“But you didn’t. You saw the cave,” Elizabeth said.
“No, actually we didn’t. We were headed back west, leaving the village. As the team was moving, some kid, couldn’t have been eight or nine, tugged at me.”
“He say anything?”
“No, but he had a look on his face. It was fear, plain and simple. It was as if he was begging me, the way he held on, the way he looked at me. I turned and he was pointing up, to the east. Toward the mountain. Big son of a bitch, too. I called Ramirez over and we took a look.”
“How far away was it?”
“We estimated six, seven hundred meters. Looked through our scopes a bit, didn’t see any movement. Almost ignored the kid and kept moving, but then I saw it.”
“The cave?”
“Yup. Tucked away, hidden really well. I could only see the top of the opening. The rest was obscured by rock. A large overhang was above it. Might be why satellites never picked up on it. But sure as shit, the kid was right, there was a cave.”
“What was the decision?”
“To check it out, of course. Figured if anything, it was probably a trap. Shit, kid might have been setting us up for an ambush, ya just never know.”
“Then why go?”
“Curiosity, maybe. Dunno. We just went in. Figured fuck it, we’d check it out. We’d do some intelligence gathering, shoot some bad guys if need be, then head out. So, we headed east, across the desert and toward the cave. It was a good hike, not much cover. But the ragheads can’t shoot over two hundred meters, so once we were far enough from the village, we felt safe. Got to the foothills, went on up. There’s a few trails, but some are real death-traps. Went slow, looking for traps of course.”
“And you made it without incident, correct?” Elizabeth asked.
“We did. There wasn’t anything. It was silent, even when we looked in, there was nothing. Damn cave is dark, deep too. Couldn’t see the end, even with our lights. But the silence, now that I remember, that’s what sticks with me most. The quiet. It was as if everything living just got quiet. No birds, no lizards, nothing. There was an eerie feeling once we got there, that’s for sure.”
“Did everyone feel this way?” Elizabeth asked.
“Didn’t ask. We were ready for anything, so that didn’t matter. At least, we thought we were ready,” York said, taking another drag, thinking back.
York felt defeated.
52
“If this is too much, I can come back later,” Elizabeth suggested.
“Go on. At least I get to smoke,” he said, though exhausted.
“You’re a member of 1st SFOD-D, perhaps the greatest special forces group in the world. I’ve met many of you. I’ve tasked missions, so I know the game. You’ve received many accommodations, Sergeant York. Your superior officer, your teammates, they all speak highly of you.”
“Your point?” he asked, rolling his eyes.
“Says here,” she said, shuffling through his file, “that you received a purple heart not long ago.”
“Yeah, sure did.”
“And where is that medal, Sergeant York?”
A flash of anger went through him. He said, “Oh, I have it in a nice pretty fuckin’ frame in my bathroom so that every day I can jack off to it while looking in the mirror and telling myself good on you! Good job for doing what I’d do anyway!” he said, nearly shouting.
The buzz, the door opened, men entering.
Elizabeth ushered them away.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Sergeant York.”
“Why are you asking where my medal is?”
“Because a few guys on your team said you no longer have it. This true?”
“Yeah. So?”
“Where is your purple heart, Sergeant York?”
“I tossed the fuckin’ thing off the top of a mountain a week after they gave it to me,” he declared. “I don’t think I should get a medal for helping a fellow member of The Unit. It’s almost an insult, really. So I tossed it and went back to fighting.”
“It makes sense to me, actually. Your type of personality, you’re different than most men. A rarity. Now obviously I’ve never seen combat, but in theory it does make sense.”
“It does? Wow, someone around here who isn’t a dumbshit. I’m liking you more and more, Elizabeth. At least you ain’t stupid like the rest. My team are my brothers, something pussy men and bitches will never understand. Point is, you might understand hypothetically, but you’ll still never fully understand. It’s like watching your brother die. You have family?”
“I do,” she replied.
“And what would you do if someone attempted to harm them?”
“I suppose I’d defend them.”
“Fuck yeah you would! You see, when we’re out there, there’s no time for bitches and pussies. War is for real men. You’ll never understand the bond, I’d fucking give my life for any Delta, for all my teammates. That’s why I tossed the fuckin’ medal. I don’t do this for fuckin’ medals.”
“Are you a patriotic man, Sergeant York?”
“I don’t give two shits about anything but my boys. And they’re dead, remember? My unit… those guys… they were more important to me than my own family, my friends. They were more than that. I’ve killed to defend them, I would have given my life for them.” He broke down, tears rolling freely down his cheeks.
“Sergeant, are you all right? Shall I give you some time?”
“No, let’s get on with it,” he requested again.
“Obviously you’re sad. That makes you a good friend, an honorable soldier.”
“Cut the bullshit.”
“Do you have remorse, Sergeant York? Are you begrudging yourself for the incident?”
“I only wish for one thing.”
“What’s that, Sergeant York? What do you wish for?” she urged.
But York paused, his eyes blurry with tears, his voice wavering.
Elizabeth pushed on, feeling the need to press the man, to get through to him. “You wish you could have saved them, right?” she asked.
York looked up, a crazed stare, shaking his head. “No! I wish I would have died with them,” he stated.
53
“Needed that,” Jefferson stated, stepping off the helicopter. The Delta Unit, accompanied by the sole Marine, exited the aircraft.
“Me too!” Thompson exclaimed.
“Felt good to get some action,” Jefferson added. He was by far the most menacing looking man on the team. He kept his hair cropped short, his beard thick. He was as square as an engine block, a mean look always on his face. But this day, he couldn’t help but grin some. He, like the rest, felt relieved. The stress of waiting around was often worse than the stress of combat. But the Marine had seen to that problem. It was equivalent to taking them to a whore house, and Jefferson was gracious of the gesture. He double checked his rifle’s action, gathering his gear and headed up toward the hangar.
“That got intense for a bit, didn’t it?” Thompson replied.
“Yup, sure did.”
“Got two, myself,” Thompson added, walking alongside the man. He wasn’t so much bragging as no man on the team kept score against one another. Instead, each time a man killed, it was a kill for the team, not the individual. It was for The Unit.
“Yeah, you did,” Jefferson nodded. His white teeth shined as daylight long had passed, night upon them. The bright spotlights on the base lit his wide grin. His spirits were high. “Everyone did good. Even thought the Rangers did all right.”
“Meh, I guess,” Clements, the large country boy, admitted as he hurried to catch up. Like the rest, he too carried the M4 Carbine. His bolt was open, and slung across his broad chest. He was bigger than Jefferson in size, though not by much.