Chapter 6 Brass picker
“Well, that can work to our favor. We'll send out scouts to find a trail for the vehicles. When we get to a area that's impassable we top off everything that can keep going, then camouflage the vehicles. You and I both know they'll find them.”
After a moment I continued, “Hopefully you have some snipers with a good scopes. We'll also booby-trap some claymores on any approaches. If you have a squad for bait we can also leave them. However I only have one pallet of claymores and a case of grenades. Our retreat into the impact area will have to generate enough noise to attract them.”
Wilcox replied, “That sounds like a plan for us here, but what about your CP south of here.”
“I'll need to contact them and tell them about the threat. I think they will want to rendezvous with us in the impact zone. However, I hate to abandon that range.”
His LT then piped up, “We can't split up the our unit, we barely have enough men as it is.”
Wilcox then said, “The LT is almost right, but the infantry squad we rescued can be do our ambush and snipers. Hopefully you can furnish a few personnel also.”
I replied, “Most of my soldiers will volunteer, even the women. I hope the women won't be a problem. Knowing them they may even volunteer to stay with the vehicles as bait, I pity any enemy that they catch.”
LT Andrews then commented, “I think we should send out a patrol or two today and have them return at dusk. Then after eating we can sent everyone needed to scout the path into impact zone. I also think we should retake NFH, or at least get everything we need and destroy the rest.”
A corporal entered the tent and announced, “One of our patrols caught a civilian family on the edge of the impact zone. He claims he lived in Gatesville. I think he's a brass picker. They are bringing them in.”
Looking at the corporal I said, “Have them hold him just inside the perimeter, MSG Wilcox and I will come to where you have him.”
Wilcox looked at me and said, “What the hell.”
“Look, if he is a brass picker and escaped with his family from Gatesville he probably knows some safe routes through the impact zone. We may be able to use his knowledge to infiltrate NFH and move any vehicles we get. I'm not above using any asset we can find. We can use his family as leverage once we insure he's the real thing.”
Bill Gail was his name. Wilcox and I grilled him for almost an hour and then started on his wife. His three girls were terrified. The oldest was only seventeen and the youngest thirteen. We separated them and we started on the daughters one at a time. They all had the same story, but not word for word.
When we finally moved back to Bill, Wilcox said, “We think you might be the real thing brass picker, but we're going to keep your wife and girls back with our rear guard. You however, will come with us.”
Three of my lady squad walked up then and said, “Where are the women that were captured. We'll take charge of them.”
I could see him deflate as he watched Brenda playing with her bayonet. Looking at him she raised her voice slightly and said, “Don't worry about them, my girls and I will keep them safe from these horny guys around here as long as you play it straight with my sergeant. However, screw with us and we'll do to them worse than we did with those guys we caught the last time we visited north Fort Hood. They went to meet their maker without any balls and a nice hole we made with our bayonets where they like to stick their peckers. Am I clear?”
With dread in his eyes he asked, “Sir, are you going to keep them safe.”
With a laugh another of the girls stated, “We're women and nobody that has tried to rape us is still alive. Does that answer you question?”
With a groan Wilcox exclaimed, “One of the lady squad almost killed one of my soldiers the first day here because he reached out and grabbed her. If two of them hadn't stopped her, she'd have gutted him like a hog. Your wife and daughters will be safe as long as you are honest with us. We are going to raid NFH again and could use your knowledge of the impact zone.
“Girls go secure his women and bring them back over here.”
“Yes Sergeant Wilcox.”
“Mrs. Gail, our unit is going to raid north Fort Hood again and we need your husbands knowledge of the impact zone. The lady squad will be responsible for you and your daughters safety as long as your husband is honest and helps us. After this raid, if you want to go your separate way you will be given a few days rations and allowed to leave. If you want to stay, we'll make room for you.”
The move into the impact zone was without problem. Bill knew the lay of the land and we even got the tractor trailer trucks in without to much problem.
Our ambush squad reported eight enemy ambushed and bought their weapons and ammo in. They also found a hand drawn map and notebook. The problem was we had no one that could read the squiggly script.
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