as it is.

"Glad to see you Dan. You ready to go to work? I need a good crane operator who can travel around and do all kinds of different lifts for us."

"Damn, Jerry. I just got here. I haven't even drawn a weapon yet. I hope you're going to give me a guide until I find my way around. I'm not sure I like the idea of running around Vietnam by my lonesome when I don't know where I'm going."

"I have to agree with you on that one. We can't afford to lose a mobile crane because the operator gets lost and becomes VC bait."

"Gee, thanks Chief Connery. I'll remember that when I'm hiding from the VC in a roadside ditch somewhere wondering where in hell I am and how I got there."

"You're quite welcome Petty Officer Davis. I'll let you have Petty Officer Frasier here if he thinks that he can put up with you for a week. After all I heard about you abusing him on MCAF Futemma for a couple years. He maybe reluctant to work for you again. To do your dirty work under the pretext of training, even as a temporary guide."

"Only a week? And it was training. He is now one of a hell of a cat skinner and general Seabee operator."

"I do have to give you that, but I thought it was because he's so smart and willing.

Oh, don't worry, you'll be all over the place in the next week. We've put off some crane obligations just for you."

"I don't believe that. I'm sure that you have plenty of good operators."

"I have things to do. You guys get out of here and Dan, finish checking in and draw an M16.

Stop by my hooch later. I have some spare M16 magazines for you. You may need them in some of the places you'll be going to.

Quarters at 0700 tomorrow."

"Gotcha Chief, thanks." Dan said as he and Richie headed for the door."

"Dan. It's still Jerry." The Chief said quietly with a smile. "You'll know when."

THIRTY

It was barely 0800 when Dan and Richie started to checkout the 20 ton mobile crane that they would take to the rock crusher. It was about a 90 minute trip west towards the A Shau valley on a narrow, but Seabee improved road which eventually would be used to haul the crushed rock to the various jobs where it would be needed.

"I'll drive this trip if you want" Richie volunteered."

"It will probably be easier than you hollering directions at me from the crane cab." Dan responded while tossing their AWOL bags into the crane's cab.

"This is the same model as the Army's got at Naha Port and White Beach so I know you've run them before. There are a couple places where you'll have to swing the boom around and under wires and trees on the way. There is one set of wires just after we turn onto Highway One going towards Phu Bai. We keep asking them to raise them but so far it hasn't happen. I'm all for letting the boom take them out. There is a way of wiggling around them if there isn't too much traffic. I've done it when I've been alone and just prayed that some Vietnamese kamikaze driver didn't T-Bone the crane." Richie went on while passing Dan's M16 and cartridge bandolier up to him. "The gun rack is a little inconvenient but beats having your weapon swinging around behind your head if you hang it by the sling."

"I'm ready Richie. Are you?" Dan asked settling himself in the crane operator's seat and checking that all the brake locks were set on the cable drums.

Dan watched the changing traffic. On the road from the cantonment to the intersection with Highway One north towards Phu Bai was mostly a scattering of farmers on small motorcycles and bicycles mixed with an occasional truck load of rock or gravel. Highway One became much like he had seen in other places in Vietnam. Fast moving motorcycles and small, usually older, Japanese made cars, whose drivers didn't or couldn't read a speedometer.

These guys are definitely a problem. If they wanted to do you any harm they'd be on you before you could even react much less get a weapon out of the rack. Can't see as a motorcycle or bike themselves can to do much harm to this crane unless they're loaded with explosives.

They were just getting into the outskirts of Phu Bai and the traffic density was picking up when Richie flipped on the left turn directionals, slowed down and was getting ready to make a turn. As far as Dan could see, or not see, into a none existent road.

Dan marked the supposed turn with a small Vietnamese store on the east side of the road and a bicycle repair shop on the west side of Highway One.

The way seemed clear when Richie started his turn almost as if he was going to pull into the bicycle repair shop. That was when Dan saw the narrow but recently Seabee repaired gravel road going west off of Highway One. The crane boom had passed over the intersection when a small three wheel truck loaded with gravel in its small bed coming south on the highway turned in front of the crane. It went under the extended boom and in front of the truck's huge steel front bumper. Richie slammed on the brakes and the crane dipped forward as the wheels locked up and the tires slide in the loose gravel. Dan could barely see the top of the little truck's cab as the crane dipped forward and knew from experience that Richie would be unable to see any part of the three wheel truck.

A dirty gray streak coming around the front of the crane's front end skidding and slidding on the edge of the road embankment caught Dan's attention. Partially obscured by the cloud of red dust it was creating and the gray dust from its load of gravel that was spilling out onto the embankment gave the truck the bizarre look of a scene from a "B" movie with cheap thrill crash scenes.

Without looking back the driver of the three wheel truck stepped on the gas, as he fishtailed back onto the traveled part of the road with the reddish dust still rolling from the truck's rear tires as he sped away south on Highway One.

Richie started the crane moving again to finish the turn onto the side road before pulling as far to the right as possible and coming to a complete stop. Dan heard the air brakes hiss when Richie locked the parking brakes up before jumping down from the driver's cab.

Dan swung down from the crane's cab then walked around the front of the crane to join Richie were he was leaning with his back against the front bumper.

"That has got to be the stupidest move I have ever seen. I thought that he was as good as dead, Dan."

"Yeah I know. I could see him most of the time except for maybe one or two seconds when he went down in the ditch. I knew that he was gone from your view then.

Now the result and point is that you were quick enough to stop before you ran over him and his stupid truck."

"I'm still shaking. If I ever hit him he would never have stood a chance."

"Probably more than us right now standing here on the side of the road without a weapon between us after almost running over one of their upstanding citizens.

Let's head down the road. You okay or do you want me to drive?"

"I'm fine. The shakes are leaving and we have company coming around the corner."

"All right. Take your time and kind of stroll back and climb up in the cab. I'll be in the crane and armed in just a second and will be able to see them if they are going to be hostile."

Dan jogged back and with a quick step up swung up into the crane . Just as Richie opened the cab door, Dan slide open the side window of the crane's cab and made sure that the approaching Vietnamese saw not only him, but the M16 that he held and was pulling back the slide to put a round in the chamber.

The Vietnamese leading four others was unusually heavy set and muscular. Still only about 5'3" tall in his bare feet and Ho Chi Minh sandals. He kept talking all the time as he grew closer and his body language raised a red flag in Dan's mind. He is definitely a trouble maker. Most likely VC. Where did he come from?

Richie closed the cab door then was moving around.

"Can you get your weapon?"

"I have it on my lap."

"Okay. Raise it up and set it pointing out the window opening. They're coming closer to your side of the crane. See them in your mirrors?"

"Yeah, I do."

"All right stay cool and watch them. They might just be concerned citizens, I'm going to swing across the boom and sit on the truck's cab. As soon as I get there get ready to drive up the road."

He slipped two more of the rifle's magazines in a hip pocket just before climbing out of the crane.

"I'm here." Dan was now in view of all the Vietnamese and he could meet all of their eyes from his seat high up on the cab's roof. The apparent leader met his eyes and spoke in passible English with the usual Vietnamese smile.

"Is everything all right? We saw the truck try to run you off the road and wanted to be sure you are OK."

Whether he was being concerned as he intimated or was weighing the odds of them taking on the well armed Seabees Dan could not tell. They all looked concerned, even the burly leader whose work hardened hands Dan could see clearly and he could see no weapons or anything large enough to be an explosive device of any kind,

"The driver is not good. Always causing trouble. He killed his own buffalo and got many dollars when he told the American Army that they blew it up. But he did it with a mine he found or bought out in the country."

Dan felt the slight movement of the crane and heard the change in the engine as Richie engaged the clutch and put the transmission in gear.

"Thank you Papa-san. We are all right and will go on." Dan told the self appointed leader of the Vietnamese.

"Let's go Richie. Onward to the Valley of Darkness." Dan waved his arm in a old John Wayne calvary movie motion laughing as he swung up onto and over the boom to reenter the crane's cab.

"What in hell is with the 'Valley of Darkness' malarkey?" Richie hollered over the noise of the engine's RPM winding up as he shifted through the gears.

"I just made it up. Cool don't you think?"

Richie stole a look upwards through the boom struts with a look of 'are you nuts' before answering. "If you say so. Okay if I don't know what in hell you're talking about?'

"Join the club. I don't know either." Dan hollered back with a grin.

Richie was concentrating on his driving but a smile crept across his face and he shook his head in the negative.

Dan was watching both sides of the road and letting Richie watch the road looking for any hazards or disturbances in the road's surface when he felt and heard a drop in the engine's RPMs. They slowed down which made Dan look forward and saw not only a curve in the narrow road, but a low hanging tree which was draped with several comm wires. The wires could be military comm wire or civilian appropriated wire hung in the trees by the local villagers for their primitive telephone service.

"This is one of those situations I told you about. Scares the shit out of me just sure it is Charlie's doing and could be an ambush. They are aware that we travel this road.

Gets really scary driving it alone. I've always trailed the boom for the next quarter mile or so which means stopping, getting up into the crane. Hell, you know. Then repeat the process after I got clear of this mess."

"Looks to me like that's the best way to do it, Richie." Dan said as he started the crane's engine and without hesitation swung the boom down and under the low hanging tree branches and wires. With the boom safely down and in the trail position Richie started slowly forward. In about a hundred yards they dropped down a small hill and broke out into the start of a long valley. There were rice paddies of each side of the road giving ample room to swing the boom back to the front and into its cradle next to the truck's cab.

"Keep going slow, I'll swing it back." Dan hollered and in a few seconds was dropping the boom back into its cradle.

The primitive road showed signs of having been graded and widened recently. as they came to a fork in the road at the end of the paddies. Richie allowed the crane to slow down as he hollered, "The crusher is up on the hill about a half mile on the left fork. See the dust cloud?"

"Yeah, I can hear it."

"They must be trying it out. I know it isn't quite ready for full time operation. Still some adjustments to make and belts to setup." Richie could talk at almost a normal conversational level as he drove slowly up the road with the engine at a shade above idle.

"Last time I was up here I almost hit an elephant crossing the road right here. Kind of spooked me Now everybody knows they cross about here so we go real slow."

"You're shitting me?"

"No. look at the embankment where they come up on the road. Doesn't look exactly like piles of cow shit and a buffalo path does it?"

Richie had stopped the crane near where a weapons carrier and front end loader were parked. Several Seabees were working on parts of the crusher itself a hundred yards or so away on a piece of ground that had been leveled with a bulldozer. All were stripped down to just green fatigue pants and steel toed boon dockers. A couple wore Marine Corp fatigue hats with Navy rank insignias on them. The rest were bare headed . All had deep tans that were barely discernible under a coating of sweat streaked dust from the rock crusher.

A slim built Seabee that Dan immediately realized was a chief walked around from the far side of the crusher. He wore not only a friendly smile but instead of a Marine Corp fatigue hat wore his chief's tan hat with it's shiny brass chief's insignia. The forty mission crush and slight tilt to the left of the hat revealed the start of some gray in his short side burns and lack of a white sidewall cut made the gray more obvious.

"You must be our new crane operator. Chief Wishingham. Make it Chief. Chief Wiz. Chief Wish. You can forget the Wishingham." The chief said as he approached Dan and held out a work callused hand. "Let's get a cup of coffee then we'll talk about what we need you guys to do for us.

This hooch on the right is our chow hall and general hangout. After 1600 the beer is cold and available."

It was a regular sized Seabee hooch like any one of the hundreds the Bees threw up all over Vietnam. It sat about 3 feet off the ground so there was a set of four steps going up to a fully screened entry door. Both ends and both side walls were plywood from the eaves down to about 4 feet above the floor. From the bottom edge of the plywood to the floor was screened in with regular mosquito proof screen . Over the screening were plywood louvers installed at an downward angle to shed the rain but would allow a free flow of air throughout the hooch.

The three sat at the table much like a stateside picnic table close to the coffee urn.

"The first thing we need you to do is to set up the water tank. It will have to be picked up sideways and swung over the primary crusher itself. Then set on its legs. The output conveyor belt is almost ready to go up and once we start putting it up it will take quite a while. You'll have to hold it in place while we install the legs and get it aimed where we want it.

So we'll need you for at least today and tomorrow. And since you can't travel these roads after dark it will at least Saturday before you'll get back to Gia Le.

You aren't in any rush to get back are you? Compared to Gia Le this is an R & R site."

"I think you are forgetting a little detail, Chief." Richie spoke up.

"And what is that?" Chief Wiz asked with his characteristic full toothed smile.

""A little policy about any visitors from Gia Le stand watch every night they're here."

"Oh, yeah. We do that because we don't have an over abundance of watch standers to stand guard duty seven nights a week. That is 2 four hour watches, we have to have two men in each of two bunkers from 1900 to 2300 and the second watch 2300 to 0300. A total of 8 men from 1900 to 0300. And then two more men, one in each bunker on the 0300 to 0600 three hour watch. That's ten men per night. We usually have less than twenty troops here so we're on every other night unless we are missing somebody on R & R or in Gia Le for some reason then we have to fake it. Many times we have only one man in each bunker. Since a guest might not know the routine and what to expect we double him up with one of our men who can sleep in the bunker while the guest keeps watch. If something happens he can wake up his partner. We start our guests on the 2300 to 0300 watch. If they're here for more nights we work them into the schedule with the regular troops. And that depends on why they're here and for how long. It helps if the extra men are on their second or third tour in-country and have spent a night or two out here with us. Then we can leave him on his own."

"I can handle a couple of nights of 2300 to 0300 if it will help you out." Dan volunteered.

"How about I relieve Dan at 0300?" Richie asked.

"Done. Thanks guys. Anybody need spare magazines? I want you to have at least four hundred rounds for your M16s. There's an M60 in the mess hall for each bunker with 2,000 rounds. You pick them up before starting the 1900 watch. Also a case of illumination grenades and a few aerial flares, but be conservative with the flares they're really hard to get so be sure that you really need to use them before launching one. The grenades and flares are left in the bunkers all the time."

"We 're fine with M16 magazines. We each have over four hundred rounds." Dan said.

The three chatted a few more minutes while finishing their coffee then the chief led them over to the crusher and showed them where everything went and had a one of the crusher crew help rig the lift cables on the water tank.

Shortly after finishing with the water tank Chef Wiz came over to tell them that it wouldn't be until late in the afternoon before the conveyor belt would be ready to put in place. In the meantime it was lunchtime and shortly after lunch they moved a trailer mounted water pump closer to the creek that was their water source for the camp and crusher. It was muddy around its present position so they picked it up with the crane and moved it several feet onto a gravel pad which had several thick planks on it to get the pump up out of the mud.

"We'll get the conveyer ready this afternoon and have you place it first thing in the morning rather than struggling to get it done before dark. We are really well within our time range to get operational so we can take some slack when we think it will work better to take the extra time to do it. We'll still get you guys out of here by Saturday."

Dan had taken a nap from about 2000 until 2230 when one of the crusher's regular crew woke him with a fresh cup of coffee. "Thought you'd appreciate this. We always make it about 2200 so the watch standers would have it.

We do appreciate having extra bodies to help us out.

I'm Tom Herman. I'm the lone mechanic out here, first class and I run the security scheduling. I'm basically in charge of security.

The rest of the crew are EOs. Third class and below, except for Doc our corpsman who is second class. They are all a real good bunch of guys . You'll be sharing the watch with Doc. He's a city boy and hears all kinds of strange things at night so don't let it worry you, but he also falls to sleep really easily.

I know. He's a contradiction." Herman added.

Doc came into the chow hall, as you could call it, and went directly to the coffee urn. "I can smell this fresh coffee all the way over in sickbay.

I'm Jim Barnes. As you can see by my bag and the caduceus on my collar I'm a corpsman." He offered Dan his hand. "Don't believe everything Tom says. I did hear a tiger prowling through the compound last week. Two nights in fact. And no, I wasn't going to leave the bunker to see it."

With a smile he met Dan's eyes. "You ready to see your home for the next four hours? We drew the back bunker. It faces on the jungle and is where the tiger comes over the concertina wire. If Charlie hits us it will be from that side also so we have beefed up the wire and such to make it harder for him to get through."

You want to give Dan the grand tour before it gets any darker Doc?"

"Yeah. Who's out there?"

"Sherman and Clark. Be sure to give them a heads up when you walk out there."

"We will, but I'll bet Sherman is sitting on the roof of the bunker enjoying the scenery and sounds of the jungle."

"Yeah, he is a bit strange."

"Not really, Tom. He's a country boy who feels comfortable here and in the dark.

Let's go Dan. Onward out into the dark of the night and hopefully we won't see what is lurking in the dark shadows.

We do have good flashlights in case, but we don't think it's a good idea to use them when we're out in the open. No sense in giving Charlie a lit target." Barnes said as he picked up two flashlights from a shelf next to the door and handed one to Dan after testing them to be sure each worked.

"You are very weird, Doc" Petty Officer Herman hollered as the door closed behind them.

While Sherman and Clark, two third class EOs were gathering their gear Doc led Dan along the concertina wire in the gathering gloom. It was obvious to Dan that the wire was hung with care. There didn't seem to be any holes that even a small VC could pass through without rattling one or more of the several C-rat and beer cans that were hung on the wires and each held a few small stones that rattled easily when Dan snapped the wire a bit. The cans were scattered liberally along the wire. Also there were bunches of trip flares dispersed through out the wire connected to each other and the concertina by very fine olive drab booby trap wire.

"How does the tiger get in, Doc."

"He comes over the wire. He knows that it's here and clears it without rattling a beer can."

"But it's three coils wide and three tall. That is one mean jump."

"I hope he shows up one night when you're with me. Then you can judge for yourself."

"I don't doubt you, Doc. I'm just amazed as how and why he does it."

"I think he's just curious. And maybe he's looking for an easy meal. This may have been his old hunting ground as well as smelling the cooked meat we eat."

It was quiet from shortly after 2320 when Sherman and Clark left except for the sounds of the jungle drifting softly into the bunker. Small peeps of what could be restless birds and almost human squeals and yelps that Doc identified as monkeys.

Around 0200 Doc's almost undetectable snores had been regular for quite a while and Dan was listening to the multitude of jungle sounds, enjoying the pure sounds of nature.

A heavy, but soft double thump disrupted his listening. Dan's hunting and wilderness camping experience labeled the new sound as that of a large animal jumping and landing on soft ground such as the ground surrounding the bunker. All traces of drowsiness left him as he became alert wondering and curious to what had made the noise. Not even thinking about Doc's tiger Dan moved quietly inside the bunker looking out the firing ports trying identify any movement. He felt his hands grow damp as he tightened his grip on the M16.

Straining to hear any strange or foreign sounds from outside he was overlooking what he thought was Doc's sleeping sounds until he realized that the deep breathing was more like shallow panting and it had move from along side the bunker towards the front.

"I think that we have company, Dan." Doc stated the obvious in a very low key whisper.

"I thought you were asleep?"

"I heard him jump the wire. He's really close. Closer than the other two times he visited."

"I don't see him. Think he'll try to come in?" Dan asked and moved around Doc a little bit so he had a clear shot of the opening in the back of the bunker that was almost invisible in the pitch black of the moonless night. The star filled sky was bright enough to provided a bit of light that they could pick out an occasional flash of star light on the beer cans hanging on the wire.

"There he is!" Doc whispered from where he was peering through a front firing port.

Dan turned from the rear entrance to look through the same firing port as Doc was.

"I only see black."

"That black is him. I could see the reflections of the stars on the beer cans when all of a sudden all I could see is black when he moved up in front of me.

He's turning towards us! Shhh."

Dan watched over Doc's shoulder as the huge cat took a couple of steps towards the front of the bunker. The cat's soft pants became louder since he was not only facing them, but had taken several steps closer. His strong, slightly putrid cat breath started to permeate the air in the bunker and both men could feel the heat of his breathe each time he exhaled. The cat was still just a blob of black but Dan sensed rather than saw him bunch and spring up on top of the bunker. The star studded beer cans came back into view as a heavy thump echoed softly inside the bunker followed by a shower of sand that filtered down between the aluminum runway panels used to construct the roof of the bunker. There was already several hundred pounds of sand bags forming the roof and Dan couldn't help but wonder what the additional weight of the tiger was doing to it. Wonder what he weighs? I couldn't see enough of him to know if he really is a 'he' or not. Or how big it is. I do wonder what 300 pounds or so on the bunker's roof will do except scare the shit out of me.

"I think we should do something to get rid of it." Dan said quietly "Any suggestions?" He finished just as the cat quietly stepped off the bunker's roof and started to nose around the bunker's entrance.

Dan slipped the safety off on his M16 and slowly raised the rifle and pointed it towards the sound of the cat sniffing and snuffling around the bunker's entrance. On second thought he slipped the lever another notch to full auto.

"Maybe holler for help?" Doc said with a snicker.

"Toss an illumination grenade out the side port near him." No longer trying to be quiet Dan spoke in a normal voice. Still holding his rifle in one hand he pointed his flashlight at the bunker's entrance. "Look at the size of those claws" He said when he caught the cat's huge front paw in the flashlight's bright beam.

"Toss the grenade Doc and don't forget to pull the pin!"

"Really?" Doc had a bit of a quiver in his voice. "Here goes nothing." He said as he jerked the pin from the illumination grenade and tossed it through the firing port.

A pop followed by a flash of light as the grenade opened and started to burn.

They both saw the cat jump back away from the bunker, swirl around in a graceful motion before covering the 50 feet from the bunker to the wire in two easy bounds. The third bound taken without hesitation let the cat clear the wire easily to land about 15 feet on the outside of the wire. One more bound and he was out of the glow from the grenade and into the deep dark of the jungle.

"Was he really that big, Dan"

Dan answered with a quiver of excitement in his voice. "I'm not sure, but it was the prettiest thing I've seen in this country."

"You mean next to the girls don't you?"

"You have a one track mind Doc."

Shortly after the illumination grenade burned itself out, the two Seabees crawled out of their bunker and were leaning against it's sandbagged side. A soft man made whistle broke the night barely audible above the subtle sounds of the jungle drifting across the treeless field of fire that had been created around the camp.

Doc answered with a soft whistle of his own.

"Who is that?" Dan asked him.

"Probably Chief Wiz. He's a light sleeper and that grenade popping and our talking probably woke him up."

"Yeah, it's me. What's all the excitement?"

"This time I have a witness to what I'm hallucinating." Doc said with a quiet laugh.

"Huh?" The chief responded obviously confused and not quite in tune with the corpsman's sense of humor.

"We had a visitor, Chief. About three hundred pounds of tiger came to visit."

"Inside the wire?"

In answer Dan flashed his light onto a wet spot next to the bunker and lit up a big and clear paw print of the big cat.

That was all it took to make a believer out of the EO chief.

Another soft whistle came from the direction of the front gate bunker. After Wiz answered, Richie and another of the Seabees approached the group standing next to the rear most bunker.

"What are you guys doing up?" Wiz asked.

"We're Dan and Doc's reliefs. Heard you talking so we came out early. Brought out some coffee for them." Richie answered handing the two men each a mug of steaming black coffee.

The eastern horizon was starting to show a faint pink glow outlining the low mountains that stood between the A Shau Valley and the South China Sea.

"It will start getting light soon." Doc remarked and our visitor will be staying out of sight."

"What visitor?" The Seabee with Richie asked with more than a little trepidation in his voice.

"The tiger paid us another visit." Doc answered. "This time two of us saw him."

"And he left a big, huge paw print." The Chief added turning and starting back towards his hooch. "I'm going back to bed, I don't know about you two." He said addressing Doc and Dan.

At breakfast the main topic of the rock crusher crew was their visiting tiger. They had taken it as one of their own. One of them. They had also dubbed it a 'him'. It had immediately become what 'He' had done the night before.

On Friday night Doc an Dan volunteered to man the back perimeter bunker again from 2300 to 0300 hours in hopes that the cat would pay the camp another visit. Doc was armed with an additional weapon. His 35mm camera, with a flash that would normally be used to take photos at a family dinner or of a bunch of drunken Seabees at a house party.

"He was close enough last night. If I had sense enough to bring the camera I could have taken some great pictures.

Truthfully, I forgot all about my camera. It was in my seabag with only one 36 exposure roll of slide film."

"You'll probably never see him again. That illumination grenade could have scared him away for good. Anyway, I'll send you a couple of rolls of slide film from ship's stores by the next people who come out this way."

"Thanks Dan. I'll share any pictures I get of him with you."

The watch passed uneventful. There were no strange guests and except for a few brief moments at around 0235 when some monkeys were raising a rumpus in the jungle next to the clear area, they heard nothing throughout the rest of their watch.

I'll bet that was the cat stirring up those monkeys." Dan said when he and the corpsman left the bunker after Richie and another EO relieved them a while before 0300.

"I think those guys came on early in hopes of being the ones to see the tiger this morning." Doc thought out loud as they walked towards sickbay and their waiting bunks.

Breakfast was from 0600 to 0800 on Saturday morning so Dan was in no hurry to wake up knowing a canteen cup of hot black coffee and a C-ration pecan roll would hold him for the trip back into Gia Le.

"I'll drive back if you want Richie" Dan offered when they stood next to the idling crane waiting for the engine to warm up in the cool mountain air. Both Seabees had on their foul weather jackets, mostly to cover their arms in their short sleeve fatigue blouses, from the cool air.

Dan tossed the dregs of the coffee from the canteen cup and was touched by the first bit of sunshine that was burning through the early morning mist.

"That feels good.

Yeah, I'll let you drive this beast back to Gia Le, Dan. But you have to stop whenever I need to swing the boom. None of your tricks of doing it on the go."

"I'm sure Petty Officer Davis wouldn't do such a thing."

"Hi, Chief." Richie greeted him. He had watched the chief approach and had timed his demand after the chief was within hearing.

"Payback is hell, Richie. Just wait." Dan said with a smile.

"Need anything else before we head out Wiz?" Dan asked.

"No. We're good for now Dan. You guys did a good job for us, Thanks."

"We're off then. See ya." Dan offered as he climbed up into the truck's cab looking across the compound towards an open hillside to the west. The sun had just burned the mist away and was playing across the half mile wide valley that separated the level ridge were the rock crusher was and the sun lit hillside.

"Look over there guys." Dan said as he settled himself in the driver's seat and pointed towards the distant hillside.

Grazing amongst the grassy and brushy jungle growth was a herd of ten or twelve Asian elephants.

"I'll be damn." Chief Wiz said an awe struck tone in his voice.

"You aren't kidding. Have you ever seen them before?" Dan asked.

"Never." Answered Doc Barnes. "The villagers talk about them. But we've never seen them before.

I have to get me camera."

"Make sure everybody knows they are there, Doc."

"Ok, Chief." Doc answered as he ran towards sickbay.

"You guys can come back anytime. You're good luck obviously." Wiz said as he offered them each a hand.

THIRTY-ONE

After several weeks of mundane crane jobs around the battalion operating area, Dan had to admit he was getting bored and unchallenged.

"Sandy needs a cat skinner to go out in Indian Country to pickup an old D6 cat for the Chaplin. You interested, Dan?" Chief Jerry Connery asked when Dan entered the heavy shop before quarters on the first Monday in September. No one was taking notice that it was in fact Labor Day in the States.

"Sure. Where is it?"

I'm not sure. From what I understand the Chaplin's assistant has all the info and he's been there so he will go with you. I do know it's in the same vicinity as if you were going to the rock crusher. I told Sandy that you'd probably want to do it. So check in with him."

"Gotcha.

I'm assuming they want to do it today."

"To the best of my knowledge. I think Sandy has several jobs that you can do for him so plan on working for him the next week or so.

Crane work is slow and Richie can handle it. I realize that you're going a bit stir crazy doing small jobs here and there around the cantonment."

"I'm out of here. Thanks Jerry." Dan said over his shoulder as he went out the door and headed across the Alpha Company compound heading for the motor pool dispatch.

Dan had seen Parker the Chaplin's assistant around the battalion and had passed the time of day with him in the chow hall on a couple of occasions so they weren't strangers. "What kind of condition is the bulldozer in Parker, do you have any idea?"

"It's really quite old. All rusty and in need of a paint job. But it seemed to be running good and we never had any problems with it. Being a yeoman I don't know much about heavy equipment except what I picked up around construction sites as a civilian. When the Chaplin and I got involved in the project the Army had been doing it and a PFC had been running it. I watched him one day and he seemed to know what he was doing."

Just what were you doing for the village?"

"Improving the access road into and through the village. We also were leveling a spot for a new multi-use school/meeting house combination. The whole village is on a flat plain that gets muddy, or rather stays muddy most of the time. They had been spreading gravel and rock in the worst places whenever they could get some or some entity like us or the Army would give them some."

"Will we have any trouble starting it or loading it? Did you see a loading ramp, such as a pile of dirt or rocks?"

"No, but can't you build one?"

"Sure.

Let's go by the motor pool and pick up some engine oil and gasoline as well as a Jerry can of diesel fuel. I'd hate to drive all the way out there and be short of any essential fluid."

"Why gasoline? It's a diesel isn't it?"

"If it's as old as you say, then it has a pony engine that runs on gas to start the diesel engine.

Did you hear an engine that was started first and went 'pop-pop' like a motorcycle without a muffler?"

"Yeah. I think so. I really didn't pay any attention since it was so noisy anyway."

"Yeah, your right. No sweat, we'll take some gas along to be sure.

"You really think that's necessary? I think we should get going so we'll be back in before dark."

It took less than another 15 minutes to gather up what Dan thought they might need and as he climbed up on the running board he reached in and took out his flak jacket and slipped it on. "You can do what you want. You can always put your's on as we travel but I don't want to stop to have to put it on when we turn off Highway One." Dan stated as he put a full magazine into his M16 before laying the weapon across his lap.

"Turn off the highway at the next left. Right by the bicycle repair shop. That's the road to the rock crusher."

"Okay. Been there. How far up this road?" Dan asked as he maneuvered the long flat bed trailer into the narrow entrance to the road.

'It's about 4 miles to the turn off to the rock crusher. We'll go right at that fork. A straight shot into the village from there. About two more miles. We start getting into real Indian Country just before the crusher turn off but all the intel according to Command Post this morning is that it's quiet and all right to go to this village but they suggested not going beyond Nam Hoa where the bulldozer is."

"The jungle is really starting to close in now." Dan commented when they passed the turnoff to the crusher. With his right hand he lifted his M16 and laid it into the cradle of his left elbow. He checked that the safety was on before pulling back the slide and let a round enter the chamber.

Parker gave him a questioning look then followed suit chambering a round in his M16. "Never argue with experience my father always told me."

"When in doubt, act on the side of self preservation. A quote by Dan Lee Davis." Dan stated with a smile when he laid the forearm of the M16 in the open window so the barrel was pointed at the roadside jungle. He caught fourth gear to let the tractor and trailer pickup a bit more speed.

"Spooky ain't it?" Parker announced with a smile as the road got narrower. "This part of the trip always gave me the heebie-jeebies. The Chaplin said I was being paranoid but I like your philosophy better." He said as he raised his M16, checked the safety again before pointing it out his open window.

The narrow road was turning muddier and Dan grabbed two lower gears in the tractor's transmission slowing them down before he pulled the transfer case lever engaging the drive on all wheels.

The first hooches were typical Vietnamese. Fragile wooden frames and siding with thick thatched roofs. Just a very short distance, less than a city block and they entered the center of the village.

"Pull up here." Parker told him. "That tile roofed hooch is the Mayor's/Village Chief's, whatever, house. The other on its right is the old community building that they want to replace."

Dan saw the very old hydraulic blade bulldozer parked in between these two buildings. "They must have greased the blade arms to get that dozer in between those hooches. Really a tight fit. Be fun to get it out without knocking one of them down."

"The last I saw it was parked across the road. The Chaplin said the Army was going to pick it up, but for some reason decided not to."

"When was that?" Dan asked.

"About two or three weeks ago. I'm not quite sure when it was."

"Okay. The first thing to do is to make sure it isn't booby trapped."

"You think that would have been possible right here in the middle of the village."

"Absolutely. I wouldn't trust them any further than I could throw 'em.

Next I'll check all the fluid levels. These things are hard enough to start if they have gas in them. A real waste of energy if that tiny gas tank is empty. There has to be reason the Army didn't load it out of here even though they seemed to have got it running.

Also before I try to start it I want to know where I can load it. I prefer to turn the trailer around before we load the bulldozer. The shoulders of the road looks muddy as hell all over so I want to be able to pull straight out onto the road after it's loaded."

Dan spent several minutes looking around, over and under the bulldozer. Lastly he checked in front of and behind the tracks to be sure there wasn't a mine buried that he would hit when he moved it before climbing up onto the track to look some more.

"Looks okay. No booby traps that I can see.

No gas. Want to get me the small red can of gas off the trailer's gooseneck, Parker?"

"Gooseneck?" he asked with a look of incomprehension.

"The front part of the trailer that hangs over the rear of the tractor."

"Oh, I got it." Parker responded when he picked up the can and started off the trailer.

"Wait a sec. You might as well bring the Jerry can of diesel also.

They didn't drain the diesel tank but it isn't any more than wet in there." Dan added as he peered down into the bulldozer's fuel tank. At least the oil in both engines is full. They didn't get any of that as far as I can tell."

Dan looked over the faces of the small group of villagers that had started to drift around. Most were just curious with a smile here and there. He did pick up on a scowl or two but none appeared to be aggressive or threatening in any way. He still kept his M16 slung over his shoulder. He opened the tool box that Caterpillar install on the deck of all their bulldozers in search of the crank for the pony engine.

"Huh!" A vocal sound of success and smile when he picked up the object of his search. They are really hell to start without this little gem." He explained waving the crank over his head in triumph. "Without this I would have to use this back up." He added when he took a two foot long piece of rope also from the toolbox and waved it over the toolbox and dropping it back in out of sight.

"Now, if it starts and runs where can we load it?"

"A twenty or so year old Vietnamese woman stepped up to the dozer and looked up at Dan to get his attention.

"This is Nhu, it means peaceful. She's the school teacher." Parker spoke up.

"Hi Nhu, can you help me?"

"Yes, they put it on and took it off a? trailer?" She hesitated not sure she had the correct word.

"That's correct." Dan encouraged her.

With a soft but broad smile she pointed towards the last hooch they could see on the village street. "There, a short ways beyond is my house. That is where they took it before putting it here."

"Want to show me?"

"Of course. I would be very happy to show and help you." Nhu answered in perfect, but uncommon English."

"Alright lead on." Dan laughed softly and jumped off the bulldozer's track onto the muddy ground next to her. "Hey Park, would you stay with this stuff and keep track of all of it.?"

"Sure, Dan"

Picking their way through the mud, by way of the driest spots, Nhu and Dan turned a slight corner to where her little house came into sight. It appeared smaller than the average villager's hooch, newly built and since it was at least two feet off the ground, it had a wooden floor.

Nhu answered his unasked question. "I came a year ago from Hue to teach their children and the village elders agreed that if I did they would build me a new house so I would not have to live with another family. It is very nice and clean. Not as large as I am used to, but all right for me."

Dan could see dozer tracks going off the road and turning along side of her house. A few more steps and he saw a low dirt ramp built from mineral soil pushed up from under the muddy topsoil. They walked along the drier cat tracks to where Dan could see that the bulldozer had obviously been loaded onto a trailer than offloaded in its same tracks. The tracks were all several days old but clearly defined in the mud that seemed to be drying up some since the tracks were made. He couldn't see anywhere that they might have been changed to conceal a mine.

"It is all correct?" Nhu asked in her soft, clear voice. "You are looking to make sure that the VC did not put a mine there."

"Yes, you're right. Thank you, Nhu. It will work great."

She looked at Dan with a question on her pretty face. He started to notice how pretty she was and that she wore just a hint of makeup and her shoulder length hair was clean and brushed out until its healthy shine was very apparent.

As they stood side by side, Dan had to ask, "Isn't it very different living here than in Hue?"

Not to be taken off track by the question, Nhu asked first what puzzled her. "What does great mean? We were not talking about a Great Man like Thomas Jefferson."

Smiling Dan realized how his uncommon usage, actually slang usage of great had confused her. "It was slang. Instead of saying good or very good, I used great. Americans replace some words with others to make their conversation more interesting."

"I do not believe that it makes any sense nor is it the correct usage of the words. I would never teach my students such usage."

"You are absolutely right, Nhu."

Nhu smiled. A smile which made her whole face glow. she showed her white even teeth freely and met his eyes unflinchingly. "I did not forget your question. It is quite different living here in my little house, but is very hard for a young woman such as I to teach anywhere in Vietnam now, Most of our people believe that I am safer teaching in a small village like Nam Hoa than in the city. And I understand why you are so cautious looking for bad things." Then she continued to explain why she came to Nam Hoa.

"We must teach all of our children. That is why I came here. And to get away from my family and the man they wanted me to marry." She said with a smile as she turned away from Dan. "I must not be seen in a conversation with you. It was all right to show you the ramp, but not to be friendly with you. These people do not love you. Americans that is, not you as a man. They are just taking from you what you are offering and giving."

That said, Nhu continued walking away from Dan and rejoined the village chief and several of the elders who were standing nearby and watching what was going on.

Dan stood still for a minute and watched the gently sway of her small hips going away from him. Very nice. Not Suzie, but all female.

Damn, how I miss that big broad. Dan thought lovingly with a soft smile.

"What are you smiling about Dan?"

"Just sweet memories, my Friend." He responded smiling some more. "Sweet memories."

"We ready, Dan? It's getting late."

"Let me dump this fuel in and we'll see if this beast will start."

Dan took his time setting up the pony engine having no experience with this particular engine, but having the experience to know that the Caterpillar pony engines could be very temperamental and incline to be hard starters. The first two pulls on the crank didn't even produce a tiny puff of smoke, but the third pull resulted in a puff of blue smoke out of the small one inch diameter exhaust pipe like a heavy cigar smoker firing of a new cigar. The forth pull brought forth an ear ringing pop, a huge cloud of blueish black smoke then with a gasp caught and popped to life with its typical ear ringing high pitched pops.

Gritting his teeth, Dan let the little engine warm up a few seconds and when he looked over the villagers who were standing around, eyes wide open in amazement and some in fear. He laughed out loud though none could hear him and they would never realize that he was laughing at them and their various reactions.

He made eye contact with Nhu whose whole face glowing smile was directed to him. She seemed to be the only other person there who saw his source of amusement.

Dan engaged the pony engine's clutch and let the diesel engine turn over for several seconds before reaching over and moving the diesel engine's throttle up. A cloud of heavy black diesel smoke rose from its stack and the diesel engine roared to life.

With the dozer loaded and chained down the Seabees started down the road from Nam Hoa towards the Seabee rock crusher and then Phu Bai. "It isn't too late right now, but we either make a run for Gia Lei or spend the night at the rock crusher. It's your call Parker. I'm okay with either."

"Can we make Phu Bai before dark and the road up the hill to Gia Lei before it's pitch black?"

"I think so. Shouldn't be a problem."

"Let's go home to Gia Lei There's chicken for supper tonight"

"All right. Here we go." And Dan swiftly grabbed two more gears guiding the loaded tractor and trailer skillfully down the narrow dirt road.

THIRTY-TWO

"What time did you get the dozer in camp last night?" Sandy asked before Dan was even all the way into the dispatch office.

"Can't say as I remember exactly, but I hadn't turned on the headlights."

"Must have been very hard to see the road coming up the hill to the Combat Base. Chief Black seemed out of sorts when he mentioned your arrival time after quarters this morning."

"Hell, you know he's a control freaking nanny, Sandy."

"Yeah, but he's also the company chief and the one to get chewed on first if somebody breaks the major rule, 'in the compound before sunset'."

"That's what he gets the big bucks for. To take the kicks aimed at us, the working class Seabees."

"You don't much like him do you Dan. That isn't a question, it's an observation and is rhetorical."

"Boy, that brought out the big words this morning."

"Shut up Petty Officer Davis." Sandy laughed his gold tooth flashing in the early morning sun pouring in a window on the east side of the dispatch office.

You want to go out to Col Co Road for a few days? They have need of an operator who can run about everything. A crane operator for the NW6 that is still out there and they are going to take a TD 20 dozer out there sometime in the near future then after the road dries up a bit more a Cat grader. Everyone out there does whatever has to be done with whatever equipment is available, but they really need and old hand operator."

It will also get you from under Black's eye for a while and it's a great crew out there. They spend most of their time keeping the road open.

Just for your information it was Jerry Connery's idea.

Alpha Company wanted to send one of our IPOs out there but Jerry and MacKay said no. That was when Jerry said to ask you if you wanted to go."

"How many are there out there?"

"Nine counting Chief MacKay the chief in charge. Scuttlebutt has it that he and Wishingham are changing places in a week or so. As soon as Wiz has the crusher up and in normal running mode MacKay will take over and Wiz will get a rest on Col Co Road.

Mac is a cool head. You'll like him and he also wants somebody to do some work on the perimeter. Before you ask it's something about getting the wire more secure and out of the mud and water. I really don't know too much about what is going on out there." Sandy claimed denial while his gold front tooth flashed in his easy smile.

"You are bullshitting me Petty Officer Sanders. When that gold tooth flashes in that broad grin of yours you are not being truthful with me."

"I've always been a lousy poker player, Dan. But I do think you should go out there. You'll fit in with the crew and will have a lot of different things to do.

As I said, the Northwest 6 is out there with a hook and tongs to handle the pilings. How long has it been since you ran one?"

"Years. I just get stuck with 20 ton mobiles of all breeds whenever someone needs me to run crane.

How do I get out there? I've never been there and hardly have any idea where it really is."

"Go get your gear for staying over a few days. Also stop by the armory and pickup the trip flares that are set aside to go out there. Then come back here when you're ready to go and we'll figure out your transportation.

Connery wants to see you before you go out there. He has something that he wants you to take with you."

"Hey Dan." Richie Frasier hollered at him when he walked into the heavy equipment shop.

Chief Connery met Dan halfway across the hooch holding something in his left hand and reached for Dan's right hand. "I was a First Class when you first worked for me on Adak and I wanted to fire you even though you were and still are one hell of an EO, your attitude can suck at times. I figured you for one enlistment, but Dan Starrett also a First Class at the time, bet me you'd be a lifer like us and maybe not a 4.0 Seabee, but damn close to one. Maybe a 3.6 or even a 3.9 Seabee." Shaking Dan's hand he went on." Dan was right and I'm glad that I listened and gave you the benefit of doubt even though it cost me twenty bucks.

With that being said I want you to have these." Jerry Connery extended and opened his left hand.

Dan Davis looked at his friend's extended hand and could see that it contained all the brass insignias of a First Class equipment operator. "These were mine and Dan's. He sent his to me from Camp Kinser along with this speed message giving you another chevron to put under your crow. You'll have to pay for your own crows for your blues and whites.

Congratulations Dan." Again he shook Dan's hand then stepped aside to let Richie shake his friend's hand."

"You're next Richie. You have to be Second Class before we get back to Port Hueneme." Dan kidded his friend.

"Here Richie, take my jeep to Col Co road. Be back here by 0900 tomorrow morning." Chief Connery told the third class driver. "And deliver our new First Class out there.

Dan take this. The photo is from your second class ID but will have to do. If you want you can get a new one in Port Hueneme later." Jerry said when he handed Dan an updated ID card.

Dan was sitting back and enjoying the ride since it wasn't every day that a newly promoted Seabee got chauffeured to his next job assignment.

Shortly after passing the LCU ramp just outside Hue, Richie turned right onto a narrow, barely a two lane road. "Well at least this road is paved. The last trip I took with you the road was gravel, narrow, and the nesting place for VC."

"I wouldn't be so sure about there not being any VC on this road." Richie stated just as they turned a corner in the road and came along side of a canal or part of the Perfume River on the left which neither of them really knew what it was. They left a scattering of small Vietnamese villages on the right behind and came into heavy green jungle growth in their place. Here and there would be a trail going down to the water's edge leading to wooden docks not any wider than the trails which were barely as wide as a jeep. Some were not tat wide. There was less sign of any military traffic or Vietnamese civilians as they drove further down the river. There was no let up of the deep green jungle which now dominated the banks on the both sides of the river.

"Have you ever been on this road before, Richie?"

"Well, yeah. The first week I was in Phu Bai in February. I rode out here as shotgun when we moved the NW6 and pile driver to Tan My."

Dan had a questioning look when he turned to his friend. "So what you are telling me is that you don't really have a clue to where we are or where we are going. And what is Tan My?"

"That isn't completely true, Dan. On our left is the Perfume River, or a canal that runs off the Perfume River. According to the map in Sandy's dispatch office this road is called Col Co Road."

"And exactly what is Col Co Road and where does it go and again, what is Tan My?"

"Col Co is the French name for the road and it means Colonial Company Road. There's a ramp at the end of the road at Tam My that was originally built for sampans and junks but was upgraded for LCUs by the Navy to facilitate the building and operation of the tank farm we're putting up on Thuan An Island. The ramp is where all the materials for that project are offloaded. The LCUs then travel twelve miles up the Perfume River to the ramp outside Hue where we turned off on Col Co Road to supply the Marines and us up river."

"So hopefully we're on Col Co Road and headed for Tan My and Thuan An Island?"

"Yeah, you could put it that way."

"Is this the point where I should lock and load and start watching for mines in the road?"

"Yeah. Might be a good idea."

"Eight miles, huh?"

"I think so. More or less."

"So where did all this information you've been handing me come from? A reliable source or Seabee scuttlebutt?"

"I think it's reliable." Richie said with his contagious grin and eyes sparkling.

"What's the catch, Richie?"

"There's no catch Dan."

"My friend, I have know you for a few years, and I know when you are attempting to snow me. Out with it."

"Damn, you're as tough as you were on Okinawa.

The Chaplin was handing out leaflets and brochures when we got in-country. One was about the Perfume River and the Colonial Company. You know, its history and such.

I think it's fairly reliable, Dan. Don't you?"

"It probably is. Since it's all we have to go on. I guess that we just go and hope for the best."

"We used to do this on Okinawa. Just get in the jeep and ride all over the island. It was fun."

"It was that. But one thing is different here though."

"What's that, Dan?"

"On Okinawa they didn't shoot at you or try to blow you up if you made a mistake."

"True. Very true. I'll try to remember that in the future."

The first sign of change since they had entered the jungle was the many potholes and diminishing amount of paving on the road.

"This is strange don't you think Rich? The road getting bad and wetter for no observable reason."

When they went through a series of curves the jungle on both sides of the road became thinner and the paving on the road disappeared completely. The surface of the road was muddier but still passable even though the pavement had been replaced by a an inch or so of gray slimy mud. The only vehicle they had met on their passage down the road was a Vietnamese bus. A low slung van in reality. There were openings along both sides that had at one time held windows, approached them head on going way too fast and spraying dark gray muddy water in all directions. All the interior seats were taken with three and four small Vietnamese in seats designed for two people and several were hanging out both the right front side and rear door openings. Dan caught a quick look of the passengers and cargo as Richie jerked the jeep's steering wheel and drove into the jungle bushes on the right side of the narrow road barely being missed by the Vietnamese kamikaze driver. Green brush flew and both Seabees ducked into the center of their open jeep to avoid some of the larger branches that snapped and sprung across the sides of the open vehicle.

"Jesus Christ!" Richie the non-swearing midwestern swore, as he fought the jeep, getting it under control, out of the jungle and back onto the muddy road where they stopped. "I'll kill that idiot if Buddha doesn't get him first!" He exclaimed.

"A little agitated are we?" Dan asked his friend.

"These people crack me up. When they travel they take their chickens, ducks, pigs and all the vegetables they can carry. I got a hop in a C130 out of Da Nang for Chu Lai that the Marines were transporting a whole village south in. They were from the area of Monkey Mountain going to some so called safe areas and the villagers were carrying all the worldly possessions that they could carry. Even though they were told to only take personal things.

I guess they figured their animals were personal possessions."

"Nobody told them they couldn't take that stuff on the aircraft?" Richie asked.

"I don't think that any of the loadmasters or crew chiefs had the heart to make them leave anything behind.

I did see a loadmaster buy a pig from one of the villagers so the aircraft crew could have a luau with their girl friends."

After throwing a few leaves and broken branches out of the jeep they again started down the road traveling only several yards around another curve when the jungle disappeared completely and a village appeared on their right. The usual rice paddies dominated the flat land surrounding the village of a dozen or so hooches along a narrow road built on top of a levee barely higher than the paddies.

Richie continued along slowly as both Seabees took in the sights. "I remember this village." Richie proclaimed. "All this water on the road is coming from the dredging of the harbor. They're filling in the next bunch of rice paddies a short way up the road so they can build some kind of military facility." No sooner had he told Dan this when they made it around a shallow curve in the road and the barren, gray muddy waste of mud and dirty gray, almost black water came into view. On the left of the muddy road full of ankle deep puddles was the light brown colored water at the mouth of the Perfume River running into a small bay. The bay's water was clean, a blueish green and smelled of the sea. A salt water bay. On the banks overlooking the bay sat a picturesque village of twenty or more thatch roofed houses. Scattered along the shoulders of the village's two narrow dirt streets were banana and mango trees. The streets that ran parallel to the shoreline, had been recently sweep clean and two boys of ten or twelve were herding a flock of white ducks down the road which was built on top of a levee that protected the village from high tides and wind driven storms. After they passed the village a better view of the dredge filled paddies and fields where a huge 36 inch steel pipe ran from the bay into the center of the latest filled spot of desecration. The pipe's huge mouth was dry and the small knoll of mud that had formed around it appeared to be dry also

Looking down the mud and water covered road Dan could make out a small group of buildings of different construction but was still too far away to see distinctly. A large hybrid Vietnamese/French style house was on the right of the road surrounded by the muddy dregs of the fill. The house was built off the ground about a story and a half. At first Dan thought it was deserted until they drove closer and he could see several Marine Corp amtrak trails running from the road and across where there used to be a driveway leading under the house. In the dark shade of the house's underside sat the amtrak. On the veranda that surrounded the house several Marines were laying around in the shade of the veranda

About two hundred yards further down the road Dan could see most of the structures that had him wondering about them for several minutes. Dominate on the roadside was a double tiered sandbag bunker and a tall wooden framed concertina wire gate. The tin roof of a typical new Seabee built hooch showed above a flat bed military 6x that was parked in front of it. On the opposite, left side of the compound was a Vietnamese type building that had been repaired in true Seabee fashion. Gable ends had been added to its front facing the compound and louvers added in typical Seabee fashion. The building also had a plywood addition built onto its right side with a lean-to style roof. The hooch and lean-to both had new sheet metal roofing. Next on the same side of the compound and tucked back away from any other building Dan could see as they drew nearer was a flat roofed box shaped concrete structure with a short wooden ladder going up to a sandbag bunker on the roof. There appeared to be only a front door which was shorter, but wider than a normal door. Center and set a bit back from the concrete building and Seabee built hooch was a tall thatch roofed Vietnamese house with normal windows and a heavy Seabee built door of 2 layers of 1" thick marine plywood,centered on the front.

Richie drove the jeep through the open gate of the Seabee compound and parked off to one side opposite the flatbed truck in front of the small concrete building that had a bright red cross painted on a stray piece of plywood and hung above the door with a piece of comm wire which ran back into the sandbags of the rooftop bunker to hold it in place. Dan could see that the compound was dry and neat with a buildup of crushed rock and gravel. The only mud was where the trucks and other equipment tires had brought it onto the gravel. Completely surrounding the compound was concertina wire. It was three coils high. Two coils wide at the bottom and middle. The third coil was single, centered on top of the middle two coils. Obvious, were the illumination grenades wired into the center of the bottom outside coil every few feet.

The door of the thatch roofed hooch opened and a medium height , sandy haired figure in Seabee greens stepped out of the hooch.

That is not a Seabee. He's too clean. His hair is too long. His blouse is not tucked in and the brass on it is not polished nor painted black.

With a nice smile and self assured walk he walked towards Dan and Richie. On his collar points were second class chevrons that had Corpsmen caduceus on them.

"Hi, need some coffee after that treacherous drive from Gia Le? I'd offer you a beer, but we don't drink until after work.

As you can see I'm Becker, the detachment's Doc." Pointing at his name tag on his untucked, unbuttoned blouse.

"The Chief's down on the causeway and probably won't be in until 1600 or so and the rest of the crew is scattered all up and down the road and over on the island.. I know one of you, Davis is it" Holding out his hand to both Seabees in turn. "will be staying with us for a while? You staying the night Frasier? If so we can find you a bunk in with the Chief. The new hooch has a couple empty bunks and truthfully it's the cleanest and most comfortable spot we have. The old generator building is my sick bay and humble abode.

I have a spare bunk if you want Davis. It gets lonesome sometimes especially in the evenings when everybody has settled in with their paperbacks or card games."

"It's Dan." Taking Doc's offered hand." And I'm not much for card games or the conversations that go with them either. I'd like to share your humble abode with you. Also blood and needles don't bother me much so if you need some help just ask me."

"Good. You got a deal, Dan Davis.

I do have to warn you, the ammo storage for the outpost is primarily under our bunks. We have several hundred M79 rounds but nobody has an M79. Also 5 or 6,000 M-60 rounds. We do have an M-60 though.

Here let me help you take your gear and stuff into sick bay.

I hope you're not claustrophobic. This was built for a generator and had two windows which we filled up with sandbags then covered them inside and out with plywood so the only opening is the door.

I'm guessing that your defensive position will be the sandbag bunker on top of sickbay and your job will be to babysit me."

If your into it, we have a couple places to go swimming. The closest is out on the LCU ramp next to the causeway and if you like surf you can go over on the island. It has great sandy beaches and big waves.

