The men around him nodded in understanding. “Most of all, try and not get killed. I hate writing letters to mommy,” he said with a grin. The men around him chuckled. He looked around the group and saw Ricks standing there with his staff sergeant stripes. “You must be Sergeant Ricks,” he said extending his hand. “Glad to have you with us. I appreciate your help,” he said.
“My pleasure, Lieutenant. You going to lead us in?”
“Damn right! You cover mine, and I’ll cover yours,” Dickson said.
“Fair enough, sir. What time do we shove off?”
Dickson glanced at his watch. “Ten minutes. We’ll go by truck a good part of the way. We’ll be breaking off from the convoy pretty early on.”
“Convoy?” Ricks asked.
“We’re not the only ones doing nasty jobs tonight,” Dickson said. “But I’ll be glad when our part is over.”
Ricks nodded. This guy Dickson was okay. He seemed like a smart guy and he didn’t mind taking the point with the ground pounders when it got rough. At least he wasn’t wet behind the ears like some. Ricks loaded up his extra ammo clips and equipment, slung his pack over his shoulders, and walked over to the truck that would take them to their mission. Hell, at least we don’t have to walk all the way, he thought.
A short distance away, Hufham was talking with Lt. Colonel Peterson. “So we are to give these guys a diversion. In plain talk I have to get my guys shot at for a while,” he said with a little disgust.
“What do you expect? Should they let us just walk in?” Peterson asked. “We need to get their attention so that Marine unit can sneak in and get some kids out. Those monkeys are using kids as hostages.
“Screw that. Where do you want us to be?” The idea of holding defenseless kids really pissed Hufham off.
“On this side of the building and down the street,” Peterson said pointing at the map. “I figure we make some noise like we’re heading in. They take some shots and we just sit back and let them shoot. We occasionally shoot back in that direction, but not really at the building. I’m having a Bradley cruise around some too. Might draw what fire they have out. When I get the signal, then we can move in and clean house,” Peterson said.
Hufham nodded. “I can handle that. When do we leave?”
Peterson grinned. “Right now. Get your guys and meet me back here in five.”
Hufham grunted. “Be right back.” It didn’t take long. The squad was already alerted and ready. They grabbed their gear and assembled with the Colonel. Two Bradleys were waiting. The men piled in and moved out.
The school was a four story building on the eastern approach to Seoul. It was in the shape of a “C” with the top of the “C” a little shorter than the bottom. In the center of the “C” was a courtyard where the children could play. The building towered over the one and two story homes and businesses in that part of the city. Major roads were within 300 yards in any direction and streets seemed to branch out from the school. Most of the surrounding neighborhood was homes and small business.
The North Koreans occupied the top two floors and had installed several pieces of artillery along with machine guns. From where they were, they had a clear shot for over three miles in any direction. This included the key bridges entering the city from the southeast.
Dickson and his men entered the city through Guri, sheltered by some high hills on the east of Seoul. Navigating through some narrow roads between the hills, they entered the neighborhoods of Seoul and made their way toward the school. On one occasion, they stopped to take a look at their objective. The school rose like some monolith in the sea of rooftops.
Dickson and his men stopped the trucks in an alley beside a small home just south of the school, about 200 yards away. They were masked by some two story structures across a narrow street. The men quickly and silently began working their way toward the school.
When they got to one four lane road, Dickson stopped the team and turned to Ricks. “The school should be just beyond this road and those houses,” he said pointing. “We should be at the end of the building so there shouldn’t be many guys who can see us, but we need to spread out and make our way. Pass the word. No big groups. We move in and gather at a retaining wall just below this end. If you see anyone, we stop and take care of it,” he said. “Now send Miller up here.”
Ricks nodded and passed the word on back down the line. Miller soon appeared with his rifle and took off with Dickson in the lead. Ricks was proud of the way the men were doing. Their uniforms blended in with the surroundings perfectly and, with no lights on, they would be nearly impossible to see from the school. Everyone was painted up and moving without a sound.
Dickson switched on his night vision glasses. After passing the street, he stopped at the corner of a building and peered cautiously around it. They were about seventy yards from the school and he could see two men walking along the top of the retaining wall at the end of the school. Both carried rifles. Dickson motioned for Miller to have a look. Miller studied the situation for a moment, then nodded. He raised one finger and pointed to the right, then pointed left indicating the sequence he would take.
Miller took careful aim with his rifle and waited until the guard on the right was far away from the other guard, then he gently squeezed the trigger. A light “pap” sound was heard and he saw the guard on the right drop from sight. He quickly switched to the second guard. In just three seconds he too was down and Dickson motioned his men forward. They gathered at the base of the retaining wall and, using hand signals, fanned out toward the entrance.
A set of doors were the only access to that side of the school. It was at the narrow end of the building with no windows except in the doors. Silently walking up four steps, Dickson eased up to the window level and glanced inside. No one was in the hallway beyond the doors. Taking a few more steps, he reached the doors and eased his head up until he could see into the window again more clearly.
He could see a long dark hallway with classrooms and lockers on both sides. The hall itself was empty. To Dickson, it looked much like a typical American school with concrete block walls and windowed doors.
Dickson looked down at the door and its handle. The door was slightly ajar indicating the guards had recently used it. Shifting to the other side of the doorway he pulled the door open just slightly and looked for any strings or other booby traps that might be set up; but there were none. He turned to the men behind him, raised two fingers, and pointed. Then he and Ricks eased the door open and passed inside.
Both men flattened themselves against the walls and waited for any kind of alarm. They were lucky the doors didn’t squeak. Cautiously, they made their way to the first set of classroom doors opposite each other in the hallway. Ricks peered into the classroom. It was empty. Looking toward Dickson, he gave a thumbs up and continued to the second. The sound of footsteps caused them to flatten against the wall again.
A guard walked across the entrance on the far end of the hall. He didn’t bother to glance in their direction but instead continued to walk his rounds. In a few seconds, they heard the squeak of the soles of his shoes as he turned and came back. This time, he looked down the hall, but seeing nothing, continued on.