Pacifica Military History Free Sample Chapters.pmd

454 Pacifica Military History
Hooterville. Staff Sergeant Allston shouted at them in the hope they
would send help, but he knew that their doing so would likely result in
additional casualties. Allen Soifert, who was fully cognizant and who
had a very keen sense of the severity of his injuries, verbalized Allston’s
feelings of desperation, actually announcing that he did not want other
Marines risking their lives on his behalf. There was no need to worry.
Lieutenant Harris’s heart went out to the two men trapped in the open,
but he knew he would take dead and wounded if he sent any of his
riflemen to help them. His decision to keep his troops under cover was
confirmed within minutes in a message from Captain Cowdrey, Charlie
Company’s comman-der.
Soifert next chided Allston for his failure to get through on the radio,
suggesting in a bantering voice that his nominal supe-rior had forgotten
to turn it on or failed to key the handset or improperly set the antenna.
This was typical of Soifert’s well-honed sense of humor. Allston was
not feeling the wounded man’s mirthful energy, so he responded in less
than charitable manner, which caused Soifert to respond in a humorous
fashion.
Continued efforts by Allston to work the radio were unsuc-cessful.
At length, Soifert said that he would try to get through. Allston obliged
him, but it was by then apparent that the radio had been damaged in the
accident or, indeed, had not been working at all that morning.
As the two sat tight, Allston thought he heard a tank moving nearby.
In fact, SSgt Richard Smith was attempting to maneuver his heavy tank
to the roadway, to either provide direct fire sup-port or, if the opportunity
arose, to dash out and snatch the two EOD noncoms. The racket from
the tank drew the attention of militia fighters on the opposite flank, and
several of their RPGs passed close enough to the tank to force Smith to
reconsider his boldness. He well knew that an RPG could destroy a
tank.
Next, a jeep bearing 1stLt Nick Nanna, of Charlie Battery, and two
enlisted Marines pulled up right beside the overturned jeep. Nanna
stepped out behind the damaged vehicle just as heavy fire from the
Moslem-held tree line whipped by overhead. He grabbed a small radio,