"Good, talk to General Reynolds. Work out how he wants to bring them in and the overhead control."
Three minutes later the word went out to the pilots' ready room. The four F-18's on standby would be launched at once. Ten more F-18's would be launched as soon as possible. All with full ground-attack weapons. Aircraft handlers pulled F-18's onto the elevators to bring them to the flight deck. Aircraft crews inspected the planes before the pilots got there.
The first four standby fighters were off the deck in four minutes after the alert; then more began shooting off. As the pilots raced the one hundred miles to the fighting, they were directed to targets by an Air Force AWACS control plane high over the peninsula. The first two Hornets were vectored to the North Korean tank thrust at the center of the line.
The F-18's were loaded for ground attack. Each had its M61 20mm, six-barrel gun and 570 rounds. They carried 17,000 pounds of bombs and rockets, AIM-7 Sparrow missiles for air-to-air defense, and the AGM-65 Maverick for tanks and other major targets.
Captain Olson went to the CIC, the Combat Information Center, where he could talk with his pilots and control the launching of the birds on an as-needed basis. Each flight would have two hours over the target unless they exhausted their armament. Then they would return for another rotation.
A hundred miles to the target was not even a warm-up for the Hornets at Mach 1.8 speed. They would be traveling about twenty-four miles a minute, which put them a little over five minutes away from their combat zone.
In his cabin, well below the flight deck, Murdock heard the flurry of activity of the launches. He came awake at once, dressed, and hurried up to the CIC. Captain Olson saw him come in and nodded, then went back to getting the next flight of Hornets off the deck.
"Damned North Koreans launched a thirty-mile-wide attack across the DMZ this morning. We're giving air support. You guys are bound to get some action pretty soon."
Murdock grinned. "Great, it's about time."
Eighth Army Headquarters
Seoul, South Korea
General Reynolds closed his eyes a moment and shook his head.
"Tell me you're not sure, Major. How in hell could the Vice President of the United States have stayed overnight in a bunker with the Ninety-first Tank Battalion inside the DMV?"
"His request, sir. He said he outranked you. We know he was there last night because one of his Secret Service men has a SATCOM and he talked to us just after midnight. He said all was well, the Vice President was being well taken care of, and they would be back in Seoul today for the ceremony at the war memorial."
"No word from him since last night?"
"No, sir. We have to assume that he was overrun by the NK tanks and captured. Few of the Ninety-first's support people got out. They took over forty artillery rounds when the attack began at 0430."
"We have to get him out of there."
"How, General? He's now five miles behind the front lines. The North Koreans have their Forty-second Tank Battalion out in front, and nothing we have right now is going to push those enemy tanks back across the line."
"So we go inside, through their lines, and lift out the men in choppers. How many are there?"
"Twelve in the Vice President's group, sir."
"Those special Ranger units still with us?"
"No, sir. Both groups rotated a week ago."
"SEALs? The Navy have any SEALs on board that task force off Inchon?"
"Possible, sir. I'll check. Who's in charge out there?" General Reynolds told him, and said to get back to him as quickly as possible. Then he made another call.
"Commo, get me through to the White House. I have some bad news to tell the President."
USS Monroe
Don Stroh boiled into the CIC and spotted Murdock.
"You up already? You know about the damn NKs? Yeah, looks like you do. There's another problem. I just came from the admiral's cabin. He's on his way down."
"What's a bigger problem than a thirty-mile-wide invasion by the North Koreans?"
CAG Olson turned and stared at Murdock. "Bigger? When the NKs overran the DMZ they smashed one of our tank battalions. That was the spot the Vice President picked to use for his hotel last night. He hasn't been heard from since midnight on a SATCOM transmission. We have to assume he's been captured."
"The Vice President a POW?" Murdock blurted out.
"Maybe," Stroh said. "He's a combat veteran. I'd guess his Secret Service men would keep him incognito if they are captured. We'll have to see. The important thing is I'm expecting a call from the President within the next fifteen minutes. Looks like we may have a job for you, Murdock. All we need is a go from the boss CIA man and the President. So when do you want to go in and how will you rescue the Vice President?"
Murdock didn't even blink. "Rescue the Vice President? Fucking carefully. When? Tonight, first dark. We'll take a chopper for a quick jump into Seoul. Then a chopper run into Panmunjom. We'll need a guide who knows the exact location of that tank battalion and who knows the camp and the underground bunkers where the Vice President might be hiding.
"We can use either Cobras or Air Force gunships for protection. Two big choppers to hold fifteen men each for the evac. Who's with the Vice President?"
"Some Congressmen, his staff, and two Secret Service agents. Maybe six or eight lawmakers." "I wonder if any of them got shot up or hurt in the capture? If so, it'll make it tougher to get them out."
"You won't know until you get there."
Murdock pushed away from the wall. "Captain, can you talk to the Air Force at Seoul about aircraft? Or we could use yours, whichever you want. Might be smoother going from here. Range is right for the Cobras and a pair of Sea Knights. I'll take your advice. Right now I want to get to my men and do some planning. Not much we can do except talk it through."
"We'll get that call soon," Stroh said. "You say you want to go in tonight? What if they move the prisoners before then?"
"Behind the lines about now is one big mass of confusion in a lightning strike like this,"
Murdock said. "AH the troops will be driving forward. First the NKs have to find the Veep. Then they'll have to find someone to interpret for them. These will be low-ranking noncoms, maybe an officer. They won't have the slightest idea what to do with American civilians."
"Right," CAG said. "So they'll have to send word to the rear or to a general or somebody with some field rank to make a decision. By then it should be dark.'" The CAG stopped. "Yeah, Murdock, let's use our gunships and Sea Knights. They can do the job. It will eliminate one place where things could get fucked up."
Murdock nodded and walked out of the CIC heading for the SEALs' assembly room.
91st Tank Battalion
DMZ bunker
The Vice President pulled the eleven men around him. "We heard someone outside. They'll be in here soon. Jud Ambrose is going to be the headman in here when they come. He knows a little Korean. He's our leader. We're all Congressmen, right? We do what he says. No preference to me or they'll catch on fast. I'm just another lawmaker caught with his pants down."
Four minutes later the North Koreans broke through the litter and fallen dirt and confronted their prisoners. The first man through was a private, and he darted to one side as an officer came in and stared at them.
He chattered at them in Korean, but when he saw no response, he paused. After a quick look around the bunker showed no way out and that they had no weapons, he left the first soldier in the room with his rifle and slipped back the way he had come.
"Just cool it," Ambrose said softly. "The officer must be going to find somebody who speaks English." He checked his watch. It showed ten-thirty. "It took them six hours to discover us and break through. Time is our friend here. In another few hours the U.S. forces could counterattack and recapture this area. We wait them out."
Ten minutes later, three officers came into the room. All carried pistols on their belts. The first one stared hard at them. Ambrose stepped forw
ard. He bowed slightly.
"Konichiwa," he said in Japanese.
The Korean officer frowned. "You speak English?" he asked.
"Yes," Ambrose said. "We are a delegation of lawmakers from Washington, D.C., on an inspection tour. At this time we wish you to provide us with transportation so we can get back to Seoul."
The officer with captain's bars on his shoulders scowled. "Do not make jokes. You are prisoners of war. Civilian not matter. We have captured you. Not matter why you are here. You are prisoners of war."
"That's impossible. We're civilians. We spoke with your people yesterday at Panmunjom. We are lawmakers."
"No matter. I talk to general about you. He say what to do. Easiest just shoot you all now. General will say. You all sit on beds. In two hours we bring you food."
He turned and left. Both the other officers remained in the large room just behind the private.
"Yeah, let's sit down and see how good we can wait," Ambrose said. "This could take several hours. The general won't even look at a message like this until he gets his troops where he wants them."
"Then, we're stuck here?" Vice President Chambers asked. "For now. It might be the best thing. At least Seoul knows that we must still be here. I made that SATCOM call last night. They'll assume that we are here and captured."
"How will that help?" a Congressman asked.
"If they know where we were, that's the spot where they will start looking for us when they come to pull us out of here."
Another Congressman looked up, his eyes bright. "You think the Army will try to come and rescue us?"'
"Absolutely," Ambrose said. "We have the second-most important man in America in this bunker.
There will be a lot of effort made to get him out. When it comes down to a rescue, it might mean that only part of the group gets to go. Can all of you live with that? Some of us might not get on the magic carpet out of here."
"Hell, yes," one man said.
"Hey, if the Vice President can get out, I'll stay," another Congressman said.
Ambrose saw the rest of the heads nod. "Good, that took guts. Our tall friend here appreciates it. Now, we all sit down or lay down and have a nap and relax. We might need to save our strength for later."
Ambrose wasn't sure about the Koreans. He'd been speaking softly so they couldn't hear. Now he went up to the officer with bars on his shoulder. He smiled.
"You fucking bastard sonofabitch," Ambrose said in a softly gentle voice. "You're a low-down dipshit, you know that? Your mother turns tricks at the neighborhood cathouse." He grinned again at the North Korean as the man's face remained calm and unmoving. The Korean didn't understand a word of English.
USS Monroe
Most of the ship's crew was up and working by the time Murdock walked into the assembly area the Navy had made available for the SEALs. Murdock sent Lampedusa to roust out the rest of the Third Platoon. It was only 0510.
When the platoon was all there, Murdock held up his fist and the compartment went silent. "You know we've got ourselves a war out there. The North gents moved south this morning at 0430 and are running wild. Our Navy planes are giving the South some air support."
He filled them in quickly about the Vice President's problem and the job they almost certainly had coming up.
"We move across the front lines at first dark?" Jaybird asked.
"What we want to talk about," Murdock said. "How else can we get in quick and get out with the Veep except with a chopper?"
"No way," Ed DeWitt said. "Got to be a chopper, two of them; the big Sea Knights would do the job. They have enough range?"
Al Adams looked up. "Yeah, a hundred and eighty miles mission radius. She hums along at hundred and fifty-seven miles an hour max."
"But she's unarmed," Bradford said.
"Not with our two machine guns spitting lead out the doors," Adams said.
They went on working on the plan. They could get in and get out in the Sea Knight with four Cobra gunships for protection and four Tomcats to take care of any air-to-air business from the North Korean MiGs.
They went on into details: what weapons they would use, how much ammo, how they would find the bunker, what North Korean troops might be on hand.
By early mess call, they had planned everything they could. Murdock found CAG Olson in the CIC. He had just sent off a flight of six F-14's to handle some MiGs on the western half of the line.
"Murdock, yes. No word from the President, but it'll come through. What do you have for me?"
"If we could move the carrier up another twenty miles toward Inchon, we could use two Sea Knights, four Cobras for protection, and some Tom Cats to watch for MiGs. One Sea Knight would come in to the site to drop us off and scoot to the south side of the new MLR and wait. Then when we have found and recovered the twelve men, both Sea Knights come back in to pick us up and get us out of there. We can call them in with the SATCOM on TAC One."
"Sounds good. Two Tom Cats should protect you on top."
"Hey, this is the Vice President we're talking about here, CAG. Rather be heavy with four up there than be surprised by four MiGs shooting down our choppers."
"True. You want to go in just after dark?"
"Right. If we could time it so we cross the front line at dark, that would get us in with the most time left before next daylight. We have no idea where they took the hostages, or even if they're still alive. A tank attack on another tank battalion is a messy affair."
"I've heard." The CAG turned to a crewman. "Get that first flight of eight Hornets recovered now. We need to get eight more ready to fly."
The CAG looked back at Murdock. "Yes, near dark the pressure will be off us for air support. We don't expect much after-dark action. Your plan sounds good. You know the Sea Knight is unarmed."
"We'll have a machine gunner at each of the access doors, sir. We've done it before. A question. Does the Air Force have an AWACS plane up?"
"Yes, they're controlling the air strikes and air defense. Doing a good job. Our planes add some punch to their guys. See me again about 1600 and we'll work out the details." The CAG turned back to the scopes.
Don Stroh rushed into the CIC, and when he saw Murdock he grinned. "We've got a go. The boss said to spare no horses. He's giving the admiral a call right now. This carrier is your baby. You get exactly what you want where you want it."
"Good. I talked to the CAG. We'll go with two Sea Knight choppers. Leave so we hit the MLR just after dark. Any suggestions?"
"How do we know that the party is still in the same bunker where it spent the night?"
"We don't. Hell, if this were easy, they'd send in some Marines. We use our noses, grab a prisoner. We'll want to take two translators with us for K orean speak. They have any on the ship?" "I'll find out. If they don't, we'll get two from Eighth Army. They had a call from the Chief too."
"Good. You take care of that. Chopper the translators out here if we get them from Eighth before we leave. I've got to tell the men we've got a go."
The time was just past 0800 when Murdock walked into the SEALs' room. The men were putting together weapons and equipment for a land operation.
"We've got a go," Murdock said as soon as the men looked up. A big cheer greeted him. "Hoo-yah, Commander Murdock," the men bellowed in unison.
"Choppers like we figured?" Jaybird asked.
"Right, the only way to travel. Now, what happens if the Veep isn't where we hope he is?"
"Big deal, we look for him," Ronson bellowed. They all howled.
"How? We don't know the terrain."
"Get some sucker who used to be stationed there," Jaybird said. "Call up that general and get some action."
Murdock nodded. "Jaybird. Hustle your bones and find Don Stroh. Tell him we need a man from Eighth Army who knows the Ninety-first Armored camp. Have that man choppered out to us here with the translators. Go."
Jaybird ran for the door.
"Let's take fifty percent more ammo," Murdock said. "We
don't know what or who we'll run into and we won't have a long walk. Bradford, we'll leave the fifty here. We shouldn't need any long-range work. Rest of you the usual weapons. Questions?"
"That'll be a rear area by the time we get there," Ching said. "So how many NKs we gonna have to worry about?"
"Hard telling. Maybe a squad left to pick through the mess hall and the ammo storage. Might be a temporary hospital or a camp for replacements of five hundred men. We don't know. We'll have to play that one by ear when we get there. My guess is that there won't be a lot of men or equipment onsite. The North has advanced so fast, nothing will have caught up with them yet.
When the chopper drops us off, it'll attract some interest. Whoever shows up may be packing firearms and be in a bad mood." Two of the men laughed.
Murdock watched them all working on their gear. Yes, they would be ready.
"Remember, it's going to be a bit on the chilly side out there tonight. It's still the end of March, and Korea isn't exactly Hawaii. No wet suits and we won't be using the EAR weapons. If we see any NKs we put them down and dead."
That brought some more hooyahs.
"It's now 0812. You have a half hour more to get your gear in shape; then I want a six-hour sleep period. You'll have a special chow at 1400, and we should shove off in our choppers somewhere around 1730.1 hear dusk is about a half hour later, so that will put us over our target at about the right time. The carrier is steaming twenty miles closer to the DMZ for us, so we'll have a half-hour chopper ride."
He looked around. "Questions?"
"Am I gonna have any time to do some surfing?" Jack Mahanani asked. "I know one kayabunga of a break off Inchon."
"Oh, hell, yes, Jack," Doc Ellsworth said. "You can just surf right into the tankers' bunker there at Ninety-first and we'll all wait for you." The laughing trailed off, and Murdock went to his gear and began sorting out what he'd take that afternoon.
Jaybird came back ten minutes later.
"Found Stroh and he put in a second request to the general. Don got right through to him. He said we'd have our interpreters and a sergeant who was stationed with the Ninety-first all on the chopper and be here by 1600."
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