The Storm

"Two men dead on that first volley, right Henry?” Henry spoke up, “I saw our sniper, Garza, go down, and then Peters, our spotter. They were dug in up front for their first kill shot and took the first hit. Those Gooks dropped right on them. There wasn't even much left of them to drag out, and a couple of my guys had wood splinters sticking out of their arms like tent stakes. But they were on the move, so we retreated farther into the jungle amidst the dirt, smoke, and foliage. My ears were bleeding, and I could only hear a muffled roar. Eight of us ran into the trees. I knew that the whole mission was compromised and that we were on our own. No help from Mother this time, unless we could shake our enemies at nightfall, which w as a long time away.” Gunny went on, “My teamwas mobilized the second we heard Henry call in the air strike. I knew why we were goin' and what we might have to do to protect the other two teams that were still in country, some 50 and 75 miles from Henry’ s failed ambush. They had missions as well, and those missions were to stop the return convoy and finish anything Henry’s team left undone. This failure would put the other teams at risk now, because the Cong would be on heightened alert." "But they knew the risks when they signed on. The command post radioed both teams of the situation and ordered them to dig in deep and wait for the convoy on its way back. This was the only time that they had been contacted like this as a backup, because as always, Henr y’s team had been so successful. It would be their turn, now, to clean up the mess. Which, by the way, they did, but by both remainin' teams workin' together."

1 48