Mykal's Return to Towbar's World

by Dave Hazel

  “Okay, but you guys must understand the danger. We are going to be close enough that Sosos will be able to reach out and grab you by the throat and I don’t want anyone getting in our way just to try and get a better angle or a better shot,” Mykal said and it was apparent he didn’t want them to come along.

  “Yeah, if you get in our way I will shoot you dead,” Larry threatened. “If you make any noise and give us away I’ll shoot you dead. If we get into a battle and you try to get film instead of trying to help us I will shoot you straight friggin dead and no one will ever know what happened to your sorry ass,” he threatened with a hostile tone to scare them away. “Do you understand where I’m coming from?”

  “Yes we do,” the main spokesman replied. His smile faded and he looked a little miffed. “We take our jobs very seriously and we will not endanger anyone.”

  “But you understand what’s expected of you, right?” Mykal asked in a friendlier tone than Larry.

  “And you understand what the consequences are for screwing up, right?” Larry quickly added.

  “Yes we do.”

  “Welcome aboard,” Mykal couldn’t keep from laughing. “Larry was just making sure you’re serious about this. Only two people per group. There are only going to be three groups. The first group is taking off in about five minutes.”

  “That’s only six people,” the balding man protested.

  “Take it or leave it. We’re not going on a sightseeing trip or a joy ride. We’re going to rescue people who have been abused, and their captors will go crazy when we take them,” Mykal said and then turned away.

  “Thank you Mister Graves,” the man tried to remain polite and then turned to his people to discuss who would be going.

  “If it had been up to me I would not allow them to go along,” Lieutenant Johnson said. He stood beside Chick, Diaz and some of the platoon leaders and company commanders. “All you’re doing Mister Graves, is putting lives of six people, six civilians, in danger. Notwithstanding the fact they’ll take the risk.”

  “I agree with you, but I want everything recorded as far as it is possible. I want the people back home to know what we’re going through and what we’re dealing with. More importantly, I want those who sent me to know, should we not succeed, that we did everything possible to accomplish our mission.”

  Maj Chick and the others watched and listen for Johnson to say anything inflammatory. They looked ready to take corrective action with the wrong words spoken.

  “You’ve got a good point there Mykal,” Johnson acknowledged while looking at those eyeing him.

  2.

  “It’s about time,” Mykal mumbled. He stood with his arms folded across his chest. He watched as group Three, his group of eighty-nine men, loaded their weapons, ammo and supplies on the helicopters. They were packed a little tighter than normal, but Mykal wanted to have a few more men with him since he was going to be behind enemy lines. He stood with his close friends and he hoped the mission would be a quick, uneventful, success. Mykal felt anxious about being stranded behind Soso lines. ‘But it’s something that’s gotta be done,’ he tried to convince himself. His brief conversation with Ski yesterday worried him. ‘What if I’m gonna die today,’ he wondered. ‘This was the same day, three years ago, that John Lennon was murdered,’ he thought in reference to one of his music idols. ‘I don’t wanna die today, but I’m worried about the men under me as well.’

  Mykal watched the men in his group who were to be under his command. He hoped he wouldn’t let them down. He feared putting them in harm’s way but he desperately needed to recover the case in Mister X’s possession. These men were relying on him because of his name. His name carried weight as a result of his ties with Towbar and due to the fact he had more experience battling the Sosos. However, Mykal began to doubt himself since he hadn’t really had any combat training to put him in such a lofty position. Perhaps Lieutenant Johnson was right. Deep inside Mykal knew he was nothing more than a junior NCO in the United States Air Force. Maybe he had no business leading combat trained soldiers into a potentially dangerous situation.

  He watched the men stand in line waiting for the okay to board the choppers. Second guessing his ability grew mentally destructive, putting Mykal on the verge of running away. ‘The pressure is too much,’ he thought with a deep sigh. He imagined Lieutenant Johnson gathering all the officers and gloating while he exposed Mykal for being a charlatan.

  ‘I gotta stop this nonsense,’ he warned himself. ‘There are already 160 men committed, waiting behind enemy lines in the middle of nowhere. I can’t chicken out.’ Mykal took a deep breath to slow the increased breathing.

  “You’ll do fine Myk,” Jake whispered. Jake placed his hand on Mykal’s shoulder. “I can see it in your face. Don’t let this get to you, don’t worry. I wouldn’t be going if I didn’t think you were capable. Besides everyone here knows what they’re doing.”

  Mykal felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted from his shoulders. “Thanks Jake,” he sighed again and took another long deep breath. “I needed to hear that,” he said and was half tempted to hug his friend but feared he would come across like a sissy for showing such emotions. He realized the true reason he allowed his close friends to go on this mission was just for the moral support. He couldn’t believe how much the mental pressure increased as each hour passed. Though there were probably better soldiers he could have selected, he really needed to have his friends nearby.

  “We’re about ready whenever you are Myk,” Lieutenant Gibbard said to Mykal and Jake. Gibbard ate a hastily made sandwich. “The birds are refueled and we’ve all had a quick bite to eat.”

  “Okay, how has everything gone so far?” Mykal asked, but his nervousness made it hard to concentrate. Mykal knew the possibility existed he could recover the special case in just hours, not days or weeks.

  “Fine. Just fine.” Gibbard smiled happily. “Both groups are in position and we flew over the surrounding areas just to make sure our troops would not have any unwelcome surprises,” he said while unzipping the pockets of his flight suit to find the extra pack of gum for this flight. “Great,” Gibbard chuckled and pulled out a couple of packs of bubble gum. “This is my good luck charm,” Lieutenant Gibbard said in response to their odd looks. “Your pilots, Barstow and Lewis both carry pictures of their families. Some guys carry stuffed animals given to them by their children, but I chew gum,” he snickered. “I know it sounds strange, but it works for me.”

  “Good.” Mykal nodded and smiled. “So will I always be flown by you guys? Meaning Air Force?”

  “Myk, you can have any pilot you want, but yes Air Force has to stick together with Air Force,” Gibbard said with a wink. “Besides, everyone knows Air Force is smarter than Army,” he paused with a smirk. “I kid of course. But why would you want to chance flying with those Neanderthals when you have top-notch, highly educated modern men at the stick?”

  “Good point,” Mykal laughed with Jake.

  “All kidding aside Myk,” Gibbard’s words turned serious. “Every pilot here is the best. I wouldn’t want them to hear me praise them,” he chuckled. “But I would fly with any of them low rent warrant officers. To be honest, I can only imagine what they’re saying about us.”

  “Thanks,” Mykal snickered at the inter-service rivalry.

  Larry and the Dosch brothers joined them. “Hey Myk, I just heard that we have a squad of the Korean guys coming with our group. Is that true?” Larry asked.

  “Yeah, I asked them to come with us.”

  “Do you think we’ll have any communication problems? I sure as hell don’t speak their language,” Larry said.

  “We’re not gonna have any problems communicating with any of the foreigners,” Mykal answered and found it hard not to laugh. Larry had three Band-Aids on his face from his attempt to shave his beard. “All those who volunteered to be a part of Towbar One had to be able to speak English.”

  “Why did you want them to come with ou
r group?” Larry asked while patting one of his bandages.

  “They’re perfect for what we’re going to do,” Mykal said. “Our group is going to need to be quiet as we sneak into the Soso camp and I needed guys who would be great at killing silently. All the Koreans and the Green Berets that were picked for our group are great with knives and every single one of them are black belts in different martial arts. The Navy SEALs wanted to come and I know they would have done great too so I let them decide it amongst themselves, and the Green Berets won out.”

  “Well, maybe we should stay, cuz they’d all be better than us,” Larry admitted.

  “Originally, I was gonna have a few from each organization come along with our group so they’d all be able to say they participated in the rescue. All the people of Towbar One are elite forces from around the world. In the end with the help of Major Chick and Major Innes I chose only the Koreans, Green Berets, Rangers and Marines to come with our group. It could have been SEALs but Green Berets won out. Major Chick said to keep them grouped together for their familiarity to their own kind.

  “That makes sense,” Roy Jr. agreed. “Sometimes when you make a stew by throwing everything in there it just tastes like shit.”

  “He knows what he’s talking about,” Randy said. “I’ve tasted his nasty cooking,” he added and they all laughed.

  “Anyway, the two other groups, that are already out there, are primarily Marines. In case you guys didn’t know, Marines make up the largest percentage of Towbar One. The Koreans and the Green Berets will be our Silent Killers as we’re calling them. They had the most training and experience in doing what we need. We’ll talk with them once we land, but we’re gonna follow their lead. Believe me, they know what’s what.”

  “Sounds like you know what you’re doing,” Jake said.

  “I do,” Mykal said confidently and winked to Jake. He turned to Larry. “Just stick by me sonny and you’ve got nothing to worry about. But what the hell happened to your face?” He laughed out loud.

  “Yeah, bring that up,” Larry laughed at himself. “Is it obvious I was shaving?”

  “Were you drunk?” Mykal asked.

  “It don’t really look like he did that good of a job,” Randy laughed. “I shaved sheep better ‘an that.”

  “Funny. No, I didn’t realize the new military people would have some good razors so I took it upon myself to shave with a dull ass knife. I don’t think I cut myself as much as I pulled out clumps of hair and flesh,” he exaggerated. “Then to top it off, like a little moron, Boris got me a pair of scissors that one of the Marines had and as I’m cutting the hair off my face I snipped my friggin lip. Look,” he said as they laughed at him. He pulled the bandage off his upper lip to reveal a deep gash in his lip from cutting it with scissors.

  “You gotta be kiddin me,” Mykal laughed at him.

  “This,” Larry pointed to his lip, “really friggin hurts,” he said. “Yeah, keep laughing. Assholes,” he called them names but had to laugh with them.

  “Ok, I want all you guys to be in my helicopter with me,” Mykal said. He wanted to be surrounded by his close friends. “It’ll be me, Towbar, Jake, Boris, Larry, Roy Jr., Randy, that police officer we rescued Danny Weller, and William. I mean Captain Roberts. I really wish he wouldn’t come with us but he’s coming. Also, Captain Diaz will fly with us. I don’t know if you guys got a chance to talk with Captain Diaz at all, but he’s a pretty good guy. He’s Alpha Company Commander.”

  “Myk, we don’t get to hobnob with officers like you,” Larry scoffed playfully. “Remember, you’re a big shot now?”

  “Ah that’s right,” Mykal’s banter was just as playful. “I hope no one sees me associating with you guys.”

  “Slam!” Randy laughed.

  “But seriously guys, that’ll be the ten who goes in our helicopter. Spread through the other choppers will be one squad and one Platoon Leader of Green Berets, a squad of Army Rangers, a squad of the Korean Special Forces and three squads of Captain Diaz’s Alpha Company. Captain Diaz is taking the place of the Platoon Leader. The grand total will be eighty-nine in our group and that’s not counting the reporter and a cameraman but they will not be getting off the helicopter. I’m not taking a chance of them screwing up our mission while we’re in the Soso camp.”

  “Why the hell are they even going?” Boris asked. He hated the media even more since he read some of the things reporters wrote about him after the Minot Massacre. He kept hiding his face from the reporters so as not to be detected.

  “They wanted to be able to have immediate access to the prisoners. When they cried about not leaving the helicopters I told them we’re not taking them at all so they gave in and begged me to allow them to come and agreed to stay on the helicopter. If they try to leave the helicopter there are two Army soldiers on each helicopter to man the machine guns, they are under orders not to allow them to leave the helicopter.”

  “They screw this up and I swear I’ll shoot them right there,” Boris threatened. He felt anxious about spending time close to the press for fear some of them might recognize him.

  “I’m not arguing,” Mykal laughed when they all looked at him. “They give us away and it’ll be a race to see who kills them first.”

  “Hey guys,” Ski announced himself as he and Sam approached their little group. “I just wanted to come by and wish you well.” Ski smiled. “I want all of you to know that I will be praying God speed and praying for your protection.”

  Mykal knew Ski was sincere and knew Ski cared more about other people than anyone else he knew. But something about his words the day before stuck in Mykal’s head and worried him about this mission again. ‘This is friggin nonsense,’ Mykal thought as he watched Ski shake hands with everyone. ‘I’m making something outta nothing. Ski is not jinxing us. He’s concerned for us.’

  “I wish I could go with you guys,” Sam said. “But I know I’m not really able to physically. But hey, I’m here to tell you guys to hurry up and rescue these idiots so we can go home,” he said playfully. “And that’s an order!”

  “Mykal, I hope you weren’t offended by anything I said yesterday,” Ski said to him directly and held his hand out to shake. “I’m truly behind you with everything in me. I just know that as a Christian I have a responsibility to witness and tell the truth. I know sometimes people are annoyed with me, but I am concerned for you and I will be praying for you. Okay?”

  “Sure,” Mykal said. They shook hands. “And you’re my friend whether you’re an annoying Jesus Freak or not.” Mykal smirked with an awkward nervousness. The tightness in his chest returned.

  Ski smiled. “I wear the title, Jesus Freak with pride. And one day I hope to have all you guys be called Jesus Freaks as well,” he said and continued to smile.

  “Yeah right,” Boris scoffed and laughed. “Get the hell outta here holy roller. Ooops, I mean get the heck outta here church guy,” he pretended to regret his words. “He’s gonna be praying to God for us, so I better watch it,” he whispered to his friends as if Ski couldn’t hear him.

  “Very funny Boris. But I will be praying for you guys. It looks like I gotta pray extra hard for you,” Ski said with a friendly smile. Ski knew nothing about the Minot Massacre.

  “Seriously guys, be careful out there,” Sam warned. “Get those people back as fast as you can. I can almost taste my mom’s home cooking already,” he laughed and rubbed his belly.

  “Believe me, we’re gonna bust our asses and get back as soon as possible, cuz I wanna go home,” Larry said and tried to rub his beard, but found it gone.

  “Hey wait a minute. I remember when we first got here,” Mykal started to laugh at Larry. “You said something along the lines of wanting to stay here forever.”

  “You know we’re never gonna let you forget that you said that, right?” Sam laughed with them.

  “Yeah, I did say that,” Larry humbly admitted. “I was a silly kid back in the old days, wasn’t I?”

  “Old da
ys?” Jake sneered. “That was just a few months ago.”

  “That’s true,” Larry laughed with them. “But man, it’s like dog years out here. It sure feels like a long time. Doesn’t it?”

  “I’ll agree with ya there buddy,” Jake said and took a deep breath as they were being waved to come near the helicopter. “Look, they’re calling us to the chopper. Let’s go people. It’s time to take a ride we may never forget.”

  “A ride we may never forget?” Boris scoffed at Jake’s words. “We’re already in the friggin Twilight Zone. Now we’re gonna ride right into the Outer Limits of the Twilight Zone and who the hell knows where we’re gonna end up.”

  “Be careful,” Ski said and waved.

  “See ya soon,” Sam waved with his good arm.

  3.

  Flying near what would be the landing zone the pilots circled the general area a couple of times to ensure Sosos were nowhere close to the area. They flew over the Soso camp so Danny Weller could point out where he would suspect the prisoners were being held. They made rough maps with paper and pencil from above the camp, but they flew higher so as not to draw the attention of the Sosos. They tried to guess distances as they drew out where the tents were. They marked the maps to show areas of heavy, medium and light concentrations of Sosos.

  After they landed they formulated their plans, discussed best strategies and practiced moves for entry and actual extraction. After the plan had been set, the goal was to get as much rest as possible. They knew the night would be long, especially if the operation didn’t go according to plan.

  While resting and waiting the group went through their equipment. No one in this group brought their flack vests though they all wore their helmets. They didn’t want to be weighed down if they did have to flee from the Sosos. They also didn’t want to sneak through the Soso camp wearing the cumbersome protective armor. Objective number one was to enter undetected. Hopefully they wouldn’t need the protective body armor.