Scars and Stars

by Dustin Stevens

  “A waitress attempted to approach and take our order, but Marks told her not to bother. “We’ll have two bottles of the house specialty and as much food as you could rustle up for our friends here.”

  “Within a minute the waitress returned with the alcohol and Buddy poured healthy drinks for everybody. Jack and I had never drunk a drop of anything in our life and weren’t real thrilled to start, but the boys raised their glasses in salute of us and it would have been rude to refuse.

  “Here’s to the Birch Grove boys, best soldiers I ever had that I didn’t have to teach every damn thing they know!” Marks said and the group downed their glasses.

  “The alcohol was rancid and bitter and burned like hell going down. Tears welled in my eyes as it made its way to my stomach and I heard Jack cough beside me.

  “The boys laughed even harder and poured another round, this time Buddy raising his glass and saying, “Here’s to the Robert’s brothers, the craziest, most heroic men to be brought back from the dead since Jesus Christ himself!”

  “By the time the waitress arrived with the food my head was spinning. I tore through bowl after bowl of cheap brown rice and vegetables but it didn’t much matter.

  “By mid-afternoon we were all pretty darn drunk.

  “We spent the entire day in there, the six of us laughing and talking and drinking. Every now and again other soldiers would wander by and we’d buy them a drink. Women would get as far as the door and have second thoughts but we didn’t care. We played bad Korean music on the radio and danced with the waitress and sang old songs as loud as we could.

  “At one point Dwayne happened by and poked his head in, the surprise on his face evident as he found Jack and me sitting around drinking with the boys. To his credit he stayed and had a drink with us and even pretended to be civil, which we all joked was quite the stretch for him after he was gone.”

  My uncle stopped there and locked his gaze on the setting sun, a closed smile on his old and weathered face.

  “As I sit here this very minute, I can still remember everything about that day. I can taste the bitter vodka and the worse food. I can hear the boys singing and smell the flowers in the waitress’s hair.

  “The next page in the book is a label from the vodka we drank that day. It’s written all in Korean and I still have no idea what it says.

  “Truth is, I don’t much want to know.

  “We decided to include it in here for a couple of reasons. First, it marked the end of our journey. We were both a little worse for the wear but we had lived to tell our tale and that was what mattered.

  “Second, that night before we all stumbled off to sleep we made a pact that from then on whenever we were to see each other we would commemorate that night by passing around the cheapest, nastiest vodka the place had on hand.

  “Even now, the only alcohol Jack or I have ever had is cheap vodka with the other men in that group. The days we were married we shared a glass of Korean liquor and the days our children were born we shared some more.

  “Each time we drink we raise our glasses and say “Here’s to being alive” because against the odds, that’s what we were.

  “Alive.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  The smile on my uncle’s face grew a little larger as he said, “The next morning I felt like I’d been in a head on collision with Hell itself.

  “I awoke atop a stack of flat woven grass mats in the back of a storehouse, Buddy sprawled out beside me and Jack sitting with his back against the wall opposite us. My mouth tasted like I’d spent the night eating sand and my head throbbed as every beat of my heart pushed new blood through it. I thought my leg was bursting through the dressing the medic had wrapped it in and my joints felt as if they’d been dipped in both acid and concrete.

  “How you doing?” I muttered to Jack.

  “Without lifting his head from the wall, he said, “I feel about like you look. My head hurts too much to sleep and cool concrete is about the closest thing we’ve got to medicine.”

  “I nodded my understanding and lay back on the mats. Using my thumb and forefinger I rubbed my eyes and asked, “What time is it?”

  “It’s late morning,” Jack said. “Few more minutes and I was going to wake you. We should get washed up, find a change of clothes before we go over there.”

  “Buddy rolled over with a low moan. “And some coffee. Good Lord, you boys know how to come back in style.”

  “Where are we?” I asked, opening my eyes to let the low light filter in.

  “Back of an old lady’s shop, name of Oh. She makes mats and sells them, let’s me stay here most of the time. There aren’t any barracks in Pusan, so you kind of have to fend for yourself.”

  “It took the better part of an hour for us to wrestle ourselves up from the storehouse floor. Several times I took my feet only to feel the pain in my head and legs well up and be forced back to the ground. After the third attempt I managed to find my bearings enough to walk out into the day.

  “Buddy led us through the side streets to an old public bath for us to wash up in. The water was quasi-fresh and icy cold and did wonders for our aching bodies. From there we found the makeshift Army supply in Pusan and drew fresh winter fatigues.

  “Our last stop found us back in the same little bar we’d been in the day before.

  “The waitress laughed when she saw us coming and laughed even harder when we ordered eggs and coffee. Three pots of straight black and a dozen greasy eggs later, we left Buddy and went off to find the Captain.

  “Pusan wasn’t a very big town and it only took a few minutes for us to get back to his quarters. It was even busier than the day before and we slid inside the door and stood in the corner, watching the flurry of activity around us.

  “Maps were tacked to the walls and spread across the desk. In the center of the room was Hix, pointing left and right and talking to a group of men. We stayed where we were for several minutes until he noticed and motioned for us to come forward.

  “As we approached one of the men made a face and said, “Damn, you boys smell like bad coffee and cheap booze.”

  “I half smiled and Jack nodded his head, but we said nothing.

  “Hix looked from one to the other for a few seconds before tapping the map on the desk in front of him. “Show us what you know.”

  “Jack moved forward and asked, “Have you yet identified where that blast charge was detonated?”

  “Hix glanced to his left and said, “We should within the hour, right Sergeant Reyes?”

  “A man with dark hair and a moustache nodded his head, but said nothing.

  “So for now let’s just assume we’re starting from here. You said you went right by the site anyway, right?”

  “Jack looked down at the map again. He shook his head and said, “Do you have a topographical map? Everything we’ve got is based on landmarks.”

  “The crowd to the left parted and Hix held a hand out for us. He grabbed a box of pushpins off his desk and inserted one at Pusan. Handing the box to Jack he said, “We are here. Where do we go next?”

  “Jack studied the map for a moment and put a finger on Chosin. From there he counted south three clicks and found the deep ravine that had served as our guide line for several months now.

  “The blast charge is going to be somewhere around here,” Jack said, pushing a red tack into the map near where the ravine and the ocean would intersect. “We’ve traveled this ravine three times now, I’m certain this is our landmark.”

  “From there you go east the better part of a day’s march, probably fifteen or twenty miles,” I said. “You can’t see it here but there’s a heavy trail that runs between this ridgeline and this pass.”

  “As I spoke I motioned to the map and Jack inserted pins.

  “It winds more or less due north until it reaches the river, where the trail hooks hard west for another five or ten miles.”

  “Jack pushed another pin in where the camp had been and we turne
d to face the room. Some of the men looked from the map on the wall to the map on their desk and an unknown officer asked, “How far we looking at all told?”

  “I glanced at Jack with uncertainty as he said, “No way of knowing for sure.”

  “Took right at about three days moving,” I said. “Best guess? Fifty miles or more.”

  “A low murmur went up from around the room and Hix raised his eyebrows. “You two covered fifty miles on foot?”

  “Jack shook his head and said, “Nope. We covered fifty miles to the blast point. From there went due south for another day and a half’s hard march. Probably close to a hundred all told.”

  “A short man with a head shaved bald and a thin blonde moustache stepped to the map on the wall and said, “What kind of terrain we looking at in this general region?” As he spoke he drew a circle around the pin Jack had inserted at the camp, covering several inches in all directions.

  “I pursed my lips for a second and said, “Pretty standard with everything else we’ve seen. Some cliffs, a ravine or two, a few rivers and the woods sprinkled in.”

  “The man turned back to us and said, “What I mean is, anywhere in there you think we can land?”

  “Confusion worked its way across my face and Jack asked, “Land, sir? The boats won’t be able to get much past the shoreline. There’s a river in there, but nothing large enough to get any major watercraft down.”

  “Not to mention we’d be asking for an ambush,” I added. “Very tight turns, lots of trees, they’d pick us apart.”

  “The man stared from Jack and I and then to Hix, the confusion on his face matching our own.

  “Gentlemen, this is Lieutenant Colonel Larry Fitzpatrick, United States Air Force. We don’t have the time or manpower to send a unit in overland so we’re looking at an aerial approach. Lieutenant Colonel Fitzpatrick is being kind enough to handle the logistics for us.”

  “Both of us nodded and Jack returned his gaze to the map. He bunched his brow for a moment and said, “What kind of aircraft will you be taking? How much room is needed?”

  “Fitzpatrick shook his head and said, “This is to be done entirely by helicopter, no runway of any kind will be needed. We can sit down and liftoff from anyplace flat and clear that’s a hundred feet in diameter or more.”

  “For a few moments we both sat and thought hard and Jack said, “There were a few small clearings downstream from where we put in. I’m sure if you were to swing in and come up from the south you could get a helicopter in there undetected.

  “The road coming in due east has a lot of traffic and if you come down out of the north there’s nowhere to land because of the ridgeline. You could go from the west, but you’re going to have to be a ways further out to account for the Korean quarters.”

  “Fitzpatrick nodded his head and together he and Hix began pointing to the map again. I sat and stared at the wall for several minutes and said, “Captain, Colonel, I’m not trying to tell you guys how to run your operation but I’ll tell you what you could do.”

  “They both turned and Hix said, “That’s why we asked you here. Anything you got is helpful.”

  “I cast a glance to Jack and said, “To be honest, the best landing place you have is right in the middle of camp. If you can send in one team of South Koreans downstream and take out the guard detail, you could bring in the rest of your team there.”

  “Jack stood beside me and said, “We can show you within a quarter-mile where their barracks and headquarters are, you could run a couple of planes over them and wipe them out in a hurry.”

  “Hix nodded and said, “What do you think Larry?”

  “Fitzpatrick made a non-committal turn of his head and said, “It needs a little tweaking, but it could work. Always easier to shoot an enemy from the air than face to face.”

  “Jack and I followed the conversation between them with our eyes and when Fitzpatrick finished Jack stuck another pin into the map just southwest of the camp. “That’s where they stay.”

  “You’re sure of this?” Fitzpatrick asked.

  “Jack lifted his chin and pointed to the scar running beneath it. “Very sure. We’ve been there and seen it in person.”

  “Hix looked at each of us and said, “We have some more planning to be done here, but I assume you two want in on this?”

  “Yes sir,” we echoed in unison and turned to leave the room.

  “You boys be ready at 0500 hours,” Hix called as we left. “And try to lay off the booze tonight. Tomorrow you’re going for a little trip.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  “That evening was one of the best nights of sleep I ever got. Most times when I knew we were facing combat I’d toss and turn and wake up a hundred times, and that was if I was lucky enough to find sleep at all. That night though, I curled up on a stack of grass mats and fell into a deep slumber.

  “I don’t know if it was my body realizing how exhausted it was, the need for rest as a way to heal injuries, or maybe I was just growing used to the life of a soldier. Regardless, I slept as if I hadn’t a care in the world.

  “The next morning Jack and I rose while the world was still dark and left Buddy sleeping in the corner. We picked our way through the quiet streets across town and found several large helicopters being loaded on the beach by men running back and forth.

  “A handful of South Korean soldiers in North uniforms stood bunched together waiting to board their helicopter as a group of American soldiers milled about next to another.

  “Well, look here,” I said as we approached to find Marks and Dwayne on the outer edge of the group sharing a cigarette. “These two decided they might want try this whole soldier thing for a change.”

  “Marks took a long drag off the cigarette and cast it aside. “Naw, we just wanted to get a good look at the bastards that were man enough to smack around the mighty Roberts brothers.”

  “Dwayne shook his head and said, “I didn’t think such men existed. I’m half expecting to find Hercules or Xerxes or something.” His voice still carried the same indifference towards us, but the fact that he was speaking at all meant progress had been made.

  “Hix called us to formation and we assumed positions before him, two rows of ten men each.

  “Gentlemen,” Hix said, “you all know why you’ve been asked here today so I won’t go into some dramatic speech.” He paused for a moment to make sure he had attention and said, “This morning’s raid will be conducted in four different waves.

  “Alpha Team, the South Koreans, is departing now and will put in downstream from Ah-San. They will arrive in time to intercept the morning water run and will arm the prisoners they find. They will stand in as the water detail as well as conceal themselves in the barrels. They will enter the camp through the rear gate and secure the camp.

  “We are Bravo Team and will be departing in twenty minutes. We will touch down right in the center of camp and help clean up with anything that needs to be done.

  “Shortly after we take off two fighter planes will be departing en route to the barracks of the Koreans at Ah-San to provide heavy air fire. Because the terrain will not allow for them to land, it will be up to us to move in on foot and secure the area.

  “The last departure will be additional helicopters to aid in prisoner evacuation. Once the camp is secure, you are to help in any way you can. Are these orders clear?”

  “Yes sir!” sprang up from all twenty men in unison.

  “Hix dismissed us and strode from the scene while men began to file onto their respective helicopters. As we boarded I looked over my shoulder to Jack and said, “What about the other camps?”

  “Jack drew his mouth tight and shook his head. “There’s probably no way Hix can arrange this kind of operation for non-military personnel.”

  “But Josephine and Mercer...” I began.

  “We’ll put in a word when we can,” he said, “but right now is not the time.”

  “I knew better than to argue with someone
who had the same opinion I did and was just looking at things in a more logical manner. I boarded the helicopter and within minutes we were whistling through the early morning sky. Daylight was less than an hour old and mist rose from the forest beneath us and enveloped the world in silver.

  “Sir, how long does it take to reach our destination?” a soldier behind me asked.

  “ETA t-minus thirty seven minutes,” Hix responded.

  “Jack leaned against my shoulder and said, “Total ride of a little over an hour. How nice would that have been?”

  “And miss a week of pure hell?”

  “Jack smiled with one side of his mouth as the men around us sat in various stages of preparation.

  “You can always tell the ones that have seen a great deal of action by the way they carry themselves before it hits.

  “Those that are relaxed, calm, cracking a smile are those that have done it. I don’t mean to say they’ve grown used to it but they’ve come to accept the fact that things happen in battle that just can’t be helped. Sometimes heroes die and cowards live, good men perish and evil persist.

  “The new ones have eyes that never stop moving. They don’t talk to anyone, always have a hand shaking or a knee bobbing up and down. Their nerves are on fire and there’s nothing they can do to stop it.”

  Uncle Cat paused again and looked down at his own hand and smiled.

  “Hix gave us the heads up that we were arriving and each of us donned our helmets and checked our weapons. The helicopter banked right and began to descend as we prepared for whatever lay behind the closed door of the helicopter.

  “The aircraft landed with a jolt and the doors swung open the second we touched down. Jack and I were one of the closest to the outside and we jumped to the ground and fanned forward with guns raised.

  “Around us hundreds of prisoners stood with hands high above them, confusion written across their faces. A few scattered shots could be heard in the distance, but otherwise everything seemed quiet.

  “Bravo Team, south gate. Move!” Hix barked and we drew up into formation and headed that direction. As we passed through camp men cheered for us, clapping and yelling.