altitude of four feet AGL. The rear doors were open and the ramp down as Lieutenant Bill Brannigan stood at the head of the line of men making up the combat patrol. At a nod from the crew chief, the Skipper went down the ramp and leaped off to the ground. He was quickly followed by Connie Concord, the Odd Couple, and Matty Matsuno, who carried a five-gallon jerry can of potable water attached to a backpack. Then Garth Redhawk with an AN/PRC-112 radio unassed the aircraft; Ensign Orlando Taylor, Bruno Puglisi, and Joe Miskoski were the last out. Everyone was armed with M-16s, with two exceptions: Puglisi and Miskoski carried their AS-50 semiauto sniper rifles with two bandoliers of modified twenty-round magazines for the weapons.
The chopper immediately rose back into the sky as the ass end closed. Brannigan led his eight men over to the cover of a stand of boulders for an on-site confab. But before the session could begin, an angry cobra emerged from the rocks with its hood flared as it assumed the standard upright pose of aggression. The Skipper gazed at the poisonous reptile. "I think we have a territorial issue here."
Puglisi, impetuous as always, made a slow approach toward the snake, evidently with the intention of trying to grasp it. Redhawk, who was well acquainted with the rattlesnakes of Oklahoma, did not think that a good idea. "Bruno," he said calmly, "if that son of a bitch bites you, we won't have much time to make our good-byes to you. So let us know when you're going to make a serious move toward him, and we'll bid you a fond farewell. With luck you'll last maybe five minutes after he sinks his fangs into you."
The snake darted its head at the SEAL, and Puglisi instinctively jumped back. "I thought you could charm these motherfuckers."
Joe Miskoski laughed. "Bruno, you don't have a flute, like snake charmers use, you dumb shit." Then he laughed louder.
"Besides, you're about as charming as a grumpy rhinoceros with gas and heartburn."
Brannigan grinned. "Let's try to be diplomatic like Dr. Joplin where that snake is concerned, okay? We'll just politely get out of his bailiwick."
The patrol moved away from the natural rock pile toward another. The cobra didn't follow, but he was plainly going to stand his ground. Now the Skipper could concentrate on the job ahead. "We're only a kilometer from the ambush site here, but I want to have a little briefback before we go over there." He pointed to Puglisi. "What's your job?"
"I'll be at the front of the ambush, and when the last man passes me, I'll whack the son of a bitch," Puglisi said. "Then knock off any of the bad guys who try to escape in my direction."
Brannigan turned to Miskoski. "What about you?"
"Well, we figured the enemy column isn't gonna be too strung out, since this is a safe area for 'em," Miskoski said. "So I'm gonna be down about thirty to forty meters from Bruno to close up the front. When the first man comes up even with me, I'll take him out."
Next it was Connie Concord's turn. "Ever'body is gonna find a good place between Bruno and Joe. We'll space ourselves out as even as possible, depending on the terrain and available cover. When the shooting starts, we'll go for targets of opportunity to our direct fronts."
"Right," Brannigan said. He nodded to Taylor. "Ensign, describe the site."
"Aye, sir," Taylor said. "It's a narrow pass through these hills with steep sides that go from ten to twelve meters deep. We'll set up only on one side, since the enemy cannot escape from the gully with any ease or speed. They, in fact, will have walked into a natural trap."
"Okay," Brannigan said. "It's sweet and simple. Keep in mind that we're also tasked with getting EPWs if possible. If you see any guy that looks like he wants to quit or surrender, ease up. Questions? Right then. Let's move out and settle down. We won't have much to do until tomorrow morning. So, to quote the first and oldest military order ever issued, 'Follow me.' " He started to
The chopper immediately rose back into the sky as the ass end closed. Brannigan led his eight men over to the cover of a stand of boulders for an on-site confab. But before the session could begin, an angry cobra emerged from the rocks with its hood flared as it assumed the standard upright pose of aggression. The Skipper gazed at the poisonous reptile. "I think we have a territorial issue here."
Puglisi, impetuous as always, made a slow approach toward the snake, evidently with the intention of trying to grasp it. Redhawk, who was well acquainted with the rattlesnakes of Oklahoma, did not think that a good idea. "Bruno," he said calmly, "if that son of a bitch bites you, we won't have much time to make our good-byes to you. So let us know when you're going to make a serious move toward him, and we'll bid you a fond farewell. With luck you'll last maybe five minutes after he sinks his fangs into you."
The snake darted its head at the SEAL, and Puglisi instinctively jumped back. "I thought you could charm these motherfuckers."
Joe Miskoski laughed. "Bruno, you don't have a flute, like snake charmers use, you dumb shit." Then he laughed louder.
"Besides, you're about as charming as a grumpy rhinoceros with gas and heartburn."
Brannigan grinned. "Let's try to be diplomatic like Dr. Joplin where that snake is concerned, okay? We'll just politely get out of his bailiwick."
The patrol moved away from the natural rock pile toward another. The cobra didn't follow, but he was plainly going to stand his ground. Now the Skipper could concentrate on the job ahead. "We're only a kilometer from the ambush site here, but I want to have a little briefback before we go over there." He pointed to Puglisi. "What's your job?"
"I'll be at the front of the ambush, and when the last man passes me, I'll whack the son of a bitch," Puglisi said. "Then knock off any of the bad guys who try to escape in my direction."
Brannigan turned to Miskoski. "What about you?"
"Well, we figured the enemy column isn't gonna be too strung out, since this is a safe area for 'em," Miskoski said. "So I'm gonna be down about thirty to forty meters from Bruno to close up the front. When the first man comes up even with me, I'll take him out."
Next it was Connie Concord's turn. "Ever'body is gonna find a good place between Bruno and Joe. We'll space ourselves out as even as possible, depending on the terrain and available cover. When the shooting starts, we'll go for targets of opportunity to our direct fronts."
"Right," Brannigan said. He nodded to Taylor. "Ensign, describe the site."
"Aye, sir," Taylor said. "It's a narrow pass through these hills with steep sides that go from ten to twelve meters deep. We'll set up only on one side, since the enemy cannot escape from the gully with any ease or speed. They, in fact, will have walked into a natural trap."
"Okay," Brannigan said. "It's sweet and simple. Keep in mind that we're also tasked with getting EPWs if possible. If you see any guy that looks like he wants to quit or surrender, ease up. Questions? Right then. Let's move out and settle down. We won't have much to do until tomorrow morning. So, to quote the first and oldest military order ever issued, 'Follow me.' " He started to
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