By What is Sure to Follow

by Donald Burton

  A short distance ahead the trail joined a larger one. Still only a few feet wide, the converging trail showed sign of more use. Sikes had the team spread out to five yards between men.

  Thirty yards later, following Hardy’s signal, the team evaporated into the forest, each silently concealing himself in thick foliage. As the team lay hidden, Hardy crawled back to Sikes to report he had seen some broken twigs stacked off to the side of the trail. He suspected land mines or worse up ahead. “It looks like the fuckin’ locals are skirting the area.”

  Sikes decided to play it safe. “Okay, out around it.” The team carefully followed the trace lead by Hardy out around the spot. The dense undergrowth lasted nearly twenty-five yards before they were able to return to the trail.

  Hour after hour they worked their way slowly toward their destination, following the deserted trail. The closer they got the more cautious they became.

  Normal animal sounds in the jungle were more intense than Luke expected. At times it sounded like he was in the huge aviary at the San Diego Zoo. Everywhere there were noises. He noticed the veterans ignored the sounds. As he walked, Luke remembered what Hardy had told him during one of the watches together: “If the fuckin’ noises disappear then there is cause for fuckin’ alarm.” A slight smile creased his face as he walked, listening to the chatter in the trees overhead. Now he understood.

  In mid-afternoon Hardy’s hand signals again caused them to immediately leave the trail and disperse into the jungle. Without a sound, they disappeared from the landscape. Luke hid in deep foliage just off the trail. Four Vietnamese men came into view moments later, two of them carrying rifles. They headed southward down the trail. It was obvious they didn’t suspect the team’s presence; they were chattering noisily and not watching where they were going.

  After they passed, Sikes cautiously made his way over to Luke. “What the fuck were they saying?”

  “One of them was bitching about his neighbor’s bison for some reason,” Luke replied. “The others thought he had a reasonable complaint. No mention of anything else.”

  “I guess that’s good. We only have another twenty or thirty minutes more on this trail. Let’s move out,” Sikes said softly, signaling the others. Luke saw him looking at the lengthening afternoon shadows. “Speed it up. We haven’t got all day,” he forcefully whispered.

  Even though they were in a hurry, knowing that people were around made the team fidgety. They slowed their pace. Sikes moved up right behind Hardy, watching the terrain carefully as he went. Soon he stopped them and studied the map briefly. Then he led them off the trail, moving to the right up a heavily wooded draw. Because they didn’t want to leave a trail of their own making, nor did they want the noise, they couldn’t use their machetes to cut through the dense growth. The next half mile was torture, taking over two and a half hours to cover. After a time, higher on the ridge, Hardy found a game trail that made the going easier.

  It was very late in the afternoon when the team settled in on a hillside overlooking the small village of Cua Tam. From where they were concealed, Luke saw the team could watch the entire cleared river delta that made up the remote village. Five thatched-roof structures were scattered around the open, irregular-shaped compound. A small river flowed past on the western side of the village, heading in a southerly direction. The river delta provided a few acres of fertile land that were under cultivation, growing rice; the rest was dense, green jungle. The water in the rice paddies reflected beautifully the late afternoon shadows of the steep hillsides.

  Sikes had positioned them perfectly, two hundred feet above the village on one of the steep hillsides. Within a few minutes of their arrival, each man dug out a level spot for himself, being careful to use the dense foliage as a screen. Finishing his housekeeping, Luke looked up and saw that everyone was studying the terrain. He followed their example.

  A closer look at the village revealed a few pigpens and a chicken coop. Two women were doing their daily chores near one of the huts, and three young children were playing in an open central courtyard area in front of one of the dwellings. Only two men could be seen– they appeared to be very old–and they were out in the fields, one behind an ox and the other stooped over working in a flooded rice paddy. A trail wide enough for an ox cart entered the village from the north side, Luke saw; it followed the contour of the river as it headed south. At the southern end of the delta another smaller trail entered the village, coming from a northwesterly direction. A small foot bridge connected it with the village.

  Luke had settled in just above and to the right of Jarvis and the rest of the team was close by in pairs–almost within touching distance–all around Luke. Even from higher up on the ridge the men were hidden from view. From the village, the hillside looked as it always did, a wall of lush green vegetation.

  The first two days were uneventful. The team took turns watching the village, eating their rations and sleeping. The vigil went on twenty- four hours a day. At night the team used the bulky Starlight scope.

  Late on the third day, Hardy noticed movement in the deep shadows north of the village. At first the now alerted team thought it might be a wild animal. However, after a few minutes, activity in the village changed just enough that Sikes felt certain something must be going on. One of the old women kept staring towards the movement, another went indoors.

  Two women remaining in view slowly worked their way towards the heavy shade in which Hardy had seen the movement. They disappeared into the shadows as all the poised Recons watched, and then reappeared–this time with three black pajama clad figures, all wearing conical straw hats. It was Sikes who first noticed that all three strangers were armed with brand new looking AK-47s. The strangers quickly followed the women, traversed the open ground and disappeared into one of the huts.

  Before darkness consumed the valley, while Luke was on watch, a number of silhouetted figures emerged from the shadows of the northern tree line. The entire team watched excitedly as the shadowy figures went directly to the same hut as the others and disappeared inside. Darkness came to the valley, covering the village with a sheath of silence.

  Sikes now had to make a decision. Should he radio in the contact, stay put and watch the village, or should they try to get close enough to overhear what the visitors were saying. Sikes decided to leave it up to Victor Tango, HQ's S-2 unit.

  “Farmer, this is Cowboy, over,” Sikes spoke softly into the handset.

  Long moments passed before the static airwaves gave way to a calm voice saying, “Cowboy, this is Farmer, over.” As quickly as possible Sikes appraised them of the situation (in code speak) and was told to wait for instructions.

  Nearly an hour passed before the radio again crackled, coming to life with unexpected energy. “Cowboy this is Farmer, you are to advance and listen to the music. Acknowledge, over.”

  “Roger, Farmer. Acknowledged. Will listen to the music. Cowboy, out,” said Sikes softly in a matter of fact tone. “Well you guys,” he whispered, “we get to earn our keep. HQ says were going in for a closer look-see. Gather up your shit. We may not make it back here if things get messy.” The team had already planned for this event. They knew exactly how they would enter the village, and more precisely, once in how they would exit in a hurry. Within an hour the team was entering the village. Using the scope, they saw only one VC guard– he was sitting on the narrow front porch of the occupied hut with his rifle in his lap. It made their advance almost routine.

  They approached from the southeast, concealing themselves in the dense undergrowth as long as possible. Sikes chose Hardy and Luke to crawl forward and check out the hut. The rest of the team positioned themselves to cover Hardy and Luke’s retreat, if the need arose.

  Hardy lead the way. Luke followed close behind. They moved from a tree stump to a small retaining wall and finally to a shed like structure a short distance from the targeted hut. Hardy was four yards ahead of Luke as they moved. As Hardy started to get up from his crawling position t
o hide behind the shed, a figure emerged from the shadows and grabbed him from behind. Luke saw the dull glimmer of steel as the figure started to put a knife to Hardy’s throat. Something inside Luke snapped. In one long stride Luke was upon the assailant. With lightening speed Luke grabbed the arm holding the knife with his left hand and spun the attacker off balance. In a flash of movement, Luke delivered his semi-cupped right hand up under the VC’s chin, smashing the man’s larynx and wind pipe flat. The only noise was the escape of air from the dying figure. Hardy recovered just in time to catch the falling body. He laid it slowly on the ground; the VC lay at their feet dying of suffocation as the two men stood and watched. They were concerned for a few moments with the amount of noise the dying man was making, but in less than a minute it was over.

  “Thanks, I owe you,” Hardy whispered through heavy breathing. “You don’t fuck around do you?” Even in the darkness Hardy could see the look in Luke’s eyes. It sent a shudder through him.

  Luke felt a strange calm. “Let’s get moving,” he said as he turned and led the way toward the hut. Hardy followed a short moment later.

  The last forty yards to the hut was traversed without incident. As Hardy stood guard near the rear of the hut, Luke crawled in close to the fragile structure. Of thatch design, it was built on bamboo poles above the ground. Once close, Luke could hear muffled voices inside, and he could hear movement as well. Prudently, he worked his way under the but, trying to get under the room where all the talking was taking place. After he settled down directly under the room, Luke began to listen carefully, knowing he had a very short time to find out what was going on before the missing man would be noticed.

  The conversation was still slightly muffled, but Luke found out what he needed to know. This was an advance scouting party for a major troop movement heading south. A truck convoy would be directly behind the troops. The advance party wanted to know what activity had gone on since their last visit several weeks earlier. Judging from what was being said, Luke thought the convoy was imminent–maybe the next day or so. From what one person said, Luke gathered the troops would be moving fast. It sounded like the preparation was for at least a battalion of regulars. All headed into South Vietnam. Having got what he needed, he began to retreat.

  Once Luke was sure that his whispering couldn’t be heard, he told Hardy what he had heard–now even if he didn’t make it back the message would get through. They continued their retreat, cautiously retracing their entry path.

  Without hesitating at the open expanse, they slowly began their crawl across the open, unprotected field toward the safety of the jungle, leaving the shed and dead VC behind. Half way hack to the tree line they heard yelling, coming from near the shed. The body had been discovered. Both Luke and Hardy froze, hugging the ground near a small mound of dirt. Long moments passed.

  The VC began rapidly to check the entire village hut by hut, pig pen by pig pen. In the nearly moonless night, Luke could count at least eighteen armed soldiers searching for them. Where they had all come from, he had no idea. He knew the longer they stayed where they were, the more likely they were to be discovered. The VC began spreading out their search pattern as Luke and Hardy watched.

  Luke realized their position was serious. He decided, without speaking to Hardy, to make his move. A glance told him Hardy was ready to follow. Slowly at first, gaining speed as they neared the tree line, Luke and Hardy ran in a crouched position. Luke could see several members of his team covering their retreat, pointing their silent, loaded weapons toward the VC. No shots had been fired yet, but Luke knew it was only a matter of time until the VC spotted them and then all hell would break lose. He knew if their luck held out for another minute, they would be safely in the tree line.

  The yelling from the village got louder, and Luke heard one of the VC scream, “There they are! Heading toward the trees!” Rapid fire followed. Luke and Hardy dove to the ground, still thirty or more yards from the tree line. As the VC began to advance, the rest of Luke’s team opened up. The firefight got vicious. Rifle fire came in heated volleys. At this point Luke was not looking back; his whole focus was on getting to the trees. Period. He could hear Hardy right behind him as they scrambled madly the last few yards to the relative safety of the tree line.

  Still far behind enemy lines, the team was by no means safe yet.

  The second Luke hit the tree line, Sikes listened to what he found out. While the Recons held the VC at bay, Sikes radioed the information back to HQ. Once HQ was informed, Sikes quickly decided to break contact with Charlie and fade into the jungle as quickly as possible. Luke put his pack on his back and readied to move out. He knew the pickup point was about seven miles away. That was the nearest place a helo could set down, with the exception of the village compound in front of them, and that was out of the question. HQ had given them until sunrise to get there. The next task was to get there–without the VC in tow.

  The next few hours were critical. Sikes had Hardy lead the way eastward through the treacherous jungle. The team ran fast, knowing they would have to keep the pace up for some time. Schmidt and Luke were assigned to the rear. They stayed at the tree line firing occasionally to keep Charlie pinned down, giving the team a chance to escape. After five minutes, the two men sprinted to catch up.

  Sikes’s plan was simple enough. The team would trot at a steady, hard pace for a couple hours minimum, heading in a zigzag pattern in the general direction of the LZ, following existing trails. Unless Charlie started out after them immediately, the team would be long gone before Charlie knew it. The tactic didn’t always work. If Charlie knew it was Recon they were up against, they might guess the evasive maneuver and try to head them off. Then a brutal fire fight would result. Only time would tell.

  The team was physically fit and very used to the punishment the terrain and fast pace dealt. The stress of the pursuit was another more important factor. Two main problems faced the team: the enemy behind, and booby traps and the unknown up ahead. The only fast way to exit the area was using existing trails. Running down the trails was a foolish move at best. At night it was suicide, but they had no choice. “If our luck holds out we’ll make it,” thought Sikes as he glanced at his team around him, all panting hard as they kept up the quick pace.

  The trail they followed was three feet wide at most. In some places leaves from banana trees, and other broad leaf trees, hung over the trail almost hiding the path. The moon did them almost no good–even though it was up now; it was hidden behind the hills to the east. Fifteen minutes after their separation, Johan and Luke rejoined the fleeing team as they hastily headed southward.

  The team had been running at a fast trot for the better part of four hours when Hardy’s hand motion abruptly stopped them all dead in their tracks. Immediately they sprang for cover, breathing hard as they lay concealed in the insect infested foliage. Sikes slowly worked his way up to Hardy.

  Hardy whispered to Sikes, “Charlie’s nearby. No proof, just a fuckin’ feeling, Sarge.” Sikes hesitated then nodded his agreement, knowing Hardy was seldom wrong. Sikes signaled the others of the danger.

  It wasn’t a smell in the air or sounds that set off their alarms, but the absence of them. The jungle was quiet, very quiet; even the nighttime sounds of the jungle were absent. Everyone signaled their acknowledgement and agreement. It was too quiet and that meant only one thing–Charlie was close. They quietly decided to set an ambush and draw Charlie in. Otherwise it was a sure thing they would walk into an ambush themselves.

  Jarvis suggested the rise up ahead would be a good spot. Partially covered with head-high elephant grass, the high ground provided a good vantage point to view the trail ahead and behind them. There really wasn’t much choice; it was the only halfway workable spot around.

  Just before they began to spread out, Hardy walked up to Luke and put a hand on his shoulder. “You did out-fuckin’ standing back there,” he whispered. In the dim light Luke saw that he was handing him something. He stuck out h
is hand. “Your trophy, “ he said as he laid the slightly bloody ear of the dead VC into Luke’s hand. Luke looked at it without speaking. His hand didn’t move. After a long moment he put it in his pocket. Hardy turned and walked away. Quickly the team set up their ambush and began to wait.

  To Luke it seemed like time was standing still. He hated the wait. The longer they waited the more nervous he got. He wanted action–right now. He lay silent, itching for it to happen. His position was high on the rise, somewhat removed from the rest of the team. As the stress mounted, Luke found himself getting more and more excited.

  Jarvis was clearly in view off to Luke’s left and Schmidt further to his left, but the rest of the team was out of sight. Time passed slowly. He didn’t see anything. Then he noticed Jarvis slowly move forward. He watched as Jarvis laid his rifle to the side and began crawling forward, veering slightly to his right as he crawled. His knife at the ready. In a flash of movement, he saw Jarvis lunge forward, driving his knife downward as he fell out of sight behind the mound.

  Long moments passed as Luke, daring not to move, waited to find out what had happened. Slowly Jarvis reappeared out of the darkness and cautiously crawled back to his original position, a big smile covering his face. He offered Luke a “thumbs up” sign. Luke smiled back and gave a thumbs-up sign himself.

  Luke looked away from Jarvis just in time to see the main body of a VC patrol heading into their ambush. Sikes, now visible off to the side, signaled to continue to hold, letting the VC get within a dozen yards. As Luke waited, adrenalin pulsed through his system, causing his breathing to increase and perspiration to heavily flow. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. It was so loud that he was sure the whole jungle could hear it. He tried to ignore it and silently switched his rifle to automatic, aiming it at the fifth man of the approaching patrol. He counted twelve Charlie for sure. He figured the rest of his team would target the forward members. The moment he heard Sikes fire, he opened up. His target went down with his first burst and he noticed other VC fall.