A Bright Shining Lie Page #5

We will land the first airborne force here

and the second here.

Advance here and here

and capture the objective.

I have to brief my men, Colonel.

(Man speaking Vietnamese)

All right, here's the drill.

Frank, I want you take the lead armoured.

Ron, take the first chopper.

I'm going in the spotter plane.

- What about Cao?

- The hell with him.

I'm gonna check this one out for myself.

Go.

(lnstructions called out in Vietnamese)

(John over radio) We're coming up

on the target side now. Over.

(Gl) Roger that, Colonel Bogie.

(John) No signs of movement below. Over.

(Burnett) Ap Bac, January 2nd, 1963.

For a year the Vietcong had studied the

Americans and their tanks and helicopters,

studied and learned.

Now they were ready to stand and fight.

Vietnam's exotic little war

was about to turn into a quagmire.

(Pilot over radio) Foxtrot-alpha

banking right 45 degrees.

- Heading one-five-two-four south. Over.

- (John) Roger that.

Thumper, this is Colonel Bogie.

What's your ETA? Over.

Roger, Colonel Bogie, this is Thumper.

We're about 30 seconds away. Over.

Roger that. There's a big tree line

east of the LZ.

Tell your boss to stay at least

300 yards away from that.

- Roger.

- OK. Over.

OK, reposition, come back around.

Hawkeye, get those tracks ready to move fast

when I give the order. Over.

Roger that. OK, you're headed for the tree line.

(John) Take your three birds

out to the west behind the tree cover.

(Gl) Colonel Bogie,

this is Chopper-four-alpha.

We're swinging west

of the target zone. Over.

(John) Thumper, put your two birds

down to the east.

(Gl) We're coming in from the east

toward the LZ now.

(Pilot) 400 yards, 100 feet,

dropping down to 50.

Thumper, you're too close.

You're too close, get back.

You're over-shooting the LZ. Go around.

Ah!

God damn it.

Hawkeye, what the hell's keeping you?

Get in there, we got two birds down.

(Frank) We're taking heavy fire here, John.

Sh*t. Tiger Centre, Tiger Centre,

we got two birds down,

move on the objective now.

- Move up to the tree line now.

- (Speaks Vietnamese)

(John) Sh*t. Damn it.

Come on, come on. Get out.

(John) Come on, Frank, move.

He doesn't understand English now, John. Go.

(Screams)

Sh*t.

God damn it.

Hawkeye, come in. Thumper, come in.

God damn it. Take her down now.

Give me a hand with this guy. Hold his neck.

(Screaming)

What the hell's going on here?

This isn't a game.

- We have lost helicopter.

- Yes, you lost helicopter.

- Now get your infantry out there.

- No, we must withdraw.

You will not withdraw. We have men down

out there. You will hold the line.

(Gl) Second chopper coming in.

Let's move it. Move it.

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