Second installment

The next day was spent with final preparations, we checked that everybody's kit was ready and that the lorries were full, in the afternoon we had a meeting so that the teams for the following day would be announced, while everyone was waiting i helped Brian in the armory, we packed all of the rpg rounds into rucksacks, the two Orsas(shoulder fired rocket launches), the machine guns were checked and oiled, grenades and ammunition put ready for the off, I was satisfied that everything was ready so we locked the armory and left. The rest of the day was spent doing nothing before the meeting as it was time to get yourself in the right frame of mind, I wondered what the young men who had never seen action were thinking, I knew that I for one was thinking about the safe return of everyone after the attack and I also hoped that I would come back alive to continue my life as I had left it. The time for the meeting arrived and everyone was lined up in the main hall waiting for Ernie, he loved this, everyone waiting for him, Kevin called everyone to attention and out from the office Ernie walked. We all stood at ease and he began to tell everyone what section they were to be in, he went through Marks section, Kevin's and lastly Steve's, the only names not to be mentioned were three of my guards and me, I was not going to be allowed to go as I was to be left at the base as security, the men looked at me as if to say why? When Ernie had finished he went to the office to brief each section separately, I was left standing in shock as I didn't know what to think or do. We had planned everything as a team and here I was left in the cold, what had I done to deserve this decision I had experience and I was not included so I decided to go to the office and listen. The sections went in one by one,

"what's the reason for you not being included" everyone asked as they left,

"those are my orders and you shouldn't question them" I replied,

thanks a bunch I thought to myself as I left the office.

The men were standing outside talking about what they had to do, the Orsa team came up to me and said that only one of them had fired the weapon before and what were they to do? The great Ernie had assigned people to a weapon that they knew nothing about, what a complete idiot, I told them to tell Ernie what they had told me and I went with them. They told him and he said that the four men and I should go to the aerodrome and see if we could practice firing the Orsas there, so we all got in the car and left. We arrived at the aerodrome and asked for permission to fire the weapons, the guard said that he had to check with hq first so he picked up the telephone and dialed, after he had finished he told us that command had refused and that we should find somewhere else, we could not tell him that we had an attack planned so we just had to leave. We went back to the base to find Ernie in the main hall talking, we went straight up to him and told him what had happened, when he had finished he said,

"I don't have anyone with experience to fire it"

I knew how to use it and I was not on the attack so I grabbed my chance there was a deadly silence while Ernie considered what to do, all the men were waiting for his answer and for him to say that I was not going could be disastrous, after what seemed like ages he came to a conclusion,

"ok you can go as one of the men in the section who will fire the orsa" he said,

That was what I wanted to hear, he walked away as if he had lost a battle with me and I was now going and there was no way that he could stop me, I had beaten him again and when would he learn that I not as stupid as he thought or wanted to think, I took the other three men into the dining room where I gave them an impromptu lesson hoping that it would be enough,I said I would fire and one other would be my second, I explained what they had to do and hoped that they would remember, we would find out tomorrow. One of the orders that Ernie had given was that everyone had to be in bed by ten and of course it was left up to me to enforce this while Ernie sat in his office. The men were playing card's and I had to put a stop to that so I told them enough was enough and get to bed as was ordered, they were not making much movement so another tactic was called for, I began by raising my voice while repeating the order and then toning it down again while telling them why I wanted them to sleep, I told them that I didn't want anyone to die as I cared for them all and I wanted to see them all back safely, I left them to think about what I had said and went to talk to the guards, after a short while I went to check the rooms, they were all quiet and as I walked back to my room I thought to myself how many beds would be empty this time tomorrow night, how many of these young men would be in body bags and all because of the sake of peace but I was glad I was going I had the probably last chance to hit the Serbians hard and for me that would give me satisfaction.