by Geoff Wolak
‘I could just have easily have missed and winged one when I meant to kill them; three hundred yards, stiff breeze, moving target. There were no guarantees, sir. And if one of ours was close by, and in danger, I’d aim to kill, and then hit them again when they’re down. That was not the case, we had no one close by.’
‘Are you setting policy now?’ the Major angrily asked.
‘If you’re telling me ... that I should always kill, no matter what the circumstances, then you’re employing the wrong fucker. Sir.’
He stared back, angered, but controlled it. He took a breath. ‘There can never be 100% certainty about anything, and you may accidentally wing someone – as you say. But -’
‘But make policy clear next time, sir. And if I continue with this outfit I’ll use my brain to decide when that policy is not black and white.’
He faced Rizzo. ‘Give is a minute.’ Rizzo stepped out. ‘Has ... the kidnapping affected you?’
‘I don’t think so, but I’m no expert on delayed Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, sir.’
‘Did you hesitate?’
‘No, and my decision was clear. They were not a threat, and live prisoners are better. Are they not?’ He waited. ‘Look, sir, my problem has always been that I charge in and bust people up, getting angry. I was not angry today, I was controlled. If it was a fist fight I would have killed them. I was thinking clearly, and I made a choice.
‘Rizzo didn’t even spot them till they were at the vehicle and about to drive off. I spotted them at five hundred yards. If I hadn’t been with my telescopic lens they would’ve driven off, no shots fired. We got a result, we should be happy. And I killed the driver as he tried to tear away, no choice there.’
He sighed. ‘We need people that will shoot when ordered to.’
‘I had no order to that effect.’
He waited. ‘In this case, but as a general rule -’
‘As a general rule, sir, rule me out of your general rule. I’m not Rizzo, I have a brain, and if you say kill those six men when there’s no need I’ll tell you to fuck off. I hope that’s clear, sir.’
He glared back at me.
‘And let’s not kid ourselves here, sir, all your bad publicity comes when people like Rizzo fire twenty rounds at a suspect when I could wing them and capture them.
‘All those enquiries about this outfit being killers and enjoying it - those the headlines you want? I think my way through, and you knew that before you came to me; I don’t go in guns blazing for the sake of it.’
He had calmed right down. ‘You’re right of course, we could do with ... some finesse on the trigger finger, and you use your brain, that’s why we came to chat.’
‘I did not refuse an order, or alter an order, sir. Rizzo asked me if I could hit the men, he did not say make sure you kill them. An in the UK, when I have a pistol under my arm, you can be damn sure that I won’t fire it unless someone is shooting at me first, because I want no inquiry regarding illegal use. I’m not trigger happy.’
‘No, thankfully, although the kidnap pegged you as pretty damned ready to kill.’
‘Ready to defend myself and Roach, sir. That’s all.’ I stood. ‘And if there’s a next time, sir?’
He sighed loudly. ‘You use your brain, and let me worry about the consequences. Oh, and there’ll be an inquiry, there always is, so that’s two you have to look forward to.’ I headed to the door. ‘Oh, Wilco, what’s your honest assessment of Captain Marks?’
I made a face. ‘If we went to war, I’d stamp on his ankle before he got us all killed.’
The Major nodded. ‘OK, thank you.’
The Major called Richards a few minutes later. ‘Got a minute, sir.’
‘Go ahead.’
‘Had a problem with Wilco. He went out on patrol with Rizzo, an OP, but spotted two men with rifles, and a suspicious car. When Rizzo said to engage the men ... Wilco shot them in the arse, and we took them alive, Rizzo not happy with that – he would have preferred to see Wilco put ten rounds in each man.’
‘Was there a danger to our people?’
‘No, the men were three hundred yards off, they hadn’t seen our lads.’
‘Technically, the men were no threat, and if we had killed them then we’d have a hard time in court.’
‘Could be argued that they were armed and moving towards our people...’
‘Still, we don’t need accusations of sniping at people. Do you think the kidnapping affected Wilco?’
‘He says no, and he seems to have been calm out there.’
‘He was dead calm during the kidnapping, and calm now, and that’s not a bad thing. But, do you have a concern?’
‘I’m not sure. He said that if our policy is shoot to kill that I should fuck off and employ someone else, that he would assess the situation and not kill if he could avoid it.’
‘Which is the correct policy, all said and done. How many times have we been embarrassed by someone spraying it around?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘I’m not sure this affects his position either way, and he did spot them and hit them, so another result.’
‘Yes sir. I’ll keep an eye on him and keep you informed.’
‘It’s your call, Major, even though I’ve known him a long time. He’s in your squadron.’
Back in the dorm, Rizzo was avoiding eye contact as he sat on his bed.
‘Got a result today,’ Smurf cheerfully told me.
Bob stood up, his serious face on. ‘What did the CO say?’
‘He’s not mad at me, and he hasn’t binned me yet,’ I told Bob.
‘Should have killed them,’ Bob stated, but not forcefully.
‘Should I?’ I questioned. ‘They were almost four hundred yards off, and no threat. If there had been witnesses, and there will be an inquiry, it could be argued that we were sniping at them for fun, and then Rizzo would be in the dock and looking at twenty years in prison.’
Rizzo lifted his head, and I faced him. ‘You think the CO will throw away his career to protect you? No, the CO would state in court that we shoot when we’re under threat, or when others are under threat, and we were not under threat, we were hidden.’
I faced Bob. ‘If some smart solicitor can prove it, then Rizzo and I are in trouble. And if the Army top brass want to kick up a fuss, we can be court martialled – because the men were not a threat to us. That’s the law. Our shoot to kill policy is illegal.’
I attended my kit. ‘And Rizzo, I’m not mad at you, you have to report such things. But when the inquiry comes around, do you think the Major will sacrifice his career to help you?’
I left Rizzo looking worried, and headed to the Intel Section, the kettle knocked on. I found myself staring through the window at a dark day, the rain lashing.
‘Got another result,’ the nice lady captain noted, plonking down her cup, a subtle hint.
‘Yes, two men captured, weapons recovered. But ... we engaged them at three hundred yards, so the inquiry will be interesting.’
‘They were not a threat to you, not at that range.’
‘No,’ I sighed. ‘But if they had spotted us and fired, they could have hit us.’ I watched the rain hit the glass. ‘Another mess to gloss over.’
‘You need a little light relief.’
I turned my head. ‘What ... like a hand job?’
‘No,’ she hissed, and I smiled. ‘We have a TV set-up and movies on tape.’
‘Ah.’ I turned back to the window. ‘No hand job then.’
The next day, interviews took place regarding the incident and we made statements at length, then in the afternoon two senior officers came by and gave us all a one hour lecture on the legal issues of shooting someone, and when to shoot.
At the end of the lecture, it looked like we could be in trouble for sniping at the two men, and Rizzo came and found me.
‘We need to get our stories straight for the inquiry,’ he said.
‘Worried?’
�
��I am now. You heard what those fuckers said in there.’
‘Look, the two men had AK47s, which could have killed us of the approaching patrol at six hundred yards, and they were moving towards us, the vehicle driving towards us and could have reached us in seconds. So ... there was a clear threat, and that’s what we stick to. And, since the IRA have sniped at us from four hundred yards before now, we use that fact.’
Rizzo looked happier and walked off.
The Major called for me. I entered his office and saluted, a new face present.
‘Wilco, this is Captain Tyler, he’ll be replacing Captain Marks. I’m busy today, so show him around. Oh, Tyler here was with us before, but just after selection he was injured and went off for three months, then back with us – admin support with “L” Detachment, and now with the troop.’
‘Welcome to the troop, Captain,’ I told him, the man about 5’10” tall, slightly built, and with an expression that suggested he found everything interesting and fun. I liked him straight away.
I showed him all of the facilities here, and then introduced him to the guys - after suggesting that they stand. They did eventually. Smurf and Bob welcomed him, Rizzo nodding and disinterested.
I made Tyler a cup of tea as we sat in the Intel Section. ‘They’re children, sir, and sometimes you need the carrot and stick approach, and the sweeties. They’ll not respect you unless you can do what I can do, or unless you shout and use the ultimate sanction, the RTU warning. Best be firm, sir, and if you know that you are in the right stick to it.
‘You take advice from the sergeants, and Coalridge is great, your best asset. Crab is OK, but he won’t like you that much. If you need to stamp your authority, have the SSM there or the RSM, no one will screw around then.’
He chatted about marathon running, Tyler a good runner himself, and he was studying QMAR and using the charts.
Chatting to one of the Borderers, the man mentioned that stores had a lady that could make alterations to uniforms, and so I went and found her, a local lady yet a trusted individual, about sixty, blue hair and bright red lipstick and looking like a hooker well past her retirement date.
‘You Madge?’ I asked.
‘What can I do for you, love?’ came a husky voice.
‘You customise kit I hear.’
‘Aye, all sorts.’
I picked up a pair of gloves, green, but they had a type of felt on the inner side.
‘For pilots,’ he said.
‘Could you get me a pair?’
‘You have to buy them, they’re about four quid, love.’
‘OK, I’d like a pair, but can you use black ink to make them camouflaged.’
‘I have some ink, aye. And it don’t run.’
I pointed at the sleeve of my combat jacket. ‘A bit like this.’
She nodded.
‘And ... do you have a face mask? The guys have black balaclavas, but they’re no good in the rain.’
‘I could make something. What you after?’
‘How about ... same material as the gloves, eye holes, ear holes, but the holes have a fine mesh over them, and a mouth and nose hole the same, so that you can breathe easy. But, I’d want some leather inside on the top, waterproof, the green material outside, and ... something soft running around the head so that if I collide with a tree it won’t hurt.’
‘Complicated, love.’
‘I heard you are a genius, and I’ll pay, and ... if it’s any good, I’m sure the lads would all want one.’
‘Give us a day or two, love.’
I popped back two days later, money in hand, and she fetched out the gloves. I tried them on and inspected the black and brown patterns she had applied, pleased with them.
She then handed over the face mask. ‘Try that, love.’
I placed it on and peered into a mirror, pleased with it. She had done the camouflage the same as the gloves, the eyes and nose holes were a fine mesh material, and the ears were also covered in the mesh material, so I could hear clearly – like a Spiderman outfit. The skull area offered a soft leather interior, right down to the temples and the back of the head, and running around the area that a hat brim would rest was a tube of material that felt like rubber, so I tapped my head against a pillar. Perfect.
Back in the section, I corned the Major. ‘Sir, I’d like to use custom gloves and face mask.’
He made a face. ‘No rules about gloves, wear what you like.’
‘Put these on, sir.’ He did. ‘And now the face mask.’
‘Very comfy and warm.’
I tapped his head. ‘Good for bumping into trees, leather on top so waterproof.’
‘Very nice.’ He took them off. ‘Some of the guys have kit like that anyhow, no big deal.’
I showed Bob and Smurf, and they wanted some, so I placed an order with Madge.
The Major then surprised me by insisting that I join the next patrol, and this would be a patrol rather than an OP. Rizzo would lead, with myself, Bob and Smurf. The insert would be in the Fews Forest area, close to Armagh.
‘OK,’ the Major began at the briefing, Captain Harris sat next to myself and Captain Tyler. ‘Fews Forest, nice and dark and ... full of trees. We don’t think there’s anything going on inside, but the IRA have – in the past – used it as a training ground, and shot a few videos there, so this is about denial of area ... in that, if they think we patrol now and then they won’t risk going in there.
‘So, if you see a farmer stop and wave, and if you see a forest worker stop and wave, and the word will spread. But I don’t believe that if they know we’re about they’ll come out for a scrap. And if they do, I’m sure someone will shoot them in arse.’
The guys smiled, all looking my way.
The Major detailed the insert time, extraction time and RV, call signs and call-in times, the rest down to Rizzo. We’d be taking in Bergens, because this was a five day patrol, and Rizzo went through what kit to take, which was all standard anyway.
The following morning, just before dawn, we walked bent double to our waiting Lynx, soon speeding across green countryside, a short ride to our insert. With the sounds of the helicopter dissipating we lifted up and started walking, no particular direction in mind, but had gone no more than a hundred yards when we came across a man with his dog. We walked right past him.
‘Nice day for it,’ Rizzo said as he passed.
‘Top of the morning,’ Bob offered the man.
‘I like your dog,’ Smurf said.
‘Pleasant day to be out in the woods,’ I said as I passed, the man now looking perplexed.
We followed a track down a gentle slope, spread five paces apart, M16s cocked and ready, and I had my telescopic sight fitted. After an hour we stopped and found a dark hidden area, getting a brew on, poncho’s set up to keep the rain off.
An hour later, all fed and now warmed up, we set off again through the dark woods, two forest workers seen, and waved to in an exaggerated fashion.
I took point, and as I did I started singing, ‘If you down to the woods today...’
Smurf was behind me and joined in, followed by Bob, and as I walked backwards for a while I could see Rizzo laughing, and trying to remember the words. Walking on, and now all in turn, I skipped a dance to the beat every verse, and the guys copied. Ten yards on and I stopped dead.
‘Morning,’ I loudly called, a man behind a tree with a chainsaw and a red plastic helmet on his head. I walked on, waving, the guys saying hello and waving, and twenty yards on I could hear snickering.
Stopping at a crossroads, I faced the guys. ‘Let’s all agree not to put that in the report, eh?’
‘Definitely,’ Rizzo said.
‘See the look on that guy’s face,’ Smurf said with a smile.
‘I’d love to know if he reports that to the local IRA commander,’ I said. ‘They’d shoot him.’
We encountered no one else so made camp before it got dark, and I put on my gloves and facemask when it was my stag.
>
‘Fucking hell,’ Rizzo said. ‘Where’d you get that?’ He examined my face mask.
‘We all got one,’ Smurf told him. ‘From the lady in stores.’
‘How come you never got one for me?’ Rizzo complained.
‘You’re the patrol leader, the boss, the gaffer, you know,’ I teased.
‘Yeah,’ Smurf said. ‘You’re not one of us workers, like.’
‘Management, you are,’ Bob told him.
‘I ain’t no officer,’ Rizzo complained, and we laughed at him.
I managed to get four hours kip in my cosy sleeping bag, but I kept my facemask on to keep me warm. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and plenty of tea before we set off, a few people glimpsed walking their dogs.
Just before sundown we spotted a car on a track and I snuck up on it, soon back to report that it was a young couple shagging. Rizzo went forwards to have a look, a good long look, not being spotted. We made camp, and got into the routine of not doing very much, chatting quietly in the shelter.
Hearing a noise in the night we set off on patrol, but found another courting couple, this time having sex up against the side of the car. Rizzo threw a flashbang and scared the crap out of them, the couple driving off half naked.
The next day we set out early, keen to stretch our legs and to actually do something other than sit around. Cutting through a dark wood, I spotted tracks and knelt down.
‘Lots of tracks, men in boots, some Wellington boots, none more recent than a week or two.’ I could see where they led, and it was odd. I stood. ‘It’s odd, because whoever made the tracks got out of the car here and entered the woods over there. And the tracks are heavy, like they were carrying something.’
Rizzo decided that he wanted to have a look, so I led the patrol forwards, staying to the side of the tracks, and I followed the tracks thirty yards into a dense area. There I noticed disturbed soil ahead, and focused on it through my telescopic sight.
Turning, I said to Rizzo, ‘It looks like a shallow grave. Some unlucky informant could be buried there.’
‘Then we have a look before calling it in.’