Both men scanned the horizon until they detected a motionless antenna protruding over the rise. Evidently there was a patrol there, watching them. The antenna probably belonged to an armored vehicle. Vorishnov turned and looked at the progress of the recovery operation. It would still be some time before it was finished. With nothing better to do, he jumped down from the track and walked up to the wire fence, exercising great care as to where he stepped.
Once he was at the fence, Vorishnov stopped, folded his arms and stared at the point where they had seen the antenna. Perhaps he could cause the Americans to move or expose themselves. If both sides violated the DMZ, the Soviet violation could be explained as a reaction to the Americans' violation. It was worth a try.
"What the hell do you suppose he's up to?"
Dixon did not answer the scout-section sergeant immediately. Instead, he continued to watch the lone Soviet major standing at the wire, arms folded, staring toward the spot where they were. He couldn't imagine what the Russian was looking at. Rolling over from his stomach to his side, Dixon looked back at the Bradley to their rear. It was down low, its turret well below the rise. Their approach had been slow and quiet.
There was nothing that could have given them away. Nothing, except the antenna. When Dixon saw the antenna sticking up instead of being tied down, he knew what the Russian had seen. Tapping the section sergeant on the shoulder, he pointed out the antenna. The sergeant mumbled an obscenity, then asked, "Now what?"
To the sergeant's surprise, Dixon stood up, looked in the direction of the Russian and said, "Now I go find out what he wants." With that, he began to walk toward the wire fence, being careful where he walked.
As he approached the fence, he could see the Russian watching him intently.
Behind the Russian major the men working on the BMP stopped and stared.
The Russian major was a big man, half a head taller than Dixon.
Dixon did not let that bother him. He walked up to the fence and stopped, staring into the Russian's eyes.
For a moment, the two faced each other awkwardly. Each man had seen men of the other side, mostly prisoners of war. This was different.
The man across the fence was not a beaten man. He was armed and he controlled other armed men. Not knowing what to do, and more from reflex than by intent, the two saluted each other.
Dixon spoke first. "In the name of the Allied forces, I must protest the unprovoked introduction of forces and armored vehicles into the demilitarized zone. This is in direct violation of the armistice agreement. I demand their immediate withdrawal."
Vorishnov, straight-faced, responded in English, "Our presence in the demilitarized zone is in response to your provocation. It is you who have violated the armistice."
Dixon looked from Vorishnov to where the Russian was looking-in the direction of the waiting scout sergeant and the concealed Bradley. Finally he said, "Perhaps we are both guilty of violating the treaty."
Vorishnov looked at the American and agreed. "Perhaps, but only a little."
Each man studied the man across the fence. Each knew what unit he faced across the DMZ and the role that that unit had played in the fighting. Each had seen much and knew that the man he faced had also.
Both had seen too much.
It was Vorishnov who spoke first. "How long do you suppose this will last, Major?"
Dixon thought for a moment. "Hard to say. These things take time. In Korea, negotiations took years. We still have forces there in the DMZ."
Vorishnov sighed. "Yes, diplomats do not have the need to hurry. They do not have to face what we have to."
Dixon asked, "Do you suppose things would be different if they were here?"
"No, I suppose not. Besides, they are not of our kind.
They could no more do what we must than we could do what they are ordered to do."
The Russian's reference to "our kind" was a revelation to Dixon. He had never looked upon a Russian in that light or thought there was a bond, a common ground, a similarity. As he considered that, it made sense. The Russian, like him, was a tanker, a veteran, a survivor.
A Russian soldier called out to Vorishnov. He turned and saw that the BMP was out of the ditch and beginning to move toward the BRDM. "It is time to leave now, Major. May your journey back be safe."
Dixon stepped back. "Yes. Be careful of the mines. We have a hell of a time keeping the Iranians from moving them about."
Vorishnov smiled for the first time. "You see, we share the same problems. Goodbye, Major."
With that, the two saluted, turned and walked back to their vehicles.
Glossary of Military Terms
A-10 — The A-10 Thunderbolt, nicknamed the Warthog, is a ground-attack aircraft specially built for the U.S. Air Force to crack tanks. Armed with a 30mm. cannon capable of destroying tanks from above, the A-10 can also carry 8 tons of ammunition. It has a maximum speed of 423 mph and an operational range of 288 miles.
AH-64 — The U.S. Army's current attack helicopter, named the Apache. Now being fielded, it is capable of carrying sixteen Hellfire antitank guided missiles or seventy-six 2.75-inch rockets. In addition, the helicopter is armed with a 30mm. cannon. It has a maximum speed of 192 mph and an operational range of 380 miles. A computer-driven fire-control system that includes thermal sights and a laser designator tracker range finder makes the AH-64 one of the most effective antitank weapons systems in the world.
AK — Avtomat-Kalashnikov assault rifle, the standard rifle of the Red Army. The original AK, the AK-47, fired a 7.62mm. round in either the semiautomatic or the full automatic mode. The rifle has a cyclic rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute but in reality can only fire 90 rounds, as the magazine holds either 30 or 40 rounds. Effective range of the AK-47 is 400 meters. The AKM was an improvement of the AK47, a folding stock being the most noticeable feature. The current assault rifle of the Red Army, the AKS74, which is based on the AK-47, fires a 5 .45mm. round and has an effective range of 500 meters.
ATGM — Antitank guided missile.
AWACS — See E-3 Sentry.
Battalion — A military organization consisting of three to five companies, with personnel strength of 350 to 800 men.
Battle-Dress Uniform — Camouflaged fatigues worn by U.S. ground forces. Referred to as BDUs.
Blackhawk — See UH-60 Blackhawk.
BMD — The airborne version of the BMP-1 (See BMP).
BMP — A Red Army infantry-fighting vehicle introduced in the 1960s. It comes in two primary versions. The BMP-1, the original design, is armed with a 73mm. smooth-bore gun, a 7.62mm. machine gun and an AT-3 SAGER antitank guided missile. The BMP-2 is armed with a 30mm. gun, a 7.62mm. machine gun and an AT-5 SPAN DEL antitank guided missile. Both vehicles have a crew of three and can carry eight infantrymen. The BMP is amphibious, weighs 11.3 tons and has a range of operations of 310 miles and a top speed of 34 mph. There are now several variations of this vehicle, including a reconnaissance version that has replaced the PT-76 light tank, and a command post. Boggy-Air Force slang for an enemy aircraft.
Bradley — Name of the U.S. Army infantry-fighting vehicle. See M-2.
BRDM — The standard Soviet reconnaissance vehicle. This vehicle comes in two recon versions, the BRDM-1, now obsolete, and the BRDM-2. The BRDM-2 is armed with a 14.5mm. machine gun and a 7.62mm. machine gun; it weighs 6.9 tons, is fully amphibious, and has a top speed of 62 mph on land and 6.25 mph in the water, with a range of 400 miles.