Chapter OneTHE MEN FIDGET. NOBODY SPEAKS OR JOKES.
The CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter sat like a giant praying mantis on the 1st Marine Division recon pad at Danang. All on board sat in stony silence. Private First Class Arthur Latimere was excited however. He had four days in Vietnam and eagerly awaited his first ride in a helicopter.
Fifty miles to the north, the biggest battle of the war raged in Hue City. Private First Class Billy Huff was there, running as always. This time, he ran across the province capitol courtyard, enveloped in clouds of tear gas. He and Arthur Latimere never realized their dreams of cruising Route 66 after high school. Billy’s wild nature had produced a string of troubles and misdemeanors and the next thing he knew he was running from the law right into a recruit
