Chapter 19
The morning sun rose for the start of another day. For some of the Cong Crushers, it meant they were closer to going back home. For some others, if they were only a tad closer to going home. Michael still had six months to go, and that felt like an eternity.
Everybody slowly rose out of their bunks and headed to the Soapy Palace.
After Michael took his shower and dressed in two-day-old fatigues, he headed off to the Eloquent Army Cuisine tent.
After some breakfast of powdered eggs, coffee, and toast, Michael headed over to Crusher 15.
He spent all morning assisting Chaz while he did some little preventive maintenance on the Huey. He had to do something to keep his mind of not being able to see Kim again. But while he helped Chaz, he tried to figure out a way he could sneak out of LZ Lola and see Kim at her village.
Way off in the jungle, Kevin and his squad of Cong Crushers inched their way through the thick jungle swatting off the bugs while they were getting closer to the VC camp.
Back at LZ Lola, Michael finished helping Chaz do that preventive maintenance on Crusher 15.
An hour later, Crusher 15 was ready for their next mission. But Michael was still bored and headed to see Harrington.
Michael entered The Boss' Tent and saw Sarge drinking his sixth cup of coffee while he reviewed some paperwork. Michael looked down at the top of Sarge's desk and saw that ashtray filled with Camel butts.
"Sarge, can I see Colonel Harrington for a few seconds?" Michael asked.
"What for?" Sarge asked then took another sip of coffee.
"I'm bored out of my mind. I was wondering if he needed a supply run over to Nha Trang?" Michael replied.
Sarge looked at his coffee cup. "We are running low on coffee," he said while he glanced over at the coffee pot where the Maxwell House coffee can was almost empty.
Sarge got up from behind his desk and headed to Harrington's door.
He knocked on the door.
"Enter," Harrington called out from his office.
Sarge cracked opened the door and stuck his head inside. "Grayson's bored and wants to know if you want a supply run to Nha Trang? We are in need for coffee and Marty's ready to head home," Sarge said with his head in Harrington's office.
"Okay. Make a list and make sure he gets some beer, and I need some more cigars. I can imagine that those Cong Crushers will be thirsty after they return from their mission," Harrington called out from his office.
Michael smiled as he could not wait to get away from here for a couple of hours.
Sarge walked back to his desk and grabbed a piece of paper. He opened up a notebook where he kept an inventory of the supplies for LZ Lola. He jotted down some items with coffee and beer on the top of the list.
"Marty got his orders to go home. I'll round him up, and you can drop him off at Nha Trang," he said while he handed Michael the list.
"Thanks, Sarge," Michael said while he grabbed the list.
Sarge returned to his paperwork while Michael left the tent.
Michael rushed back to the Lola Hilton, where Bruce relaxed. He went inside the tent.
Bruce lay on his bunk, and his eyelids started to close. He could not wait to take a little snooze.
"Bruce," he called out when the walked through the tent and saw Bruce relaxing on his bunk.
Bruce opened up his eyes and glanced up at Michael. "I'm trying to get some shut-eye," Bruce said then closed his eyes.
"We're going on a supply run to Nha Trang."
"Now?"
"Yeah, now."
"Crap," Bruce said while he got up from his bunk.
"It's part of your flight training," Michael replied.
"Okay," Bruce said while he sat up.
"I'll go get Chaz, get changed, and meet ya at the chopper," Michael said then walked away from Bruce's bunk.
"Okay," Bruce said while he got up off his bunk and started dressing in his flight suit.
Michael searched Chaz and found him tossing around a football with four other soldiers.
Chaz headed off to his tent called "The Crap Pit" while Michael headed back to Lola Hilton and got changed into his flight suit.
Ten minutes later, Chaz was in position in the cargo area of Crusher 15 while Bruce and Michael started up the engine.
Marty was dressed in his khaki uniform and had his duffel bag in hand while he strutted over to Crusher 15. He had a huge grin on his face so happy that he was also going home in one piece.
The blades of Crusher 15 started slicing through the air.
Five minutes, Bruce lifted Crusher 15 off the ground.
While Bruce ascended Crusher 15 off the ground, Michael saw the village where Kim lived about four miles to the north of LZ Lola.
"Turn to a heading of northwest," Michael told Bruce.
Bruce's eyebrows furrowed when he heard that, as he knew Nha Trang was a little more of a northeasterly direction. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Michael replied and sounded serious.
Bruce turned Crusher 15 and headed north.
Michael looked out the window and saw the village coming up.
"Head to the right of that village and keep it at five hundred," Michael.
"Got it," Bruce replied and obeyed Michael's orders and turned the Huey to the northwest.
While Crusher 15 flew by the village, Michael craned his neck to look out his door window in hopes of spotting Kim. He could not locate her and was disappointed. He did see some Cong Crushers that made their routine security check of the village for any signs of VC.
"Looking for Kim?" Bruce asked when he figured it out.
"Yeah, but I can't see her down there," Michael replied and stopped looking down at the village.
"Want me to circle back around?" Bruce asked.
"Nah," Michael replied then his eyes widened when he saw what appeared to be a young Vietnamese woman riding the bike on a dirt road down below. He glanced past the girl and saw a field ahead of her. "Land down in that field," Michael ordered Bruce.
"Why?" Bruce replied and was concerned.
"Consider it part of your training," Michael replied while he kept an eye on the girl on the bike.
"Whatever," Bruce replied while he descended the Huey down to the field.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Chaz replied.
"I would like to get out of this place alive," Marty yelled, not liking the idea of landing.
"Landing in that field," Bruce replied.
"Why?"
"Because the boss told me to do it," Bruce responded.
"Fuck!" Marty yelled out.
Chaz glanced out the Huey and saw the Vietnamese girl riding on the bike down the dirt road. He instantly knew what Michael was up to with that Vietnamese girl. He rolled his eyes while he kept a vigil out for possible VC.
Bruce landed Crusher 15 in the field.
The engine idled, and the blades slowed down.
Michael quickly unbuckled his harness, opened his door, then rushed out of the Huey.
Michael ran through the field and headed to the dirt road.
He ran down the dirt road and headed to the Vietnamese girl on the bicycle.
The girl stopped her bike and looked scared when she saw Michael running at her.
"Kim," Michael yelled out while he ran at the girl.
Michael was all excited but looked sad the second he noticed this girl was not Kim.
"Where's Kim?" Michael asked the girl.
The girl got intimidated with Michael's sudden presence.
"Where's Kim Ly? She's my girlfriend," Michael repeated.
"Me don't know Kim Ly," the girl replied and sounded positive.
"Doesn't Kim Ly live in your village?" Michael said while he pointed back down the road at the village.
"Me never see a Kim Ly in my village," the girl replied and looked sincere but was still intimidated by Michael.
Michael looked confused. "Are you sure?"
The girl shook her head in agreement.
Michael turned around and moped back to the Huey.
He did not know what to think about Kim's whereabouts or the village girl's claim that she never met Kim.
Michael got back inside Crusher 15.
"Let's head to Nha Trang," Michael told Bruce while he buckled his harness after sitting in his seat.
"Okay boss," Bruce said while he revved up the engine and the blades started spinning around faster.
A few minutes later, Bruce lifted Crusher 15 off the ground and ascended into the air.
"Turn to a heading of zero two zero and level off at two thousand," Michael instructed.
"Zero two zero and level off at two thousand," Bruce replied.
It was a quiet ride to Nha Trang, and Michael could not get the thoughts of Kim's whereabouts out of his mind.
Meanwhile, fifty miles to the west in the thick jungle, Kevin and his squad was cautiously making their way to the suspected VC village.
Thirty minutes later, Crusher 15 was getting closer to Nha Trang, and the Song Cai River was visible up ahead.
"That's the Song Cai River up ahead. Follow it toward the east," Michael told Bruce.
"Okay," Bruce replied while he headed the Huey to the river.
A few minutes later, Bruce banked Crusher 15 per Michael's orders when the Huey got to the Song Cai River.
He flew the Huey in an easterly direction.
A little while later, Michael pointed at the one o'clock position. "There's Nha Trang," he said.
Bruce looked in the direction Michael pointed and he Nha Trang way off in the distant.
Bruce turned Crusher 15 a little to the right, and Nha Trang was straight ahead.
He started a slow descent to the Vietnamese city.
A little while later, Michael glanced out his door window and saw the beach and the beautiful South China Sea. It reminded him of home back in California and could not wait to return there.
Marty was so happy and knew it would not be long before he was back home in New York City.
"The base is up ahead," Michael told Bruce.
Michael saw Nha Trang Air Base straight ahead.
After Michael established radio contact with the air base and received permission to land, Bruce started a slow descent.
Ten minutes later, Bruce had Crusher 15 landed on the tarmac and shut down the engine.
Michael, Bruce, Chaz, and Marty got out of the Huey.
"Well Marty, have a safe trip back to the states," Michael said while he extended out his hand.
"Thanks," Abbot replied while he shook Michael's hand.
"We're going to have a hard time finding a cartoonist like you. And like we talked, maybe my dad can get you a job. You can have a great career as an animator," Michael said.
"I will," Marty said then he shook Bruce and then Chaz's hands.
Michael, Bruce, and Chaz watched while Abbott strutted off with his duffel bag in hand.
"Well, let's go get some supplies," Michael told his two crew members.
They walked over toward the Operations buildings.
Back in the jungle, Kevin and the other squads of Cong Crushers stopped and made camp two miles from the VC village. They planned on attacking the village at 0500 hopefully before the VC woke up.
Two hours later, Crusher 15 was loaded with cases of beer, and other needed supplies.
Bruce lifted the Huey off the tarmac and ascended off into the sky.
Back in the jungle, Kevin relaxed with the other Cong Crushers in their camp.
Some started to doze off.
Some smoked their cigarettes.
Some played a little poker.
Some just relaxed and silently praying they would not get killed tomorrow.
Later that day, Bruce landed Crusher 15 back at LZ Lola.
After the Huey was unloaded with the supplies, Michael headed back to Lola Hilton to rest. But his mind was filled with thoughts of the whereabouts of Kim.
Back in the jungle, Kevin was on guard duty along with four other Cong Crushers from the other squads. He silently prayed that the VC would not try to attack them tonight while he scanned the area.
The sun fell below the horizon bringing another night in Vietnam.
Back in the jungle, Kevin was asleep with the other Cong Crushers except for four who guarded the area for VC.
Back in the Lola Hilton, Michael lay in his bunk and couldn't get Kim out of his mind.