by Unknown
“Good plan. Let me know what he says.” She returned to the others. “I want options to me by 5 pm. When approved, I want people on the road by 6. Let’s get a move on.”
The staff stood up and left the tent. Around headquarters, things really started to move.
It was cold now in Korea. Once the sun went down the temperatures plummeted. Ricks huddled beside one of the trucks sipping some coffee. As a part of the spearhead across the peninsula, they saw their share of action, but it was mostly minor skirmishes since the Air Force had blown most of the North Korean Army into the dark ages. The assignment this evening was something else.
Ricks was nervous. He and his unit were assigned to a Marine command to go in and take a key spot. A young lieutenant briefed everyone in and gave them the bad news. They were going to take out a school house full of children. Their orders were to rout out the North Koreans and try not to let any of the kids get hurt. All intelligence knew was there were over 100 DPRs in there. There was no word on what they might have with them, besides the kids. It was the toughest assignment he’d been given.
Ricks was trying to stay warm when someone walked up next to him.
“Ricks?” the man asked.
Ricks looked up to see Corporal Miller looking down at him. He broke out in a smile and stood up. “Damn, Miller, how’s it going? Don’t tell me you are assigned to this fiasco too.” He said cheerfully as they shook hands.
“Yeah. We’re going in with you to try and pick off a few where we can. Brought my rifle and a couple of pistols,” he said handing one over. “They told me you were coming along and I thought you might like to carry one.”
Ricks took the weapon, a 9mm with a silencer attached. “Damn right. I was wondering how we might get in. We go shooting up things with the M-16s and all hell will break loose. How many of these are we taking?”
“My guys brought ten and I have five guys with me in my squad. We all have the silenced rifles. The Lieutenant said this should be a stealthy mission. You still have night vision?”
“Yep, and a couple sets of batteries. Shall I pick out the guys to use these?” he asked holding up the pistol.
“That would be the plan. I told the Lieutenant you would know who the sharpshooters were. He said to have at it. Why don’t you grab the guys and meet me over by the command tent. I’ll have the weapons and ammo.”
“Good enough,” said Ricks. He went to his squad and grabbed ten of his best people and assembled with Miller by the tent. Miller handed out the pistols and ammunition. As they were doing it, the Lieutenant walked up.
“You’re getting loaded out. That’s good,” said Lieutenant Dickson. “OK, guys, listen up. You all know what’s going to be happening. I need you guys to lead this charge. I am having another group make a diversion on the other side of the building while we go in the back door. All of you have the night vision glasses and the silenced weapons. My goal is to sneak in and get the kids out if we can. Once that’s done we can kill everybody in the place as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “Now I don’t know where the kids are. They could be in classrooms or could be in the gym or something, but we find them and get them out. Use these things to take out anyone who tries to stop us or looks like will try and hurt a kid. Once we get them away we can start making our way through the building and securing it,” he said.
The men around him nodded in understanding. “Most of all, try and not get killed. I hate writing letters to mommy,” he said with a grin. The men around him chuckled. He looked around the group and saw Ricks standing there with his staff sergeant stripes. “You must be Sergeant Ricks,” he said extending his hand. “Glad to have you with us. I appreciate your help,” he said.
“My pleasure, Lieutenant. You going to lead us in?”
“Damn right! You cover mine, and I’ll cover yours,” Dickson said.
“Fair enough, sir. What time do we shove off?”
Dickson glanced at his watch. “Ten minutes. We’ll go by truck a good part of the way. We’ll be breaking off from the convoy pretty early on.”
“Convoy?” Ricks asked.
“We’re not the only ones doing nasty jobs tonight,” Dickson said. “But I’ll be glad when our part is over.”
Ricks nodded. This guy Dickson was okay. He seemed like a smart guy and he didn’t mind taking the point with the ground pounders when it got rough. At least he wasn’t wet behind the ears like some. Ricks loaded up his extra ammo clips and equipment, slung his pack over his shoulders, and walked over to the truck that would take them to their mission. Hell, at least we don’t have to walk all the way, he thought.
A short distance away, Hufham was talking with Lt. Colonel Peterson. “So we are to give these guys a diversion. In plain talk I have to get my guys shot at for a while,” he said with a little disgust.
“What do you expect? Should they let us just walk in?” Peterson asked. “We need to get their attention so that Marine unit can sneak in and get some kids out. Those monkeys are using kids as hostages.
“Screw that. Where do you want us to be?” The idea of holding defenseless kids really pissed Hufham off.
“On this side of the building and down the street,” Peterson said pointing at the map. “I figure we make some noise like we’re heading in. They take some shots and we just sit back and let them shoot. We occasionally shoot back in that direction, but not really at the building. I’m having a Bradley cruise around some too. Might draw what fire they have out. When I get the signal, then we can move in and clean house,” Peterson said.
Hufham nodded. “I can handle that. When do we leave?”
Peterson grinned. “Right now. Get your guys and meet me back here in five.”
Hufham grunted. “Be right back.” It didn’t take long. The squad was already alerted and ready. They grabbed their gear and assembled with the Colonel. Two Bradleys were waiting. The men piled in and moved out.
The school was a four story building on the eastern approach to Seoul. It was in the shape of a “C” with the top of the “C” a little shorter than the bottom. In the center of the “C” was a courtyard where the children could play. The building towered over the one and two story homes and businesses in that part of the city. Major roads were within 300 yards in any direction and streets seemed to branch out from the school. Most of the surrounding neighborhood was homes and small business.
The North Koreans occupied the top two floors and had installed several pieces of artillery along with machine guns. From where they were, they had a clear shot for over three miles in any direction. This included the key bridges entering the city from the southeast.
Dickson and his men entered the city through Guri, sheltered by some high hills on the east of Seoul. Navigating through some narrow roads between the hills, they entered the neighborhoods of Seoul and made their way toward the school. On one occasion, they stopped to take a look at their objective. The school rose like some monolith in the sea of rooftops.
Dickson and his men stopped the trucks in an alley beside a small home just south of the school, about 200 yards away. They were masked by some two story structures across a narrow street. The men quickly and silently began working their way toward the school.
When they got to one four lane road, Dickson stopped the team and turned to Ricks. “The school should be just beyond this road and those houses,” he said pointing. “We should be at the end of the building so there shouldn’t be many guys who can see us, but we need to spread out and make our way. Pass the word. No big groups. We move in and gather at a retaining wall just below this end. If you see anyone, we stop and take care of it,” he said. “Now send Miller up here.”
Ricks nodded and passed the word on back down the line. Miller soon appeared with his rifle and took off with Dickson in the lead. Ricks was proud of the way the men were doing. Their uniforms blended in with the surroundings perfectly and, with no lights on, they would be nearly impossible to see from the school. Everyone was painted up and mo
ving without a sound.
Dickson switched on his night vision glasses. After passing the street, he stopped at the corner of a building and peered cautiously around it. They were about seventy yards from the school and he could see two men walking along the top of the retaining wall at the end of the school. Both carried rifles. Dickson motioned for Miller to have a look. Miller studied the situation for a moment, then nodded. He raised one finger and pointed to the right, then pointed left indicating the sequence he would take.
Miller took careful aim with his rifle and waited until the guard on the right was far away from the other guard, then he gently squeezed the trigger. A light “pap” sound was heard and he saw the guard on the right drop from sight. He quickly switched to the second guard. In just three seconds he too was down and Dickson motioned his men forward. They gathered at the base of the retaining wall and, using hand signals, fanned out toward the entrance.
A set of doors were the only access to that side of the school. It was at the narrow end of the building with no windows except in the doors. Silently walking up four steps, Dickson eased up to the window level and glanced inside. No one was in the hallway beyond the doors. Taking a few more steps, he reached the doors and eased his head up until he could see into the window again more clearly.
He could see a long dark hallway with classrooms and lockers on both sides. The hall itself was empty. To Dickson, it looked much like a typical American school with concrete block walls and windowed doors.
Dickson looked down at the door and its handle. The door was slightly ajar indicating the guards had recently used it. Shifting to the other side of the doorway he pulled the door open just slightly and looked for any strings or other booby traps that might be set up; but there were none. He turned to the men behind him, raised two fingers, and pointed. Then he and Ricks eased the door open and passed inside.
Both men flattened themselves against the walls and waited for any kind of alarm. They were lucky the doors didn’t squeak. Cautiously, they made their way to the first set of classroom doors opposite each other in the hallway. Ricks peered into the classroom. It was empty. Looking toward Dickson, he gave a thumbs up and continued to the second. The sound of footsteps caused them to flatten against the wall again.
A guard walked across the entrance on the far end of the hall. He didn’t bother to glance in their direction but instead continued to walk his rounds. In a few seconds, they heard the squeak of the soles of his shoes as he turned and came back. This time, he looked down the hall, but seeing nothing, continued on.
Ricks took a breath again. This clandestine stuff was for the birds. He was just as happy shooting the guy and being done with it, but the addition of children prevented that. He noticed Dickson freeze and hold up his hand.
Dickson looked into the next classroom and found it had been turned into a barracks. Six men were inside sleeping on cots. He raised three fingers, then raised them again before pointing at the room. Looking back down the hall, six men had entered besides him and Ricks.
Ricks motioned for two men to come up. They eased around the lockers and joined them at the door with their silenced pistols in their hands. Dickson held up the six fingers again, then pointed at the gun and gave a cut sign across his throat. Both men nodded in understanding. They gently opened the door and walked inside. There was a soft sound almost as if some drops of rain had hit the floor, then the two men eased back out of the room.
The team continued to make its way silently up the hall looking into each room. They reached the end of the hall and peered around the corner. One man was walking up and down the long hallway while another was sitting at a small table reading under a lamp. At the far end of the hall were four other men just standing around.
This was getting complicated. The targets were too far away for the pistols and with the small light on, there was a chance they might be seen. Dickson felt a tug on his arm. It was Miller.
“Let me get my guys up here. We can get the ones at the end and by the light. Wait till the guard comes this way and one of you can take him out,” he whispered only loud enough to be heard by Dickson.
Dickson nodded in understanding and gave another thumbs up. Miller and his men spread out across the hall behind some lockers and took a bead on the targets at the far end. They waited as the one guard slowly made his way toward them.
The guard was tired. It was an hour into his watch and he was already bored to death. His place was out killing Americans not nursemaiding children. His rifle was slung over his shoulder as he slowly walked down the hall. It was bad enough they spent all day lugging the guns up the stairways and getting them set up, but to spend half the night wandering the halls was beyond reason. The officer took the only chair available. He was sitting reading Mao’s Little Red Book while the soldiers kept watch. The further up the hall he got the darker it became. The building was just over 100 yards long from end to end. That light in the middle made it worse. Twice he had tripped on something left on the floor. As he neared the end of the hall something didn’t look quite right. Usually the lockers made a straight line shadow in the dim light that he watched for to make sure he didn’t hit them. This time it did not. He reached for his gun when he saw a very small flash.
All the targets dropped at once as the snipers fired. A slight clatter was heard at the other end as a couple of rifles hit the hard floor. Miller took one more shot and snuffed the lamp, sending the hallway into total darkness. A little more quickly the men moved down the hall, glancing into the rooms and making sure no one else was around.
A small light came from one room. The radio operator had his headset on and was intent on listening to something. One shot from Ricks’ pistol took care of business. He lowered the man back on the table to look like he was sleeping and placed a helmet on the man’s head. Picking up the headset, he put it to his ear. The man had been listening to South Korean Rock and Roll. By the time he came back out the door, the others were pulling the bodies out of the hallway into a classroom.
Some shouts could be heard from the upper floors and, in the distance came the sound of a diesel engine. Some soldiers on the upper landings were talking and moving around. No one came down the stairs. They were too intent on watching the roads.
Looking into the large doors at the end of the hallway, Dickson found what they had been looking for. The cafeteria floor was lined with sleeping children. There were two men inside as far as he could see. One was sitting behind a machine gun at one corner; its muzzle aiming towards the children. He was about to signal the others when someone he hadn’t seen turned the corner and walked toward the doors. Dickson backed quickly away and waited for the man to come through. Oblivious to what had occurred outside, the man slapped the doors open and walked through allowing them to close behind him. Dickson raised his pistol and put a round through the soldier’s left ear. He watched the already dead body tumble like a rag.
Thinking fast, Dickson motioned for Ricks to join him. He grabbed the man’s rifle and slung it over his shoulder like the dead man had carried it, then pulled the blood stained hat over his head. He and Ricks casually opened the doors and walked into the gym. Dickson walked to a position behind the man on the machine gun and leaned up against the wall. Ricks did almost the same, walking farther down the wall toward the second soldier standing guard over the kids on the other side. Ricks pulled up a chair and sat down. Both had a clear shot. Ricks saw Dickson raise his pistol and he did the same. The shots went off almost at the same time.
Ricks sprinted to the opposite side of the room and glared into the kitchen. It was empty. He gave a thumbs up to Dickson who called in the rest of the troops.
More than 100 children were in the cafeteria. At first Dickson wasn’t sure what they would do with them all, but one child raised his head, wondering what was going on. One of the soldiers nearby came over and pressed a finger to his lips and shushed him. Then, one-by one, the soldiers began waking the children and telling them in both English
and Korean to keep very quiet. To Dickson’s surprise, none of them screamed or cried out, although a few wanted to start talking. He motioned to Ricks to come over.
“If we try and go out the kitchen, the people on the other floors might see. It’s the shortest wing. Let’s get them down the hall and back out where we came in. Have six of the guys lead the kids to the trucks and hold them there while we search the other floors,” he said.
Ricks nodded and got things going. Very quietly the children began walking down the halls. Unfortunately the sounds of little feet were hard to mask and Dickson and the others cringed at the noise. But no one came down the stairs at the end of the halls or at the main entrance.
Outside the building, first one, then another tracked vehicle came down the street several hundred yards away. Ricks could hear orders being given on one of the upper floors and weapons being loaded.
Scanning the courtyard and the streets around the building, the coast was clear and the children were quickly led around the retaining wall to a building at the far side of the street out of sight.
Dickson turned back to Ricks. “OK, now for the fun part. You ready to go up a flight?” he asked in a whisper.
“Do we have a choice?”
Dickson stifled a laugh. “Let’s go.”
The men walked down the first hall again and half the unit went to the stairwell at one end with Ricks while the rest stayed with Dickson. As the men quietly ascended the stairs, a loud bang resounded as one of the guns opened up on the parading Bradleys. Along with the shouts by the soldiers were the screams of more children. Dashing up the final few steps, Dickson looked around the corner of the stairwell.
The hall had several men walking around going between rooms in the center of the hall. Making his way, Dickson saw that the end classrooms were vacant, but the second one had children inside. He saw no guards. Checking the door, it was locked.