Eddie felt like he had just had his ass thoroughly kicked by Big Jake. “Yes, sir,” he mumbled. The line immediately went dead.
Knew I shoulda gone to Korea, he said to himself.
Eddie had the weekend off, even though everyone else on base worked half a day on Saturday. On Monday Eddie and Ray Metson started going through the paperwork in the Projects Office. Most of it dealt with operations in Cambodia and South Viet Nam. By mid-afternoon each day Ray would leave Eddie to sort out the intelligence files while he went back to his police admin desk where he would work until 9:00 at night. This kept up until Friday. Eddie was quickly getting bored with this job.
Friday afternoon Ray received a message from Colonel Grendrick, Commander of the 40th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS) at NKP. He left word that Ubon was being tasked to resupply some hill tribes in southern Laos early the following week. Colonel Grendrick was running the NKP Projects Office for DIA.
Saturday morning Ray joined Eddie, Mack Klevenger, and about a half dozen sergeants from the Security Police Section at the Thai restaurant for breakfast. This was the usual early morning meeting place, Eddie learned. But this morning Ray wore his civilian clothes. No one mentioned it or asked why.
After a short walk to the office, Ray picked up a flight bag from the Projects Office and led Eddie out to the transit ramp where the U-10 Couriers were parked.
“Can you fly a U-10?” Ray asked as they approached the planes.
Eddied shrugged. “I don’t know. Never tried. Looks like a plain old Helio Courier.”
“That’s what it is. A geared 295-horse STOL tail dragger.” Ray opened the door, threw the flight bag inside, and said, “Let’s get a good walk-around on this thing. It’s been setting here for a week now.”
“Why? Is someone taking it up?”
“Yea, flyboy. We are.”
“Whoa. I’m not checked out in one of these things. In fact, I’ve never flown a tail dragger in my life.”
“No sweat. I’ll have you checked out by Monday morning. I assume you’ve learned how to navigate over here.”
Eddie looked at Ray. “You’re telling me you can fly these things?”
“Okay, Lieutenant. I’ve been flying since I was sixteen. That’s about eight years worth of single engine flying with a commercial, instrument, and instructors rating. If it has one engine, a propeller, and wheels, I can fly it.”
“So, why aren’t you flying for the Air Force?”
“Not enough college hours for a degree. A degree is required for a commission. A commission is required for flight school. And I’ve got less than three years to get it all done or I bust the flight school age limit of twenty-seven.”
“Wow, that’s rough.”
“Not really. DIA is getting me special pro-pay over here that brings me up to captain’s pay. Without your flight pay, that puts me ahead of you and just behind Mack.”
Ray then turned and started into the pre-flight inspection of the plane. Eddie suddenly felt better about Ray, but still felt out of place in this undefined job working for a sergeant.
After a thorough pre-flight inspection of the plane, Ray directed Eddie into the left seat. Ray talked him through the start-up procedure and helped Eddie taxi to the runway.
The plane had just begun its take-off roll when Ray pulled the nose high into the air. It seemed to just hang motionless. Eddie fought the urge to push the nose down to gain airspeed as his eyes quickly swept over the instruments. He really doesn’t know how to fly this thing, Eddie kept thinking.
In a few seconds - it seemed like an eternity to Eddie - Ray pushed the nose over for level flight at 800 feet above the runway, pulled off some power, and pulled the prop back.
“Okay, an empty U-10 can climb,” Ray said. “The toughest thing with this airplane is ground handling on a hard surface runway, especially with a crosswind. The wind isn’t bad here, but follow me through on this landing and watch the numbers.” He pointed to the airspeed indicator. Eddie was nervous coming down final at just fifty-five miles per hour. Over the threshold the leading-edge slats slammed out, startling the already stiff-kneed fighter pilot.
After three hours in the pattern, Eddie was making reasonable progress on landings, both on the hard runway and the dirt assault strip. Several landings were made in the grass between the runway and the taxiway. They then taxied back to the transit ramp to refuel and go to lunch.
After lunch at the Thai restaurant Ray told Eddie to take the rest of the afternoon off. They would fly again at nightfall. Ray got into a taxi and headed downtown.
Eddie went back to his room with a copy of the U-10 handbook. He had been studying it for nearly an hour when Mack Klevenger called and invited him over to his trailer for the afternoon.
Colonel Waldrop was sitting in Mack’s living room with a cold beer in his hand, wearing a sweat-soaked T-shirt, gym shorts, and running shoes.
“Hello, Donevant,” he said cheerfully.
“What happened to you? Fall in the pool?” Eddie asked with a grin, hoping this would be a light hearted and friendly afternoon.
“No, he’s practicing for a base attack,” Mack called out from the kitchen.
“Fuck you guys. I’m just running to stay in shape, so I can chase those beautiful young pooyings.”
“You too old for pooying,” a woman’s voice called from the kitchen. “You chase mama-san. She no run fast.”
There was more laughter. Then Mack asked, “Cold beer, Eddie?”
“No, sir. Soft drink or ice tea will be fine, thank you.”
“Haven’t noticed you at the Club since you’ve been here,” Colonel Waldrop said.
“No, sir,” Eddie answered, as he sat in a chair. “I don’t drink and don’t much enjoy the bar crowd.”
The Thai woman brought Eddie a can of Coke and a glass of ice. She appeared to be about thirty, older than most of the pooyings on the base, but nicely dressed. Eddie understood that she was Mack’s teelock - his live-in girlfriend. “You good boy. You no drink booze.”
Eddie smiled. “Thank you.”
Mack wore a casual shirt and pants with sandals. He dropped into another chair with a beer, as his teelock left for the back of the trailer to allow the men to talk.
“How far do you run, Colonel?” Eddie asked.
“Five miles a day. It’s tough in the sun. Much easier when it rains.”
“I couldn’t push myself to do that every day.”
“I run with one of the old chiefs. A thirty-year man. We play handball in the evenings. Old guys like us have to push each other along.”
“Heard from your wife lately?” Mack asked.
“Not since I left the States four months ago.”
“Problem?” Colonel Waldrop asked.
Eddie shrugged. “She wanted me to start Bible college rather than take this SEA (Southeast Asian) tour. If the flying jobs dry up, I’ll probably go when I get back. She was upset and quit writing when I came over here.”
“She didn’t want to be separated?” Waldrop asked.
“It’s not that. She’s on an anti-war kick of some type. I don’t understand it.”
Waldrop glanced at Mack. Eddie caught the look.
“We just received a message from the States,” Mack said. “She was arrested in Washington three days ago.”
Eddie shook his head. “Protesting the war that’s already over.”
“She was with a protest group in a van, but she’s one of three charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana.”
Eddie made a face. “Doesn’t sound like her.” Then he shrugged. “But then again, she’s not too bright and she’s been hanging around with some real losers.” After a few seconds of silence he added, “I guess she wants me to send her money for a lawyer and for bail.”
“What do you think you shou
ld do?” Colonel Waldrop asked.
“Let her sit in jail. That way she won’t be protesting and embarrassing me and the rest of the Air Force. If she wants money, she’ll write.”
“I don’t detect a lot of concern on your part,” Mack said.
“Gentlemen, I’ll do what’s required of me, but no more. I’m here with a job to do and she’s there screwing up. Right now I want to stay in the Air Force to fly. If I can’t fly, then I’ll probably get out. If she’s going to interfere with my career, my money will hire a lawyer for a divorce. Trouble is, a divorce will keep me from becoming a preacher. But, choices have to be made.”
They agreed to refer the problem to the base lawyer on Monday and then settled into telling war stories.
Ray Metson lay stretched out on the damp sheets watching the ceiling fan slowly circulate the muggy afternoon air. The small fan on the dressing table turned back and forth blowing air across his damp body. The air caused the strands of hair to flutter on the girl’s cheek as she lay sleeping beside him. Outside he could hear the singsong sounds of people chattering on the street. He was relaxed and content.
When Ray raised his arm to check his watch - it was 4:10 p.m. - she reached across his chest and slid closer to him. He ran his hand down her back. “I see you smiling,” he said.
She wrapped her legs around his and pulled herself onto his chest. “I think I will keep you,” she said.
“You are so pretty, I think I will let you keep me.”
She lifted her head and gave him a big smile. Her eyes were brown and she had a round face with high cheekbones and fair skin. Her thick black hair was long and straight. To him Li Chow Chang, one of Thailand’s Chinese minorities, was a dream girl. She had graduated from medical school three months earlier and her first job for the Thai government was to work as a doctor in the field with a United Nations medical team. The team treated children in Laos, Cambodia, and South Viet Nam. It had some small offices at the regional hospital at Ubon. Their time together was very limited and their future very uncertain.
“Where will I keep you? I have no home.”
“You can keep me under you bed and pull me out to sleep with you.”
“Can you cook and clean and wash clothes, too?”
“You ask an awful lot of a guy, you know.”
She wrapped her arms around him and giggled. He held her tight and thought how magical her spell was over him.
They lay together for another twenty minutes before she asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Sure.”
Li got up, pulled on a pair of panties, stepped into a sarong - a traditional Thai dress consisting of a large loop of cloth that folds back and is tucked in at the top just under the arms -, and a pair of thongs.
“You aren’t wearing a bra?” he asked.
“I have nothing to put in it,” she answered with a smile, gave him a quick kiss, and walked out.
No kidding, Ray thought with a smile. This woman was little, even by Thai standards. But she was smart. A good doctor and a natural at languages, too.
Li was back in about twenty minutes with a whole fish, a box of sticky rice, and a bottle of warm Coke.
“No cow pod?” he asked, looking in the bag.
“You always eat that fried rice. You need fish and boiled rice. It is better for you.”
“I just don’t like eating a fish that lays there looking up at me from the plate.” The fish was cooked alive over a fire without being gutted or gilled.
She poured the Coke into glasses as they sat together on the floor to eat.
“No ice, either,” he complained.
“You Americans are spoiled. What am I going to do with you?”
“You could marry me. We could buy a fancy house with a nice kitchen and a big soft bed.”
“I like a little bed,” she said, laughing. “And what would we do with a lot of half-breed babies?”
“We wouldn’t have to have a lot of them. Just two or three, maybe.”
“We will talk about that later. Now eat some fish. You have worked hard and need to keep up your strength.”
Ray made a face, pulled a piece of fish off, and stuck it in his mouth behind a ball of rice. He chewed it a few seconds and then washed it down with some warm Coke.
“Have you heard anything from southern Laos in the past week or two?”
“Where?” she asked.
Ray pulled a small map from his pocket with roads and villages printed in Lao. She looked it over and then took a pencil from his pocket and marked two villages.
“Stay away from these two.”
Ray looked them over and nodded. “We’ll be flying in.”
She took the map back and marked an N beside a road and a D beside a remote village. “This is okay for night. In the day Pathet Lao use the road.” Ray nodded. “The village is okay for day, but at night you cannot see it.”
“Why not?”
“It is on a hillside. You must land in the village. It is very small, so is very dangerous.”
Ray thought about that for a few seconds and then put the map back in his pocket.
“Why do you go there?”
“Some friendlies need resupply.”
Li glanced at Ray as she rolled up some sticky rice into a ball. “You make work for me, you know.”
“But you like the extra pay.”
“I like what you do for me better than money. You be careful.” She pulled his face to hers and kissed him passionately.
SOUTHERN LAOTIAN MOUNTAINS
November 1974
Ray pulled the power back to ride the updraft along the mountain ridge. They were flying north close to the mountain, a few miles north of the Cambodian border. The sun hung just above the mountain ridge to the west.
“Watch for the village. It should be coming up just under our right wing,” Ray said to Eddie over the headset.
Eddie glanced at Ray and then looked at the forest-covered mountainside quickly passing by his right window. This was a pretty steep hillside. He could not imagine how they were going to find a place to land in the village if it were this high up the mountain.
Several minutes later Ray said, “There it is.”
Eddie could see a few brown roofs through the green trees, but there was no runway to be seen. In a few brief seconds the village was gone from sight and they were in a turn to the left.
Ray continued the steep turn to the left and dropped slightly below the village. Eddie stiffened, as they narrowly missed the mountainside to the west. The updraft on the east side lifted them to the level of the village, as Ray pulled back the power and eased the nose up. As they were about to slam through the trees into the dirt, Ray pulled the nose high. They dropped between the trees into the edge of the village, and a second or two later the wheels hit the ground. The plane slowed rapidly, as it bounced through the center of the village up the steep hillside. Ray applied full power to keep the plane moving until it reached the far end of the village.
Once stopped, the village men, armed with AK-47 rifles, ran up to the plane. Ray held the plane in place with engine power and brakes. He yelled for Eddie to get out and get the plane unloaded.
The plane was unloaded in about three minutes. As soon as Eddie was in, he felt the plane moving. The villagers spun the tail around and then got away from the plane.
The distance through the village looked even shorter than it did coming up. And the sun was now fully behind the ridge to the west.
Ray dumped takeoff flaps, pushed the throttle fully forward, and released the brakes. The plane shot through the village and leaped into the air faster than Eddie believed possible. Within seconds they were pulling up flaps as they climbed over the western ridge.
“Who taught you to fly like that?” Eddie asked, when they were finally straight and level.
&n
bsp; “My grandparents. They were barnstormers in the thirties. And I have an uncle who builds planes. I used to fly for him doing ag spraying and some test flights on his new designs.”
“Your dad fly, too?”
“Until about ten years ago.”
“He quit flying?”
“Sort of. He was on the ground just east of here, inside Nam, flying a UH-1 medivac when he had an encounter with a Russian machine gun. Since then he’s been spending a lot of time pushing up flowers at Arlington.”
Eddie spent the rest of the flight in silent thought. Ray seemed to have a bitterness about his father’s death, but he had an odd way of explaining it.
Eddie and Ray taxied to the transit ramp and were met by a captain in a flight suit.
“Hello, Ray. Lieutenant,” the captain said, as they stepped out of the plane.
“Howdy, Cap’m. What’s up?” Ray asked.
“You two are. You’re gonna do the road job tonight.”
“What’s the rush?”
“She said tonight before midnight. I loaded one of the planes for you.”
“Damn,” Ray hissed.
Eddie looked at the captain expecting more of an explanation, but the captain lit a cigarette and stood there as if he were waiting for a decision from Ray.
“Care to clue me in, Sergeant?” Eddie finally asked.
“It appears we’re going to drop another load in Laos tonight.”
Eddie looked at the captain, and Ray introduced him.
“This is Hank Renwick. He’s an 0-2 driver.”
“Oh, yes. I remember you now, sir. The hilltop job back in August.”
Hank nodded, but said nothing.
“You gonna be there?” Ray asked.
“I’ll be nearby if you need me, but the pack won’t be up.” The pack was a slang term for the Wolf Pack. It was what the 8th TAC Fighter Wing was known as when they were up flying missions. He meant that fighters would not be up over Laos tonight. There just was not enough time to get them in the air.
The Wrong Side of Honor Page 3