Eddie ran through the nurses’ station and down to the far end of the ward. Dr. Pinchon was about twenty feet ahead of him. They found the nurse working frantically on the policeman. He had a knife wound to his chest and air was blowing through it. Eddie had to help Dr. Pinchon with the policeman while the nurse called for help. They had to get him into surgery quickly.
It was nearly midnight when Li crawled into bed and snuggled up next to Ray. He wrapped his arms around her, as she pulled the sheets up.
“Are you in love with anyone?” she asked.
“Only you, dear,” he answered. “And I miss you every time you have to go off to some strange place.”
“I could take you with me, but it would ruin my reputation, CIA man.”
They both laughed.
“Well, maybe I could find a big red Communist Party card and put my name on it.”
“No. When they see your green American Express card they would know.”
They laughed again.
“Besides,” she added, “you are too big a baby to go where I go. They have no hot water or soap. No beds with sheets. And you could not eat their food.”
“Rice and bugs washed down with muddy water is why they need a doctor.”
“See how spoiled you are.”
“I want to have you here with me every night.”
“This week you will.”
“You’re off this week? Maybe we could go to Bangkok.”
“No. I work this week in Vietnamese Village.”
“Whoa. You heard what Eddie and Dr. Pinchon said. They think I’m CIA, and if they connect you and me they may want to hurt you.”
“You worry too much, GI,” she said, and made a face. “I am a doctor. They do not harm their doctors. And I am a Thai citizen. If they hurt me, the Thai army will kill many of them. Besides, they want you, not me.”
“So, they follow you here and find me.”
“You big round eye farong. They can find you easy. If you are afraid you better stay on the base and hide.”
“I’m more concerned about you. I don’t want you to go to the Village.”
“I must go where they send me. You go where they send you. It same-same.”
“It not same-same.”
“How can I marry you, Ray? You do not listen very good,” she said laughing.
“You just like making fun of me.”
“Because you worry like an old mamma-san. Now go to sleep.”
“Yes, dear.”
Saturday morning Eddie and Ray were sitting in the Projects Office writing their weekly intelligence summaries when John Slaughter walked in with a Coke in his hand and dropped onto the couch.
“Hello, John,” Ray said. “Haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks. Where have you been hiding?”
“Out chasing drug loads.”
“Do any good?” Eddie asked without looking up from his report.
“Trail led to Laos. Seems a lot of bricks are finding their way down the Ho Chi Minh trail to Phnom Penh and on to Saigon now that Air America is out of business.”
“Figured that would happen,” Ray said.
“You two know anything about an op that was run on the trail last weekend?”
“What op was that, John?” Ray asked.
“The op that cratered a north bound truck convoy and killed a bunch of NVA.”
“I don’t know, John. What have you heard?”
“Well, rumor from Saravane is that one man got away.”
“Anyone we know, John?”
“An NVA captain named Trang. He’s in a hospital there with a shoulder wound.”
“Never heard of him, John.”
“That’s why I asked. Because I happened to hear another rumor coming out of the Village that it was a Thai army and Thai air force job.”
“Probably true.”
“And that Air America birds were used to move Thai troops from Warin to the trail.”
“Really, John?”
“Yea. And that Village rumor has reached all the way to Saravane.”
Eddie and Ray looked at each other, but neither said a word.
“The rumor coming back is that Trang, when he recovers, - which won’t be long, I hear - is planning something for the CIA. Especially one CIA man who holds a special fondness for a little Chinese orphan girl.”
“What’s that R-factor in all this rumor?” Ray asked.
“Ranges from R-2 to about R-4. The usual that I have to rely on.”
“This rumor have any time table to it?” Eddie asked.
“Just however long it takes Trang to heal and cross back over the mountains. That’s just my personal assessment. I haven’t heard any times mentioned.”
“Well, John, rumors being what they are and all,” Ray said, rolling his pen between his hands, “Mack Klevenger and Colonel Suwit may be interested in hearing these rumors. Base security is their primary concern, you know.”
“Anything else, John?”
“Not really.”
“Thanks.”
John walked to the door and then stepped back to Eddie’s desk. “About that R-factor?”
Eddie extended his middle finger, raised his eyebrows, and nodded. It was enough to convey the reliability factor without admitting anything.
John smiled. “Fuck you very much, guys,” he said and walked out.
Eddie leaned back and sipped his mug of hot tea. “You know, I’ve heard of women causing fights. Sometimes wars, even. But a war over a five-year-old orphan girl?! This has got to be a first.”
“Yea. And for a couple of no account airplane drivers, we sure have stirred up a bunch a shit, haven’t we?”
Just before 9:00 Sunday morning, Ray was fixing coffee while Li slept. Outside he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. No one was supposed to know where his bungalow was, so he pulled his 9-mm automatic pistol and stepped to the screen window. Whoever was out there was standing on the porch, which was less than ten feet from his window. He unfastened the screen catch and leaned out the window with the pistol leveled at the intruder.
Mack Klevenger turned his head at the sound of the screen coming open to see the pistol pointed at his face.
In an instant Ray recognized Mack and snapped the weapon up.
The shocked look remained on Mack’s face, as he staggered back into the railing. It took a second or two for him to recover enough to speak. “Holy shit! Ray,” he finally said.
Ray pulled the pistol back inside the window and wiped sweat from his brow.
“You scared the fuck out of me, Mack. What the hell are you doing here? How did you find this place?”
Mack put both hands on the door and leaned over, shaking. “You son-of-a-bitch. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“You almost got your stupid ass killed,” Ray said, surprise giving way to anger. “Hang on while I catch the door.”
Li raised her sleepy head and asked, “What is it, Ray?”
“Get dressed. One of the guys is here.”
She scrambled for her clothes while Ray left the small bedroom to open the front door.
“Come on in. Coffee is on, but we’ll have to wait a few minutes to get any.”
“What are you doing with that thing?” Mack asked, pointing to the big automatic pistol.
“It’s for unwanted guests who come unannounced. How’d you find me here?”
“Suwit told me where you were staying.”
“He’s been spying on me?”
“Whatever you’ve been doing, it’s certainly stirred up some shit.”
“Why? What happened now?”
“General Speaker is in your office asking for you by name. Donevant’s already there and he sent for Colonel Suwit, too.”
Ray made a face. “I’m not up f
or reenlistment already, am I?”
“Don’t get cute. He was here less than a month ago, and he’s now back again. And he’s really pissed. Just what the hell did you do this time?”
Li stepped out of the bedroom carrying a tray with two cups of coffee. “Good morning.”
The surprise registered on Mack’s face. “Good morning.”
“Well, I guess that secret is out of the bag too, now,” Ray said.
Li just smiled and walked down the hallway to the bathroom.
“So, what’s the general so pissed about this time?” Mack asked.
“Same as last time. Nixon ended the war and he thinks I’m trying to get it started again. Only this time I just may have succeeded.”
“How did you manage to do that?”
“It’s a long story. But to tell you the truth –—”
“Never mind. I don’t want to know. Just hide that thing somewhere, get dressed, and let’s go. The general is pissed off enough already.”
“You know, we still have enough time to slip out of the country.”
“Damn it, Ray!”
CHAPTER THREE
HEADQUARTERS BUILDING
UBON RTAFB, THAILAND
December 1974
Mack Klevenger and Ray Metson walked into the base commander’s office and were met by Colonel Waldrop, Colonel Suwit, and General Speaker, all of whom were in uniform. Eddie Donevant was there wearing a pullover shirt and dress pants.
“Sergeant Metson, I presume,” General Speaker said without the slightest hint of humor in his voice.
Ray just nodded and said, “General.”
“Have a seat. You too, Mack.”
“Yes, sir,” Mack said, as the two men occupied the two vacant chairs.
“You’ll have to excuse me for my ignorance, Sergeant. But I was under the unlearned assumption that the Defense Intelligence Agency, while not under my command, even here in Thailand, did at least have an obligation to report to my headquarters in far off Clark Air Base what the hell is going on over here. Am I mistaken or is that how the system is supposed to work?”
“It is, sir. And I believe that it does. You didn’t get my latest summary?”
“Apparently I missed something. I don’t recall reading about the attack on the NVA convoy in Laos or the capture of NVA prisoners in your intelligence summary.”
“Those reports were forwarded to Bangkok in time to get them to your intelligence section for your Monday morning theater intelligence briefing. But,” Ray glanced at his watch, “it is a day early, sir. Would you prefer me to brief you today?”
“Why wasn’t I briefed last week on this?”
“On-going operations are classified, and we brief only as after-action –-”
“Cut the crap, Metson,” the general shouted and stood up. “I left clear orders a couple of weeks back that we weren’t to get involved in going after those kids. No U.S. involvement. Period.”
“That order did not apply to me,” Colonel Suwit said. “I have the authority to protect the national borders of Thailand and to protect Thai citizens anywhere in the world. Long Arm Jurisdiction is what you call it, I believe.”
“Yes, Colonel, you do. But you do not have the authority to use U.S. military personnel to do so,” the general patiently explained.
“The only two U.S. military personnel involved in this operation were Lieutenant Donevant and Sergeant Metson. Both are DIA personnel, so are not under your command.”
“And what about U.S. aircraft?”
“Owned by a CIA company. Not the military. As base commander it is I, not the American commander, who have possession of those aircraft.”
“That matter will be sorted out at a level above you, Colonel. In the meantime, it appears that Air Force assets under my command are now at risk of attack because of this ill-conceived and badly executed operation.”
“Only CIA assets are targeted, General. And DIA is performing those duties,” Ray explained.
“Which assets lie right in the middle of this base. In the Security Police building, no less.”
“We know who they are,” Colonel Suwit said. “The chance of them actually attacking the base is slight.”
“Is it true that one of the captured NVA has already escaped from you and is back in NVA hands?”
“Escaped, yes. In NVA hands. I don’t think so. She is in Vietnamese Village.”
“Tell me about Trang. Where is he?”
“He is in a hospital in Saravane, Laos, under NVA guard. He poses no threat at this time.”
“At this time. What happens when he heals and decides to come hunting for you guys?”
No one said anything.
“Oh! Don’t tell me. A bombing mission on the hospital or an assassination squad will magically solve the problem.”
“Both options are under study at this time,” Colonel Suwit stated matter-of-factly.
General Speaker glared at Colonel Suwit for several seconds and then he took his seat again.
“I’ve talked to the DIA Director about you two,” General Speaker continued. “I recommended that both of you be relieved immediately. You two are loose cannons, and you’re threatening to sink the whole ship.”
“Be difficult, General,” Ray said. “We’re your eyes and ears out here. Replace us now, you lose eighty percent or more of our intel. It’ll take a year or more to regain any significant amount of that.”
“You aren’t the only show in town.”
“No, sir. Just the best. And don’t forget, the Thai government gets nearly everything we get. You can’t just arbitrarily cut off the intelligence. Bangkok must give its nod.”
“I know the politics, Sergeant. So, don’t lecture me. And further, Colonel Suwit, I’m going to ask our ambassador to lodge a protest with your government over the use of the Air America aircraft in such a provocative manner. In fact, I’m ordering those aircraft moved to Don Muang this week.”
Colonel Suwit only smiled, which caused the general to worry about what the colonel knew that he did not. No one at the meeting seemed to be taking the general seriously. That impression only convinced the general that this operation was out of control.
“Mack, I want your people on the ramp guarding those planes. I’ll have four pilots flown in tomorrow to fly them out. I’ll give you their names later.”
“I’m sorry, General. I can’t do that without Colonel Suwit’s permission. His people are already guarding that section of the ramp.”
The general looked at Colonel Waldrop. “He’s right, sir. That’s not our ramp.”
The general looked at Colonel Suwit. “I want those planes moved to Don Muang.”
“I want them kept here. We still need them,” Colonel Suwit answered.
The general looked back at Colonel Waldrop. “Get Bangkok on the line.”
“General,” Eddie said. “Excuse me, sir, but you’re pissing up a rope.”
“I’m what?!” he asked in surprise.
“I mean, sir, Bangkok can’t get you authority to move those planes or in any way interfere with our operations.”
“How’s that, Lieutenant?” he asked. It was a serious question asked without malice.
“Bangkok covers all parts of the SOFA. (Status of Forces Agreement) We don’t fall under the SOFA. CIA and all the other intelligence operations, including the drug agents, operate under a classified agreement. The Ambassador himself has no input into it, although, like you, he is entitled to receive most of our intelligence summaries.”
Mack simply nodded in agreement, while Colonel Waldrop sat silently looking at his shoes.
“Henry, who the hell really runs this renegade outfit?”
Before Colonel Waldrop could put an answer together, Ray spoke up.
“It’s a committee - a confederation real
ly - made up of Colonel Suwit, who acts on the authority of the provincial governor and the Ministry of Defense, Donevant and me, in cooperation with other agents in place in key positions within the military, and contingents from other friendly nations.”
“And do I have any input into this renegade committee?”
“You have a vote,” Colonel Suwit answered. “But I make most of the decisions, since I control most of the assets. At least as far as covert actions in this corner of the world are concerned. You have limited control over intelligence aircraft, just as NSA has limited control over the listening posts.”
“So, you three want to get the war going again, is that it?”
“No, sir. It is not. It is only Trang and a small cadre of NVA - whose mission it is to build a force of Amerasians to train for deployment to the United States at some point in the future - that we are preparing to battle. The immediate goal is to protect Thai citizens and the Thai borders. The long-range goal is to protect the United States from future attacks within its borders when these children are finally trained and grown.”
“And our second and equally important mission,” Ray added, “is to interdict the flow of drugs headed for our shores. This is an immediate and pressing battle. To do this requires covert operations using all available assets, including those U-10’s.”
“So, what are you men telling me?”
“To go back to Clark, wait for your retirement, and then enjoy your retirement years on the golf course in San Antonio. Leave the defense of Thailand and the United States to us,” Colonel Suwit said, with no hint of apology in his voice.
The general looked around the room and saw determined looks from everyone but Colonel Waldrop. “What do you say, Henry?”
Colonel Waldrop shrugged. “I’m just the base commander, sir. My job is to close down this base as quickly as possible while keeping it fully capable to refuel and rearm aircraft on a moment’s notice. This leaves me only in a support role.”
The general again looked around the room. “Well, gentlemen. At this point in time you have won. But when I return to the States I’ll be presenting this - situation - to the White House. The President and the National Security Council may have different views and plans for our country’s future.”
The Wrong Side of Honor Page 6
