Chapter Twenty-Five

Bobby – Act like a Kid

Kids have a fifth sense. They are aware of minor facial movements and postures that adults have long forgotten. The essential elements of FFF are to recapture that recognition. I reminded my class of women at the RMGC that to evoke those memories are essential to great athletes and survival. It does not make a difference whether they are male or female.

I retold myself that little Leanna had plunked together the two closest people in her limited realm. It was important to her that Dawkmymy and me were like the fairytale figures of Prince Charming and Cinderella. Her view of natural living was that the two people she loved needed to be together.

Focusing myself back to the women, I requested, "How many of you can remember the way the man looked before he hit, kicked or stomped on you?" Almost all raised their hands. "The next time you see someone with a similar expression, calculate in your mind the method you can use to combat the SOB. If you have three or four of these methods mastered, you will be able to defend yourself.

You need to practice these procedures every day until you master them, then for at least three days a week after you become proficient in them. We do this so we can be prepared to counter anyone who would hurt us."

I shared, "In process of getting ready for a fight, I prepare every day. When there is no pressure, I work out a minimum of three times a week." Survival is the same as training for a fight."

Thinking about Dawkmymy randomly interupted my thoughts. It is inexplicable that wisdom came from the mouth of a child. I am pleased that the arguing and conflict has ceased, but It will have a little nagging in my mind. I can't picture what it is. Do I in fact love her? Is this real? Are my feelings imagined? Did they emerge just to appease someone else?

What can I do? Should it be to some degree meant for me to worry? Am I to be duty-bound to explore this odd impression? Is investigating this healthy? Is it something for me to ignore?

Tuesday, November 2, 1964

John Dtā Nok Ecinthrī (จอห์นตานกอินทรี -John Eagle Eye) is a Phon Akat Eck (พล อา กาศ เอก – RTAF four star general.) - He is head of the Royal Thai Intelligence Agency. He is also known as 'CHIANG MAI JOHN,' and for those that know him personally, it is just 'John.' He called a meeting for command level officers.

There were full colonels, generals and me. As a Lieutenant Colonel that made me the lowest ranking person in the room. John explained that the called meeting had two agendas. First, The Thai Royal Air Force (TRAF) was sending twelve modified C-47 XB826s for training purposes. I asked, "Sir, what does that mean?"

"It means, that Colonel Olander's unit is going to take twenty-four RTAF pilots and co-pilots and train them to fly the modified C-47 XB826. Colonel Olander will receive detailed instructions later.

Second, "As many of you know Laos has declared it is a neutral country. In actuality, it is divided into three parts. The Communist Chinese, North Vietnamese and Laotian have had control of Northern Laos and part of Northern Thailand since 1950. We think that the Pink Handkerchief Gang are the primary communist infiltrators in Thailand.

The other two-thirds of Laos are in civil war, meaning they do not have the manpower, weapons or resources to battle the communists in the North. The Royal Thai Border Patrol and the Thai Frontline Guard fight in an attempt to keep our borders safe, but it is a, never ending, battle.

John, with a very grim look said, "This meeting is for only top command level officers. That means full colonels and above. Will Generals James Mathews, Jerry Lee Lockhart and Puk escort Colonel Robert Olander to the podium, please?" I thought, I'm in trouble now. Did I get the wrong memo?

John proceeded, "Gentlemen, there is something wrong with this man's uniform. Let us help him make the adjustment needed." They removed my rank. I contemplated, I'm going to be demoted to Major. They pinned full colonel insignia on my shoulders. John placed a red and green ribbon around my neck with an elephant medallion hanging on it.

He proclaimed, "By instruction of a Royal Decree you are inducted into the Order of the White Elephant for Gallantry." Everyone applauded. I noticed every person in the room had the ribbon and medal hanging around their necks. John handed me the decree in a frame. Additionally, he presented the promotion orders from General Beauford Golfourth.

Dawkmymy had asked me to meet her for supper at 1730 hours at the Crystal Dragon Restaurant. Arriving fifteen minutes early, I was escorted to a side room.

There I discovered Rufus, Martha and Dawkmymy, who sat at the head table. Most of the officers from the previous meeting, with the addition of their wives, were present.

Toward the end of the dinner John came and said I need to talk with you as quickly as you can get away. We will meet in the room next door. John spoke to several others on his way out. I told the ones at the table that I had to go. They had already heard what John had said. I noticed that the rest that he had spoken with were leaving.

As soon as each one to be involved were assembled, we were alerted that we had an emergency opportunity. John made clear that several hundred communists had convened across the Mekong River from Laos. The crossing is where the river narrows between Nam Yone/Nam Gnone and Ban Muang Kan in Laos. Two regular Royal Thai Army Border Patrol officers observed the boundary point all day.

"The communists are putting up tents as if they plan to spend the night. There is a RTAF landing strip seven kilometers from the meeting place. It is not a base, and there is only a few airmen servicing this runway. It is not a secret. It is there to serve planes that are short on fuel returning from bombing and fighting missions."

"We have several stealth on their way to this location. We will unload from the C-130s and reload the men to the helicopters as quickly as we can. The border Patrol will have a homing device set up one eighth kilometer from the targeted site."

Red Savage and his office is already calling for Colonel Olander's twelve crews to report immediately. They will leave as soon as they have a full flying crew on each plane. Hopefully, we will have the manpower we need for all planes. However, due to the time crunch, that might not be possible

Our mission is to capture as many of the enemy leaders as we can. Our secondary mission is to eliminate as many antagonists as feasible.

We were fortunate to man ten full crews, and one hundred twenty fighting men. Our weapons employed the silencer 1960 hand guns and AMZ-2 Carbines using night scopes, we had sufficient firepower.

Along with the flight participants, we had a total of one hundred seventy men prepared to use lethal FFF. Even though combat was not our primary goal, in my heart, I knew we were prepared.

We surrounded the camp at 2100 hours. We eradicated all the security guards. One sentry fired a round before he perished. A handful emerged from their tents. They were firing rapidly toward the boundary of their camp. A smaller tent had a three star flag posted in front of it. I dispatched four men to that shelter. There was a little scuffling Three minutes later the four were escorting two men from their lodging.

John had a couple of his men put handcuffs on them. He instructed that they be watched until he could question them.

Six men went to the first lodging. The male occupants of that tent were already dead. There were three naked women in cuffs and ankle shackles at the back of the dwelling. There were four black suits with a pink handkerchief in each coat pocket. Several guns were recovered.

Each tent had up to seven guys residing in it with two to four women bound in chains, except the last two, which were smaller. These only had two tenants each. There were only black suits in each living space. John asked them in Thai where they were from. One spoke in Chinese, "Go jump in the river." John put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. The man fell to the ground dead.

He put the gun to the next one's head. John said in Chinese, "Where are you from?". The man began crying, and pleaded in perfect Thai, "The Northern part of Bangkok close to Don Muang." "What do you do for a living?"

"I am a RTAF security officer at Don Muang RTAF base." "Who else are communist infiltrators? Before you answer that question, know that I will look into your eyes, and can tell if you are speaking the truth."

Then he handed a pad to his assistant, and expressed, "Write these names down." "Yes sir." The man spouted off a dozen names.

Then John requested his assistant to read the names back to make sure we did not miss one. The assistant read the list back. He queried the assistant, "How long have you been a communist?

"How did you know?"

"When you left your cousin's name off the list."

The aid began running. John shot him, and went over and retrieved his pad. He returned to the man and stated, "Get out of Thailand now. Do not come back, or you'll be dead."

John dealt with the next two in the same fashion, and let them go. Next, he spoke to the two Chinese generals and requested similar items. He shot both. I asked him why. He replied that they lied.

He instructed the Border Patrol to bury the bodies and tents deep in order to keep anyone from discovering them. We unshackled and removed the handcuffs from the women. A few questions revealed that the women were taken from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

We lost three men in the battle. Another six were injured. Four women were murdered by the Pink Handkerchief Gang. We rescued seventy women from their captors.

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