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CLOSE TO LINING UP HIS descent, Sam saw ground crew who seemed to be waving him off. Why would they not want him to land? For that matter, why had the helicopter opened fire on their own men at the checkpoint? Sam probed the pilot’s mind again for an explanation. s**t! he cursed himself for not looking for this information immediately upon integration. He now understood there was a scorched earth protocol in place - anyone who came within 20 feet of an off-base person, or engaged in live fire, was to be destroyed. Not just killed but destroyed. Since this helicopter had been engaged in a firefight, it was considered tainted and not allowed to return to base. The ground crew were selfishly waving him off so they wouldn’t become tainted also—not that he blamed them. The personnel at the
