by Bing West
“Thought she was in remission,” Blade said.
“Happened out of the blue,” Lang said.
“We just sent her our pic,” Caulder said, pursing his lips.
Mrs. Cosgrove had always asked about his latest score on the range and congratulated him on concentrating so single-mindedly. Not many people appreciated the thousands of hours which went into that split second of squeezing the trigger. He thought of her wasting away and his features puckered up like a little boy’s, almost comical against the bulk of his shoulders.
“You going home too, sir?” Blade asked. “Knowing her and all.”
“I’m not family.”
“You almost are. The regs allow it.”
“Captain Cosgrove will keep me up to speed.”
“Well, you’ll catch up with her after Christmas,” Caulder said.
Lang kept his eyes on his tray.
“You will,” Caulder repeated, holding a glass of orange juice close to his chest, as though he were cold.
“Who’s filling in for Captain Cosgrove?” Blade asked. “They’re not putting us under some squid, are they?”
Lang shrugged and they resumed eating. The silence lasted several minutes, until a corporal from Operations noticed them. He hesitated before slowly approaching their table. What if they already knew? Sergeant Caulder would chew on him. No, they wouldn’t be just sitting there. Not the dogs. They’d be moving, doing something.
Blade looked up. “What’s going on, Corporal?”
“I—I wasn’t sure whether you all had heard—about Captain Cosgrove.”
Now they all looked up and the corporal knew he had made the right choice.
“He’s missing on patrol.”
They were out the door in ten seconds, running toward the Operations Center.
Photos
The courtyard of the fort, 1966
The fort’s entrance; Missy Tinh at right
Author (left) and Lieutenant O’Rourke, 1966
Trao (drowned) and Suong (KIA), 1966
Sergeant Sullivan (KIA), 1966
The fort’s defenses, 1966
The rear of the fort, 1966
Paddies at the fort’s entrance
The combined unit, September 1966. Standing (left to right): Glasser—killed in action; Culver—wounded; Garcia; Theilepape—wounded; Sueter—killed; Fleming—killed; Learch—wounded; Carlson; Wingrove; Brannon—killed; Sullivan—killed. Kneeling (left to right): PF “Eleven-Fingers” Pham—killed; PF Trong—killed; PF “Rabbit” Hoai—killed; Swinford; Melton; Fielder—killed. (Courtesy of Captain G. G. Pendas, Jr., USMC)
Bac Si Khoi, Suong (KIA), and author, 1969
Author and Joe (KIA) at the market, 1968
Forster’s adopted son
Fishing boats at My Hué, 1969
Sergeant White visits Missy Tinh, 1966
Foster (KIA) prepares charge to dynamite fish, 1969
Sergeant McGowan with Joe, 1967
Sergeant White, 1996
McGowan with PFs, 1967
The village, 2001
Author in the village, 2001
Memorial to fallen Marines, 2001