BTC Matthews and Chief Naden joined LT Malcom to assess the damage and origin of the fire. "Lieutenant, second class Spalding reports he saw something in the bilge during the fire," Naden says.
"What exactly? Rags, trash?"
"He's not sure sir but he thinks it's much larger that most junk you see rolling around down there."
"Chief?"
"Yeah, what is it Moody?"
"Chief, you better come and see this."
Matthews, Naden, and Malcom walked over to where Moody was standing. He pointed down through a narrow opening in the grates to an oversized object floating in the bilge.
"What the hell?"
"Moody, get a couple fireman to help you, and see if you can't retrieve whatever that is."
"Yes, Chief."
The BTs quickly assemble a chain and two lines with a naval version of grappling hooks on the ends. Attempting to secure the object, the finally managed to host it up and out of the bilge water.
A putrid nauseating sickeningly foul smell slapped them like a professional boxer's uppercut. The smell was so strong it permeated everything, clinging to their clothing and skin. One fireman bent over and lost his lunch.
As they rolled it over, the object was unrecognizable. A garlic-like odor with sweat tinges rose up to meet their nostrils as they jerked away. Turning back towards the object, a half-rotted face stared back at them with one cloudy eye. The other was a bloody infested socket seeping oily bilge water running down exposed bone into a rotting ear.
A body. A fucking body...
Which World Leader Will Blink First?
Praise for Last Gunship Cuban Quarantine
"Wood delivers a gripping prequel to his acclaimed Vietnam memoir. With the same authenticity and eye for detail that made Last Gunship standout, he transports readers to the tense days when the world teetered on the edge of nuclear war."
Nancy (India)
__________
"The tension of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the atmosphere aboard the ship it all feels so vivid and real."
Daniale Frontino (Italy)
__________
""This book felt like hanging out in a sailor's memory. It's full of sailor slang, dark humor, and real talk, it feels very authentic."
Chee Chaiw (US)
__________
"Astonishing how narrowly we escaped..."
A shrill alarm pierces the silence. 'Contact bearing 110, range 8 miles,' screams Duke.
The bridge erupts in a flurry of activity. With grim determination, Captain Shaw barks orders. 'Evasive maneuvers! Release false targets!'
Executinng a series of sharp turns and dives, the sub lurches violently. Designed to confuse and mislead pursuing vessels, dummy torpedoes are deployed. Engines roar, the doppler effect distorting Sonar signals.
Amidst the chaos, a low hum fills the air. The electronic warfare officer has activated a noise maker, a relentless cycle of on-off pulsations that create enough acoustic interference to mask a subs' presence.
The contact disappears from their screens, but Shaw knows the danger is far from over. 'Keep evading,' he commands. 'We don't know what's out there.' The sub continues its desperate dance, the noise makers drowning out any hint of their location.
The crew works tirelessly, hearts pounding with each passing second. At dawn, the contact returns. It's closer and closing rapidly. Shaw orders a torpedo attack.
Two deafening explosions reverberate through the water, sending shockwaves crashing into the Russian attack submarine..."
Praise for Last Gunship '72 Vietnam Memoirs
__________
"It's as if the author is sitting next to you. As a Navy Veteran, I recognize the importance of these men being able to tell their stories. Not only to preserve U.S. and World History, but it's very personal for these men in many ways."
__________
"Stunningly vivid memories of the Gunline in Nam aboard a destroyer. A must read for anyone that was there. If you weren't, buckle up."
Navy Vietnam Vet
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Country Joe again. The sun climbed and Mux lost her shadow. The mountains appeared above thinning clouds. Heat rose with the authority of a flooding tide. The sun burned through to bone. We had arrived in the fresh-air mental asylum of Indochina. Mullinnix flashed a light to inform the other ships 'the top gun of the Atlantic Fleet had arrived'. Each sent a return light. The decks were already hot to the touch. The sky was an indigo blue.
In a cloudless sky, jets changed pitch to an ear-numbing scream as they dove into the jungle. Abruptly, they'd pull up just clearing the treetops. Releasing their load as they climbed. Little black eggs tumbled end-over-end, vanishing into the canopy. Moments later, lush green changed to molten red and orange as fire balls consumed oxygen and vegetation. Napalm.
A mushroom cloud of smoke and flame rose from a fuel dump that was hit. Generating heat so great water in a nearby lake boiled. Liquid flame rained down in umbrella fashion setting of drums of diesel like strings of firecrackers.
The crew watched tanks battling on the beach. The earth erupted filling the air with grit. We could hear constant rattle of machine gun fire, the sharpness of rifle-fire, and the heavy pounding of offshore shelling. Fires flared and twisted in the wind. The smell of smoke, death, and decay drifted towards Mullinnix, leaving a metallic taste in our mouths that we couldn't shake. My thoughts were like scrambled eggs. I didn't know what to think. So, I didn't. Birdman may have been right. I knew the Animals were.
The crew didn't have to wait long. A mere thirty-eight minutes after arriving, an explosion port side at 1307 send a geyser of water as high as the stacks. Then the scream of the 1MC...
Counter Battery!
Return Fire! Return Fire!!!
