THREE – LISTENING POST (2000 HOURS)Polack’s memories were suddenly interrupted when the steady rush of white noise on the radio handset disappeared. After several seconds, a voice whispered in his ear, “Lima Papa 1, Thunder 3, sit-rep, over.” Polack hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary or seen anything beyond the end of his nose, so he depressed the talk button on the handset, holding it down for a split second, indicating an ‘all clear’ status. When he let up, the static returned briefly before the voice whispered in acknowledgment, “Roger, 1.” The battalion radio operator then continued his query of the other units in the jungle; all responded with a single break in the squelch. When finished, the white noise returned to keep Polack company for another hour.
If any of the elements
