he said, referring to night vision goggles. If all his guys had them, and especially if he knew the enemy did not have them, then he would have gladly walked into the woods in the dark.
“We’ll split the company up and put them on each exit point,” Edwards said. “We’ll take this first exit point and have you drive up to the next one, using your headlights the way you were.”
To get shot at, Pow thought. Oh well. There were pluses and minuses that came with riding in the truck.
“We’ll be ready to go in a minute,” Pow said. “Let me know when the half of the company following us is ready, sir.”
Edwards nodded and ran off to get his company split into two.
The Team left their cover and gathered around the truck.
“Where’s Wes?” Ryan asked.
Chapter 303
A Missing Friendly
(January 2)
Everyone looked around. Wes wasn’t there.
“Hey! Wes!” Ryan yelled. “Let’s go.”
Silence.
Pow figured Wes was back with Bravo, so he said, “These Lima dickheads really suck. Did you see all that spray and pray machine gun fire? What a bunch of jackasses. These guys can’t fight worth a shit. We so outclass them.”
Ryan got out his flashlight and started looking around the truck. Wes wasn’t there.
Oh, God. Ryan remembered that Wes had been standing in the back of the truck and not bracing himself when Bobby hit the gas. He ran back to the point where the truck had accelerated. Everyone followed him, as they were now realizing the same thing.
Ryan looked around with this flashlight.
“Shit!” Ryan yelled out. “Come here, guys!”
The Team approached and saw Wes' rifle on the ground. It had been dropped, but Wes was nowhere to be found.
They stood there stunned and silent. Finally, Scotty got on the radio and grimly announced, “We have a missing friendly.”
“We have to go find him!” Pow yelled as Edwards came up.
“What?” Edwards asked. The Team filled him in.
“We can’t go look for him,” Edwards exclaimed. “We can’t be walking around those woods at night! Not without NVGs.”
“How many do you have?” Ryan asked.
“I dunno,” Edwards said. “Seven, I guess.”
“We need them. Where are they?”
“Whoa, soldier,” Edwards said, using his captain’s voice. “We’re not going into those woods until sun up.”
“But we are,” Pow said pointing to the Team. “Captain, we’re volunteering. Give us the NVGs and we’ll go get Wes. We won’t ask for any support.”
“No way,” Edwards said. “Negative. Understand me?”
The Team was silent. They were going into those woods to go get Wes one way or another. He was a member of the Team. They had agreed long ago that they wouldn’t leave a teammate behind. It just wasn’t going to happen. They didn’t need some captain’s permission to do so.
“No, sir,” Ryan said. “We are going into those woods, NVGs or not. Your choice, Captain. We go in with NVGs or we go in without them. Your choice, sir.”
“You don’t talk to me that way,” Edwards yelled to Ryan. No one ever challenged his authority this way. No one, especially not these irregulars. What a pain in the ass it had been even letting them come out with a real unit.
“We’re irregulars, sir,” Scotty spoke up and said. “We consider ourselves under the command of Lt. Matson and he would let us do this.”
“That’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard,” Edwards yelled. “First Sergeant, get over here. We have a discipline problem.”
The First Sergeant and two others came over. “What’s up, sir?”
“These irregulars want to go off into the woods and find their friend,” Edwards said. “I told them no. They say they’ll disobey my direct order.”
“Do as the good Captain says,” said the tough-as-nails First Sergeant.
“We’re done,” Pow said. “We’re resigning our commissions or whatever.”
“You don’t have commissions and you couldn’t resign them on a battlefield anyway,”
“We’ll split the company up and put them on each exit point,” Edwards said. “We’ll take this first exit point and have you drive up to the next one, using your headlights the way you were.”
To get shot at, Pow thought. Oh well. There were pluses and minuses that came with riding in the truck.
“We’ll be ready to go in a minute,” Pow said. “Let me know when the half of the company following us is ready, sir.”
Edwards nodded and ran off to get his company split into two.
The Team left their cover and gathered around the truck.
“Where’s Wes?” Ryan asked.
Chapter 303
A Missing Friendly
(January 2)
Everyone looked around. Wes wasn’t there.
“Hey! Wes!” Ryan yelled. “Let’s go.”
Silence.
Pow figured Wes was back with Bravo, so he said, “These Lima dickheads really suck. Did you see all that spray and pray machine gun fire? What a bunch of jackasses. These guys can’t fight worth a shit. We so outclass them.”
Ryan got out his flashlight and started looking around the truck. Wes wasn’t there.
Oh, God. Ryan remembered that Wes had been standing in the back of the truck and not bracing himself when Bobby hit the gas. He ran back to the point where the truck had accelerated. Everyone followed him, as they were now realizing the same thing.
Ryan looked around with this flashlight.
“Shit!” Ryan yelled out. “Come here, guys!”
The Team approached and saw Wes' rifle on the ground. It had been dropped, but Wes was nowhere to be found.
They stood there stunned and silent. Finally, Scotty got on the radio and grimly announced, “We have a missing friendly.”
“We have to go find him!” Pow yelled as Edwards came up.
“What?” Edwards asked. The Team filled him in.
“We can’t go look for him,” Edwards exclaimed. “We can’t be walking around those woods at night! Not without NVGs.”
“How many do you have?” Ryan asked.
“I dunno,” Edwards said. “Seven, I guess.”
“We need them. Where are they?”
“Whoa, soldier,” Edwards said, using his captain’s voice. “We’re not going into those woods until sun up.”
“But we are,” Pow said pointing to the Team. “Captain, we’re volunteering. Give us the NVGs and we’ll go get Wes. We won’t ask for any support.”
“No way,” Edwards said. “Negative. Understand me?”
The Team was silent. They were going into those woods to go get Wes one way or another. He was a member of the Team. They had agreed long ago that they wouldn’t leave a teammate behind. It just wasn’t going to happen. They didn’t need some captain’s permission to do so.
“No, sir,” Ryan said. “We are going into those woods, NVGs or not. Your choice, Captain. We go in with NVGs or we go in without them. Your choice, sir.”
“You don’t talk to me that way,” Edwards yelled to Ryan. No one ever challenged his authority this way. No one, especially not these irregulars. What a pain in the ass it had been even letting them come out with a real unit.
“We’re irregulars, sir,” Scotty spoke up and said. “We consider ourselves under the command of Lt. Matson and he would let us do this.”
“That’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard,” Edwards yelled. “First Sergeant, get over here. We have a discipline problem.”
The First Sergeant and two others came over. “What’s up, sir?”
“These irregulars want to go off into the woods and find their friend,” Edwards said. “I told them no. They say they’ll disobey my direct order.”
“Do as the good Captain says,” said the tough-as-nails First Sergeant.
“We’re done,” Pow said. “We’re resigning our commissions or whatever.”
“You don’t have commissions and you couldn’t resign them on a battlefield anyway,”
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