Airborne

Father of the Airborne

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Free Fire Zone
A novel by John Henry Lee

Chapter 1; Beginnings, page 5

"Damn, can't they hold this son of a bitch level?" muttered Bobby Sloan. "Did you ever believe we'd be here?"

He leaned across the seat to Jake. Bobby Sloan was an anathema, the son of a minister and much the devil's right hand man. A combination of con artist, fast talker and out and out liar. He talked tough, constantly claiming to be a "big man." But very early, Bobby attached himself to Jake for the courage he lacked, and they'd become close through basic, AIT and jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was actually Bobby who'd talked Jake into going to Airborne training.

"Ah, come on Jake, my man, leaping out of those airplanes, it'll be great. Besides, when we get to Nam, we'll be airborne."

But it was Sergeant Barton who finally nudged him into it. "Jake, you're a leader, and most of these fuckers like Sloan are going to get their ass shot off if they don't have someone like you around." He then tacked his famous phrase onto his statement, "That's all there are to it men."

Jump school was no big sweat except the harassment. It was designed to test the ability to keep cool and convince the trainees of the eliteness of the airborne. Those songs still echoed in their ears. "I want to be an airborne ranger, I want to live a life of danger, I want to go to Vietnam, I want to kill a Vietcong. Airborne, Airborne. They must have sung it in cadence a million times."

During training, Bobby was his usual self, but the closer they got to going out that plane door, the more sedate he became. "OK, men, today you are going to be airborne. 48th company has done its job. We give you a week on the ground teaching you how to properly execute an aircraft. Then, we had some fun by letting you jump out of a little tower and then fall from a nice contraption. Now, you sorry legs, it's all up to you," a big, African American sergeant bellowed like he'd made that speech before.

"Damn, Jake, I'm sicker'n hell," said Bobby

"You'll be all right when that wind hits you in the face."

"Jake, I can't do it."

"Sure, you can, Sloan, you know you'd go out that door puking all the way," a smiling Jacobson patted him on the back.

"I can't do it. What if my chute don't open or I get a Mae West."

"Ah, come on, Sloan, those things don't happen, they just been bull shittin."

"I can't do it, I'm going to tell the Sergeant I want out."

"Bobby, everybody gets shook. Hell, I've never jumped out of a plane either. We'll do it together."

For a moment, he seemed to accept it and then, "No, I can't, Jake, and I ain't. I know it's going to happen to me. I'm going to buy the farm."

"No you're not. I'm in the same stick. We'll go out together."

Beginnings, page 6 ->

Beginnings; page 1
Beginnings; page 2
Beginnings; page 3
Beginnings; page 4
Beginnings; page 5
Beginnings; page 6