to continue, thereby picking up vital information should Always’ battalion return to the unsecure mode (as they had the previous morning); jam them off the net at the critical moment; or, if they could produce an operator with the voice inflections they had picked up from Lieutenant Rodriguez earlier, they could try some imitative deception. They had learned from their sources around Purgatory that Lieutenant Colonel Always had a soft spot for his soldiers. Perhaps they could play on that compassion to induce him to blunder into a desperate attempt to save Rodriguez.
“Romeo 38, this is Alpha 38.” It was the brigade commander calling.
“This is Romeo 38, over.”
“Roger. Look, we got big trouble developing. I’m calling off the attack on 781. Our whole line is folding back on the right. I’m shifting the armor down into the valley you just camefrom. I want you to hold up over on the east by Checkpoint 4. Expect an attack from a reinforced motorized rifle battalion coming out of the north. We’ve got a report that several battalions are entering the picture rapidly.”
Always acknowledged the transmission, received a stern warning to hold his position at CP 4, and began to order his units to shift. But it is always difficult to shift a mechanized force in midstride. As Always signaled Charlie and Bravo to move to CP 4, the enemy decided to make his life a bit more complex. He jammed Always off the air.
The static buzzed through his eardrums like a saw. Every time he spoke he received a head-wrenching screech. The receiving stations were trying to answer, getting out a maddening few words, only to have the essence of the message drowned out. Always tried to fight through it. He had to get everybody moving quickly. This was no time to be shifting frequencies. At that moment, Lieutenant Rodriguez came up on the battalion net, transmitting in the red.
“Romeo 36, this is November 25, over.” Always heard the call clearly, never suspecting that Rodriguez was being helped by the enemy who was retransmitting the lieutenant’s call for help, ensuring it would get through to the colonel. It was a minute before Always identified the platoon leader’s call sign from his cheat sheet.
“This is Romeo 36. Send your message.”
“This is November 25. I need to know when you’re getting up to me. I’m being chopped up by enemy artillery and I can hear some tracks approaching from the north, over.”
Always felt caught in a vise. He was sorely tempted to divert Team Bravo or Charlie to pick up the infantrymen. He had met Rodriguez, and he knew he would not be calling for help unless he were in trouble. But his brigade commander had expressed an urgency to the mission to defend in the vicinityof CP 4. He responded, “How many antitank weapons do you have?”
“This is November 25. I have six Dragons and six LAWs, over.”
The enemy monitored the report and sent the information on to his own battalion. Always made a quick assessment. The LAWs (light antitank weapons) would be of little to no use. The Dragons were a possibility, but they were unreliable. Six of them would not go very far. But there was no alternative. “Get yourself to ground. There will be no help reaching you for some time. I’ll get to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, try to get lost to the enemy. If you can break contact and get out, we will be holding in die vicinity of Checkpoint 4.”
It took the enemy three minutes to deduce where Checkpoint 4 was located.
Rodriguez was stunned by the news. He looked around for a piece of ground where enemy armor could not approach, found nothing that suited him, picked the next best spot, and ordered his men to move to it. He was burdened with five casualties now, three of whom could not move without help. He was troubled by the one KIA (killed in action)—he had learned never to abandon his dead. But he had only thirty-three men left, counting himself and the two medics. He hesitated, then
“Romeo 38, this is Alpha 38.” It was the brigade commander calling.
“This is Romeo 38, over.”
“Roger. Look, we got big trouble developing. I’m calling off the attack on 781. Our whole line is folding back on the right. I’m shifting the armor down into the valley you just camefrom. I want you to hold up over on the east by Checkpoint 4. Expect an attack from a reinforced motorized rifle battalion coming out of the north. We’ve got a report that several battalions are entering the picture rapidly.”
Always acknowledged the transmission, received a stern warning to hold his position at CP 4, and began to order his units to shift. But it is always difficult to shift a mechanized force in midstride. As Always signaled Charlie and Bravo to move to CP 4, the enemy decided to make his life a bit more complex. He jammed Always off the air.
The static buzzed through his eardrums like a saw. Every time he spoke he received a head-wrenching screech. The receiving stations were trying to answer, getting out a maddening few words, only to have the essence of the message drowned out. Always tried to fight through it. He had to get everybody moving quickly. This was no time to be shifting frequencies. At that moment, Lieutenant Rodriguez came up on the battalion net, transmitting in the red.
“Romeo 36, this is November 25, over.” Always heard the call clearly, never suspecting that Rodriguez was being helped by the enemy who was retransmitting the lieutenant’s call for help, ensuring it would get through to the colonel. It was a minute before Always identified the platoon leader’s call sign from his cheat sheet.
“This is Romeo 36. Send your message.”
“This is November 25. I need to know when you’re getting up to me. I’m being chopped up by enemy artillery and I can hear some tracks approaching from the north, over.”
Always felt caught in a vise. He was sorely tempted to divert Team Bravo or Charlie to pick up the infantrymen. He had met Rodriguez, and he knew he would not be calling for help unless he were in trouble. But his brigade commander had expressed an urgency to the mission to defend in the vicinityof CP 4. He responded, “How many antitank weapons do you have?”
“This is November 25. I have six Dragons and six LAWs, over.”
The enemy monitored the report and sent the information on to his own battalion. Always made a quick assessment. The LAWs (light antitank weapons) would be of little to no use. The Dragons were a possibility, but they were unreliable. Six of them would not go very far. But there was no alternative. “Get yourself to ground. There will be no help reaching you for some time. I’ll get to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, try to get lost to the enemy. If you can break contact and get out, we will be holding in die vicinity of Checkpoint 4.”
It took the enemy three minutes to deduce where Checkpoint 4 was located.
Rodriguez was stunned by the news. He looked around for a piece of ground where enemy armor could not approach, found nothing that suited him, picked the next best spot, and ordered his men to move to it. He was burdened with five casualties now, three of whom could not move without help. He was troubled by the one KIA (killed in action)—he had learned never to abandon his dead. But he had only thirty-three men left, counting himself and the two medics. He hesitated, then
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