CONGOLESE SOLDIERS ANTICIPATED AN ATTACK. WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THAT TIME PRECLUDED BOTH REINFORCEMENT OF OUTPOST GEORGE OR AN AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE THEREOF.
2. AT 1530 OUTPOST FOX RELAYED A RADIO REPORT FROM OUTPOST GEORGE STATING THAT CONGOLESE SOLDIERS HAD DISAPPEARED LEAVING THEIR UNIFORMS BUT TAKING THEIR WEAPONS.
3. THERE HAS BEEN NO FURTHER COMMUNICATION WITH OUTPOST GEORGE.
4. AT 1615 THE WEATHER HAVING CLEARED SUFFICIENTLY TO MAKE AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE, AN L-19 FLYING OVER GEORGE REPORTED SIGHTING ONE APPARENTLY DISMEMBERED BODY; NO OTHER SIGN OF LIFE; AND EVIDENCE THAT GEORGE, INCLUDING GASOLINE SUPPLIES, HAS BEEN BURNED. UNDERSIGNED FORBADE THE L-19 TO LAND.
5. IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING IT MUST BE PRESUMED THAT TECHNICAL SERGEANT CLARENCE D. WITHERS, RA23380767, SFDET17 IS MISSING IN ACTION AND MUST BE PRESUMED DEAD.
6. A CONGOLESE COMPANY STRENGTH TRUCK BORNE RECONNAISSANCE FORCE WILL DEPART OUTPOST EASY FOR OUTPOST GEORGE AT FIRST LIGHT AND AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE WILL RESUME AT FIRST LIGHT. FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE FURNISHED AS AVAILABLE.
HELPER FIVE FOR HELPER SIX
SECRET
“What was Colonel Supo’s reaction?” Father asked.
“He wants to see you four hours ago,” Geoff Craig said.
"Let’s go,” Lunsford said, and walked quickly up the stairs of the loading dock.
[ TWO ]
Office of the Commanding General
The John F. Kennedy Center for Special Warfare
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
1555 6 April 1965
“Administratively, Sandy,” General Paul R. Hanrahan, “how is this going to be handled?”
“Normal routine, I would suppose,” Felter replied. “The Adjutant General sends the telegram—”
“The AG doesn’t know yet, does he?”
“That just came in, Red,” Felter said.
“Hold off on telling him, would you, please? At least until we know for sure.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, Red,” Felter said. “I’ll wait until I hear from you. You are talking about no later than tomorrow?”
“No later than tomorrow,” Hanrahan said.
“Break it down,” Felter said.
“White House Secure disconnecting,” a male voice said.
“Ski!” Hanrahan called, raising his voice.
Captain Stefan Zabrewski, who had been standing just outside General Hanrahan’s office from the moment the White House Signal Agency announced they had a secure call from Colonel Felter for General Hanrahan, stepped into the door.
“General?”
“One of the outposts was run over. It looks like SFC Withers has bought the farm.”
“Shit!” Captain Zabrewski said, and then “ ‘Looks like’, General? ”
“He messaged that the Congolese with him had taken off. Then he went off the Net. An L-19 flew over, and saw a dismembered body.”
“Goddamn!”
“Get me his address, the other personals,” Hanrahan ordered.
“Have the sergeant major put Padre Martin on ten minutes’ notice in Class A’s.”
“Yes, sir.”
"I will probably require an L-23 to send Wilson. I want us to do it, not some candy-ass AG notification team. And if it’s anywhere this side of Nome, Alaska, I’ll go myself.”
"Yes, sir.”
Captain Zabrewski returned in less than four minutes.
“Sir, RFD Laurinburg, North Carolina,” he reported. “Next of kin, his parents.”
“Thank God, he wasn’t married with half a dozen kids,” Hanrahan said, and then: “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I understand, sir,” Zabrewski said, very softly.
“Where’s Laurinburg?”
“About fifty miles, sir.”
“Activate the chaplain,” Hanrahan ordered. “Change that ten minutes’ notice to I want him here in Class A’s, when I get back from changing into mine. Same thing for Tony.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And make sure Tony has a road map. He’s a good kid, but I’ve been lost with him before.”
“Yes, sir. Sir, may I come along?”
“You don’t have to, Ski. You understand that?”
“I knew Withers, sir.”
“Okay,” Hanrahan said.
[ THREE ]
Office of the Military Commandant of Kivu, Oriental, Equator,
and Kasai Provinces
The Hotel du Lac
Costermansville, Kivu Province
Republic of the Congo
1910 6 April 1965
“Forgive our appearance, sir,” Major George Washington Lunsford said as he entered the office of Colonel Jean-Baptiste Supo with Major Darrell J. Smythe and Lieutenants Geoffrey Craig and Jacques Portet. “We just got the word.”
What could have been a smile flickered on the face of Colonel Supo as he returned Lunsford’s salute.
“Totse, Tomas, and I have been at the map,” Supo said, speaking French. “Deciding how best to deal with the situation.”
Majors Alain George Totse and Doubting Thomas/Tomas were on their knees on the floor, on which a large map of Oriental and Kivu Provinces was laid out.
“The heavy question, boss,” Doubting Thomas said, “is whether we can get the L-20 into George. It’s one of the shorter strips.”
“Why do we want to put an L-20 into George?” Lunsford asked as he dropped to his knees to look at the map.
“Because we can be there thirty minutes after first light,” Tomas said. “And the reaction force—if there’s no ambush— can’t get there before nine-thirty, maybe later.”