His arms folded across his chest, Colonel Wade sat in the right seat of the Twin Comanche aircraft piloted by Benny. The sun"s warmth through the windshield made him sleepy, and he allowed his eyes to close. He began running the mission through his mind, but his thinking turned to the past when he thought of Rico.
Colonel Wade watched as the helicopter descended from the night sky to the landing area next to a metal Quonset hut. Dust rose from the ground, making Wade turn his back and shield his eyes as the pilot shut the engine down. As the dust settled, a tall Marine, dressed in desert camouflage with an athletic build, stepped out of the aircraft. Rico Garcia turned and spoke to the crew chief and then walked up to Wade and saluted. “Good evening, Sir. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
