Washington was under the knife. Dewitt waited for the surgery to be over. Murdock found him.
“How’s Washington?”
“Looks like a clean break, but they wanted to be sure. The X-ray was a little dicey. The bone may need a pin, but no reason he can’t come back to full-duty status.”
“Good. We finally nailed the little general.”
Dewitt nodded. “See you in our assembly room.”
Murdock had little to say to the SEALS. All were there except Washington and Dewitt.
“Good work. Get out of here and hang some sack time or chow call, whichever you want first. We’ll get together here again about fifteen hundred.”
Murdock found his way to the Communications Center and asked them to make a call to Don Stroh’s number in Virginia. The encrypted call went from one satellite to another, then into the Washington, D. C., antennas. Don came on a moment later. “Yeah, SEAL kind of guy, hear you scored a touchdown.”
“Might have been a safety. At least we won. How is Japan taking the whole thing?”
“State says they are pleased. They pleaded for non-lethal, but they had to know it couldn’t hold up for the whole affair. From what I gather, the Russians were fascinated by your new sound toys.”
“I figured they would steal one before they left, but we still have twelve. I counted.”
“Good work, again, Murdock. You’ll probably want a long leave again so you can come to Washington.”
“Don’t know, Stroh. First I’m going to sleep for a week, then eat four meals a day. After that we’ll talk.”
“When does the fishing improve out in California? I’m still looking for some yellowtail and maybe a big-eye tuna.”
“You’re talking at least April or May. We’ll keep your toys safe.
I do want to get two of them on permanent loan. They might come in handy again for a stealth approach.”
“I’ll have to talk to the boss about that.”
“Stroh, what else is cooking? We have a couple of months to get patched up? I’ve still got some guys with bumps and bruises, and one new broken leg.”
“Depends on what pops first. That Korean thing is still hot, but it’s cooled off a little. We plan to hold you guys on the carrier there for a few weeks, so don’t plan any reunion. Looks now like the Korea situation will taper off and might not blow up this time, but I have a feeling it’s coming sooner or later.
“Then we have a problem in the Middle East again. I mean a real bad one that could go ballistic on us. Hey, you guys have the easy part. You just sit there and wait for us to decide where you go.”
“Yeah, sure, Stroh. I can’t fight with you when I’m this tired.
It’s sack time for me. You take care, and don’t call us. When we’re ready for something really big, we’ll call you.”
Stroh laughed and they said good-bye.
Murdock got a guide to help him find his quarters. Tomorrow he’d call Washington again, only this time he’d talk to Ardith Manchester.
Yeah, let her know he was safe and sound. He frowned. Did that mean he was getting serious about this woman?
Murdock gave up even trying to think about that, and hit the sack.
First sleep, then food.
Military Glossary
2IC: Second in command.
40mm Grenades: Fired from launcher on Colt M-4A1, others.
Aalvin: Small U.S. two-man submarine.
Admin: Short for administration.
Aegis: Advanced Naval air defense radar system.
AH-LW Super Cobra: Has M179 undernose turret with 20mm Gattling gun.
AK47: 7.63-round Russian Kalashnikov automatic rifle. Most widely used assault rifle in the world.
AKM-or AK74: 5 .45mm round.
AN/PRC-117D: Radio, also called SATCOM. Works with Milstar satellite in 22,300-mile equatorial orbit for instant worldwide radio, voice, or video communications. Size: 15 inches high, 3 inches wide, 3 inches deep. Weighs 15 pounds. Microphone and voice output. Has encrypter, capable of burst transmissions of less than a second.
AN/POS-7: Night Vision Goggles. Weigh 1.5 pounds.
ANVIS-6: Night Vision Goggles on air crewmen’s helmets.
APC: Armored Personnel Carrier.
ASROC: Nuclear-tipped antisubmarine rocket torpedoes launched by Navy ships.
Assault Vest: Combat vest with full loadouts of ammo, gear.
ASW: Antisubmarine Warfare.
Attack Board: Molded plastic with two handgrips with bubble compass on it. Also depth gauge and cyalume chemical lights with twist knob to regulate amount of light. Used for underwater guidance on long swim.
Aurora: Air Force recon plane. Can circle at 90,000 feet. Can’t be seen or heard from ground. Used for thermal imaging.
AWACS: Airborne Warning And Control System. Radar units in high-flying aircraft to scan for planes at any altitude out 200 miles. Controls air-to-air engagements with enemy forces. Planes have a mass of communication and electronic equipment.
Balaclavas: Headgear worn by some SEALS.
Bent Spear: Less serious nuclear violation of safety.
BKA: Bundeskriminant: Germany’s federal investigation unit.
Black Talon: Lethal hollowpoint ammunition made by Winchester. Outlawed some places.
Blivet: A collapsible fuel container. SEALs sometimes use it.
BLU-43B: Antipersonnel mine used by SEALS.
BLU-96: A fuel-air explosive bomb. It disperses a fuel oil into the air, then explodes the cloud. Many times more powerful than conventional bombs because it doesn’t carry its own chemical oxidizers.
BMP-1: Soviet armored fighting vehicle (AFV), low, boxy, crew of 3 and 8 combat troops. Has tracks and a 73mm cannon. Also has an AT-3 Sagger antitank missile and coaxial machine gun.
Body Armor: Far too heavy for SEAL use in the water.
Bogey: Pilots’ word for an unidentified aircraft.
Boghammer Boat: Long, narrow, low dagger boat, highspeed patrol craft. Swedish make. Iran had 40 of them in 1993.
Boomer: A nuclear-powered missile submarine.
Bought It: A man has been killed. Also “bought the farm.”
Bow Cat: The bow catapult on a carrier to launch jets.
Broken Arrow: Any accident with nuclear weapons or nuclear material lost, shot down, crashed, stolen, hijacked.
Browning 9mm High Power: A Belgium 9mm pistol, 13 rounds in magazine. First made 1935.
Buddy Line: 6 feet long, ties 2 SEALs together in the water for control or help if needed.
BUDS/S: Coronado, California, nickname for SEAL training facility for 6-months course.
BUPERS: BUreau of PERSonnel.
C-130 Hercules: Air Force transporter for long haul. 4 engines.
C-2A Greyhound: 2-engine turboprop cargo plane that lands on carriers. Also called COD, Carrier Onboard Delivery. Takes people, supplies, mail to and from CVN carriers at sea.
C-4: Plastic explosive. A clay-like explosive that can be molded and shaped. It will burn. Fairly stable.
C-6 Plastique: Plastic explosive. Developed from C-4 and C-5. Is often used in bombs with radio detonator or digital timer.
C-9 Nightingale: Douglas DC-9 fitted as a medical evacuation transport plane.