The Next Day
Trautman’s briefing at MacV headquarters didn’t really go exactly as he had planned.
It was clear that everyone was impressed by how his teams had performed, particularly Baker Team B. Nevertheless, Trautman was taken aback by how much importance they had given to the fact that his men had gone there to kill a V.I.P. but come back with three POWs instead. He hadn’t expected it.
When the Colonel left the room, General Ericsson followed him.
“What does the immediate future have in store for your men?” Ericsson asked turning to Trautman as he did.
“I’m going to send them on leave, so they can spend some time with their families if that’s what they want to do with it.”
“Sounds fair, I mean, after completing a mission like the one they just did.”
The two of them continued walking down the corridor together quietly, before Trautman broke the silence and said:
“Okay general, spit it out. What do you want exactly?”
Ericsson took his time to mull it over, but eventually said:
“Trautman, listen to me for a minute. Has it crossed your mind that they may not actually believe you?
The Colonel didn’t reply.
“Your men marched into enemy held territory doing far more kilometres than anyone else had done before them. Once there, they didn't just take the chance and attack an enemy outpost, but even managed to disappear afterwards as they dragged four POWs along with them.
Fucking hell.
That’s a hell of a lot of records to break all at the same time, don't you think?
Maybe, and that ended up being the very problem.
Maybe they were just a little sceptical in there.
I mean, when all was said and done, what did those men really bring home? Five POWs, three of which made it home alive, and two didn’t. As for the rest, technically speaking, we don’t know a single thing about what went on in there and there’s no way of really confirming anything they’ve said. If that wasn’t unsettling enough, now you’re asking us to launch more raids exactly like this one, pretty much everywhere, and that includes North Vietnam. This and more, all in the hope that it’ll end up being the last blow needed to get the job done. The same job the Tet offensive hasn’t been able to do until now.
You want to send a thousand other teams exactly like yours, right into the' “lion’s mouth” so to speak. I see what you’re saying and, it’s fine by me. Once enough men have made it through your training program with the necessary know-how, you’ll have my unconditional support in there.
“Thank you Sir.”
“Frankly speaking Colonel, any proposal that really puts forward a new stratagem, making a serious attempt to break the gridlock... is all right, by me.
Those proposals in particular that seem to have a rock-solid base, especially interest me, and that includes yours.
Unfortunately, those kinds of decisions are, well, it's complicated.
When they get to this level, military decisions become political ones and I’m sure you know this better than I do, Colonel.
Long gone are the days when us Generals could pretty much do anything we wanted. We’re not in the fifties any more, that’s for fucking sure.
Good old times, those were...
You probably can't remember them because you were too young, but back in those days we brass heads had free reign to do whatever we fucking well wished.
Nowadays, decisions like those no longer pertain only to us. Those days are long gone.
In this day and age, everything is more problematical.
As for you, just keep on doing your job, Trautman.
I am one hundred per cent behind you on this thing.
Make ten or twenty teams the same as yours and start dog piling the successes.
You’ll see Colonel. There’ll be new people jumping on your bandwagon with every day that passes.
Most importantly however, don't be in such a hurry with the brass heads.
Let them mull over the facts for a while.
Let the rumours about what your men got done spread around.
In the coming months, you’ll get the credit you deserve here in the Department Of Defence and maybe then, this war will finally turn a new leaf.
You’re a good man, Colonel. You won’t have any problems becoming a General one-day, if the facts keep proving you’re right like they’re doing now.
Then again, who knows.
It may be you double-crossing everybody else on the other side of that door someday.”