you have been told you have volunteered for, and have been trained for, important and hazardous duty on the African continent,” Felter went on. “Today, Colonel Lowell is going to tell you where you’re going on the African continent and when and why. That information is highly classified, specifically, as Top Secret Earnest. That’s not a joke. One loose mouth—one— can blow this whole operation out of the water. What you’ll be doing is of great importance to our country, and is being carried out on the personal orders of President Johnson.
“As of midnight tomorrow night, you’re all on a ten-day pre-embarkation leave. Anyone who can rise early tomorrow can leave then, but your leave will not start until midnight tomorrow night. So when you’re home, resist the temptation to tell anyone what you’re about to do. Anyone includes your wife, or whoever else you’re sharing your bed with. If you think you can get away with it, tell people you’re going to be a military adviser to the South African Army. But don’t even hint about where you’re really going and why.
“President Johnson has asked me to convey to you his thanks for volunteering for this operation, and to wish you godspeed and good luck.
“As a young officer serving under then-Lieutenant Colonel Hanrahan in a war most people don’t even know we had, I learned an important truth about Special Operations people. If you want them to pay attention during a briefing, make sure they have a beer in their hands. Your show, Colonel Lowell.”
He stepped off the beer cases, ripped a case open, and signaled with his fingers for one of the sergeants to start passing out the beer.
When Lowell began the briefing, Felter looked around the room, pointed to Lunsford, Portet, and Thomas, and looked around for someone he couldn’t find. Then he took a bottle of beer from a case and signaled for them to go to the rear of the mess hall. Hanrahan followed.
“Where’s Bill Peters?” Felter asked.
“I sent him into Fayetteville,” Lunsford said.
“I really wanted to see him,” Felter said. “Why did you send him into town? I sent word I wanted everybody here.”
Lunsford exhaled audibly.
“It is hard for someone named George Washington to tell a lie,” Lunsford said. “The truth, Colonel, is that Peters is temporarily hors de combat, and we didn’t want General Hanrahan to know.”
“Why not?” Hanrahan challenged.
“Sir, the general will probably remember telling the major that he would break both of the major’s legs if one of them so much as sprained his ankle.”
“How bad is he?” Hanrahan asked, shaking his head.
“Nothing’s broken,” Lunsford said. “Tyler had his leg x-rayed. And it’s not really sprained, but he took a hell of a whack on the horizontal stabilizer going out of the door of an L-20. Tyler thought it would be best if he put a cast on it.”
“You’re not telling me Peters was jumping from an L-20 when this happened?” Felter asked incredulously.
“Yes, sir,” Lunsford said.
“Why was he jumping from an L-20, Father?” Felter asked softly.
“He didn’t want to be a leg anymore, sir,” Lunsford said. “None of them did.”
“I knew there was something out of place,” Felter said. He looked at the serving line end of the mess hall. “All those new Corcoran jump boots. Everybody’s wearing jump boots, aren’t they? Except Doctor Whatsisname.”
“Sir, I brought Dr. Williams’s jump boots with me on the Huey,” Lunsford said. “He made his fifth, qualifying, jump last night.”
“Everybody did this?” Felter asked incredulously.
“Yes, sir.”
“When?”
“Well, sir, once they got the aircraft crated, and the communications up and running, there wasn’t a hell of a lot for them to do—” Lunsford said.
“They all volunteered?” Felter said.
“To a man, sir,” Lunsford said firmly.
Felter looked at Hanrahan.
“And DCSOPS gave you authority to conduct a jump school?”
“I’m afraid that’s what some IG is going to ask me, Mouse,” Hanrahan said.
“You can pin wings on them, I suppose,” Felter said. “But how are you going to get it on their records so they can draw jump pay?”
“Major Lunsford has some very interesting ideas on how to do that, Colonel,” Hanrahan said, looking at Lunsford.
“Well, if Major Lunsford’s interesting ideas don’t work, come to me. I think it was a good idea.”
“Father sold me on the idea for team spirit,” Hanrahan said.
“That, too, I suppose,” Felter said thoughtfully, “but I was thinking of Mobutu and Colonel Supo,” Felter said. “The brotherhood of those who jump out of airplanes.” He smiled. “Can Peters travel?” he asked Lunsford.