organization charts.
A gravelled voice finally sounded from the shadowy rear of the Vets locker room.
One of the combat mercenaries, a Southern black named Clint Hurdle, had taken the floor. “Why you so sure there won’t be no attacks of conscience? This going to heat up now, Colonel. Who says nobody going to fuck up and run?”
There was a hush around the room.
Hudson considered the question carefully before answering. He had posed almost the same question hundreds of times in his own head.
“Nobody,
not a single one of you men, broke during combat.… Not even in a war none of you wanted or believed in
Nobody broke in POW camps!
… None of you will break now, either. I’m prepared to bet everything on that.”
There was an uncomfortable silence after the question and emotional answer. David Hudson’s intense eyes slowly surveyed the Vets dressing room one more time.
He wanted them to feel that he was sure about everything he’d just said. Even though it might not look it, every man in the room had been handpicked from hundreds of possible vets. Every soldier in the room was special.
“If any one of you wants to leave, this is the time .…
Right now,
gentlemen. This afternoon …Anybody?…”
One Vet slowly started to clap. Then the rest of them.
Finally, all twenty-six men were solemnly clapping their hands. Whatever was going to happen, they were together.
Chapter 25
COLONEL HUDSON NODDED : the military commander once again took control.
“I’ve saved the foreign travel assignments until last.
“I’m not going to entertain any discussion, any disagreement over these assignments. The operational environment is already confused. We will not be confused. That’s another reason we’re going to win
this war.”
Colonel Hudson walked to a long wooden table. He began to pass out thick, official-looking portfolios. Each one had a white tag pasted onto the front.
Inside the envelopes were counterfeit U.S. passports and visas, first-class airplane tickets, generous expense monies; copies of elaborate topographical maps from the briefing.
The genius was in the details.
“Cassio will go to Zurich,” Hudson announced.
“Stemkowsky and Cohen have Israel and Iran…
“Skully will go to Paris. Harold Freedman to London, then on to Toronto. Jimmy Holm to Tokyo. Vic Fahey to Belfast. The rest of us stay put right in New York.”
A schoolboy’s groan went up. Hudson silenced it with a short chopping hand motion.
“Gentlemen. I’ll say this one time only, so you have to remember it.… While you’re in Europe, in Asia, in South America, it is absolutely
essential
that you act, that you groom and dress yourselves in the
particular style
we’ve laid out for you.
“All your air travel arrangements are first class. All your clothing and restaurant expense money is meant to be
spent.
Spend that money. Throw it around. Be more extravagant than you’ve ever been in your lives. Have fun, if you
can
under the circumstances. That’s an order!”
Hudson eased up. “For the next few days, you have to be self-assured, successful American business types. You have to be like the people we’ve been studying on Wall Street for the past year.
Think
like a Wall Street man,
look
like one,
act
like a high-powered Wall Street executive.
“At 0430, you’ll be given corporate haircuts, shaves, and—believe it or not—manicures.
“Your wardrobes have been carefully selected for you, too. They’re Brooks Brothers and Paul Stuart—your favorite shops, gentlemen. Your shirts and ties are Turnbull and Asser. Your billfolds are from Dunhill. They contain credit cards and plenty of cash in the appropriate denominations you’ll need in your respective countries.”
Colonel Hudson paused. His eyes slowly roamed across the room.
“I think that’s all I have to say.… Except one important thing… I wish you all the very best luck possible. I wish you the best, in the future after this mission.… I
believe in
A gravelled voice finally sounded from the shadowy rear of the Vets locker room.
One of the combat mercenaries, a Southern black named Clint Hurdle, had taken the floor. “Why you so sure there won’t be no attacks of conscience? This going to heat up now, Colonel. Who says nobody going to fuck up and run?”
There was a hush around the room.
Hudson considered the question carefully before answering. He had posed almost the same question hundreds of times in his own head.
“Nobody,
not a single one of you men, broke during combat.… Not even in a war none of you wanted or believed in
Nobody broke in POW camps!
… None of you will break now, either. I’m prepared to bet everything on that.”
There was an uncomfortable silence after the question and emotional answer. David Hudson’s intense eyes slowly surveyed the Vets dressing room one more time.
He wanted them to feel that he was sure about everything he’d just said. Even though it might not look it, every man in the room had been handpicked from hundreds of possible vets. Every soldier in the room was special.
“If any one of you wants to leave, this is the time .…
Right now,
gentlemen. This afternoon …Anybody?…”
One Vet slowly started to clap. Then the rest of them.
Finally, all twenty-six men were solemnly clapping their hands. Whatever was going to happen, they were together.
Chapter 25
COLONEL HUDSON NODDED : the military commander once again took control.
“I’ve saved the foreign travel assignments until last.
“I’m not going to entertain any discussion, any disagreement over these assignments. The operational environment is already confused. We will not be confused. That’s another reason we’re going to win
this war.”
Colonel Hudson walked to a long wooden table. He began to pass out thick, official-looking portfolios. Each one had a white tag pasted onto the front.
Inside the envelopes were counterfeit U.S. passports and visas, first-class airplane tickets, generous expense monies; copies of elaborate topographical maps from the briefing.
The genius was in the details.
“Cassio will go to Zurich,” Hudson announced.
“Stemkowsky and Cohen have Israel and Iran…
“Skully will go to Paris. Harold Freedman to London, then on to Toronto. Jimmy Holm to Tokyo. Vic Fahey to Belfast. The rest of us stay put right in New York.”
A schoolboy’s groan went up. Hudson silenced it with a short chopping hand motion.
“Gentlemen. I’ll say this one time only, so you have to remember it.… While you’re in Europe, in Asia, in South America, it is absolutely
essential
that you act, that you groom and dress yourselves in the
particular style
we’ve laid out for you.
“All your air travel arrangements are first class. All your clothing and restaurant expense money is meant to be
spent.
Spend that money. Throw it around. Be more extravagant than you’ve ever been in your lives. Have fun, if you
can
under the circumstances. That’s an order!”
Hudson eased up. “For the next few days, you have to be self-assured, successful American business types. You have to be like the people we’ve been studying on Wall Street for the past year.
Think
like a Wall Street man,
look
like one,
act
like a high-powered Wall Street executive.
“At 0430, you’ll be given corporate haircuts, shaves, and—believe it or not—manicures.
“Your wardrobes have been carefully selected for you, too. They’re Brooks Brothers and Paul Stuart—your favorite shops, gentlemen. Your shirts and ties are Turnbull and Asser. Your billfolds are from Dunhill. They contain credit cards and plenty of cash in the appropriate denominations you’ll need in your respective countries.”
Colonel Hudson paused. His eyes slowly roamed across the room.
“I think that’s all I have to say.… Except one important thing… I wish you all the very best luck possible. I wish you the best, in the future after this mission.… I
believe in
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