CHAPTER SEVENSixpack called for a pre-patrol briefing before the squad members had a chance to eat breakfast; most of their time since waking was spent retrieving claymore mines and trip flares from their hidden positions of the night before. The men trickled over, carrying their morning meal of coffee, cocoa, or C-Rations, to consume while listening.
Sixpack and Scout extracted a brittle muffin from a vacuum-packed C-Ration tin and spread jelly over the top. Then, with painstaking care, they pecked at theirs gingerly so it would not fall apart, crumbling in their hands. Doc, Zeke, and Wild Bill took a seat on the ground, leaning against a nearby tree with a two-foot wide trunk; each brought a can of semi-solid scrambled eggs and a canteen cup of steaming cocoa. John sat across from Sixpa
