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Summary
Author Biography
From the Hardcover edition.
Excerpts
June 6, 1968.
It had already been a long day, and dawn had yet to break.
On his hands and knees, Bill Matthews scampered up over loose rocks and jumped into Bill Negron’s hole. Out of breath, he gasped, “They’re diggin’ in. They’re right in front of my hole, Skipper. I can hear ’em. They’re all over the fuckin’ place.”
“Now, hang on, marine. Cool it. Catch your breath. Who’s digging in and where?” Negron was calm.
“The gooks, for chrissake. The NVA, just like they did at Con Thien before they came through the wire, and, in case you haven’t noticed, we ain’t got no fuckin’ wire...sir.” Matthews caught his slight sarcasm and tried to temper it.
Negron grabbed his radio handset and called over to the 3rd Platoon. “Charlie Three, this is Charlie Six Actual, do you read me? Over.”
"Six, this is Three. Go.”
“Three, this is Six Actual.” Negron was gripping the handset ever more tightly so as not to miss a word. “Is everything cool down there?”
“That’s a negative, Six. I think the visiting team has arrived and are getting ready for the kickoff. Over.”
“Charlie One,” “Charlie Two,” and “Charlie Three” were the radio call signs of the platoons that comprised C Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. Charlie Six was the company commander, in this case, Captain William A. Negron. The “Actual” meant Negron himself as opposed to a designee, such as his radio operator.
A brief radio silence was broken by a call from the 1st Platoon. “Charlie Six, this is Charlie One. We’ve got company about five—zero meters out. Over.”
“One, this is Six Actual. Roger that. Give me an azimuth. Over.”
Negron was looking for the exact coordinates of the reported activity so he could direct 60 mm mortar fire to the area.
“Six, this is One. Wait out...Six, this is One—one—five mils magnetic. Over.”
“Incoming!” came the call from the near side of the perimeter.
The ensuing explosion was followed by yet another call. “Grasshopper Charlie Six, this is Grasshopper Six Actual. Things sound kinda rough up there for you. Give me a sit rep. Over.” “Grasshopper Six Actual” was the call sign for our battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel James H. MacLean (no relation to me).
“Grasshopper Six, this is Charlie Six Actual. We are in the V ring. Surrounded by unhappy gooks. Send water, ammo, air, and arty. Now. Over.”
“Charlie Six, this is Grasshopper Six. I read you loud and clear. What’s your body count? Over.”
“Grasshopper Six, be advised that I’ve lost an entire offensive football team and one baseball team. I’m too busy killing ’em to count ’em. I’ll be back when it’s quieter. Over.”
“Roger that, Charlie Six. Groceries and goodies are on the way. Over and out.”
The brief radio silence was followed by an urgent whisper on another radio that was barely audible. “Charlie Six, this is Charlie Three. Over.”
It was the voice of 3rd Platoon radio operator Mitchell calling from LZ Loon across the ravine. “This is Six. Go,” replied Terry Tillery. Tillery was Charlie Company’s radio operator, and never far from Negron’s side.
“Six, they’re coming at you. We can see it from here. They’re
Excerpted from Loon: A Marine Story by Jack McLean
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