"Would you, if you had to?" Parker asked.
"That question is the one I should be asking you," Hanrahan said. "But I'll answer it. If I had to, I think I could. But I don't know."
"What could I do around here and not jump?"
"Oh, I think we could find somewhere you could earn your pay, Major," Hanrahan said. "I seem to recall you know how to fly airplanes."
"I'd like to stay, sir, if you'll have me," Parker said.
"I'd like to have you, Phil," Hanrahan said.
They shook hands, as if they had just completed some business deal.
"I took the liberty, Phil, of telephoning your wife to inform her that the army had somewhat belatedly recognized your sterling qualities."
"Thank you, sir." I would rather have done that myself.
"I had to tell her, to explain why Lowell Airlines was flying her and the kids to Bragg," Hanrahan said. He looked at his watch. "They should be here in about an hour, which will give us time to have a drink with Sergeant Major Taylor, and then another drink at the club."
"Lowell's flying them over, sir?"
"He's happy for you," Hanrahan said.
They looked at each other.
"Since I had the DCSPERS in a weakened condition," Hanrahan said, "I asked him to inquire if Major Lowell had also been the victim of an error. He telephoned thirty minutes ago to report that Major Lowell's name has been two times presented to a board for promotion. He has not been selected."
"If he doesn't make it soon," Parker said, "he'll be thrown out."
"He would have been so notified this month. But because of the Cuban situation, officers who would have been involuntarily separated because of failure of selection for promotion are being temporarily retained."
"Jesus!"
"He doesn't know, and I am faced with the dilemma of whether or not I should tell him."
"Are you going to tell him?"
"Not tonight," Hanrahan said.
"I wish you hadn't told me," Parker said.
"I don't suppose I should have," Hanrahan said. "But you and I are in that very small group who feel Lowell is a fine officer."
They looked at each other, and then as if on command-shrugged their shoulders in gestures of helplessness.
"Your house apes will be fed with my house apes at my quarters," Hanrahan said, "while the big people eat at the club."
"That's very kind of you, sir," Parker said.
"My pleasure," Hanrahan said. He raised his voice. "Taybr! The booze! And the photographer."
He opened his desk drawer and tossed Parker a green beret.
"Put that on," he said.
"I'm not entitled to it, am I?"
"I'm still working on the regulations as to just who is a Green Beret and who isn't. Right now, all I have down for sure is that the individual be parachute qualified, and either go through the school or have previous combat experienoe leading native troops. You had Koreans attached to you. That makes you qualified."
Sergeant Major Taylor handed Parker a glass of bourbon, then handed one to Hanrahan, and then took one himself. They touched glasses and drank them down. Later they posed for the official picture, pretending that the sergeant major and the commandant were pinning gold leaves to the epaulets of newly promoted Green Beret Major Philip Sheridan Parker IV.
xv'
(One)
PRIORITY
HQ DEPT OF THE ARMY
WASH DC 2000 ZULU, Ii MAY 59
COMMANDING GENERAL ARMY THREE Fort MACPHERSON GA COMMANDING GENERAl ARMY FOURTH FORT SAM HOUSTON Thx
INFO: COMMANDING GENERAL CO NARC FT MONROE VA
COMMANDING GENERAL Fort Knox KY
COMMANDING GENERAL FORT RUCKER ALA
COMMANDING GENERAL 2ARMDDIV FORT HOOD TEX
PRES USA AVN BD Fr RUCKER ALA
CO USA AVN COMBAT DEVELOPMENTS OFFICE Fr RUCKER ALA
I. FOLLOWING FOR INFORMATION AND APPROPRIATE ACTION.
2. DA WILL SHORTLY ISSUE ORDERS RE DESIGNATING 3087Th AVIATION CO (TANK
DESTROYER) (PROVISIONAL) TI) BE 3087TH AVIATION
BN, AND ASSIGNING 3087TH AVIATION BN TO 2ND ARMORED DIVISION, FORT HOOD. WITH DY STATION FORT KNOX.
3. DA WILL SHORTLY ISSUE ORDERS CONSTITUTING 3088TH AVIATION
CO (ARMED HELICOPTER) (PROVISIONAL), 3089TH AVIATION CO (ARMED
HELICOPTER) (PROVISIONAL). AND 3090TH AVIATION CO RECONNAISSANCE) (PROVISIONAL) ASSIGNED TO 308'7TH AVIATION BN.
4. PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT PRESENTLY ASSIGNED 3087TH AVIATION CO WILL
BE TRANSFERRED TO 30S7TH AVIATION BN. NO CHANGE
IN COMMAND IS ANTICIPATED AND COMMANDING OFFICER 3087TH
AVIATION BN IS DIRECTED TO MAINTAIN LIAISON WITH USA AVN BD
AND USA AVN COMBAT DEVEL OFC WHO WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL TO
DC SOPS
FOR THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, OPERATIONS
BELL MON BRIG GEN
DIRECTOR. ARMY AVIATION
(Two) The Rod, Reel and Gun Club Fort Knox, Kentucky 12 May 1959
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas B. Warner, commanding officer of the 3087th Aviation Company ("I'ank Destroyer) (Provisional) had two visitors on 12 May 1959. The first didn't surprise him at all, although he was made a little uncomfortable by his presence.
He had not been at all surprised when he had received word at 0830 from Godman Field that a Major Lowell would land in fifteen minutes and had requested ground transportation. They had a lot to talk about, regarding equipment for another rocket chopper company and an aviation reconnaissance company, and he welcomed what Lowell would have to say.
He also worried that Lowell would put him on the spot about his taking command of one of the companies. The armed chopper was really Lowell's baby, and he was of the right grade. It would be natural for him to expect command of one of the companies... but he wasn't going to get it. The commanders had already been picked, and Lowell wasn't one of them.
Warner really couldn't figure Lowell out. He was at once a terribly bright, very efficient officer with a distinguished record, and he was on somebody's fuck-up list. Warner had heard stories, some of them incredible, but so far had been unable to get any straight poop.
He sent a jeep to fetch Lowell from the airfield to Moving Target Range No. 3, which had, for all practical purposes, been turned over to him for the rocket chopper program.
To Warner's relief, Lowell didn't bring up the subject of his being given a command. Apparently he already had the word that he wouldn't be given one of the companies. Warner, who had come to like Lowell, hoped that the word had been broken to him gently and that they had thrown him some kind of a decent bone. It was more than possible that Lowell was about to be promoted and had been denied a command for that reason. It had already been decided that aviation companies should be commanded by majors, and there would be little sense in giving Lowell a company if his promotion made it necessary to transfer him soon afterward.
It was also possible, Warner thought, that when Lowell was promoted, he would either be assigned to Washington (he spent a lot of time with General Bellmon) or maybe to Aviation Combat Developments.
They had spent the morning alternately watching the progress of the training program and making changes in the provisional company's TOE, in order to set up a battalion headquarters and headquarters company, and to provide aircraft (including fixed wing) for the new provisional reconnaissance company. The morning had gone quickly.
"Let's go get something to eat," Warner suggested at 1200. He Thotioned his jeep driver into the back seat and drove them himself to the Fort Knox Rod, Reel & Gun Club. It served a really nice hamburger and cole slaw and was a much more convenient place than the club or the snack bar on the post would have been.
"Have you ever been here before, Lowell?" Warner asked, as they pulled up outside the building.
"I used to practically live here," Lowell said.
"Oh?" Warner repliedl It was a
request for information, and after obviously thinking about it, Lowell provided it.
"When I was a second lieutenant, I was assigned to the Armor Board," he said. "I was an assistant project officer on the M46 with the 90 mm tube. I put at least ten percent of the total scrap metal on your range there myself." Another mystery, Warner thought. Second lieutenants were rarely assigned to the Armor Board. The Board wanted personnel with experience, and second lieutenants almost by definition don't have experience.
"My son was born at Knox," Lowell added.
"I didn't know you were married," Warner said. He was surprised. Many of the fantastic tales he'd heard about Lowell dealt with his expertise in the bedroom. He'd even heard that he had been involved with a senator's wife.
"My wife is dead," Lowell said.
"I'm sorry."
"She's been dead a long time," Lowell said. "As a matter of fact, I'm about to try it again." "Well, congratulations," Warner said.
"It's getting to be a real pain in the ass," Lowell said. "What I would like to do is just go away somewhere and get married. That is not proving possible."
"Big weddings mean something to women," Warner said. "The god damned tribal inatinct is what it is," Lowell said. Warner laughed, and they went inside. Lowell bought lunch for the three of them, taking from his pants pocket a fifty dollar bill from a folded stack that looked as if it had nine brothers.
They had eaten their hamburgers and slaw and were having a second cup of coffee when the two women appeared. Few women patronized the Rod, Reel and Gun Club, and the appearance of any female caused raised eyebrows. In this case, highly raised, for one of the two ladies who walked into the room was Mrs. David Henderson, the wife of the post commander. Lowell knew the other.
Warner had quickly decided that the general's lady and the lady with her were on some do-good mission, Save the Squirrels or something, when it became apparent that they were headed right for his table.
He and Lowell stood up; and in a moment, the driver also remembered his manners.
"We're going to have to stop meeting this way," Lowell said to the woman with Mrs. Henderson. "People will begin to ask questions."
"You know Phyllis, I think, Craig?" the woman said.
"Oh, yes. How are you, Mrs. Henderson?"
"It's nice to see you, Major," Mrs. Henderson said.
"This is Sergeant Walters," Lowell said, introducing the driver. "And I'm sure you know Colonel Warner."
"Hello, Tom," Mrs. Henderson said.
"I don't," the other woman said. "How do you do, Colonel? I'm Barbara Bellmon." Bellman's wife. What do you know?
She offered her hand to the sergeant too, and spoke to him.
"Could I ask you to entertain Mrs. Henderson while I have a word with the reluctant groom here, Sergeant?"
"Yes, ma'am," the sergeant said, less uncomfortable than Warner would have thought he would be. "Can I get you a burger? Or something else?"
"I was about to say "no, thank you," "Mrs. Henderson said. "But I really would like a hamburger."
Before Warner could reach in his pocket for money, Sergeant Walters had gone to the counter. It was an interesting question: Should a general's wife accept a hamburger from a sergeant? Or should she make him uncomfortable by refusing his offer? A hamburger wasn't going to break the sergeant, Warner concluded, and buying it for the general's wife would probably make him feel good.
"I am led to believe," Mrs. Henderson said, nodding to where Barbara Bellmon had led Lowell, "that that'll be either a quick surrender, or a long and bloody battle."
(Three)
"Your move," Lowell said to Barbara Bellmon.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I would ordinarily ask what I can do for you," Lowell said. "And I would mean it. Today, however, I am slightly suspicious of your presence here. You're liable to ask me for something I won't deliver." "Bob sent me," she said. "Think that over while you get me a hamburger and a Coke." "Sorry," he said, getting to his feet. "I didn't think."
"That happens with you, doesn't it, Romeo?" Barbara replied, smiling sweetly at him.
He got her a hamburger and a Coke, had his coffee mug refilled, and went back to the table.
"You say Bob sent you?"
"And Cynthia, and your cousin Porter."
"Ah ha, the plot thickens."
"I understand you were a naughty boy at your engagement party," Barbara said.
"I was a little late getting there, if that's what you mean."
"That's not what I mean, and you know it. You threatened to break somebody's arm."
"Figure of speech," he said. "Under the circumstances,.I thought my behavior was impeccable." "That's not what I heard," she said, "and I'm not talking just about what you said to the press agent. I understand you had words with Mrs. Schuyler Pelton, too."
Lowell gave her a dirty look.
"But, letting bygones be bygones," Barbara Belmon said, "shall we stop the crap and get down to business?" "By all means," Lowell said.
"You and Cynthia will be married at the Farm," she said.
"We will?"
"You will have your bachelor dinner at the Army-Navy Club the night before. And there will be no naked ladies jumping out of cakes, either."
"Anything else?" "Have you given any thought to a best man?"
"No, he said. "I haven't. Have you pressured Bob into volunteering?
Is that what this is all about?"
"I have a much better idea," Barbara said.
"This has gone far enough," he said. "I'm not having any of this."
"Graf Peter-Paul von Greiffenberg," Barbara said.
"Jesus!" he said.
"You haven't even told him, have you?" Barbara asked. "Or your son?"
Her tone was mingled annoyance and resignation.
"No" he said. "I haven't." "Well, you can do that today," she said. "There's still time. I should have put my nose into this sooner."
"I'll call the Graf and I'll tell him, and I'll tell P. P." too."
"You'll call him and ask him to be your best man. And you'll ask him to make sure that PP. has something suitable to wear for a garden wedding."
"I don't really think he'd want to come," Lowell said. "Sometimes your stupidity amazes me," Barbara said. "It's a long way to come for canap6s," Lowell said. "We will of course put the Graf up," Barbara said, "from the moment he and PP. get off the plane until they get back on. That's very important to Bob, Craig. You can't tell him no."
"Have you got the room?" he asked.
"You know better than that," Barbara said. "The only reason we stayed in your house in Georgetown was because Bob can't stand my brother.
There is plenty of room at the Farm eight bedrooms, I think, or maybe nine."
"Goddamn it!"
"You're welcome," Barbara said.
"Oh, I don't mean you, you know that," Lowell said. "I wish that we could just go find a justice of the peace, or something."
"Well, you can't, so get your show on the road," she said. "Among other things, I'll need your guest list within the next day or two."
"What guest list?"
"That's names of people written on a piece of paper," she said. "So they can get invitations."
"Who the hell am I supposed to invite?" he asked.
"I thought you would never ask," Barbara said, and took a typewritten list from her purse and handed it to him. "Go over this in the next twenty-four hours, add some, and delete only those whose arms you are liable to threaten to break." "I told you that was just a figure of speech," he said. She met his eyes but didn't reply. "I'll pay for all this, of course," he said.
W E B Griffin - BoW 04 - The Colonels Page 40