Fortunate Sons

Chapter 2: The Assignment Long Bihn Military Base Saigon, Vietnam

The sun rose high and proud above Long Bihn post and the surrounding jungle, chasing away the dark of night and welcoming the day ahead. The oppressive Southeast Asian heat was heavy and sticky, hot enough to drive even the sanest of men mad as it covered the city in a hazy sheet. The sky above burned with a deep rose tint, tangled together with the dusky blue and purple of early morning. Crickets and frogs chirped ceaselessly from the waterfront while the palms and greenery rustled in the hot breeze. 

A hand slammed on the clock radio beside the bed belonging to Taylor Boisfontaine, silencing its obnoxious alarm that had yanked him from his blissful slumber. He rubbed away the grog from his deep cerulean blue eyes and ran a hand through his messy red hair that clung to his forehead. As much as he loved his job, he wished he could be back home at the Robillard House in his own bed instead of having to sleep on a hard mattress with the springs pushing against his back.

With a heavy feeling in his head, Taylor awoke and threw on his greens, rolling up the sleeves and fixing himself just in case the sergeant dropped by for a surprise inspection. A pair of aviators hung loose from the lapel of his jacket and his last name emblazoned in big black letters stitched on the tag above his breastpocket.

"Ok," he sighed, looking in the mirror that hung near his bed. "You're ready."

Out into the bright, blinding sunlight of early morning and ready to face the day ahead, the base suddenly burst to life with everyone coming and going, rushing to their workstations and hurrying to finish their assigned tasks, lest they suffer the wrath of their superiors .Every now and again he saw men of his own unit scurrying and rushing like a pack of rabbits , but once in a while he spotted the unfamiliar faces of South Vietnamese soldiers and their chatter reaching his ears. The buzz of choppers coming and going from the base was almost deafening as they lifted off into the air and flew into the distance, kicking the dust up in every direction and the grass fanning out and flattening at the mercy of the winds.

"Boisfontaine!" someone called as he approached.

Taylor found to his surprise that it was none other than Lieutenant Feliciano. Broad shouldered, perfectly tanned by the tropical sun with his beret perched perfectly on his head, he was a leader in their outfit though not yet the highest ranking. That envied post went to Colonel Robert Swyft of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

"Yes Lieutenant?" Taylor enquired.

"Just got word from the Colonel."

"Sir?"

"Swyft wants you in his office later today," Feliciano explained. "Says he has a message for you."

Oh now this CAN'T be good.....he thought. Messages, usually meant somebody had gotten themselves either arrested, maimed, killed or all of the above for setting a toe out of line. And I think I know what it's about.....

"Did he say what time?" Taylor asked.

"Says you've got fifteen minutes to get in his office or he'll wear your toes as a necklace."

Taylor swore under his breath once Feliciano's back was turned and made his way towards Colonel Swyft's office. He hoped he wasn't being dishonorably discharged for any sort of incident that had occurred on their down time. He'd hate to get home and have Wild Bill berate him for getting kicked out of one of the most elite fighting units in the military after coming so far and working so hard to get in.

He walked on past various other parts of the post until he came to the administration building. Inside the building more people milled about, sorting out paperwork and organizing classified items into their proper places. Nervously he approached Colonel Swyft's office, hoping against hope that nothing was wrong.

"Come in," a voice announced when Taylor had knocked.

Taylor calmly opened the door and made his way into Colonel Swyft's office. It was a small room, the air heavy with humidity even as the fan was running in the corner and the light dim from the blinds being shut. Colonel Swyft sat behind his cluttered desk, barely noticing Taylor standing before him.

"Didn't think you'd come," Swyft said.

"You gave an order and I obeyed sir," Taylor told him.

A halfhearted grin played with Colonel Swyft's pencil thin lips, his dark and piercing blue eyes fixed firmly on Taylor. "Grab a seat and I'll fill you in." he told him.

Once Taylor had grabbed the closest chair and taken a seat, Colonel Swyft got right down to business. "You have any idea why I called you here?"

"No sir." Taylor answered

"I need you guys to do some patrol work out near Than Ahn. Scuttlebuttin' has it that they've called us for pest control services."

Taylor could feel his heart dropping into his stomach. On one hand he was relieved that Feliciano had probably been messing with his head, but on another it made him nervous. Going to any town near the Cambodian border spelled one thing and one thing only for guys like him and that was disaster.

"You ship out in the morning," Swyft told him. "Rather you hear it from me than from an idiot like Feliciano. You're dismissed."

I'd rather get jungle rot or a staph infection.....Taylor thought as he left the office.