A Marine Called Jason by Peter

A Marine Called Jason
(Revised)
by: Peter

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 66
First Kill

I went on the mission on my own--no spotter because there was no replacement yet for Sophomore. I was to be the welcoming committee for a raiding party of VC that was causing havoc and mischief in Long Khanh Province, terrorizing the farmers and villagers--their own damn people--but it was their way of demanding loyalty away from the Americans. It was up to me to take the first step in restoring that loyalty back to the Americans. I was glad I got the assignment. I wondered aloud why I was being sent such a long distance….hell, clear to hell and gone on the other side of Saigon. I was told they didn’t want it to be a total cluster fuck--an operation that went bad. I took that as a compliment. It would be the first time to use my jump skills if the bird couldn’t set me down; not much chance of it, though. Most of those chopper pilots could land on a gnat's ass.

I gathered up the extra supplies I would need the night before, like extra canteens of water, cans of beans and dicks--(C-ration beans and hot dogs)--and beans and motherfuckers--(ham and lima beans)--but left the assembling of my gear till morning. I didn’t like to get my gear ready then leave it overnight for some screw pigeon to fuck with. Then I got a good night’s sleep.

The next morning I ate an early breakfast, gathered up my gear, checked my chute and headed over to meet the bird.

I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to jump, but there wasn’t any place for me to land in that immediate area and I would’ve probably ended up hanging from a fuckin’ tree with the VC gooks poking bamboo spears up my ass. Instead, I was set down smooth as shit, in a clearing some distance away. The bird didn’t even wait till I was in the bush before it took off out of there, but we all knew I was on my own when my feet hit the ground. It was a hard run to the bush under the weight of my rucksack and the canteens pounding against my ass. In the relative safety of the jungle, I got my bearings and headed south in search of the river that would lead me to the spot where I wanted to set up housekeeping. Part of the way along the river, I was able to follow the riverbed, part of the way I had to fight the fuckin’ jungle.

I arrived at where I needed to be, but wasn’t satisfied with the terrain so far as setting up the shot, so I waited.

The VC usually started their crap about the time people were eating so they affected entire families. And I wanted to see who their leader was. I didn’t have a good ID on anyone, just a description. I positioned myself on a ledge overlooking the rice paddies and the village. It looked so peaceful. I was barely in place before I saw a squad of VC coming across the rice paddy. I knew they were my target simply by their arrogance; and right away I didn’t like them. They stopped and two of them took a piss in the rice paddy. It was an act of arrogance more than having to relieve themselves. I thought it would be great to shoot off one of their cocks but it was too soon for anything but recon.

I watched in quiet anger as they strode into the village, laughing and yelling. They stopped where a woman with her man and two small children hovered around an open fire where she was cooking the main meal. There was some loud, angry shouting as one of the soldiers kicked the man in his side. I couldn’t make out what they were saying except I heard “Americans” several times. As a final insult, one of the soldiers knocked the cook kettle over, dumping it into the fire. Another stirred the flames with his bayonet and they all laughed as they destroyed the family's main meal. There was another angry tirade then they all left. But they would be back.

“Terror matches terror,” I said quietly to myself. I now had an ID. I’d gotten a good look at the men through my scope and was able to pinpoint the officer and the number two man. Given the right circumstances, I could take them both out. All I had to do was wait for the right circumstances.

I circled part way around the mountain to get closer and in lower proximity so I could fire on a more level plain. I took my sweet time selecting a spot where I could set up shop and make myself comfortable, deep in the elephant grass. It would likely be a long wait and I wanted to be able to get some sleep without being disturbed. Not that you ever really get comfortable or sleep soundly in the jungle. I thought of Sophomore, and wished he were with me. It would be nice to have him down there chowing down on my cock while we waited. I hoped he was happy where he was at. I thought of Levi Brant and smiled.

I ate C-rations and buried the cans then took out my pocket journal to make some notes and write some thoughts. The night would be long, and I wondered if the VC would wait till the next day to show up again. Sometimes they came back again on the same day, sometimes the very next day, and sometimes they skipped a day or two, all designed to keep the people off guard. I had a gut feeling they would be back before nightfall, or early morning at the very latest. I hung out my shingle. “Brad Courter, USMC Sniper, Deadly Aim, Guaranteed Results.” I hung it on a branch and took up my position. Sure enough, here they came back across the field, purposely trampling on plants and whacking the larger plants with their bayoneted rifles. I brought my rifle up to have a look through the scope. Same Number One and Number Two; I couldn’t be sure of the others but it didn’t matter about them. If One and Two went down the others would shit their pants and fertilize the crops.

It was always a game with a risk. Take one out while I had the shot, or wait till I had a better shot and try to take them both out. Waiting too long, I took the chance of missing the shot altogether. I took the gamble on both One and Two. I didn’t want to leave anyone in command. My finger slowly curled around the trigger, almost without my command. It would have to be quick; instantaneous. But they were standing close together and Number Two could be brought down before he realized his superior had been shot. Number One had his head reared back, laughing at something, his ugly mouth wide open. Without any thought whatsoever I squeezed the trigger, while at the same instant setting up the next shot in my head. The rifle belched out the shot; a strangely harmless sound that only I could hear. The officer’s laughter was cut short and I caught a split second glimpse of his wide-eyed shock as his face pretty much disappeared and the top of his head blew off. Instantly, I moved the trajectory slightly to the right and squeezed again, but more quickly. The rest of the men were yelling and scrambling for cover while Number Two took those precious seconds to gape at his officer going down. They were fatal seconds of his life, spent toppling back across the officer. I took aim again and brought down a third man but I didn’t kill him. He crawled out of sight, behind one of the irrigation dams. Yeah, this sure as hell wasn’t Intel.

Everything but my shingle was already packed to go. I grabbed it off the tree limb, picked up the spent brass and moved out to a safer spot closer to the rendezvous point. But I knew I would be spending the night.

It was a long and lonely night of fitful sleep. I spent a lot of those dark hours just lying there thinking about my first kill. There was no euphoria. Not even a sense of celebration. I’d just done the job I’d been trained to do, nothing more, nothing less. I thought of my parents. What would they think if they could see me now? They wouldn't understand. My Mom would ask why I chose such a job and I couldn't explain it to her, that I didn't choose it, the job chose me. It was like a calling. She would shake her head with a worried look and wonder what happened to the boy she raised.

I thought of Jason, wondered where he might be. I had no idea. Hell, I didn't even know if he was still alive. Maybe this was all for nothing. Thinking about him gave me a hardon. I reached down and groped my crotch but I didn't do anything about my hardon.

I got picked up just before daybreak. The whop-whop-whop of the rotor blades woke me up and I scrambled to fire off a flare and grab my shit. I rushed to the clearing to see the bird positioning over head with a rope dangling. He wasn't coming down. That meant the spot was hot and it had to be a quick extraction. He made it real quick. I sailed off at the end of the rope it seemed like half way across the country before I was pulled up into the helicopter. But I was safe. The pilot looked around at me when I was aboard and I gave him a thumbs up. He nodded and smiled. I went up closer to the cockpit.

Pilots are always sexy to me; the way they walk, how they carry themselves, with such an air of confidence. And the ones I've met were studs. Part of it is the flight suits they wear; I swear I think a gay must have designed them. Cunningham wasn't wearing gloves and even his hands were sexy, but the thing that attracted me to him was his thighs. They filled out his pants and met at the crotch where a massive bulge separated them.

“Hey, any chance you can set me down around Saigon?” I asked.

“No chance,” he said.

“Do you take bribes?”

“What’ve you got?”

“How about a blowjob?” I said.

“Fuck, man, if I thought you were serious, I would set this fucker down on top of the royal palace.”

“Set it down,” I said.

“Blow me first,” he shot back.

“Haul it out,” I said.

He just laughed and flew on. Little did he know, I would’ve done it. For the rest of the flight I tried to think of some way of getting something started with the guy but I couldn't come up with anything.

I reported in back at the base camp.

“Two killed, one wounded,” I said.

“Two killed,” the captain said, as if he doubted me.

“That’s what I said. Go ask the villagers. Tell ‘em I’ll be back to watch over them.”

“You’re going to Gia Dinh tonight.”

“Tell ‘em anyway. I wanta get the word out that I’m setting up shop around there. It might be a good idea to send out patrols and go after the VC who’ll be out looking for me.”

“Just like a damned sniper; stir up a hornet’s nest then head out somewhere else.”

“Yeah, we’re all comrades at heart,” I said dryly.

I didn’t have much time to contemplate my first kills. Of course they had to be confirmed to count but that wasn’t my worry, and I really didn’t give a shit about a count. I knew there were two dead VC troublemakers, and the villagers knew it, and that was all that was important. If the powers couldn’t confirm it, that was their problem. But even if they didn’t confirm, I knew the kills would be counted because they needed good counts to send up to headquarters.

I can’t say that I was proud that I had ended the lives of two men but I was damned proud of my skills that had done it. Proud with a deep sense of satisfaction. The two VC could be just as dead in a firefight. It was just a more personal way that they died. That I had seen their faces to recognize them--hell, one guy’s tonsils--well, that was something I had to shrug off. Like they taught us, they were targets, nothing more.

To be continued...

Posted: 03/13/15 rp